1000ft long, 100ft elevation, twisty, gravel- front or rear mount?
- Thread starter grumpymama
- Start date
- Views: 9179
-
- Tags
- front rear snow snow removal snowblower steep
Creamer
Elite Member
Since I paid $7500 for the tractor a few years ago and had an opportunity for a very lightly used Buhler Farm King blower for $1200 I think your prices are a little out of line. The tractor is not in perfect shape but very functional and only had 4000 hours on it. The 150s sell for that now as well if you look at auction sites and see what they bring. The 276s and newer are int eh $16,000 range and up.
Last edited:
Farmer495
Veteran Member
I'm in NS. You will be dealing with anything from 5cm flurries, 10-15cm light storm, 20-40cm winter storm or the odd 50,60 cm or more dump.
Snow can be fluff, or solid packed drifts or slush.
Rear mount 3pt PTO blower and front end loader with bucket (full hyd with down pressure!) is very versatile and most economical and will handle it all. Snow blower gets the snow away and into places you can't push. I do 99% of my snow removal with 3pt rear facing snow blower, all gravel driveways.
4wd makes it easier with the hill. good set of chains wouldn't hurt. I don't run chains and I handle slopes and hills with ag tires ok. I do lots road travel so chains don't work well for that.
If you have a low budget and you are starting your snow removal at top of the hill, an open station 2wd 6000-7000lb diff lock loaded tires with studded chains with loader and 3pt blower would work. Clearly something 4wd with cab is much nicer but also way more money.
No experience with truck plows, I just observe those get parked for driveway jobs in bad storms and once you run out of room to push you are done. Same goes with snow blade on a tractor. You get high banks or run out of room to push.
Quad or SXS would require plowing continuously during storm until you ran out of room to push snow. Basically a toy better than a shovel.
Front blowers are really nice but very pricy and often limit the tractor from doing anything else.
Photo is from one NS storm last winter. I wake up and clear snow. I don't plow multiple times, I do it once.
Snow can be fluff, or solid packed drifts or slush.
Rear mount 3pt PTO blower and front end loader with bucket (full hyd with down pressure!) is very versatile and most economical and will handle it all. Snow blower gets the snow away and into places you can't push. I do 99% of my snow removal with 3pt rear facing snow blower, all gravel driveways.
4wd makes it easier with the hill. good set of chains wouldn't hurt. I don't run chains and I handle slopes and hills with ag tires ok. I do lots road travel so chains don't work well for that.
If you have a low budget and you are starting your snow removal at top of the hill, an open station 2wd 6000-7000lb diff lock loaded tires with studded chains with loader and 3pt blower would work. Clearly something 4wd with cab is much nicer but also way more money.
No experience with truck plows, I just observe those get parked for driveway jobs in bad storms and once you run out of room to push you are done. Same goes with snow blade on a tractor. You get high banks or run out of room to push.
Quad or SXS would require plowing continuously during storm until you ran out of room to push snow. Basically a toy better than a shovel.
Front blowers are really nice but very pricy and often limit the tractor from doing anything else.
Photo is from one NS storm last winter. I wake up and clear snow. I don't plow multiple times, I do it once.
Attachments
oldnslo
Super Member
Lou
You just need bigger trees to stop you when you run off the road
You just need bigger trees to stop you when you run off the road
LouNY
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2015
- Messages
- 12,272
- Location
- Greenwich, NY
- Tractor
- Branson 8050, IH 574, Oliver 1550 Diesel Utility (traded in on Branson) NH 8160. Kioti CK2620SECH
I
One time going up with the dynahoe the engine quit and the air compressor wasn't working that day, so she started rolling down backwards.
Trying to turn the steering wheel with no power assist, finally got it turned a little bit into the up hill side ditch about then the hoe struck a 12-16" poplar tree about 2 feet up from the ground, shoved the tree right out of the ground slammed the hoe stick all the way in towards the unit blew out a couple of hoses and came to rest sitting somewhat crosswise in the ditch. Walked up to the shop grabbed a few tools and started working on her, I forget what was wrong with the compressor for the brake system but I did fix that first (air over hydraulic brakes, they suck) got the engine fired up brakes aired up up drove it up and then started the repairs on the hydraulic lines. That was lots of fun had to pull the boom cylinders out to reach and replace the hoses.
Then the park brake lock jumped off on the Oliver one day as I was putting a chain on a tree to remove it, poor Oliver toke off went over one bank after running over several small trees, drove the loader bucket a foot into the hard packed driveway, stood the tractor up on her nose, yanked the rods out of the curl cylinders, crumpled the front horns on the loader frame, broke a spindle, flattened a rim, blew out a steel steering line. Got her started up bucket shoved to the ground and backed it up to the shop. Took awhile to repair that damage.
trees just didn't work real good
I've had a couple of good rides on that driveway.Lou
You just need bigger trees to stop you when you run off the road
One time going up with the dynahoe the engine quit and the air compressor wasn't working that day, so she started rolling down backwards.
