Yet another snow removal question - experiences needed

[JCB]

I agree with Woody71.

I've used the loader/rear blade combo on a 2210 for a couple years now. It works well and fits a budget. It'll be 10 times faster than just your loader alone and is the cheapest way to get moving snow. It's also handy because you've got the loader, and with any blade, at some point you'll need to move piles.

My rear blade typically clears 2-4" snow, with minimal problems. 6" get tougher. 8" +, nothing is easy and you're gonna wish you spent the money on a front blower.

Joe

 

[Egon]

What?? you cannot move 20 inches of snow with your rear blade???

 

[gunmaker]

I move the 20" with my front blade, then use the rear blade to clean up and push the snow back a little more!

 

[Mackinac Joe]

Bxowner,

I can speak to front blade option. Last weekend was the first chance to plow snow with the 2320.

I have the front blade mounted with a quick hitch to the frame. You're right; the FEL must come off to put the blade on. Taking off the FEL and putting on the blade mount can both be done in five minutes. You're probably aware that the blade uses the same hydraulic connections as the FEL.

We had 4" of snow with a freezing-rain crust on top. My driveway is gravel. My R-4s are unfilled. I used the ballast box. I put down the skid shoes on the blade. I was surprised that I hardly slipped at all pushing the snow. I thought I might be too light and might need chains, but it worked great. I did have to use the steering brakes at times when the blade was angled sharply.

If you go with the front blade and you also have the MMM, make sure you have the correct mounting bracket for the front of the tractor. The first one the dealer set me up with mated with the MMM, but not the blade. (Glad I discovered that in July!) They finally found me the right bracket that mates to both the MMM and the blade mount. Sorry, I don't know the part numbers. Just be aware of the possible mismatch and ask questions.

You'll have to decide if you can exceed your budget for the front blade, but I will say that I'm very happy with its performance in snow. I also leveled 200 yards of sand/clay with it last summer.

Joe

 

[LBrown59]

And you thought the question couldn't possibly be asked again! I'll try to frame it differently, though: whoever has plowed with a FEL, a front mount blade AND a rear-mount blade - please speak up!

I have a 2320 and spent too much time removing 6" on Monday. I have a budget of $1200. I'll list the downsides of each one.

Option #1: Paynesforks has a FEL-mount blade assembly for $1100 delivered. No hydraulics, but seems quick to swap out.

Option #2: John Deere dedicated frame-mount plow is $1300. More than budget. The sub-frame assembly probably can't be mounted at the same time as the FEL. Blade is only 54", which will hardly cover my tracks when angled.

Option #3: Find a used 54"-60" blade, weld on the quick-attach brackets from Curtis Plows and switch out the 200CX FEL bucket. It'll stick out 3'-4' beyond the loader arms. No hydraulics. $300-500 (guessing - it wouldn't surprise me if the brackets were more). I risk bending loader arms (probably low risk, but the risk is there). Same is true of Option #1.

Option #4: Rear mount blade. Probably $400 at TSC.

option # 5FYI - I have a 28" Toro two-stage walk-behind

Option #6 get a front blade with a tractor on it.
Thanks.

I went with option # 6
option #5 Any body ever rigged up a way to mount a walk behind to work on a tractor.

 

[LBrown59]

Well...I like the loader rear blade combo as well. .

I like this combination:
BX23 with FEL
BX 1500 with front blade.

 

[MossRoad]

A front mounted snow blade on your FEL arms in place of the bucket will do the best job if you cannot spring the $$ for a blower. With my little PT425 and a front mounted pwoer angle blade on the FEL arms, I can stack snow over 6' high. The plow is out front where you can see it and not behind you where you have to keep an eye on it. Being able to curl the blade up and down makes it act just like a scoop to pile stuff up and then dump it like a bucket. The power angle is also really helpful, but you could get by very nicely with a three position manual lock of left-right-center.

For a budget system, I would find a used blade and weld brackets into my FEL bucket so that I could pin the blade into the bucket when needed. That should be attainable for under $500.00.

 

[MossRoad]

Here's a picture of how well it works. Click here.

 

[skidoo]

Here's a picture of how well it works. Click here.

I can see how many properties can utilize a method of piling snow such as yours. That's a nice blade system!

Everyones situation is likely to vary, with some substantially different. Mine for example, most of my drive has a cliff or steep slope on one side. So, with my rear blade, I just simply push it over the cliff or slope...

 

[Yourkie]

The rear blade FEL combo has worked well for me too. Depending on what I'm doing I use both at the same time, esp if I'm doing my parking area. You can move snow forward and reverse.

I use a 7' Frontier rear blade on a 3720 and a 6' on a 755.

A front blade was nice to have but I found R&R the front blade and its subframe assy just too time consuming when you have a FEL.

I'm considering a 62-66" 3 pt snowblower, just to have it around for big snows. I have a 8hp walk behind that I've had for years that has opened things up when the 755 tractor and blade couldn't.