Who here is glad they went to a snowblower this year??

[pinetree10]

That's the second bulb I've had to replace at $8 each. I'm thinking about installing a switch so it's only on when I need it. Why didn't they install a switch for the headlight? Seems like it would save big time lifespan on the bulb. Besides, don't most of us blow snow during the day and not at night?

 

[Boris1]

Have used most every method of snow removal. Shovel, pickup with plow, open tractor with 3 point blower, cabbed tractor with 3 point blower, walk behind blower, tractors with loaders. By far the current setup of heated cab skid steer with 73 inch blower is my favorite. To those disappointed by not having many opportunities this winter, I'd trade places with you. At age 52, snow removal is just another chore. I'm not that interested in "seat time". Funny how guys talk about that like they're NASCAR drivers or something. Snow removal is just more diesel burned and more hours racked up on the machine.

Amen to that!

 

[JJZ 109]

I


I have a Cat246 with tracks.it is not hi flow and I had thought about a blower for it. I'm told a non hi flow
Does not work that well and that if the snow is the least bit wet,it will continually clog the chute. Do you have any experience to add ?

My S185 is standard flow. In heavy stuff, keep the revs up and go slow. If it's really wet stuff, it's my belief that most any blower can plug, regardless of the miracle machines you'll be told about here.
Might even have to resort back to the bucket and just push it along and pile it up if it's too wet.

 

[PHPaul]

Well, at the risk of boring folks, a little story:

Around 1990, when I retired from the Navy and returned to Maine for good, I bought my first 4WD truck, a K3500 Chevy, 4WD one ton. That winter I put a plow on it and enjoyed plowing snow from a heated cab. That was my go-to snow removal machine until 2007. It always did the job, but I could count on putting $500 in the front end every Spring. Shocks, ball joints, tie-rod ends, tires, it was ALWAYS something.

In 2007 I sold that truck and bought a new GMC 3/4 ton. I did some hard thinking and decided that another $4,000 for a plow just for the privilege of throwing front end parts at a new truck didn't make any sense. I could hire a LOT of plowing done for $4000, right?

As winter approached, I got more and more nervous about being totally dependent on someone else for snow removal and started looking at options. I was lucky enough to find a Pronovost PUMA-64 blower in like-new condition for $750 which was out-and-out thievery price-wise. The fella I bought it from had it on a Ford N-series of some sort, and I expect he was pretty disgusted with the results between the high ground speed and no independent PTO.

I've been running it on my JD750 ever since and loving it. Yes, there are drawbacks. I don't have live PTO either, nor a cab, nor HST. Much of that can be overcome with technique. I have added electric chute rotation and just added a hydraulic cylinder on the deflector so unless I plug it, there's no need to get off the seat.

As much as I'd LOVE to have a heated cab, live PTO, HST and power steering, there's just no way I can justify the expense at this point in my life. And despite the odd face-full of freezing snow and the resulting snotsickles, I still enjoy watching that thing throw the snow all the way over on my PITA neighbor's place...:thumbsup:

 

[mark1]

I've always had an Ariens snowblower.It's always done a great job.Last summer a friend of ours moved to Arizona and sold off their house and equipment.He had a GX345 John deere with a front blower I didn't really need it as I have a GT235 for the lawn but told the wife we should probably get it. I switched it over to the blower in October because I was scheduled for knee surgery and it now has been a life saver (as my knee still has problems)And with the worst winter upstate New York has had in years.It does a good job,is nice to just ride it and now even the wife is out there doing the driveway.I didn't even prep the Ariens this year. Although thoughts of moving to a SNOWLESS area is looking better and better

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