Snow removal tractor setup questions.

[PILOON]

Most advise given is valid, IMHO. (and Hi to Leonz)
I am cabbed, loaded, 60" rear blower with front blade for light snows on a 20HP Mitsubishi and in snowy Quebec.
Naturally techniques help and are soon acquired.
My CUT sleeps outside but always starts with simple block heater as long as it is plugged in 1-2 hrs B4 using. (I use a wireless remote switch)
My drive is hilly so chains are a great asset as are loaded tires.
On a crushed stone drive you will want to build up a base of compacted snow to avoid blowing stone everywhere.
Simply lower the blower skids to allow about 2" of snow to remain for the first couple of snowfalls until that is well packed down to create a frozen base. (I even drive back and forth with tractor to do this)
I have found that most blower skids really want to have longer and wider skids otherwise many blowers remove the base as well.

Last winter I never even sheared a single pin while in the past with factory skids I'd go thru dozens.
Generally my base consists of about 2" of frozen compacted snow/ice.

And as to blowers, better to stay away from 'Tractor brands' as most are rather lightweight generics painted to match the tractor.
Stick with well known like: Pronovost, Puma etc. I'd suggest avoiding those that are gear box center driven in favor of those that have a chain drive on the end.
If you are well wooded and far from neighbors you might only need powered chute rotation thus avoiding that second rear hydraulic circuit for the deflector. (just a thought)
Same for extended chute, that is only needed to load trucks generally.
Good luck, have fun.
Yes, shop early, (you might even get a deal on a last year's blower overstock)
If you have transportation you could consider getting across the border (Canadian) quotes as the $$ is in your favor.

 

[Stache]

Ugarte,
Going back 20 years, to when my brother's Massey 1010 was nearly new, and outfitted with a 3-point hitch 4-foot blower, we had about 2-1/2 feet of snow drop in one day. I cleared my mom's driveway, which was used for a school-bus turn-around, so that's a sizable area. Since that was fun, and my sisters were living in the three trailers on either side of the house, I made a 16-foot wide walkway across the yards so they could walk to Mom's without too much trouble and without going out to the highway.
The place is laid out kinda like Trailer-Trailer-Ranch-Trailer, with everything laid out parallel to the road. -I mention this because I have no good guesstimate of the distance traveled. Maybe 5-6 football fields?
It took me about 4 hours, pushing through snow that was coming over the top of the blower. Some of that time was spent circling one of the trailers to make skirting from snow, because the trailer had just been moved in that fall and actual skirting hadn't been completed before winter stepped in.

The Massey 1010 was 4wd, around 16HP, with Turf tires(not loaded), and a pedal to lock the rear wheels together. It had no FEL, and an approx. 50-pound weight hung off the front (not quite enough) to get the front wheels on the ground enough to steer.

-It was such a good day that I got the Massey and the snowblower from my brother when he had to upgrade to a bigger tractor and 7-foot snowblower. Then the tranny died(sigh).

So, hopefully some of that info will be helpful to you in answering your questions. I'm hoping the Massey 1705 I just got will prove to be as good in snow as the 1010 was.
-If not, well, I enjoyed telling about the great day I had. I love moving snow, it's almost the only tractor-time I get.

-Oh yeah. This was all flat property. The 1010 never had chains, but not because it didn't need them, I think I'd best get that lined up for the 1705.

 

[Ugarte]

Wow! So much excellent detail. Thanks to you all for taking the time to share your expertise. I know this advice will make my first winter with a CUT blower go smoothly.

I ordered a Kubota L2501 today, with loader and ssqa bucket, 64" Kubota blower and LandPride pallet forks, loaded R4's with spacers, to be delivered in about two weeks (2 grand in rebates for the purchase of the L2501 with two qualifying implements--loader and blower). I can't wait, of course. I'm very pleased with both deal and dealer.

 

[leonz]

Buy V Bar some chains from www.tirechains.com quick as
you will need them with your heavy wet snows.

 

[HEC]

I live in northern Me. and take care of 700 ft. of driveway , 2 small parking areas , for the past 25 winters and have never needed chains with 4wd. and loaded r4 tires . I don't have any steep areas to navigate .

 

[skyhook]

Heres a pic of the L2501 with R4's and R1's.....
Personally, I would have went with R1's.

http://www.cahabatractor.com/uploadedImages/NIZCGXL2501 with Loader and Cutter.jpg

https://www.kubota.com/assets/product/L2501/photo/L2501_1.png

 

[JerryK]

I'd put off buying the chains for the first winter and see how your R4's work. Their are lots of different tread patterns called R4... There are also good and bad points about chains. Not all good, and not all bad. Chains add traction, but tear up your concrete if they have bars. Large tractors, or old folks, and chains are a beatch to put on/take off. Chains are also expensive, but cost is not that important if you need the traction. Etc..... [ I run a big rear blower and don't need no stink'n chains ]

 

[chim]

My Ford has R1's and it has handled a 5' rear blade just fine since I bought it in 1992. When the tread wore to nubs - particularly the front - I found replacements. That was back around 2002 or so and it was difficult to find "real" R1's that had the same heavier and taller ribs as the originals. Rears were found about 1//2 hour away and the front tires necessitated a day trip to the other end of the state. A few years ago we decided to do our own snow removal at the church, so the Ford spends its winters there. This past winter it did just fine with a 6' rear blade.

The 2002 B7500 and the 2012 L3200 that replaced it have done fine with R4's. Last fall I grooved the R4's on the L3200 and it seemed to do even better. Last night I mowed with the Kubota (6'RFM) and the grass was wet. I went sidehill/up/down on a pretty good slope in 2WD and it was sure-footed regardless of what I did.

Here's the Ford with the R1's and the grooved R4's on the Kubota. (Still have no idea why some pics don't show as thumbnails)

 

[Al 2]

I wouldn't want to be without a cab but many get by without one and some even say they like it that way. Think about LED lights if you intend to use it after dark.
Al

 

[Dave Riebau]

What is your opinion of front blades with skid steer attachment? I was thinking manual trip but hard to find anything that is for a tractor. Most are for a skid steer. I've been using a back blade on a L3800 and it's kind of slow.