Snow Stuck in the snow

[stevevdw]

I grew up on a farm & I would'nt go through a winter without chains. Tires are fine until you get on an icy hill or slide off into a ditch. You would'nt get up my driveway on an icy day even with 4WD. Plus the chains rip it up a little & bring up some gravel & grit for the cars. Kind of a bad feeling sliding backward towards the road with all 4 spinning & getting no bite. Just my opinion but chains are cheap compared to beating on a clutch trying to ram your way out of something or trying to push a big pile of show.

 

[IdahoTractor]

I grew up on a farm & I would'nt go through a winter without chains. Tires are fine until you get on an icy hill or slide off into a ditch. You would'nt get up my driveway on an icy day even with 4WD.

I agree. I live on a mountain and have to plow more than a mile to get to the county road. I would never get up some of the the 8+ percent grades on my driveway WITHOUT chains. It's a terrible feeling to have your tractor slide backwards as all four tires are engaged and spinning forward.

Remember to wear your seatbelt and have the rollbar up when plowing snow!

 

[teachdocs]

Don't worry about tires or chains. I doubt that it would even be possible to get a BX stuck in the worst snow storm Kansas has ever had. At least not on a paved or gravel surface.

Off-road is another story. You don't even need snow to get stuck there.

PS: For a while it looked like the Royals might not finish in last place this year.

Who are the Royals? Are they still playing baseball

 

[rtdiggr]

My turf tires don't work so well in the snow. The ag tires work great [4x4]. Shane

 

[drtydeed]

Renob,

Saw your pics with rear blade. Does that setup work pretty well for snow (better than just FEL)? Do you push or pull snow with it? Is that a 5 footer?

 

[Renob]

Dirty,

The 5ft rear blade/FEL combo works well for me. I Usually push snow in reverse with the blade and use the FEL to move snow banks back when needed.

My drive is paved and this method works great. I also clear snow down a hill to my shop and dog kennel and for an elderly woman down the road that has a gravel drive. A much gentler approach is necessary to keep all gravel where it belongs. After a few snow falls and a freeze the gravel drive is much easier.

The ultimate set up would be a front blower, but also very pricey. I may try a rear 3pt blower/FEL combo, but to be honest I only wish for this once or twice a season.

 

[andover farmer]

STUCK IN THE SNOW???

I'VE OWNED 4WD COMPACT TRACTOR / LOADERS FOR OVER 25 YEARS. STARTING W/ A FORD 1780, THEN A KUBOTA 3010, AND NOW A KUBOTA 4330HSTC. I'VE LEARNED THROUGH EXPERIENCE THAT WHEN PLOWING DEEP SNOW W/ A LOADER THAT A LOADER IS NOT A PLOW!. WHEN MAKING YOUR FIRST CUT THROUGH DEEP SNOW W/ A LOADER YOU NEED TO MOVE THE BUILD-UP TO THE SIDE AS YOU GO. IF NOT, YOU'LL EITHER STALL-OUT OR GET HUNG-UP.

ONCE YOU COMPLETE YOUR FIRST CUT, THE YOU CAN PEEL AWAY THE SNOW W/ MULTIPLE PASSES.

REMEMBER, A LOADER IS NOT A PLOW, IT KEEPS THE BUILD-UP IN FRONT OF IT.

 

[DickS]

I would like to see some pics of Kubotas stuck in the snow with an explanation for how it was the tractor's fault and had absolutely nuttin' to do with the operator.

Every condition of snow is different. Some wet, some dry. Some deep, some icy. Some flat ground, some hills.

Everyone needs to consider their own conditions and application.

Snow conditions are not a management issue. The purpose of management is to plan, organize, and control. Unless I bumped my head on the FEL, it seems to me the weather continues to resist intervention by management and does that which it darn pleases. All we can do is prepare for and react to the consequences.

The next time you are facing a snow storm and wish to be prepared, ask yourself a question:

What do I want on my tractor; chains to improve the traction or a camera to satisfy teachdoc's curiosity?

 

[Mike_VT]

I used to operate without chains, but after last years big storm I got a set of chains and what a huge difference they make. Now here's a big chunk of snow

 

[davitk]

What do I want on my tractor; chains to improve the traction or a camera to satisfy teachdoc's curiosity?