Snow Equipment Buying/Pricing Dealing with drifts

[picklerick]

What is the snowfall per year in your area??

In Wisconsin where I was from, a heavy snow year is about 90" and the average year is 40" approx. The giant walls in your article were in Wyoming with a lot of open plains and heavy snows. The theory of tall fences will be legit anyplace but unless you get the heavy snow quite often I would just put up cheapo 50' rolls of fencing every year. Then you can take them down and have a nice looking area again.

I stopped putting snow fences after a few years because I liked running the big snowblower through the drifts just to watch it fly 60' into the air

Hey,

We get a few 2'-ish snowfalls a year and then minor ones. A few year ago we got slammed every, ****, day for what seemed like a month. It caused many moves out of the area. My issue isn't so much dealing with the immediate snowfall but the drifts that the wind causes afterward. A big channel going down the center of an otherwise full field gets filled in very quickly and the stuff was like cement.

I'm planning on going with the wood slat cheap-o's that you and Leon recommended. I'm shopping for a t-stake driver as we speak. They've got propane and gas powered units but I'm still doing the research. Only question for me is whether I do one row or two rows. The fences they were putting up were extreme but I was freaking out at the time and extreme seemed like a really good thing.

When I get a snow removal solution that I know can handle anything I throw at it, then I'll probably do the same. I'm not a professional farmer or anything so a tractor for me is going to be at least 25% toy. Although I keep discovering useful things I could do like regrading bad spots on my property so who knows.

 

[picklerick]

From your posts I see that you are in Mass, you have received quite a bit of advice. So I'll go a tad bit different, if you have mostly flat ground two wheel drive with chains will do a very good job,
Do NOT get the heavy double ring chains that we used for years farming, i have used them as well as twist link, and bar reinforced none of them will hold a candle to the European studded.

I have a bit of a small hill going down to a bridge and then a hill going back up. I really like the idea of the studded chains although I wonder what they'd do to my pavement.

I used two wheel drives for many years on an extremely steep and long driveway, you can get a canvas wind/weather breaker type cab for the winter. If at all possible buy cast iron wheel weights instead of filling tires, the initial cost will be more but the maintenance is much easier and a lot cheaper, around here to have a liquid filled tire worked on is at least $300. Also a narrow frontend tractor when used with rear implements or a mounted snow blade is NOT tippy unless used completely stupidly, I would not recommend one for a loader tractor although they worked for many years. That said my new one is cabbed, heated, AC, and 4wd.
A IH 560, 656, ALLis Chalmers, Case, White or Oliver in the 50 HP and up will do the job, and for an almost reasonable cost, any farm shop can work on them if need be.

Thanks for the advice. The wheel weights look like a win. Given clearing brush and snowblowing are my two primary uses for the machine, a cab probably makes sense. I'll probably be one of the 1% of buyers that don't get an HST but I'm cool with that. Where does one find a farm shop/mechanic? There are a few dealers but they seem like Mom and Pop's and don't seem to have dedicated maintenance facilities.

 

[picklerick]

You need to have a lot of time to deal with a 140 ft drift...

Yea, I'd end up hiking my way out and coming back in the spring.

 

[leonz]

The propane fired post driver unit will have much less in exhaust fumes to deal with. Until you know how much money you have you will be hamstrung and unable to make a proper decision.

Find a local farmer and ask him about snow removal in the area and what he or or she does with regard to it and what they use for the big dumps. The same local farmer will tell you who is a good dealer and who to stay away from as far as equipment goes too.

Snow chains of any type will scar pavement but are a necessity in smaller mules with rear weights using a front mounted snow blower or a rear mounted snow blower.

A four wheel drive mule with a detachable loader will let you clear snow with a front mount snow blower and also use the loader BUT will cost you more than a rear mount.

The bad thing about front mounts is they are smaller than the rear mounts as far as tons per hour of snow removal capacity and not as simple as rear mount snow casters.

