New member from upstate NY

[Jim T.]

Have lived in the Finger Lakes region for 40 years, but we've recently purchased a second home in the Tug Hill region (my wife races sprint sled dogs) where our neighborhood is up to about 25 feet of snow for the season. Have plowed our snow at home with a Honda Rancher and a winch-operated front blade . . . needless to say I'm going to need something with a bit more oomph to deal with two- and three-foot snowfalls at the new house. So eager to learn more about my options tractor-wise. thanks in advance,
Jim

 

[nybirdman]

Welcome from a little more upstate;St.Lawrence co.We don't get snow like Tug hill.Snowblower for sure.Depends on how much you can spend.
Front is the most expensive,rear the least but backing up all the time is not fun.Rear pull type probably wouldn't work well in that area.

 

[Jim T.]

Welcome from a little more upstate;St.Lawrence co.We don't get snow like Tug hill.Snowblower for sure.Depends on how much you can spend.
Front is the most expensive,rear the least but backing up all the time is not fun.Rear pull type probably wouldn't work well in that area.

Hey birdman, guessing you're a grouse hunter--I've got a nine-month old setter pup from Canton and looking forward to re-exploring Tug Hill. Hunted there a lot more when I was younger.

Right now the budget is a bit more limited than I'd like. I've retired; my wife is still working. Our local dealer has a used New Holland TC30 that I'm eyeing and it has a rear snowblower. The good news is the driveway I'll need to clear is straight, wide, and only about 300' long. Not like backing up a mile in the woods. I'm thinking this used machine may get me by for the time being until I really know what we need. Just hoping the 30hp is up to the job, the blower is 72" wide. In a couple of years I ought to be able to finance something a bit more capable. Hoping also to use a post hole auger on whatever we get.

Gonna have to put my pup in my avatar.
Jim

 

[alexpops]

Welcome to the forum.

30 HP should be fine for snow clearing & PHD shouldn't really require more unless you have really tough clay/rock. Just take it slower ... I grew up using smaller snowblowers on 14-18hp lawn tractors just outside of Cleveland in snowbelt country (500ft steep drive in 60's & 70's). You will want a cab (even if only DIY PVC/clear vinyl) or be prepared to be miserable. With a rear blower, you might want to consider good rearview mirrors or a back-up cam of some type to minimize the looking over the shoulder neck cramps. Learn to steer via the mirrors/camera before you need it. Weight, chains & good brakes for traction, depending on driveway pitch, even for 4wd. (I can't count how many times I was sliding down black ice on our steepest incline towards the road with oncoming traffic & nothing I or they could do about it) Will there be other uses for the tractor? or are you only looking at winter driveway maintenance? Size/weight/power will probably be more driven by your other uses & terrain.

 

[Thomas]

Welcome to TBN...enjoy.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Welcome to the forum from a bit south of you in Northeast PA!

We don't get anywhere near the snowfall you do up there. The record here is 10' for a single season but we do get the occasional 3' snowfall though.

I have a rear mount blower, but it takes far too long to clear my 1.25 mile road. I mostly use an 8' FEL plow until the banks get too high. When that happens, I'll use the blower to cut them back or use the FEL plow to push them back. I can pile snow 12' or higher by using the plow at a 45 degree angle to the road.

The type of equipment you need will depend largely on how much area you have to clear.

 

[Jim T.]

Here's the scenario--the house is about a hundred yards uphill from the road, the driveway and turnaround are both pretty wide. We will need to get a 23' trailer in there and parked along the contour where the turnaround is (perpendicular to the driveway). Also will need to remove the snow that comes off the roof of the detached garage, that's where the dogs will be and at least some sort of fenced outdoor area in that spot until we can build a real kennel down the line.

Here's the unit available nearby, 1200 hours so still has a lot of life left. Figure the bucket will come in handy for moving snow as well. If I go this route I'm thinking of getting a finish mower to pull behind it, that would save me $10k on a new mower, plus an auger would help me put in dog fencing. And with turf tires I'd use chains for sure.

 

[brutus54]

Welcome Jim T.
I'm here in the Southern tier of NYS on the back side of Rattlesnake hill. I think Swain ski center turned one of their snow guns toward our house this year, it's been a crazy snow full winter.

