Snow L3800 to plow snow

[redsox1]

Newbie question, I live in New England and can see quite a bit of snow some winters. Do I need to get a snowblower/ box blade / plow blade or can I get by with just plowing/moving snow with my FEL bucket? My driveway is not that long, maybe about 20 by 40 feet by the house. New to tractors, thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[devildog1]

With a L3800 you could do your driveway with the FEL using the float mode, but with lots of snow you'll have high banks, only way to eliminate high banks is snow blower, expensive but effective. I have both, FEL & rear 74" snow blower, like to use one sometime then the other, nice to have choice.
DevilDog

 

[redsox1]

Stupid question#2, are there different styles of rear snow blowers? Some facing to the rear and requiring you to back up to clear snow and others that face forward and handle the snow after you drive over it? If so, pros & cons please.

 

[devildog1]

Stupid question#2, are there different styles of rear snow blowers? Some facing to the rear and requiring you to back up to clear snow and others that face forward and handle the snow after you drive over it? If so, pros & cons please.

Yes you are correct, one you have to drive over snow to blow it, contractors use this one so they can get up close to garage door. Lots of controversy over this type. Other three point hitch one is more popular, then there is a front mounted one that runs off of pto, quite expensive. I like rear or three point hitch one, that way I can leave on FEL and use it when I see fit.
DevilDog

 

[Chilly807]

If you've only got 800 sq feet of driveway, a snowblower is overkill. Mine is 20 by 300, and the FEL bucket handled it quite well last year. This year I added a rear blade and cut my time in half. Bucket skids help a lot, as does a snow screen for the top of the bucket.

Plan where you're going to dump it early in the winter, and you'll have no problems. The L3800 has enough power and lift capacity to move some serious snow, as well as moving banks back in late winter if you need to. I've moved upwards of 2 feet of snow at times, more snow just takes a little longer.

Clear the full area every time you work, if not it'll get narrower every time until you have no room to work. That's a problem.

Sean

 

[nybirdman]

Buy a seven foot medium duty rear blade,should handle your snow-fall.
Mine is a Bush-Hog,many good quailty blades out there.

 

[Thomas]

Snow plow works good only thing you'll have to keep the snow banks push back,more so if your in drifting area...blower one shot deal.

My setup..rear blade,front blade..one pin and use of bucket.

 

[sixdogs]

You're going to laugh but when I lived north of Bangor and had a 500 ft driveway with bank run gravel, a landscape "rock" rake did the best.
The gravel was smooth so I dug none of it up and the tines just chattered over irregularities in the terrain or mud in the spring.
Other guys here have done this as well so maybe someone else will comment.

 

[Thomas]

Seen done w/York rake Sixdogs.

 

[k0ua]

For your small driveway, all you need is the bucket, I have an L3400HST, same tractor as yours just older, and yours has a few more HP. But the actual main driveway of my house I can clear with the bucket pretty fast. I have about 3/8 mile of road to clear also. I did it with the bucket a few times this winter, but that is another story. I need a blade or blower. But if I were you, I would not invest in anything more, unless you just want to. One thing I do is put the lip of the bucket near vertical, and float the bucket and backdrag the snow rapidly and get a big pile of snow then use the loader to get rid of it way off to the side. Whatever works for you. try different things. But with your L3800, you can move a pretty good wad of snow with the bucket pretty quick. At least on a small driveway. Anyway that is my experience, of course you may get a lot more snow at a time than we do down here in southwest Missouri.

James K0UA