Snow removal advice

[jmls1994]

Hello,
Just looking for some good advice from those with first hand experience. I have a Kubota BX2360 with a FEL. I live on a little farm with some paved and the rest gravel driveway. Most of the drive way is level, but the end 50 feet is very steep. The front end loader will do the job but I'm sure there are other methods that will work better. What do you guys think? I was thinking rear snow blower, but some guys say the stones will cause problems. Snow blade on the FEL? Give me your ideals or suggestions.
Thanks.

 

[Stargazer]

Hi I have concrete drive/street/sidewalk and use 60" landpride rear blade on my bx23 with fel to break 'crust' from city snow plow (if/when they come) with some weight on blade. Helps if gravel is froze ie leave 1" snow first snowfall or reverse blade as then won't dig in going forward. Also depends on amount of snow I bog down in 8" heavy wet snow. wish had blower but maybe only use 1-2 x per season worst case as try to get 2 it around 6" max now (retired). more info might help length drive loc average snowstorm fall etc. also browse snow forum. Bad idea on loader blade 2 much chance bending arm hit imoveable item rear just stops you sudden, ask how know LOL PR

 

[leonz]

Hello,
Just looking for some good advice from those with first hand experience. I have a Kubota BX2360 with a FEL. I live on a little farm with some paved and the rest gravel driveway. Most of the drive way is level, but the end 50 feet is very steep. The front end loader will do the job but I'm sure there are other methods that will work better. What do you guys think? I was thinking rear snow blower, but some guys say the stones will cause problems. Snow blade on the FEL? Give me your ideals or suggestions.
Thanks.

You need to have a supply of shear bolts for the snow caster anyway so-

A rear mount snow blower will be fine for the task and you can use the front end loader for cleaning up and carrying sand to the steep part for traction.

If you put a blade on the loader you wil bend the loader arms as they were not designed for this function as the loader is ment only scooping loose material.

You should have the rears loaded with ballast and a set of good snow chains being the V type cross links to gain traction and snow chain binders to keep the chains in place on the wheels.




______________________________________________________________
Once you go flail you never go back:thumbsup::licking::drool:

 

[BXpanded]

Hello,
Just looking for some good advice from those with first hand experience. I have a Kubota BX2360 with a FEL. I live on a little farm with some paved and the rest gravel driveway. Most of the drive way is level, but the end 50 feet is very steep. The front end loader will do the job but I'm sure there are other methods that will work better. What do you guys think? I was thinking rear snow blower, but some guys say the stones will cause problems. Snow blade on the FEL? Give me your ideals or suggestions.
Thanks.

Just what you need!

Snowplows

 

[JB4310]

Can you push all that snow on the steep section down hill and pile it there?

You don't want to be trying to handle it going up hill or across the slope.

If it can all go down you should be fine with just the loader.

You should have chains for any work on steep areas.

JB

 

[LBrown59]

This works fine for me.
No loaded tires or chains.

You should have the rears loaded with ballast and a set of good snow chains being the V type cross links to gain traction and snow chain binders to keep the chains in place on the wheels. ______________________________________________________________
Once you go flail you never go back:thumbsup::licking::drool:

 

[grsthegreat]

I guess it really depends on how much snow you get in the average season. I get about 100" per season on average, but a few years ago we got ALOT more and last season alot less. I went 14 years with a front loader bucket and a rear push snowblower and i kept up pretty good. This year Ive taken on 2-1/2 miles of association roads in addition to my acreage and roads, barns,etc plus some driveways. This is the first year ill try a loader mounted snow blade and a loader mounted snow blower. I sure hope they work as advertised.

My neck and back wont allow for me to work for 8 hours with my head turned backwards and driving in reverse anymore. I just cant physically do it anymore. So this year i got the loader mounted stuff and an enclosed cab tractor.

For your size tractor and your requirements id go with a rear mounted snow blower. You wont believe how much faster you can plow worth that as opposed to a front loader and push/stacking snow. Unless of course you only get a few inches of snow a year.

