Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Pictures of your snow weapons

[DK35vince]

I been running 4 link chains on all 4 for years. No problems

We recently got 5-6" of powder snow.
Hadn't put my chains on yet.
Thought with this easy snow go ahead and plow without the chains.
Horrible. HORRIBLE. I don't know how anyone can plow snow with a tractor without chains. R-4's with loaded rears couldn't get out of its own way let alone push.
With chains on all 4 my 35 HP tractor pushes a 9' (108) power angle snow plow really well. And pushes it back as far as I want
Without chains it was a battle to push 5" of powder snow any where.

 

[LouNY]

Chains are amazing and good chains are unbelievable, you can actually get better traction with chains then on dry gravel in the summer and fall.

 

[Wild and Free]

I read a ton of the posts and look at all your snow weapons in the snow forum and am in amazement at how so many can get buy with just a blade. The snow must be very different in other areas. Here on the Northern plains blades are for very small driveways for the most part and even there they are no good for most of the snow we get as it blows in so hard it gets drifted in very deep and hard as concrete most of the time where a loader and or snowblower are the only option for moving it. Man I wish I could get by that easy lol.

 

[Creamer]

We recently got 5-6" of powder snow.
Hadn't put my chains on yet.
Thought with this easy snow go ahead and plow without the chains.
Horrible. HORRIBLE. I don't know how anyone can plow snow with a tractor without chains. R-4's with loaded rears couldn't get out of its own way let alone push.
With chains on all 4 my 35 HP tractor pushes a 9' (108) power angle snow plow really well. And pushes it back as far as I want
Without chains it was a battle to push 5" of powder snow any where.

It comes down to technique. I have diamond tread rears and no weight with R4 fronts. I do a lot of spinning but I can push a lot but I typically plow fast. I also have a lot of fun plowing snow as to turn a 180 I just turn the wheel and step on a rear brake and in less than a second I am going the other way. It is just a lot more fun.

 

[LouNY]

I read a ton of the posts and look at all your snow weapons in the snow forum and am in amazement at how so many can get buy with just a blade. The snow must be very different in other areas. Here on the Northern plains blades are for very small driveways for the most part and even there they are no good for most of the snow we get as it blows in so hard it gets drifted in very deep and hard as concrete most of the time where a loader and or snowblower are the only option for moving it. Man I wish I could get by that easy lol.

That's because we have more then a single strand of barbed wire every hundred miles.:laughing: In some places we do get drifting and it requires pushing snow a long ways back.
Or as in my case I push it over the back on the low side which varies from 3 feet to 15 feet, towards the spring time I can be pushing snow 10 or 15 feet past where the dirt ends on snow pack.

 

[DK35vince]

It comes down to technique. I have diamond tread rears and no weight with R4 fronts. I do a lot of spinning but I can push a lot but I typically plow fast. I also have a lot of fun plowing snow as to turn a 180 I just turn the wheel and step on a rear brake and in less than a second I am going the other way. It is just a lot more fun.

You find it fun, I find it frustrating.
My parking area is on a slight side hill. With chains on all 4 I plow right across that hill a push as much snow as I want, without chains I couldn't even get to the snow pile to push, simply slide sideways down the hill into the grass.
Useless.
I know I've done my driveway with chains and without and there is no comparison. Not even close.

 

[rekees4300]

We recently got 5-6" of powder snow.
Hadn't put my chains on yet.
Thought with this easy snow go ahead and plow without the chains.
Horrible. HORRIBLE. I don't know how anyone can plow snow with a tractor without chains. R-4's with loaded rears couldn't get out of its own way let alone push.
With chains on all 4 my 35 HP tractor pushes a 9' (108) power angle snow plow really well. And pushes it back as far as I want
Without chains it was a battle to push 5" of powder snow any where.

Learned the chain lesson the hard way. Struggled 5 years without chains on R4s then saw the light and invested in front & rear chains. Those converted my JD 32HP from a CUT into a mini bulldozer! That was 10 years ago and since then no more spinning on ice covered hills while pushing snow with front blade.

