Snow push vs blower?

[SubK]

I don't have a tractor yet, but planning on getting something in the 25-35 hp range before this upcoming winter. Bobcat ct2035 or CT2025 are both currently at the top of my list.

I have about 5300 square feet of space to clear, all gravel. The driveway is about 250' of length which is all down hill from the house - nearly half of it is double wide. The rest of the square footage comes from parking areas and a turn around spot half way down the driveway.

On the three point hitch I would like to do a sander - we are in NH and get freeze / thaw type weather and ice storms through early spring, 10 year average on snowfall is about 70". With a very long roof line lining up with the top of the driveway, plus just melt on the driveway, our driveway turns into a downhill skating rink fast. I also plan on using it to keep the hills sanded on the private road we are on. Currently each time we pay the guy to sand the hills andy driveway, is about $50/ pop - so after nearly $1,500 over the last 4 winters I am looking for a more cost effective approach. For those curious, the best quote to have the snow cleared on our driveway by a a third party and his plow is $400/ season.

I have been clearing with an Ariens Platinum 30" which works well just looking to get it done faster and a bit less physical exertion. January - April I work 65-80 hours a week, so an easy quick solution is what I am looking for.

So as I start piecing together what I want in a tractor and implements to buy... 6' (or different size) Snow push or snow blower (size to be determined)? I am leaning towards push for the cost and simplicity of maintenance and I have plenty of places to put the snow, including directly across the street from the end of my driveway. Is there one of these that would work better for the situation as described? What size Snow push if I went with a Bobcat Ct2025 or CT2035 (slightly larger)?

 

[Thomas]

Hello fellow granite stater.
Blower you won't have worry about keeping the snow banks push back etc.,but 7 1/2' plow would be quicker clean up long as it's not heavy wet snow,also rear sander setup for blower & plow..." cost and simplicity of maintenance" you just have to go with your gut feeling.

Might consider rear loaded tires also rear tire chains.

 

[fatjay]

My father went with a pusher, I went with a front blower. by the 3rd storm his driveway is barely wide enough to get a prius down, let alone his escalade. You can't push a mountain of solid ice. I've been to NH in the winter, I'd get a blower.

There are two types of blowers, front and rear mount. I absolutely hate rear mount, you're turned around backing up and down the driveway/road to blow. I paid 2k for a 1986 kubota b8200 and 1k for a front mount blower and rigged it to fit 4 years ago and sure enough, that's when it decided to stop snowing in eastern PA. But when it returns I'm ready.

 

[leonz]

I don't have a tractor yet, but planning on getting something in the 25-35 hp range before this upcoming winter. Bobcat ct2035 or CT2025 are both currently at the top of my list.

I have about 5300 square feet of space to clear, all gravel. The driveway is about 250' of length which is all down hill from the house - nearly half of it is double wide. The rest of the square footage comes from parking areas and a turn around spot half way down the driveway.

On the three point hitch I would like to do a sander - we are in NH and get freeze / thaw type weather and ice storms through early spring, 10 year average on snowfall is about 70". With a very long roof line lining up with the top of the driveway, plus just melt on the driveway, our driveway turns into a downhill skating rink fast. I also plan on using it to keep the hills sanded on the private road we are on. Currently each time we pay the guy to sand the hills andy driveway, is about $50/ pop - so after nearly $1,500 over the last 4 winters I am looking for a more cost effective approach. For those curious, the best quote to have the snow cleared on our driveway by a a third party and his plow is $400/ season.

I have been clearing with an Ariens Platinum 30" which works well just looking to get it done faster and a bit less physical exertion. January - April I work 65-80 hours a week, so an easy quick solution is what I am looking for.

So as I start piecing together what I want in a tractor and implements to buy... 6' (or different size) Snow push or snow blower (size to be determined)? I am leaning towards push for the cost and simplicity of maintenance and I have plenty of places to put the snow, including directly across the street from the end of my driveway. Is there one of these that would work better for the situation as described? What size Snow push if I went with a Bobcat Ct2025 or CT2035 (slightly larger)?