Trying to turn the steering wheel with no power assist, finally got it turned a little bit into the up hill side ditch about then the hoe struck a 12-16" poplar tree about 2 feet up from the ground, shoved the tree right out of the ground slammed the hoe stick all the way in towards the unit blew out a couple of hoses and came to rest sitting somewhat crosswise in the ditch. Walked up to the shop grabbed a few tools and started working on her, I forget what was wrong with the compressor for the brake system but I did fix that first (air over hydraulic brakes, they suck) got the engine fired up brakes aired up up drove it up and then started the repairs on the hydraulic lines. That was lots of fun had to pull the boom cylinders out to reach and replace the hoses.
Then the park brake lock jumped off on the Oliver one day as I was putting a chain on a tree to remove it, poor Oliver toke off went over one bank after running over several small trees, drove the loader bucket a foot into the hard packed driveway, stood the tractor up on her nose, yanked the rods out of the curl cylinders, crumpled the front horns on the loader frame, broke a spindle, flattened a rim, blew out a steel steering line. Got her started up bucket shoved to the ground and backed it up to the shop. Took awhile to repair that damage.
trees just didn't work real goodoldnslo
Super Member
Trees are expensive brakes..
Glad you appreciate my warped sense of humor.
If you dairy the milk truck driver must love your place in winter.
Glad you appreciate my warped sense of humor.
If you dairy the milk truck driver must love your place in winter.
LouNY
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2015
- Messages
- 12,272
- Location
- Greenwich, NY
- Tractor
- Branson 8050, IH 574, Oliver 1550 Diesel Utility (traded in on Branson) NH 8160. Kioti CK2620SECH
My house was never a part of the farm.Trees are expensive brakes..
Glad you appreciate my warped sense of humor.
If you dairy the milk truck driver must love your place in winter.
I don't allow any traffic in the winter if we have any ice or snow on the driveway unless they have studded tires or chains.
I leave a tote at the bottom of the driveway for packages and keep a parking area plowed out there for visitors and then I ferry them up and down.
Or if expecting company and no storms forecast I'll spread a couple of yards of sand for visitors, the fun never ends.
One good thing about it when they spin out trying to make it up usually they just end up stuck.
When I worry is when someone has been up visiting and it storms while they are here, nothing like chaining up to the rear of someones vehicle and having to use one of mine as the brake to get them down safely.
ning
Elite Member
I'm starting to wonder why you got rid of the oliver!I
I've had a couple of good rides on that driveway.
One time going up with the dynahoe the engine quit and the air compressor wasn't working that day, so she started rolling down backwards.
Trying to turn the steering wheel with no power assist, finally got it turned a little bit into the up hill side ditch about then the hoe struck a 12-16" poplar tree about 2 feet up from the ground, shoved the tree right out of the ground slammed the hoe stick all the way in towards the unit blew out a couple of hoses and came to rest sitting somewhat crosswise in the ditch. Walked up to the shop grabbed a few tools and started working on her, I forget what was wrong with the compressor for the brake system but I did fix that first (air over hydraulic brakes, they suck) got the engine fired up brakes aired up up drove it up and then started the repairs on the hydraulic lines. That was lots of fun had to pull the boom cylinders out to reach and replace the hoses.
Then the park brake lock jumped off on the Oliver one day as I was putting a chain on a tree to remove it, poor Oliver toke off went over one bank after running over several small trees, drove the loader bucket a foot into the hard packed driveway, stood the tractor up on her nose, yanked the rods out of the curl cylinders, crumpled the front horns on the loader frame, broke a spindle, flattened a rim, blew out a steel steering line. Got her started up bucket shoved to the ground and backed it up to the shop. Took awhile to repair that damage.
LouNY
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2015
- Messages
- 12,272
- Location
- Greenwich, NY
- Tractor
- Branson 8050, IH 574, Oliver 1550 Diesel Utility (traded in on Branson) NH 8160. Kioti CK2620SECH
Traded in when I bought the Branson 8050, with cab heat AC and 4wd. Still kept my IH 574 for a backup and second yard tractor.
Thinking about another one now, not sure if I want small (30-40 hp) or good sized (95-150 hp). Good sized I could leave my boom arm mower on during the summer and fall, it is a pain to mount and unmount.
The Oliver 1550 Diesel Utility was a good tractor did a lot of work for even just being 2wd.
Thinking about another one now, not sure if I want small (30-40 hp) or good sized (95-150 hp). Good sized I could leave my boom arm mower on during the summer and fall, it is a pain to mount and unmount.
The Oliver 1550 Diesel Utility was a good tractor did a lot of work for even just being 2wd.
OP
grumpymama
New member
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2022
- Messages
- 3
- Tractor
- Kubota
Hi everyone! So sorry for going MIA- I was without my laptop for a few weeks there and couldn't remember where/how to come back to this forum! Just wanted to express my gratitude for all these responses, your experiences and advice are really helpful! I just fished reading them all, now I need to go back through and make notes haha. There's a ton to consider, and though this will be the first winter on this land and with this driveway, we hiked it a ton last winter and know we're up against some deeeeeep snow. There was easily 3-4' of snow (and more where it drifted) last winter, and Nuttby mountain likes to dump 18"+ at a time when Truro only gets 6" haha. My husband and I are going to head into the dealerships next week to see what might be available, I'm keeping an eye on the used tractor ads but not seeing much. I really appreciate all of your thoughts! (and wish you could all come over so I could "test drive" your tractors and get some tips haha)