Snow BX snow thrower vs loader?

[Scrounger]

Regardless what everyone will say its money question. I use the FEL and RB on my BX2230 to clean a lot of snow. It works well BUT I end up with lots of piles all over. If I had the money, a rear blower and FEL would be my choice. If I had tons of extra money it would be a front Kubota blower but since I have a Woods BH ob my BX, I don't think the Kubota front blower would be able to be installed due the additional sub frame that is mounted.

In a nutshell, if you have the green, you will never be unhappy with a blower. We only see 40" max a year in my area of PA, so I can live without it. If I was anywhere in upstate NY, I'd have a blower.

 

[Musclford]

Regardless what everyone will say its money question. I use the FEL and RB on my BX2230 to clean a lot of snow. It works well BUT I end up with lots of piles all over. If I had the money, a rear blower and FEL would be my choice. If I had tons of extra money it would be a front Kubota blower but since I have a Woods BH ob my BX, I don't think the Kubota front blower would be able to be installed due the additional sub frame that is mounted.

In a nutshell, if you have the green, you will never be unhappy with a blower. We only see 40" max a year in my area of PA, so I can live without it. If I was anywhere in upstate NY, I'd have a blower.

I agree that if money was no object, I too would buy a front mounted blower..
But cost is a huge concern of mine and my neighbor has the 2230 with the front blade.. He has to remove the deck to use it (Even if he wants to push dirt for some reason) The FEL is SO dang easy on the BX it isn't funny..and with the exception of angling it, I can do everything he does and more........... I can carry snow away and pile it...when he couldn't.. Very helpful when the icy stuff gets built up in front of the drive from the plows..

And what I tend to do is when the snow gets banked so high, I merely raise my FEL 3 or so foot up, and push the top snow further.. Granted I haven't had 2 10" snows within the same week so I'll have to wait and see, but I've used the FEL so much around my property already the I can't see owning this thing without it..

If I could pick up a rear moutned blower for 500.00, I can easily see myself doing that... 1 good season, and I could justify it by cleaning drives... not counting my own..

Good luck,,,

Choices, choices.....Only you will know what best fits your application...

Phil

 

[fishpick]

If I was anywhere in upstate NY, I'd have a blower.

That's what I'm thinking... here's my story...

We live in Upstate NY where we just got around 20" of white joy.

So - last night we went and looked at the house we bought and move into in June... The driveway is just a hair under 1/3 of a mile long... A nice drift in the current owners driveway consumed and stuck 2 full size tucks with plows - over 8' deep this drift was... needed a full sized loader to pull them out and plow them out...

SO - I'll have a plow truck... but for this drift that forms yearly (they didn't put up the snow fence this year) - what makes more sense - a front mounted blower or a rear blower - and how big - on my BX24.

 

[proudestmonkey]

That's what I'm thinking... here's my story...

We live in Upstate NY where we just got around 20" of white joy.

So - last night we went and looked at the house we bought and move into in June... The driveway is just a hair under 1/3 of a mile long... A nice drift in the current owners driveway consumed and stuck 2 full size tucks with plows - over 8' deep this drift was... needed a full sized loader to pull them out and plow them out...

SO - I'll have a plow truck... but for this drift that forms yearly (they didn't put up the snow fence this year) - what makes more sense - a front mounted blower or a rear blower - and how big - on my BX24.

I'm no expert, but with that kind of drift to deal with, no snowblower will do any good at first. You'd need to use your FEL to cut a path and dig down. So, maybe a rear blower so you can leave your FEL on to dig into large drifts. That'd be my suggestion.

 

[LBrown59]

My neighbor has the 2230 with the front blade.
1* He has to remove the deck to use it (Even if he wants to push dirt for some reason) 2*The FEL is SO dang easy on the BX it isn't funny..and with the exception of angling it, I can do everything he does and more..........
3* I can carry snow away and pile it...when he couldn't.. Very helpful when the icy stuff gets built up in front of the drive from the plows..
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

1*By having a front blade on my Cub Cadet and my Bolens I don't have to remove the FEL or The 60''MMM from my BX23 in order to use a front blade.
2*If I need to angle plow I use the Bolens Or CC.
3*Who wants to take the Front plow off and reinstall the FEL on a BX so you can do that on a 6 degree day like it is here now?