==========================================================================================================


Stay Away from a snow pusher or plow as you will run out of room to push snow.

As you are new at this I would suggest that you look at a B series Kubota and you can purchase the smallest small vicon or land pride pendulum spreader from the same Kubota dealer.

In doing that you can leave the pendulum spreader on the rear of the tractor and the snow blower on the front all winter.

In buying a truck load of sand you are going to need to use a torpedo/salamander kerosene fired space heater to warm the sand up so you can shovel it in the Vicon spreader with the spreader on the ground. Bagged all purpose sand is too expensive to use for a traction aid.

Investing in a good sand spreader will require you to invest in a pendulum spreader as the spin cast spreaders will clog up.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Another vote for blower. Looks nicer to, without all those piles til spring.

A pusher is more fun though. Like a kid in the sandbox.

 

[SubK]

Thanks all the thoughts and recommendations!

The snow placement is a non issue for me - I live at the end of a dead end road the woods, with no neighbors within a few hundred yards of my house to see it, so lots of places to dump it / stack it up. I also don't have an issue with sand storage - the town stores sand about a 5 minute drive from my house in a covered structure that residents are allowed to pull enough for their driveways and walks, I had been getting 6-10 5 gallon buckets every other week or so and storing them in our basement (walks out directly into the garage).

All other very good points on the pendulum versus other spreaders - something I hadn't looked into or had known was an issue. Or even just as far as what will work faster, I would have thought a snow push would move things quicker than a blower for my application. Or even the price of good tire chains for the tractor...

Admittedly, this is almost pushing me more towards getting a Honda or Ariens track snow blower and a professional grade walk behind sand spreader to park next to the tractor, instead of using the tractor!

But in any case, I appreciate all the feedback - made me think, which is what I was looking for.

 

[leonz]

Hello SubK,

JUST KEEP IN MIND that if you have a huge snowstorm like they have on occasion and quite often when the great northern began running through Montana you will run out of room unless you have a snow blower that has power to spare like a rear mount on a sub compact or a Yamaha 1332 track drive snow blower.

If you are close enough to the Canadian border I would purchase a Yamaha 1332 snow blower rather than anything made by honda or ariens as they are heavier and have more power and the 1332 has steering brakes.

The Ariens units are to light and will ride up on the piles of snow. The Hondas have had clogging/chute design problems for years.

You can purchase a Yamaha across the border and bring it back yourself with no restrictions as log as you state it is for personal use and if you use a credit card
The dealer can handle all the dollar/loonie exchange and tax issues as the VAT tax will be refunded to you through the purchase.



At a minimum I would not invest in anything less than a Kubota or John Deere sub compact with a rear mount snow blower: I will tell you why;

The rear mount snow blower will cost you less money to buy and own and The sub compact tractor will come with turf tires that will let you purchase
V bar snow and ice chains that will let you have a tremendous amount of traction.
If you invest in front weights and load the rear tires with windshield washer fluid you will have huge traction/adhesion.

If you purchase a front end loader you can use a hydraulic drive drop sand spreader to spread sand on your property.

The drop sand spreader will cost you more than a Vicon pendulum spreader as they are hydraulic powered and would need to have quick connects for the loader using an SSQA attachment plate on the loader frame.

You will need to have a supply of Fluid film spray or a gallon can to wipe it on to coat everything that contacts snow on your snow blower since heavy wet wet snow is the enemy of snow blowers of any brand.

The great thing about the Yamaha snow blowers is they have slick lining in the chutes and impeller housings to prevent plugging and icing up of their snow blowers.

If you invest in a snow blower you need to have a salamander space heater to melt the snow and ice off before you store it away and to warm it up completely before you even turn the key tp start it. If you store it outside do not put the cover/tarp on it until the metal/muffler is cold to the touch.

