Pondering a small snow thrower/groomer setup - advice needed!

[deezler]

Hi all,

This thread is about kind of a random thought I've been having lately. Thanks in advance for reading all this junk and offering any advice.

The background:

• I like all snowsports and want to improve my snowboarding trick ability
• I have a decent little hill behind my house
• I live in a place that averages less than 40" of snow per year
• I live in a place that frequently experiences midwinter thaws, sometimes brief, sometimes severe.

So, what I want to do is maximize the amount of snow I can keep on my hill, and keep it in as nice of shape as I can for the winter season.

The idea:

• Get a heavy-duty garden tractor with small front mounted snowblower and maybe even simultaneous rear-mounted tiller.
• Use the snowblower to concentrate freshly-fallen snow into a narrower stripe or trail down the hill
• Make some kind of pull-behind groomer attachment that can roll and pack the snow down (packed snow melts less readily)
• Use the tiller to chew up the icy mess left after any thaw events

So what is the ideal machine for this? My thoughts:

• A heavy-duty garden tractor. Something like a JD 300, 400 or 700 series.
• Must have a differential lock. 4WD even better. Has to get up and down the hill.
• Rear wheel weights and chains, or maybe ag tires?
• Rear 3-pt and PTO would be better for the rear tiller, right?
• Something cheap-ish that I wont freak out over when the snowblower chucks a rock or stick through itself.

Basically, what is the smallest garden tractor with rear differential lock and rear 3-pt? Or one that can accommodate both the blower and tiller at the same time...?

Am I Crazy? Sound off!

 

[dave1949]

Yes, you are certifiable. :laughing:

Anyways, another way to skin a cat could be considered too:

SnowStorm Snowmaking- Home Snowmakers, Snow Machines, How to Make Snow, Snow Makers

Google "snow making machines" for other ideas.

 

[deezler]

Haha, yeah I've looked into that too. Hill is over a few hundred feet from the house site though, so getting electricity and/or compressed air and water lines out there... in the dead of winter.... eesh.

Basically, I feel we get enough snow here, I just want to make it last as long as possible and keep it in nice shape.

This winter has been great though. Snow on the ground since Christmas!

 

[bigtiller]

I think you could do it all with just a loader on a L&G tractor or SCUT,,,,,, if you could have the city dump a few loads in your driveway when they are hauling it away after a storm from the town center.

 

[deezler]

Yeah bigtiller, I already have the CUT in my avatar, so I'll probably just play around with it's loader for now. But I liked the idea of keeping the transported snow as clean and fluffy as possible.

 

[bullockcm]

A question first advice 2nd.

Is any hill that a garden or compact tractor will safely navagate really going to be steep enough to provide the speed to make the snow boarding be any fun? Based on experience I would think a groomer on an atv would give you better results.

You ask about a snowblower and tiller at the same time. Most garden tractors will not be able to power both since there is typically only one pto output. JD has made hydraulic tillers but the price will scare you. Some places do still offer selfpowered tillers which might be an option.

 

[bigtiller]

A question first advice 2nd.

Is any hill that a garden or compact tractor will safely navagate really going to be steep enough to provide the speed to make the snow boarding be any fun? Based on experience I would think a groomer on an atv would give you better results.

You ask about a snowblower and tiller at the same time. Most garden tractors will not be able to power both since there is typically only one pto output. JD has made hydraulic tillers but the price will scare you. Some places do still offer selfpowered tillers which might be an option.

I think just about every garden tractor JD makes is capable of running PTO's front, rear or both at the same time. I know for a fact these can; Starting in 1993. 425, 445, 455, x495, 2210, 2305, 2720. These are just the ones I have owned. I am sure there are many more.

 

[FatTire]

Fun project! An old 3-pt blower for your CUT with a big bag of shear bolts, and a tracked ATV for grooming. You can use the ATV for other fun stuff too. You need a substantial amount of flotation when grooming to avoid making ruts, so most people use snowmobiles or tracked ATVs/UTVs.

 

[bullockcm]

I think just about every garden tractor JD makes is capable of running PTO's front, rear or both at the same time. I know for a fact these can; Starting in 1993. 425, 445, 455, x495, 2210, 2305, 2720. These are just the ones I have owned. I am sure there are many more.

I didn't realize that about the 4 series. I do own a 2210 and it isn't what I was thinking of as a "garden tractor". I was basing my thoughts more on tractors like the 210 shown by the OP which to the best of my knowledge even though it is pictured with both a snowblower and tiller that it would only be able to power one or the other.

I suppose to some extent it comes down to what you define a garden tractor as...

I also suppose cheap is relative but to me there wouldn't be anything cheap about a tractor with at least a diff lock, rear pto, snowblower, and tiller. It really doesn't sound like that long of a hill, a walk behind snowblower might be the best/safest bang for the buck to get the snow into place.

 

[deezler]

Thanks guys.

Bullockcm, I neglected to mention that I planned on taking the long, gradual way up to the top of the hill and then primarily driving downhill only. It is pretty steep near the top. But once you get a little speed up on a snowboard, you can hold onto it - doesn't really need to be too steep.

I don't need to power the snowblower and a tiller at the same time - but it would sure be nice to leave them both mounted all the time. The snowblower is for re-distributing fresh snowfalls, the tiller is for chewing up ice after a thaw.

I know a machine that can do all this easily will not necessarily be cheap. But a used JD 4 series sounds acceptable here. I also neglected to mention that I need to buy a garden tractor anyway, most of its hours will be put on in the summer time mowing around the house and pulling a little trailer here and there. So I figured I should make sure to spec my garden tractor to also handle my crazy winter ideas, too. I will be watching my local craigslist to see if an ideal machine pops up. Basically a heavy-duty garden tractor with a front-mounted snowblower that someone else has already paid the "new" price for, haha.

FatTire... yeah, a tracked ATV/UTV would be the best for grooming, but I don't have that kind of cash to spray around.