Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Snow plow vs snow bucket for a tractor

[LouNY]

I have a similar tractor and I have a 87” rear pto blower. We get more snow than you. My Driveway is gravel and not too long, about 600-700’. It is pretty level, as level as things can be around here. If you have more money than time, then buy a pull forward rear pto blower. They work great and can do a driveway quickly. Second for speed is a plow on the front of the tractor. Never had one, but have used a back blade a lot for snow when it is not too deep.

your current pto blower will be your most cost effective way to remove snow. Since you don’t get much snow, i would save money for something else and not buy anything else. You will not need chains unless you have steep grades. I have never needed chains on any tractor in any location for snow and don’t see chains on any tractors around here during winter. We got over 25’ of snow last year. I also like to have a bucket on front all winter, you’ll never get stuck with a bucket on front. Had to get a tractor unstuck that had a SSQA plow on the front last year and it was a pain to use the plow to get leverage to get out.

I'm glad that you can move all the snow that you get with no chains and that you never get stuck with your tractor because the loader bucket always gets you out.
However I run chains on my tractors in the winter, I would guarantee that without chains your tractor would be wadded up in a tree on my driveway.
As far as a loader bucket always getting you unstuck you have been luckier then most to apparently have never been stuck in a precarious situation were the bucket couldn't get the purchase necessary to move you far enough and allow you to get a second bite without sliding back to were you where.
Any time you wish to try to descend my driveway or some of our field roads without chains on snow or ice you would be more then welcome to try. I'll even video tape the results.

 

[Jims1025R]

Plow a long driveway if you have room to accumulate the snowbanks for the amount of snow you expect over the season, and drifting across those snowbanks will not be a problem. Blow the snow if you don't have room for banks, or drifting will be a problem. Pushing snow with a bucket assures banks, and is a poor idea for a long driveway.

Some front end loader frames are suited for pushing a blade, others not so much. Don't wreck a less "pushworthy" loader using it other than the manufacturer intended. If you decide to push with a loader, make sure it's got a good float setting, and the blade is correctly angled and has shoes to float well. Buckets are poor for this, as it is not an intended design feature. If the bucket digs in (or blade set wrong, and digs in) it may buckle the loader frame enough to lift the front wheels, and steering is difficult.

My ideal set up, having been doing it various ways for 30 years for a 700 foot sheltered driveway in central Ontario, is now a quick attach blade on the front end loader (which is designed for it), which I can swap quickly to a bucket, and a rear mount blower on a hydrostat tractor.
I can quickly plow, blow the banks or windrows, and change to a bucket if I need to scoop out.

Neck strain notwithstanding, rear blowers are fine with a hi/low hydrostatic transmission. They are not so great with manual transmission; you usually cannot blow in reverse hi, so you're limited to reverse low, which is slow for blowing - 'works, just takes time... When I had the previous manual transmission tractor, I adapted my blower to the front end loader, in place of the bucket (but a slow changeover). Easy on my neck, and eight possible forward speeds, rather than two possible rear speeds. It was complex, and slow to change, but worked well, but with my new hydrostat tractor, front blade, rear blower works best.

 

[DK35vince]

Neck strain notwithstanding, rear blowers are fine with a hi/low hydrostatic transmission. They are not so great with manual transmission; you usually cannot blow in reverse hi, so you're limited to reverse low, which is slow for blowing - 'works, just takes time...

Most shuttle shift or power reverser gear drives have just as many reverse gears as forward gears.

 

[manac]

My NH 2120 and now WM 70 shuttle shifts are equal number of speeds forward or reverse. My stepdad had a JD 1050 with 4 forward 1 reverse or 12 X 3. It ran a blower well enough.

 

[LouNY]

Mine and all the power shuttles I'm familiar with all are actually faster in reverse then forward for the same gear.

 

[stumblinhorse]

I'm glad that you can move all the snow that you get with no chains and that you never get stuck with your tractor because the loader bucket always gets you out.
However I run chains on my tractors in the winter, I would guarantee that without chains your tractor would be wadded up in a tree on my driveway.
As far as a loader bucket always getting you unstuck you have been luckier then most to apparently have never been stuck in a precarious situation were the bucket couldn't get the purchase necessary to move you far enough and allow you to get a second bite without sliding back to were you where.
Any time you wish to try to descend my driveway or some of our field roads without chains on snow or ice you would be more then welcome to try. I'll even video tape the results.

Well, I would but you’re a little ways away… My post wasn’t intended to be a pissin’ match. So if you need chains great, glad you have them. I have never needed them and I see a lot of tractors move a lot of snow without them. I have chains in my truck for 6 months of the year and use them often. My tractors are heavy and I don’t have any issue. Been moving snow with my tractor for a long time. Biggest storm was 90” in 48 hours. No chains, just a lot of fuel and time.

Funny thing about Internet forums, the are people in other places that do and say things different.