I use a kerosene fire space heater to melt ice and snow off the toro snow pup snow blowers the tractor and the truck I have and also to warm up the snow blowers before I start them and it also extends the life of the snowblowers too.

 

[leonz]

I forgot to mention you can purchase a ride on spreader with a gas engine motor with a large hopper BUT you will need to invest in snow chains for it as is ment more for dry lawns.

 

[SubK]

I forgot to mention you can purchase a ride on spreader with a gas engine motor with a large hopper BUT you will need to invest in snow chains for it as is ment more for dry lawns.

Leonz - thanks for all the detailed information, I definitely appreciate it.

I currently have an Ariens Platinum 30 SHO - I've used the last 4 winters, which I'm sure works great in many situations, just not a steep driveway. After each use it gets parked in our walk out basement to avoid freeze up issues, but I've never had problems at all with it clogging. Primary issue is weight - keeping the front end down when going up hill. Have 20lb of weight added now, may need another 20-30 if I use it for another winter. Ultimately I think as you said, a subcompact tractor outfitted properly or along those lines would be the most efficient time saving solution.

The v tire chains is something I wasn't familiar with, that looks like it would help immensely even with my current set up. No pavement, so not concerned about any damage.

 

[leonz]

Hello SubK,

A sfar as I know you can still purchase V bar chains for the snow mules


Check the V Belts and the rubber drive tire as they most likely will need to be changed as the rubber will have deteriorated a lot.

I use seafoam to treat all my fuel and Fluid Film Spray on the snow pups as it doubles the casting distance.

If you are going to keep the Ariens you should invest in a set of www.armorskids.com
as they are larger and will float better and not dig in too. you will be able to add more weight when you get the armorskids.

Tire Chains-Best Snow Chains-TireChains.com

Snow Tire Chains | Best Snow Chains | Free US Shipping


I am going ot invest in a pair of armor skids when I buy the new toro this year.

You can purchase armor skids for front and rear mounted snow blowers too.

 

[SubK]

Hello SubK,

A sfar as I know you can still purchase V bar chains for the snow mules


Check the V Belts and the rubber drive tire as they most likely will need to be changed as the rubber will have deteriorated a lot.

I use seafoam to treat all my fuel and Fluid Film Spray on the snow pups as it doubles the casting distance.

If you are going to keep the Ariens you should invest in a set of www.armorskids.com
as they are larger and will float better and not dig in too. you will be able to add more weight when you get the armorskids.

Tire Chains-Best Snow Chains-TireChains.com

Snow Tire Chains | Best Snow Chains | Free US Shipping


I am going ot invest in a pair of armor skids when I buy the new toro this year.

You can purchase armor skids for front and rear mounted snow blowers too.

I have a pair of the armor skids - those things are practically necessary for a gravel driveway - I HIGHLY recommend them!. I ran the factory ones for two storms the first year I had it and started looking for a solution since the factory ones were unbearable.

 

[BrkMstr]

I've run the gambit, several plow trucks, 38" professional Ariens, rear blades, loaders, and front mount snow blower - where I live; plow truck was great as long as I pushed it way back, I like you had the room, but the banks stayed till June!!!:laughing: The loader was great along with the plow, once in awhile I'd have to move the banks mostly due to run off etc. - in all honesty the easiest and certainly the neatest is the blower even the 38" Ariens took a little time but the banks were gone, nice neat job, but at times that required going out a few times, cause after sixteen - seventeen inches it took much longer as it would over run the machine - the current set up I have with the front mount 66" blower I love, hydraulic chute angle / tilt, it's a beast and will toss the white stuff a good 80' and I don't have to look at fifteen / twenty foot banks and it's really nice not having to put the lawns back together, plows can be tough until the ground is frozen - you have to choose how you fight the stuff and most importantly how much time you have, do you need to be out at 6AM? How much area has to be done and what the base and obstructions are - blowers don't like rocks - branches etc - plows can do some damage on old pavement, lawns, tight places - for pushing I think up here I wouldn't go below a 35 - for a plow I'd most likely get a 7 ½ Hiniker Poly moldboard quick attach it's a well made plow - less weight than steel, but strong, unhook the bucket and hook up the plow if you have a third function up front you can easily get the angle kit - snow does not adhere to poly like it does to steel - if you're in NH Knoxland equipment in Warner sells them, you could take a look at them -

 

[mikester]

If you have a nice neighbor with a snow blower and a big tractor then buy a plow. With global warming I only had to dig out my neighbor twice last year because his 1 ton PU truck and plow couldnt push it anymore.