 

[alexpops]

Looks like a decent pairing for what you described/show. Are you sure about the Snowblower width? Specs show a 51" & 63" blower as available, which would be more in keeping with the 24-25 PTO HP. Not sure about the total acreage or plans for the wood lot, but a 60" finish or flail mower should handle the visible lawn just fine. See you have the cab & visibility seems good (at least to the left when coming down the drive). Drive doesn't seem that steep, & in a worst case, FEL could function as an Emergency brake (albeit maybe at expense of driveway or bucket ... but better than the possible alternatives). If you'll be dealing with the woodlot to any extent, a small grapple might make sense, & if you have plans for extensive trails in the woods, maybe a stump grinder. Can't tell from the pic ... is the drive asphalt or gravel? If gravel, a box blade or rear blade for after spring washout & general driveway maintenance.

How mechanically "adept" are you? The only real issue with older, used equipment is you don't know the quality of previous maintenance/repairs. Granted, you can take to a dealer but the costs add up pretty quick if out of warranty. At a minimum, get familiar with basic things like changing the fluids & filters, bleeding the fuel system, etc. so normal maintenance can be done at home by you instead of at shop rates. Enjoy the new place & hopefully new tractor.

 

[Jim T.]

Looks like a decent pairing for what you described/show. Not sure about the acreage or plans for the wood lot, but a 60" finish or flail mower should handle the visible lawn just fine. See you have the cab & visibility seems good (at least to the left when coming down the drive). Drive doesn't seem that steep, & in a worst case, FEL could function as an Emergency brake (albeit maybe at expense of driveway or bucket ... but better than the possible alternatives). If you'll be dealing with the woodlot to any extent, a small grapple might make sense, & if you have plans for extensive trails in the woods, maybe a stump grinder. Can't tell from the pic ... is the drive asphalt or gravel? If gravel, a box blade or rear blade for after spring washout & general driveway maintenance.

this is helpful. Gravel driveway. Actually the lot the house sits on is only 4 acres. The big lawn uphill behind the house belongs to the adjacent club, which they mow; and part of the attraction of the property is the system of atv trails on that property that shut down for atv use in the fall through the winter. We've checked with the club and they're okay with us using the trails in the winter for dog sledding. So no real woods work at the new house--here at home in the Finger Lakes though, we've got 12 acres of swampy woods along a creek, I've always managed without a tractor but there have been times when I wished I had one. Always ended up getting friends with tractors to do my work for me.

That unit also has a jerry-rigged heater that runs off the engine radiator, it's a big box that takes up space in the cab, but heat is good.

 

[Wagtail]

G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

Enjoy the site.

 

[Jim T.]

Looks like a decent pairing for what you described/show. Are you sure about the Snowblower width? Specs show a 51" & 63" blower as available, which would be more in keeping with the 24-25 PTO HP. Not sure about the total acreage or plans for the wood lot, but a 60" finish or flail mower should handle the visible lawn just fine. See you have the cab & visibility seems good (at least to the left when coming down the drive). Drive doesn't seem that steep, & in a worst case, FEL could function as an Emergency brake (albeit maybe at expense of driveway or bucket ... but better than the possible alternatives). If you'll be dealing with the woodlot to any extent, a small grapple might make sense, & if you have plans for extensive trails in the woods, maybe a stump grinder. Can't tell from the pic ... is the drive asphalt or gravel? If gravel, a box blade or rear blade for after spring washout & general driveway maintenance.

How mechanically "adept" are you? The only real issue with older, used equipment is you don't know the quality of previous maintenance/repairs. Granted, you can take to a dealer but the costs add up pretty quick if out of warranty. At a minimum, get familiar with basic things like changing the fluids & filters, bleeding the fuel system, etc. so normal maintenance can be done at home by you instead of at shop rates. Enjoy the new place & hopefully new tractor.

oops, good catch on the blower width, I think I measured 62" and brain farted 72". Wider than the rear wheels at any rate.

And good points to add about the basic maintenance, fluids and filters I'm okay with. I generally try to get the shop manuals for my machines (atv/snowmobile), have messed around with my '49 F-1 for years . . . a diesel engine may be a bit above my paygrade, but we'll see. I'm not sure if the dealer where this machine is at has been doing the maintenance on it previously or if it's newly arrived as a trade-in for a new customer. If I go back next week I'll try to check on that.

It also occurred to me this afternoon that if I went slightly bigger tractor-wise and could get a FEL that could handle 2500 lbs, I could put a fork on it and be able to handle pallet offloading at home. Then we could buy dog food by the pallet (50 x 44lb bags per pallet). Unloading off a trailer has always been what's stopped us from ordering bulk/wholesale.

 

[Mrsig]

and enjoy the forum!

