Hello from Almonte, Ontario, Canada!

[brino]

Hi Folks!

I just joined today because yesterday I bought a ~2016 Branson 3520R, with the BL25R loader and a new Meteor SB72 snow blower.
I bought it from Bromley Farm Equipment up in Douglas, Ontario about an hour away. It is not one of their brands, they got it on trade-in.
However my nearest tractor place is M&P Farm Equipment and Branson is one of their supplied brands, so parts, fluids, etc. should be available.

For years I have been using a blade on the front of my truck for snow removal, but of course end up with the driveway all boxed-in with snowbanks by spring.
I have over 200 feet of driveway to deal with and looking for a better way this winter.
I am also looking forward to putting up a dedicated workshop building in the next two years and the best spot for that is where I currently push the majority of the snow.
Long ago I outgrew the 20'x20', two-car garage that I currently use as a workshop, but of course I haven't stopped buying tools.
I am mostly into metal working (two milling machines, lathe, bandsaw, various welders, etc.), but have the basic woodworking tools too (table saw, bandsaw, lathe, thickness planer) and all the usual supporting equipment (drill presses, grinders, sanders, etc.)

I haven't driven a proper tractor in many years (just a selection of various little mowers, currently have a Cub Cadet LTX1142KW).
I am really looking forward to learning all the controls again, plus the wide range and best use of implements.
The driveway is gravel, so I also need to immediately start looking into of some kind of blade (back blade, box grader?) for leveling, and weed control.

I know the guidance here will be extremely valuable.
I have a lot of reading and research to do.

Thanks for having me!
Brian (aka brino)

 

[check]

Hi Folks!

I just joined today because yesterday I bought a ~2016 Branson 3520R, with the BL25R loader and a new Meteor SB72 snow blower.
I bought it from Bromley Farm Equipment up in Douglas, Ontario about an hour away. It is not one of their brands, they got it on trade-in.
However my nearest tractor place is M&P Farm Equipment and Branson is one of their supplied brands, so parts, fluids, etc. should be available.

For years I have been using a blade on the front of my truck for snow removal, but of course end up with the driveway all boxed-in with snowbanks by spring.
I have over 200 feet of driveway to deal with and looking for a better way this winter.
I am also looking forward to putting up a dedicated workshop building in the next two years and the best spot for that is where I currently push the majority of the snow.
Long ago I outgrew the 20'x20', two-car garage that I currently use as a workshop, but of course I haven't stopped buying tools.
I am mostly into metal working (two milling machines, lathe, bandsaw, various welders, etc.), but have the basic woodworking tools too (table saw, bandsaw, lathe, thickness planer) and all the usual supporting equipment (drill presses, grinders, sanders, etc.)

I haven't driven a proper tractor in many years (just a selection of various little mowers, currently have a Cub Cadet LTX1142KW).
I am really looking forward to learning all the controls again, plus the wide range and best use of implements.
The driveway is gravel, so I also need to immediately start looking into of some kind of blade (back blade, box grader?) for leveling, and weed control.

I know the guidance here will be extremely valuable.
I have a lot of reading and research to do.

Thanks for having me!
Brian (aka brino)

Welcome Brian, from a fellow Ontarian (near dorset). You will LOVE having the blower, as do I. Is your blower, a front blower, or a rear blower?

 

[brino]

Hello @check

My new Meteor SB72 snow blower is a rear mount and used in reverse, like this:

The tractor has two sets of remote hydraulic couplers and the blower will use one for the chute turning.
The chute deflector is manual.

Perhaps a little awkward having to reverse all the way, but I figure I want the loader on all the time too....

Thanks for the welcome!

Brian

 

[jeff9366]

The driveway is gravel, so I also need to immediately start looking into of some kind of blade (back blade, box grader?) for leveling, and weed control.

York brand, Model RI landscape rake with fold up/down blade. Expensive, but 2 in 1 versatility. Worth it.

RI RAKE SPECS:

https://www.yorkmodern.com/downloads/RI%20LandscapeHeavy.pdf

I would favor 7' width as rakes are mostly pulled on an angle and 7' will reach the edge of your driveway. Before you make a final rake width decision measure the outside to outside width of your rear tire stance and post the measurement here. A Landscape Rake should be 18" to 24" wider than your rear tire stance.