 

[shooterdon]

Unless you need a tractor for other tasks, My choice would be a used pickup truck with a plow. Very fast compared to a tractor, heated with cab. I used one for 4 years and get 120-140" of snow a year. You said you had plenty of room to push snow so a blower is not needed. My plow truck cost $3500, put $2000 into it, and also used it as my daily beater. Could have spent only $1000 if I was not going to put it on the road every day. Sold it for $2600.

BTW, only sold the truck as I needed a tractor and I was tired of 8' banks of snow. I need both a blade and blower as the blower will not get close enough to clear all snow near many areas. And for light snows a blower is not a good choice plus until you get a forzen base, you will be slinging gravel everywhere.

 

[Carl_NH]

Good Morning SubK,

After the 2015-16 winter with 110" snow over 45 days I bought a 60" rear SB. Then the last 4 years, no snow to speak of, so I used the rear blower once. I use a 6' rear blade and FEL on about 4500SF of paved driveway and parking area, and have a 28" Craftsman blower for walkways and such. My FEL is not QA and loader is not removable..

Since you have space for snow, I would do a QA attach plow setup on the front and a sander on the back since a lot of the snow we get is 3-6" sometimes wet and heavy, and a few times its a foot or more, but not often. The blower doesn't do well IMO for a few inches of heavy wet snow or able to scrape that last 1" or so. Less mechanical parts on a plow, no stones to throw, but you will have spring clean up of gravel with a plow.

When we do have a lot of snow 12" plus, I run the Craftsman up/down the driveway once then use the tractor and FEL/Rear blade to do the rest.

One last point you mentioned you work 60-80 hrs a week in snow season - inadvertently you will be away when we have "snow events" so you may still need to have a plow guy on standby or some helpful neighbors (as we do with machines) in those instances.

 

[fruitcakesa]

While I only have 150 ft of twisty, steep gravel drive to clear, I also clear my parents and neighbors drives, each about 100 ft. and both within a 1/4 mile of me.
Like Carl_NH infers, we have very erratic snow storms yearly. so snow removal is a variable task.
I sold my last plow truck when I bought my 1st Kubota with a PA SSQA plow and have never looked back.
Besides the fact that I mostly have used the tractor, hour wise, for plowing, it is all the other work it can do that a truck can't, that makes it so valuable.
Trucks in New England rust away, plow trucks more so, let alone the front end and transmission abuse that shorten their lives, plus insurance and registration costs if roading.
The issue of high banks from plowing can be a problem as well as the longevity of the snowpack afterwards but the loader allows the operator to lift and move snow a long ways if you have the room and the HP to accomplish it. I say, the bigger the better:thumbsup:

 

[CobyRupert]

I think the advantage of blowers is you can put the snow in any direction you want and it leaves no snowbanks. This is not a concern of the OP’s.
Blowers are sensitive to the many moving parts, shear bolts, chains, bearings, fan gaps and chutes that can get clogged being sensitive to different snow types, especially heavy wet snow and rain mixes.
Also sensitive to rocks, 2”x4”’s, and tarps buried in the snow.
Obviously rear mounted blowers means turning your neck a lot.
Pushers are very fast and have few moving parts.
If I was OP, my question would be do I want a pusher or a plow with spring trip for when you hit that frozen rock or post.

...and this is from a snowblower guy who would never would get a plow for my driveway.

 

[KeithT]

Bare with me.... reviving this thread because it was very informative to me.