 

[DK35vince]

Learned the chain lesson the hard way. Struggled 5 years without chains on R4s then saw the light and invested in front & rear chains. Those converted my JD 32HP from a CUT into a mini bulldozer! That was 10 years ago and since then no more spinning on ice covered hills while pushing snow with front blade.

I struggled for years without chains too.
I've been running chains on all 4 probably for the last 10 or 12 years.
I just forgot how pathetic they are without chains till I tried to plow without them. And this snow was as easy as it gets, 5" of fluff.

 

[beenthere]

Chains or not on my R4's depends on if the ground is frozen or not. I get by easily without chains, but have them when needed. Sometimes just chain up the front wheels. Keep the smooth ride without chains on the rears. Helps when moving a pallet of firewood on the 3 ph forks into the garage once a week.

Each has to figure out what works best for them.. their drive, their snow, their 'everything'.

 

[VroomVroom]

Sorry to post this here. I've been on this sight for a few years and have always "replied" to threads. How do I start a new thread ?

 

[Rustyiron]

Select the "category" in quick navigation (JD, attachments, build it yourself, etc) and up top click start new...:thumbsup:

 

[Creamer]

Just in case that was not clear enough - go to the "Home" tab under the "Forums" page you are in to read this and scroll down and select the forum that you want to start a new thread in.

 

[beenthere]

This thread name is "Pictures of your snow weapons" under the "Snow Removal" heading. Go to the top and click on Snow Removal if that is what your new thread is about.. or go up-line from there to back out of this 'weapons' thread to a broader subject heading.
Hope that helps..

 

[shaeff]

When I first got my '64 MF35 Utility, I set up an old truck plow on the 3pt hitch. Thought I was set to go until my father gave me a huge bucket of old truck tire chains. He said: "this should be enough for you to get around."

Boy was he right, I spent a few hours in 15* weather cutting, modifying those chains to fit the best I could get them. I spin a bit in heavy wet stuff, but I'd imagine I'd be stuck fast without them.

 

[marksold187]

Yanmar 187D has battled Oswego county snowbelt weather 30 years. Recent upgrades are a woodmaxx sb60 rear blower and Deere x500 series snow cab (let me know if you want details, this was an easy adaptation, has a real door, and cheap <$450 on eBay all the time). synthetic hydraulic oil (napa) and 5-40 Rotella synthetic keeps it starting easy. Recent power steering add on. plow is some homemade which bolts into bucket with 4 bolts.

 

[Drewmon]

....and a new tractor shed:thumbsup:

Go the roof on the carport this weekend as planned. I'm done with it until Spring, then I 'll trim it up and paint a few parts.

 

[LouNY]

Yanmar 187D has battled Oswego county snowbelt weather 30 years. Recent upgrades are a woodmaxx sb60 rear blower and Deere x500 series snow cab (let me know if you want details, this was an easy adaptation, has a real door, and cheap <$450 on eBay all the time). synthetic hydraulic oil (napa) and 5-40 Rotella synthetic keeps it starting easy. Recent power steering add on. plow is some homemade which bolts into bucket with 4 bolts.

Looks good and should get the job done in relative comfort

 

[Creamer]

Looks good and should get the job done in relative comfort

Looks like itwon't have so many flakes falling through!

Nice work!

 

[marksold187]

no more head to toe carharts and mask and goggles (we get some wind out there sometimes).

 

[jon edwards]

Finally got around to getting a pipe on my blade for plowing. The hope is that I don't move so much gravel when I plow snow. I had it made at a local welding shop. They suggested putting the bolts on each end to pinch the pipe and help hold it in place. It also has two short lengths of chain welded on the pipe to chain it to the top of the blade. Just got it back today so I haven't used it. Looks like snow tonight and the next few days so I'll see how it works on the gravel.