 

[KYThrill]

You need to have a supply of shear bolts for the snow caster anyway so-

A rear mount snow blower will be fine for the task and you can use the front end loader for cleaning up and carrying sand to the steep part for traction.

If you put a blade on the loader you wil bend the loader arms as they were not designed for this function as the loader is ment only scooping loose material.

You should have the rears loaded with ballast and a set of good snow chains being the V type cross links to gain traction and snow chain binders to keep the chains in place on the wheels.




______________________________________________________________
Once you go flail you never go back:thumbsup::licking::drool:

Thats the first I've heard of a plow bending your loader arms. Most people have recommended to me that mounting one up front is the best possible option for clearing snow.

I was looking at a 6' front plow to use with a quick attach system to plow snow this winter.

I just recently bought some land that has a shared private gravel road ~.5 mile long. It is slightly uphill all the way out, but not very steep (maybe 30 feet rise over .5 mile). We don't get many snows here (5-6 decent ones per year) and they usually are 3-4" (the rest of our snows are 1" or less and I'll just drive on that unless there is a big drift).

I'm the only person living on that road, the rest just use it as farm and cattle access. So it falls on me to clear it so my wife and I can get in and out of work. I'm looking into the best way to do that, and everyone here swears by a plow out front. I had planned to set it about a .5-.75" off the ground and let her rip.

I was told a blower wouldn't work on a 3" snow and not to use one on a gravel drive.

Any other good options to consider (I don't want to drive backwards either)?

My tractor is a New Holland TC25D.

 

[jmls1994]

Thanks for all of the help so far! I guess I should mention that I'm located in South Central PA. We certainly aren't in the snow belt, but every once in a while we get hammered. There have been times where there have been 3 - 4 foot drifts in my driveway. That is not a normal snow for us though. Most times I'd say we get 3-6 inches when we get it. Some winters we hardly get any, the next winter we get it once a week.

 

[grsthegreat]

Thats the first I've heard of a plow bending your loader arms. Most people have recommended to me that mounting one up front is the best possible option for clearing snow.

I was looking at a 6' front plow to use with a quick attach system to plow snow this winter.

I just recently bought some land that has a shared private gravel road ~.5 mile long. It is slightly uphill all the way out, but not very steep (maybe 30 feet rise over .5 mile). We don't get many snows here (5-6 decent ones per year) and they usually are 3-4" (the rest of our snows are 1" or less and I'll just drive on that unless there is a big drift).

I'm the only person living on that road, the rest just use it as farm and cattle access. So it falls on me to clear it so my wife and I can get in and out of work. I'm looking into the best way to do that, and everyone here swears by a plow out front. I had planned to set it about a .5-.75" off the ground and let her rip.

I was told a blower wouldn't work on a 3" snow and not to use one on a gravel drive.

Any other good options to consider (I don't want to drive backwards either)?

My tractor is a New Holland TC25D.

I'm not sure why anyone would say a blower wont work in 3" of snow. Mine work thru 2 feet of fresh snow. I have also watched alot of people using loader mounted plows over the years, and no one has ever bent a loader arm that i have met. I have a new loader mounted plow for my rig. Heres a pic of the snow i move regularly with my blower. Also, all my roads are gravel roads. Just get rid of any large rocks. Small pea gravel and slightly larger gravel poses NO problems with a blower unit. Best to add hardened shoes to the unit to leave about 1" of snow on the ground, as this will help prevent gravel uptake by blower.

 

[grsthegreat]

They also make snowblowers that you drive forewards but mount on the rear 3 point QUICK ATTACH REAR PULL PTO TRACTOR SNOWBLOWER IMPLEMENT - YouTube but there on the spendy side.