I never heard of a pendulum spreader or a drop spreader for tractor. I need to upgrade my spreader for a 1/4 mile steep (12% grade) driveway. I use a mix of 4-way limestone chips and salt. The 田hips are 3/8?1/4 in size with some larger gear and there. Tractor has rear and front remote hydraulics.

Looking forward to recommendations.

 

[LouNY]

OK, so a spreader to mount on your tractor, that's easy.
The only difficult part is how are you going to load it?,
a second tractor or a lot of shoveling, or

A self loading tractor mounted spreader;
a SAMI SLS1250 self loading tractor 3pt. PTO salt and sand spreader,
or if going to shovel, https://kascomfg.com/wp-content/uploads/Herd_Wholegoods_1.1.20.pdf
or this drop spreader type that can go 3 point or ssqa Spreader 54" - Pronovost

A conventional spreader can be trailer mounted,
with an adequate jack or support it can be loaded with the tractor then back up to and go spread,
depending on the steepness of the driveway you may need chains and brakes on the trailer.

This search term will show some applicable units;
"self loading tractor salt and sand spreader"

 

[leonz]

Bare with me.... reviving this thread because it was very informative to me.

I never heard of a pendulum spreader or a drop spreader for tractor. I need to upgrade my spreader for a 1/4 mile steep (12% grade) driveway. I use a mix of 4-way limestone chips and salt. The ç”°hips are 3/8?1/4 in size with some larger gear and there. Tractor has rear and front remote hydraulics.

Looking forward to recommendations.

==========================================================================================================


As LouNY has so kindly mentioned there are many options.

I helped a friend in Ohio pick out a high quality pendulum spreader from VICON that he mounts
on his three point hitch and loads by hand since it is lowered to the ground.

His sons fill supersacks with gravel sand using the front end loader holding the bag up and he keeps
them in a heated garage-the super sacks not the rug rats haha to quickly enable them to load the
Vicon spreader with both sand and salt and it works very well.

He uses the short salt sand spreading tube attachment to cast the sand/salt mix on his driveway
and it works very well.

Limestone chips will cause excessive wear in any spreader UNLESS its a wet lime spreader and will
be difficult to spread when frozen.

Using gravel sand and salt would be a better option for you if at all possible to enable you to use a
high quality of spreader like a VICON pendulum spreader.

Decide how much money from your disposable income you can spend before you buy anything as
the more you spend the better the quality, steel thickness and ability to tolerate the abuse from
the use of a hard rock based material.

A VICON pendulum spreader will not tolerate a broken/jagged material like Limestone chips due to its fiber glass
hopper so keep that in mind.

If you use a sand and salt mix A VICON pendulum spreader will out last every tractor you mount it on as it is well
designed and built agricultural implement that has been in use for over 5 decades worldwide that uses a cast iron
gear box and agitator arm to break up any clumps of material that need to be spread.

A very large HERD sand spreader like the 1200S model will tolerate what you use for a traction aid and it will require
annual maintenance for sanding and painting the interior of the hopper UNLESS you line the interior of the hopper with
a UHMW blue stripe plastic sheeting from Horn Plastics to protect the hopper interior and maintain a slick surface to
prevent bridging and sticking of the material.

The blue stripe plastic sheets can be easily cut to size and bolted in place with carriage bolts and bolted through the hopper walls.


Decide how much you can spend before you make any decisions and you should use a decision tree and the Ben Franklin closing
argument adding up the plusses and minuses before you advance further.

As you are using this specific material you should also look at using a flat bed trailer with a fiberglass or injection molded salt spreader
with either an auger or flight chain floor scraper to spread this material. The one thing to keep in mind that you must do is be sure to
empty it every time you use it to prevent the flight chain from freezing to the floor of the hopper.

The same rule of thumb applies to a HERD or VICON spreader and if you can store the spreader and tractor in a warm garage all the better
for you as you will have many fewer problems with the tractor and spreader.