Snow snow plowing, mowing,grading

[70boss]

I posted this on the JD forum, but as I look more and more, I prefer the Fords and New Hollands. I own 63 acres, mostly wooded, and my house sits in the middle of it with a sometimes steep 750' gravel driveway. I also have to mow approx. 2-3 acres of bumpy, hilly lawn around the house and pond. I do not need the largest tractor out there, and I have immediate access to a large 60HP John Deere with loader and huge bush hog. So the question is, will the Boomer TC18 or TC21 plow snow, and grade a driveway adequately?
Thanks
Rob

 

[ERNIEB]

Rob, It's a matter of opinion, but I would say the answer to your question is a qualified yes. The 18 or 21 will handle the jobs you mention, it will just take them a little longer to do it. I'll have to step aside on the snow plowing because I've never done it.
That being said, I would recomend taking a step up. and looking at the 29 or 33. With that much acreage, even though most of it is wooded, I'm thinking you are going to find other jobs for your tractor. You might find a little more HP useful./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Good shopping.

Ernie
"I go whole hog in the cause for Texas"
Micajah Autry Jan. 1836 (in a letter to his wife)

 

[Thomas]

70boss,
The gentleman to ask if the TC18 can plow snow would be JimBinMI,for he has one and just about waist high in snow and drifts. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

I believe the TC18 doesn't have power steering not sure about the TC21..hint..hint. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

I been following the TC25&TC29 real close and they look to be an all purpose tractor...might be worth checking out. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Wish you luck and enjoy picking out your new {Kubota /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif}tractor.

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Snow plowing with a small tractor can be a problem because the tractor doesn't weigh enough to get traction. I bought a TC29D primarily for finish mowing, so I wanted a light weight tractor. I have 4WD and the wide industrial (R4) tires and it works good for grading and using a rear scoop, but when it comes to pushing snow its light weight becomes a problem. Getting traction on snow and ice requires weight. I aired my tires way down, which helped, and ag tires will work better, but if the ground is frozen it takes weight to get the tires to dig in. What concerns me about your situation is that you mentioned you have a steep driveway. My property has a lot of fairly steep hills, but my driveway is fairly level and we don't get a lot of snow here, so my setup works fine for me. But, going up hill in snow and ice is a real problem for my TC29D (with the blade up), mainly because my tires are too wide (narrow tires work better in snow and ice). A TC21 weighs about 900 lbs less that a TC29, so in my humble opinion it would be too light for plowing snow, even going down hill, and then you'd have trouble making it back up the hill again. A TC29 4WD with ag tires and a couple hundred lbs of added weight would probably do ok.

 

[Blu21]

70boss,My property is mostly flat.I plow about 200' of gravel drive,500' or so to the woodpile etc. Total snow acc. this season is over 110" I use a backblade and have the loader to move piles if needed.I use non loaded turfs and have no problems plowing,yeah the tires spin a little but thats part of the fun! I mow about the same area with a 5' belly mower on the tractor and it is not a chore anymore! I regraded an area of my lawn last year[200'x150' give or take]tilled,moved dirt,etc.and again had no problems getting these tasks done.Yeah there are times when a larger tractor would be nice(you have that area covered)but my tractor suits the majority of my needs,for now anyway,but the project list is getting longer!or should I say Bigger!Hope this helps Tom

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Rob:
I have a very similar situation as you. I have a house in the middle of 25 wooded acres with a 900' drive. All of the drive is on a slope and a small section is almost steep. I have a TC21D with a loader and back blade. For the winter I but chains on all four turf tires, In the summer I take off the loader and chains and put on a 54" belly mower. I have no trouble keeping the drive clear of snow during the winter. For awhile I had borrowed a 7' back blade and had no trouble using that in the snow. I have switched to a more managable 5' blade and I like this better. I got the 54" mower instead of a larger one as I have a lot of trees to work around and some rough spots. I think the TC18 or TC21 would work find for you, It amazes me how large a tractor some people get for a 5-10 acre spread.

 

[Thomas]

Danny, Maybe a good set of tire chains could do the trick.

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[dieselpwr]

Rob

I am in a similar situation to you. I built in the middle of a 40 & have the long driveway to maintain as well as a couple acres to mow.
I have to agree with the notion that more weight is better. The one thing I also would advise is opting for the 4WD. I purchased a TC45D to do the job & it works nicely. My last tractor weighed twice as much as the one I have now but was only two wheel drive. I could push about the same amount with that one as I can with this one on snow & ice. One difference is that I spin less & don't "almost get stuck" any more. Another benifit of the 4WD is that you have more control over your front end when your plowing with a rear blade set at an angle. In real heavy snow & icy conditions that can really be a big consideration. I guess I would almost think about the next frame size up anyway in your situation, primarily for a little extra weight. You can probably do most of the things you want with the smaller tractor, but the question is how much time & effort do you really want to spend doing them? For example, with my tractor & 7' blade it still takes me an hour to two to plow all of my yard and my driveway while if I use my 19 HP garden tractor with the 4-1/2' blade I can plan on spending at least twice as long & in many snow situations not be able to even totally do what I need to. Just food for thought.

Happy shopping.

Troy

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I have aTC 29D and have been using it for snow removal. You have to buy the chains to wrap around the rear tires. It made all of the difference. I was slipping and sliding around before I put them on and now I have no problem. I have a Woods 7500 backhoe on it and that is adding a lot of weight to it, which probably helps. You could also fill your rear tires with calcium for weight.

 

[RickB]

18\'s and 21\'s

I work as a tech @ a NH dealership that sells dozens of compacts/ year and here's my $.02 on the 18 &21. Most buyers of these tractors would be better off with a larger machine. HP, weight and features of the 25,29&33 are substantially better, especially for the snow removal. The Class II TCs are much easier to service than the class I machines, I am just not a big fan of the Class I's, not that there is anything 'wrong' with them.