Lots of the members here dress well with snowmobile suits or insulated coverals (me), warm ski caps or helmets and use ski goggles to counter the effects of snow blindness and use small mules to do ALL their snow removal.

Short of plowing every few hours with your truck you do not have many options short of the ones I mentioned to you in my e-mail to you but you still have time to work for this winter.

It will be simpler for now to decide on a sub compact or compact mule and invest in a rear or front mount snow blower and purchase a cabbed unit or a Simcoe cab with a windshield wiper and a heater for it and see how it goes this coming winter.

You can always trade up as the mule will have low hours on it.

Check with the locals and see what they use as you may end up with a compact utility mule with a front blower and loaded rear tires and r-4 tires.

I am no trying to spend your money but if you wait until October you may not be able to get a good rear mount snow caster.

Just keep in mind the more money you spend up front on a rear mount the heavier and the stronger it is and the less money it will cost you over its lifetime and you will be able to mount it on a bigger mule or trade it in on a wide one.

You can clear a lot of snow with a 4 foot rear mount snow blower.

 

[leonz]

More food for thought:

Mule is a four wheel drive john deere with a Riest 2000 Series single stage snow thrower set up as a front mount snow thrower powered by the 2200-2700 RPM mid mount Power Take Off.
If you open the image in a new tab it is not as dark and the view is much clearer to see the finer details of the snow thrower as it shows the snow gathering wings on the either side.

 

[picklerick]

The propane fired post driver unit will have much less in exhaust fumes to deal with. Until you know how much money you have you will be hamstrung and unable to make a proper decision.

I can definitely spring for a post driver immediately. It's more a case of figuring out what to buy by comparing features, cost, etc. It's not the type of tool I can see myself ever regretting owning so no worries there.

Find a local farmer and ask him about snow removal in the area and what he or or she does with regard to it and what they use for the big dumps. The same local farmer will tell you who is a good dealer and who to stay away from as far as equipment goes too.

Sounds like good advice. I'll ask around and see what I can find out. My neighbors that have tractors have the BIG agricultural tractors so I'm not sure if they notice the white stuff or just drive over it.

Snow chains of any type will scar pavement but are a necessity in smaller mules with rear weights usingt a front mounted snow blower or a rear mounted snow blower.

I need to buy a set of chains and tubes of sand for my pickup and will make sure I get chains for whatever tractor I end up buying. I'll take the hit on the pavement if necessary.

A four wheel drive mule with a detachable loader will let you clear snow and also use the loader BUT will cost you more than a rear mount.

The bad thing about front mounts is they are smaller than the rear mounts as far as tons per hour of snow removal capacity and not as simple as rear mount snow casters.

I think I'd rather have the larger blower with the ability to lift it on the 3 point. Given I'm primarily worried about drifts, the ability to raise/lower the blower and the ability to throw snow way off are my priorities. If that means going backward and popping some advil before I go out, so be it. I've already accepted that I'm going to overspec the solution and that it won't be cheap. If I can get 20 years out of it (or at least the base tractor) it's a tradeoff I'm willing to make.

lots of the members here dress well with snow mobile suits or insulated coverals(me), warm ski caps or helmets and use ski goggles to counter the effects of snow blindness and use small mules to do ALL their snow removal.

Short of plowing every few hours with your truck you do not have many options short of the ones I mentioned to you in my e-mail to you but you still have time to work for this winter.

It will be simpler for now to decide on a sub compact or compact mule and invest in a rear or front mount snow blower and
purchase a cabbed unit or a simcoe cab with a windshield wiper and a heater for it and see how it goes this coming winter.

You can always trade up as the mule will have low hours on it.

I'll shop around. I understand the market for small compacts is pretty liquid, but I hate the idea of eating the depreciation on two tractors.

I am no trying to spend your money but if you wait until October you may not be able to get a good rear mount snow caster.

Just keep in mind the more money you spend up front on a rear mount the heavier and the stronger it is and the less money it will cost you over its lifetime and you will be able to mount it on a bigger mule or trade it in on a wide one.

you can clear a lot of snow with a 4 foot rear mount snow blower.