 

[KYThrill]

I'm not sure why anyone would say a blower wont work in 3" of snow. Mine work thru 2 feet of fresh snow. I have also watched alot of people using loader mounted plows over the years, and no one has ever bent a loader arm that i have met. I have a new loader mounted plow for my rig. Heres a pic of the snow i move regularly with my blower. Also, all my roads are gravel roads. Just get rid of any large rocks. Small pea gravel and slightly larger gravel poses NO problems with a blower unit. Best to add hardened shoes to the unit to leave about 1" of snow on the ground, as this will help prevent gravel uptake by blower.

The guy at my local tractor store said that a blower auger won't pick up 2" of snow or less very well unless you are skidding the ground and then it would take a top coat of rock off with it (the ground rarely freezes enough here to get a good hard pack). So he was saying it wouldn't work very well, it would remove rock that I would later need to replace (or I would need to keep it an inch off the ground), a rock in the wrong place could damage the blower, and for as little snow as we get in the area, it wasn't worth the expense.

I was there shopping to buy, and he advised me against it. So if a salesman tells me not to by a $6k piece of equipment, I assume he has a good reason.

I have zero experience on snow removal other than I know a shovel eventually gets the job done if you have the back for it.

 

[tcartwri]

The guy at my local tractor store said that a blower auger won't pick up 2" of snow or less very well unless you are skidding the ground and then it would take a top coat of rock off with it (the ground rarely freezes enough here to get a good hard pack).

He's correct.

 

[grsthegreat]

hmm, i think i misread your previous post. I thought he said it wouldnt pick up anything more than 3" of snow....sorry. I do agree that a snowblower would be useless if all you get are 2" of snow. I set mine to leave 1" on the ground so as not to pick up rocks. It would be a big waste of time to move only 1" of snow with a blower.

 

[nybirdman]

Lite snow-fall areas:A decent back blade should serve the purpose along with the FEL.We average 150 in.per year..last year got maybe 80in.other years we have seen 250.
My tractor weighs 7,000 lbs.,Fel mounted eight ft.Curtis and seven ft.bushog rear blade.I can take paved drives down to the asphalt.

 

[JDGreenGrass]

In areas that get light snowfall a rear blade will get the job done.

I would agree about the blower not picking up a 2 or 3 inch snowfall.

I would disagree with the point that a blower should not be used on a gravel drive. I have used a snowblower on gravel for nearly 25 years. No biggie at all. I have busted very few shear pins over the years. I have broke no shear pins with my rear blower.

As for a plow bending the loader arms...I think it has happened but, I wouldn't shy away from a plow out front. I would be careful about putting pressure on just one side of the plow. Common sense should be used, in all situations.

What I don't like about a plow is...you need to keep the bankings pushed waay back. If you don't you will need to detach the plow and go to the bucket to pile the snow.

In my case here in Maine, I find the rear blower with the front bucket to be the very best set-up for snow removal. This set-up is a joy to work with.:thumbsup:

 

[lungdoc]

In my opinion a blower loses some appeal for use on gravel roads in areas where the base doesn't stay frozen. Other issues may include need to use tractor for other attachments in the winter - a rear blade is easier to put on and off for example and has other uses as well. If I were you I'd think about a nice rear blade, maybe adding top and tilt, and perhaps a larger front bucket if you have quick attach. That combination is likely to be more useful all around and similar or less money than a good blower.

 

[cmhyland]

In my opinion the fastest way to clear snow from light to medium storms is a plow mounted to the frame of the tractor.

 

[RoyJackson]

In my opinion the fastest way to clear snow from light to medium storms is a plow mounted to the frame of the tractor.

If you have adequate power and weight to push the snow. Looks like you may have been a tad shy of enough power to push the snow in your attached picture.

 

[cmhyland]

"If you have adequate power and weight to push the snow. Looks like you may have been a tad shy of enough power to push the snow in your attached picture."

I have never had problems pushing snow with my B2910. It's a rare day when I take it out of high range for plowing... The key is not having too much plow. I cut a 7.5 foot Meyers down to 6 ft. It really works great.