After plowing with truck and having problems with snow drifts and banks as well as an overload of moved gravel, then using FEL with slightly better results but more time consumed I went with a blower and a solid plan to run the grader blade up the driveway before winter actually set in My overall snow chores ware cut in half and the loss of gravel was a lot less which meant spring clean up was also cut short.
Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Plowing with blade or blowing?
- Thread starter Knapmich
- Start date
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I use the blower most of the time. Blowing leaves the snow far enough back so I don't have to push anything for more room late in the season. If the snow is slushie I will plow it into piles, then blow it into the yard.
pinetree10
Gold Member
I've been using a JD 1332 snowblower for 5 years. My driveway is 100' long and has a large turnaround/parking area for four vehicles. I can't imagine using anything smaller because the heavier snow makes it work for a living but it always does a neat job and the heated hand grips are a nice touch. I added the large JD snow shield last year and it made a significant difference as far as keeping me from turning into a snowman when the wind changes.
Smaller tractors would have more issues with a blade and deeper snow. With my FEL blade I can drive fairly fast, rolling the snow off the blade quite a ways. I think the answers to this question will vary quite a bit depending on tractor size.
I'm lucky to have a woods off a ways to the one side of the drive for the full length. Prevailing winds are from the opposite direction. I plow off to the side with the woods and rarely have drifting from that piled side. I usually push it just off the drive, each time adding to the height. If it gets too high, I straddle the ridge with the FEL blade 6" - 12" off the ground and roll the ridge another plow width off to the side.
I'm lucky to have a woods off a ways to the one side of the drive for the full length. Prevailing winds are from the opposite direction. I plow off to the side with the woods and rarely have drifting from that piled side. I usually push it just off the drive, each time adding to the height. If it gets too high, I straddle the ridge with the FEL blade 6" - 12" off the ground and roll the ridge another plow width off to the side.