I understand. I just don't want to buy something for the winter that won't meet my needs in the spring when I need to cut pasture. I'll look around and see what I can find.

Thanks! Will keep you posted on how I make out.

 

[Weedy Fields]

Before spending any money call around and see what it'll cost to have it hired out. Check with excavators, lawn service guys and check with your neighbors who have spent their money on a plow. I'll bet it'll be pretty cheap to have it done.
Then figure out what your time is worth, the maintenance, insurance, and operating cost are for what ever you think you'll need.
The only way its worth it to buy equipment for a long driveway (under 1/2 mile or so) is if you hire yourself out to pay for your equipment.
Just for yourself, its a waste of time and money.

I hire out our 900 ft drive. Ithe snow is really bad the guy we hire has a large JD front end loader that will clear out what ever mother nature can dish out.

 

[picklerick]

Before spending any money call around and see what it'll cost to have it hired out. Check with excavators, lawn service guys and check with your neighbors who have spent their money on a plow. I'll bet it'll be pretty cheap to have it done.
Then figure out what your time is worth, the maintenance, insurance, and operating cost are for what ever you think you'll need.
The only way its worth it to buy equipment for a long driveway (under 1/2 mile or so) is if you hire yourself out to pay for your equipment.
Just for yourself, its a waste of time and money.

I hire out our 900 ft drive. Ithe snow is really bad the guy we hire has a large JD front end loader that will clear out what ever mother nature can dish out.

If I didn't have other needs like cutting pasture I'd be inclined to agree. However I've got a 3/4 ton pickup with a plow and ran into drifts the truck can't get through. I can handle the snowfall no problem. When the winds kick up afterwards is when I get into trouble. When I call around on that scenario I find all the guys with tractors/bobcats are all working for the state and/or local companies.

 

[fishheadbob]

My 2 cents. Someone earlier mentioned an older 2 wheel drive heavy tractor, perhaps the guy with the IH 574. I did mine with that and a front end loader for many years before I ran into my NH 3930, a similar tractor but not worn out like my 574 was. I live in the snow belt south of Buffalo so I've seen some impressive snowfalls and cleared them all, then did my plow service neighbor's drive and a few other neighbors. Talking an honest 6 feet of snow in the worst one. I had to dig drifts out when they got too hard and high to push.I wanted a 656 bad back in the 70's but I'm kinda glad I didn't bite, there aren't many still going so I wonder about durability. My 574 was gas and a genuinely bad and worn out tractor so I'd advise against any older gas tractor with a lot of hours. Mine made me a much better mechanic than I ever wanted to be. For about a year recently there was a Case JX 70 or 80 on the local craigslist that had me drooling even though I don't need it. 4WD, FEL, lots of hydraulics, 500 some hours working on a horse farm asking $28,000. That would be a great machine if I wanted to get serious again, something like that could be overkill for your needs, but a great starting price and it wasn't selling. Things like that pop up.
Open cab, heck I'm pushing 70 and think that cabs are for girls. But if I had too much money maybe I'd entertain one. Warm clothes work just fine for me.
Flail mower? Maybe. I had one , it did the job. Lately I've been brushhogging and feel it's quicker. A hog with the chains on the back isn't going to throw rocks or brush, that's why the chains are there. I guess it would be a question of which costs what. Lastly and definitely, spend the money for a front end loader, they're the handiest implement ever invented and you'll keep finding new uses for one.

 

[shaeff]

Just a note:

While my father has had and used a brush hog for many, many years, launching rocks may not be the most dangerous thing. My father clipped something solid a number of years ago and sent more than half of one of the blades clean through the side of his brush hog deck. I'll measure the thickness of the steel when I stop by there this weekend, and also snap a pic as the hole is still there.

That could have been life-ending had it been in a well populated area. I use a flail, and while it's not as beefy as my father's brush hogs, it leaves a nicer finish and I don't worry about the potential for injury as much. I still use the 'hog a bit when needed, but much prefer the flail.