Rear Grader Blade for Snow Removal

[RoyJackson]

"I have a 6' blade behind my little Kubota B7100. Heavy wet deep snow will cause my tractor to move sideways rather than moving the snow, but my tractor/loader only weigh about 1250 lb combined."

It's got to be pretty deep and heavy to push my tractor to the side.
My previous tractor, a Deere 670, weighed quite a bit less then the 790 (about 500 pounds less). That one was moved to the side when the snow exceeded 10" or so. However, judicious usage of the left and right brakes kept things pretty much straight. I used the same rear blade then, BTW.

I bet your B7100 went closer to 1800 pounds with that loader...

 

[daTeacha]

Factor in that I'm a little gunshy of a blower from having used a walkbehind when I was younger. The things can throw an errant piece of gravel a lot farther than the snow that comes out of the chute at the same time. Ask my parents neighbor's house!

If you get a blower, be real careful where you aim the chute.

 

[djradz]

I'm gonna disagree. We get even more snow here in southern Michigan and I've used my rear blade for over 20 years. Once you get moving, I contend I can go significantly faster over a long stretch, than I ever could with a blower. Think about what the county road commissions use for the hundreds of miles of roads - blades, not blowers.

For a cat 2 Boomer, I think a 6' would be ideal.

 

[ericinmich]

I've got 7' el-cheepo from TSC for $265 (or something like that). It works great so far with my TC29D (lower HP version of yours). I figure that there will be once or twice this year that I would of wished for a blower, but for now I'm saving my money... plus get more seat time.

 

[wvrocks]

I also have a 7' blade for my TC-33. I wouldn't want to go any smaller. When angled at 30 degrees it still covers the tracks well. Mine's a Bushhog 35-07. <font color="blue"> </font> Here is a picture.

 

[CBox]

Thanks to everyone for the good information!

I stopped at a local equipment dealer yesterday to look at blades and blowers. They didn't have any blades in stock, but were expecting a shipment today or tomorrow.

Dealer said he didn't have any 5' blowers in stock, but he gave me a price on an unused, two year old 6' blower, $2995!!!! I about fell over. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif Don't get me wrong, I think a blower would be nice, but it is way too close to Christmas to spend $3K.

So, I called about a used 5' blower I saw in the photo ad paper, they just haven't called me back yet. They are asking just a few hundred dollars more than the cost of a 7' blade, so we'll see what happens.

I'll let you know how it comes out. Next snowfall is scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday). I might just be on my way to TSC for a new 7' blade /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

P.S. Whoever said it was always more fun to spend someone else's money, AMEN to that!!!

Thanks again,
CBox

 

[JASTN70D]

I have used all modes of snow removal over the years. IMHO the blower can be a brutal thing to operate in windy weather without a Cab and the expense seemed unreasonable. The back-blade does not handle large snows or large bank build ups as well.

I found the best compromise was the hydraulic front blade. Almost as fast as a blower without all the blow-back and launched foreign objects. It takes less tractor both weight and HP to run and of course they tend to cost less than the blower.

I have a neighbor that just got a front blade FEL Mounted and has used a blower for the last 4 years now. Waiting for snow of any significance to get his report.

I do know they all seem to shine under certain conditions. I.E a calm warm day and a blower seems like the way to go. A 5" snow of powder and a rear blade works great.

The point is there is no panacea answer to the question. things like the time you like, have and or willing to spend is a large factor as is the everchanging condition's

I just found with a smaller tractor the Front Blade was the better of the 3 evils!


I have a 1500 foot drive and a TN70 using the 84" FEL bucket seems the way to go for that setup. I just put the FEL down and go. When the bucket fills it turns in to an unstoppable plow 3 passes and I am done. Depth does not seem to be a factor. It has yet to see a snow it could not beat! The bad part is I finally have a cab and spend a lot less time snow plowing.... Funny how things work out sometimes /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[wolc123]

With a 1300' long drive, a rear blower or blade will leave you with a stiff neck. I would keep your box blade on the back and use that for weight and clearing snow away from doors, etc. This will save you time as you will not have to turn the machine and backdrag. Remove the front loader bucket and replace it with a 7ft - 7-1/2ft blade preferably with springs and hydraulic angle. A cheap manual tilt model can be had for around the same price as a rear blade. A rig like this would be faster than a blower for all but very heavy snowfalls especially with a hydro transmission. If you have the quick-attach option (nh around $400) you can quickly switch back to the bucket if your banks need to be pushed back. If you stay with the pins, switching the bucket and plow is a two-man 15 min. job.

 

[daTeacha]

Just a random thought here (as though I have any other kind!) for you guys to digest.

Does anyone make a tractor mount blade equivalent to the split V plow made for pickups? I don't remember the brand, but the blade is 2 wings that can be hydraulically angled individually to for either a left angle, right angle, or V configuration. Something like that on an FEL instead of a bucket would seem ideal.

 

[ccsial]

In my opinion there is really only one justification for a snow blower and that is how much room you have on the side of your drive. I have a long tree lined drive. Many trees within a foot of the drive edge. I used a blade for the first two years and was totally fed up. The drive kept getting narrower. Once the January thaw hit, the snow on the edge turned to ice. It takes a lot of time with the FEL to clear this mess up. The blower solves that problem completly.