York Rakes : York Modern

York Modern : York Rakes

www.yorkmodern.com

 

[jeff9366]

Branson 3520R

Four-wheel drive

Weight

4053 lbs 1838 kg

Branson 3520R Power
Engine	35 hp 26.1 kW
PTO (claimed)	29 hp 21.6 kW

Width 64 inches (min) 162 cm

 

[brino]

@jeff9366

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll have a look!

Brian

 

[JJT]

Welcome to TBN, you are going to look forward to the first big snow storm.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Welcome to TBN, nice introduction hopefully you dont have to use that blower too soon...

 

[Wagtail]

G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

Enjoy the site.

 

[Thomas]

Welcome to TBN...enjoy.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Congratulations on the new toy, those Branson 20 series machines are tough for as small as they are. Though I suppose size is relative, lol.

 

[kenmbz]

Welcome to TBN and new tractor ownership.
Have fun

 

[Torvy]

Welcome to TBN and team TYM. Great bunch of people here that know lots about lots.

 

[houska]

Welcome! I'm less than an hour from you with a Branson 4225H, bought new from M&P Farm a few years ago. Murray at M&P and his team are good guys; fair, responsive, and (as you said) with good access to Branson/Tym parts. Just a tad expensive on transport, so try to find ways to bring in your machine for service if you ever need to do that rather than do pickup.

For attachments, all the local guys are pretty good at what they've got, and can bring in at decent markup from the typical providers. But sometimes Quebec dealers have access to different brands at different negotiated distributor price levels (e.g. Igland versus Norse forestry winches) and it's worth shopping that way too.

Enjoy!

 

[brino]

I was supposed to take delivery of the tractor Wednesday but I had to delay it due to surprise emergency retina surgery. I am now home, on the mend and off work for 2 weeks.

I will call and arrange new delivery date hopefully early next week.

@houska when I started my tractor search I was expecting to buy privately and need to move it myself and so bought a 10,000lb trailer. I have always wanted one anyhow as I do all the maintenance on the fleet of family vehicles. I can see needing to move a disabled vehicle, so I am all set for moving the tractor.

Thanks for the welcome and the other info on implements.

Brian

 

[Torvy]

Hope your recovery goes well. My wife has had multiple eye surgeries, including emergency retinal repair. I hope your surgeon is as good as hers. Enjoy the rest and eventually, the tractor.

 

[brino]

Hi All,

Despite having a trailer I could haul the tractor on, the eye surgeon didn't clear me to drive until Friday.
Saturday I was planning to go and haul it home maybe Tuesday based on best weather.

Then the phone rang. The dealer had fixed the inspection issues with their trailer and were ready to deliver!

I felt like a kid at Christmas for the next hour an a half.

The first night it slept on the patio .......we put the patio table away and take the tarp off the gazebo for the winter anyway because it would NOT survive all the snow we get.

Then on Sunday my son helped put up a portable garage.
I say "helped", but since I am still not lifting anything heavy he did most of the work.

....and then this morning:

Thanks for Looking!

Brian

 

[ptsg]

Kinda late but welcome to TBN and congrats on your new acquisition!

Looks like you'll soon have enough white stuff laying around to try that snowblower.

 

[tacticalturnip]

That will move some snow!

 

[houska]

Congrats on your new "toy".

Here's our time progression that you may well end up following:

Winter 1. Carefully store our Branson in a "portable garage" just like yours all winter
Winter 2. Occasionally get lazy and leave Branson out, with a lovingly attached ATV cover over the cockpit area
Winter 3. Leave the Branson out most of the winter, covering the cockpit with a bungeed tarp
Winter 4. Always leave the Branson out, with a tarp sorta held in place with decrepit bungees, since the "garage" is too full of other crap

BTW, if you're going to be using the tractor outside in the winter, especially if you have any slopey areas, I'd suggest you find some tire chains, at least for the rears. Up here in Eastern Ontario, I find it's fine without in the 1st part of the winter, but it gets really slidy on R4 tires when you have icy packed snow on (semi)cleared driveways, and of course when there's any freezing rain or you get into the spring freeze-thaw cycle. We didn't have any for Winters 1 and 2, and it really limited in what conditions we could actually use the tractor meaningfully. Even though we're ony 45 mins from you, you're on much flatter ground, so you may fare better than we did, but I'd still think about it.