 

[bdhsfz6]

oops, good catch on the blower width, I think I measured 62" and brain farted 72". Wider than the rear wheels at any rate.

And good points to add about the basic maintenance, fluids and filters I'm okay with. I generally try to get the shop manuals for my machines (atv/snowmobile), have messed around with my '49 F-1 for years . . . a diesel engine may be a bit above my paygrade, but we'll see. I'm not sure if the dealer where this machine is at has been doing the maintenance on it previously or if it's newly arrived as a trade-in for a new customer. If I go back next week I'll try to check on that.

It also occurred to me this afternoon that if I went slightly bigger tractor-wise and could get a FEL that could handle 2500 lbs, I could put a fork on it and be able to handle pallet offloading at home. Then we could buy dog food by the pallet (50 x 44lb bags per pallet). Unloading off a trailer has always been what's stopped us from ordering bulk/wholesale.

I would definitely consider a tractor with an SSQA FEL. It's one of the most useful features you can have on a tractor. With SSQA, you can easily attach a wide array of different implements from forks to a plow.

If you are considering forks, make sure the lift capacity of the FEL is adequate for the weight you plan to lift. FEL capacities are usually measured at the pivot point. The lift can be as much as 50% less at the fork tips.

 

[Jim T.]

I would definitely consider a tractor with an SSQA FEL. It's one of the most useful features you can have on a tractor. With SSQA, you can easily attach a wide array of different implements from forks to a plow.

If you are considering forks, make sure the lift capacity of the FEL is adequate for the weight you plan to lift. FEL capacities are usually measured at the pivot point. The lift can be as much as 50% less at the fork tips.

that's helpful. I did a bit more reading about it last night as well as some comparison price shopping online. I think bumping up to that level HP/lift capacity may be stretching it price-wise, especially for just that one function of bulk pallets of dog food. We do fine right now every several months driving an hour to pick up 15-20 bags at a time. More expensive per bag that way than bulk, but it would be hard to justify the expense of the bigger tractor just for that. This tc30 with the blower asking price is $15k, I don't think I could get a used 40+hp machine in decent shape for less than $30-$35k. We're gonna have a fair amount of house and kennel expenses, so we've got to make the pennies count.

 

[nybirdman]

We owned an uplands preserve for quite a few years,aged out both me and the dogs.
Started with labs moved to pointers,both English and German Short-hairs.
Saw about very breed out there,a friend in Canton had Setters for many years,you probably got one of his breeding,very good dogs by the way.
Tractor looks fine for your new place.

 

[Jim T.]

We owned an uplands preserve for quite a few years,aged out both me and the dogs.
Started with labs moved to pointers,both English and German Short-hairs.
Saw about very breed out there,a friend in Canton had Setters for many years,you probably got one of his breeding,very good dogs by the way.
Tractor looks fine for your new place.

Styles Bridges' line? he has a younger friend of his now handling the whelping and continuing the line. We've got a GSP that's about 8 years old now, but her range is more than I can take most days. Have to say she did great on grouse on our last trip to the U.P. My wife's sprint sled dogs are mostly GSP/greyhound crosses, they get the speed from the greyhound and the strength/chest from the GSP.

 

[thclimer]

I have a 60" rear blower for my TC33D that worked well. My neck was certainly not happy using it though.

Generally the snow which slides off a roof compacts pretty well. I'm able to blow ours 1/2 the time with the remainder either using a plow on a 3/4 ton pick up taking little bites or using the FEL on the tractor to scop/push it away which is much slower.

Do you know what the previous owner used?

I grew up north of Syracuse, did a fair amount of x-coss country skiing & trout fishing in the Tug Hill. What is your closest town up there?

 

[Jim T.]

I have a 60" rear blower for my TC33D that worked well. My neck was certainly not happy using it though.

Generally the snow which slides off a roof compacts pretty well. I'm able to blow ours 1/2 the time with the remainder either using a plow on a 3/4 ton pick up taking little bites or using the FEL on the tractor to scop/push it away which is much slower.

Do you know what the previous owner used?

I grew up north of Syracuse, did a fair amount of x-coss country skiing & trout fishing in the Tug Hill. What is your closest town up there?

he simply used a v-blade on his pickup truck, I considered that for the first season but think I'll get better results with a blower. This is just outside of West Leyden, my wife trains at Winona but she's also had events at the Osceola x-country ski area, which is nearby.

 

[thclimer]

Oh ya your in the thick of the snow belt, I spent a fair amount of time in the Redfield and Osceola area many years ago.