Jac65
Bronze Member
I live in Michigan and have about 1000' of driveway plus parking pads to snow blow and 3+ acres to mow. I haven't found anything better than a ztm for maintaining the grass. there is nothing (that I would consider reasonably priced) that is faster. I have a 60" gravely and average about an hour an acre, but I have trees and other obstacles to mow around. the parking pads and drive are all crushed stone. To maintain them I bought a Bobcat CT230 (which is a Kioti CK30) and I use a 60" 3pt snow blower to keep the drive clear in the winter. I like having the blower to clear the snow away from the drive rather than just pushing it to the side with a blade, but that is a personal preference. An old plow truck would have been a cheaper single task option, but I have other uses for the tractor (grading, tree removal, spreading stone. moving dirt, etc) so it made sense for me. If you can afford a cab tractor it would be a nice upgrade, the blower does a good job but tends to send a lot snow everywhere, especially on a windy day, but that can be dealt with (see below). good luck on choosing your equipment. just remember, you can make whatever you have work!