 

[LBrown59]

That's what I'm thinking... here's my story...

We live in Upstate NY where we just got around 20" of white joy.

So - last night we went and looked at the house we bought and move into in June... The driveway is just a hair under 1/3 of a mile long... A nice drift in the current owners driveway consumed and stuck 2 full size tucks with plows - over 8' deep this drift was... needed a full sized loader to pull them out and plow them out...

SO - I'll have a plow truck... but for this drift that forms yearly (they didn't put up the snow fence this year) - what makes more sense - a front mounted blower or a rear blower - and how big - on my BX24.

How about a blower on a pick up truck > ?

 

[kwolfe]

fishpick,
I would also say rear blower. If looking behind you doen't give you any trouble, I would think that having the blower and FEL would be the best setup. You could level the drifts with the FEL and then use the blower to send the snow far away.

 

[ByronBob]

fishpick,
I would also say rear blower. If looking behind you doen't give you any trouble, I would think that having the blower and FEL would be the best setup. You could level the drifts with the FEL and then use the blower to send the snow far away.

I plan on getting this exact set up when money allows. After this am I need a RMSB to help the FEL.

It's getting too deep to manage with a FEL alone.

 

[Northland]

I think it's a question of how much snow you get at a time, type of snow, the amount of snow for the winter, what your property/drive is like and money.

We have had 50" of snow (lake effect snow of Lake Superior) in the past 10 day or so. I am using a 60" bucket on my FEL along with a 6' rear blade. The combo works great for 6" or less of snow at a time but we got 16" twice in the past week and the rear blade bogged down so fast it was useless so I had to use the FEL and that took more time and didn't leave a nice clean finish like the rear blade. I also want to keep a trail around my property cleared for walking the dogs but that has proved impossible as the amount of snow has my B7800 tires spinning uselessly. So, I ordered the v-bar ladder tire chains from tirechains.com. I am going to put them on tomorrow and I figure that will solve all my problems other those ever growing mountains of snow around my driveway.

The FEL allows me to safely and efficiently clear the snow around my deck, garage, house and all the snow I have to pull off my metal roof with a roof rake. If I had a front blower on my B7800 I would have to do a lot more shovellng by hand then I do now. I do believe a rear blower with the FEL up-front is the best solution, at least for my needs, but like the rear blade the blower won't be so great when you get a major dump unless the tire chains give me the traction I need. I just have to break-down and spend the $ on the blower...maybe next year.

 

[LBrown59]

What you need is a Flame Thrower !

I think it's a question of how much snow you get at a time, type of snow, the amount of snow for the winter, what your property/drive is like and money.

We have had 50" of snow (lake effect snow of Lake Superior) in the past 10 day or so. I am using a 60" bucket on my FEL along with a 6' rear blade. The combo works great for 6" or less of snow at a time but we got 16" twice in the past week and the rear blade bogged down so fast it was useless so I had to use the FEL and that took more time and didn't leave a nice clean finish like the rear blade. I also want to keep a trail around my property cleared for walking the dogs but that has proved impossible as the amount of snow has my B7800 tires spinning uselessly. So, I ordered the v-bar ladder tire chains from tirechains.com. I am going to put them on tomorrow and I figure that will solve all my problems other those ever growing mountains of snow around my driveway.

The FEL allows me to safely and efficiently clear the snow around my deck, garage, house and all the snow I have to pull off my metal roof with a roof rake. If I had a front blower on my B7800 I would have to do a lot more shovellng by hand then I do now. I do believe a rear blower with the FEL up-front is the best solution, at least for my needs, but like the rear blade the blower won't be so great when you get a major dump unless the tire chains give me the traction I need. I just have to break-down and spend the $ on the blower...maybe next year.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

[Dusty]

What everyone is forgetting is the first rule of snow removal. PLOW WITH THE STORM. If you wait till the storm is over, then there might be such a large accumulation that nothing other than some heavy duty equipment is going to handle the problem. If you plow with the storm, whether it be with a bucket, front blade, rear blade, or a snowblower, front or rear mount, you will lessen the chances of having a problem. Only time that I don't plow with the storm is when the storm is so violent that attempting to plow with the storm is too dangerous. Each piece of equipment is suited for snow removal, and which one you pick is a personal choice. There is no one thing that is perfect for every situation. If the snow is heavy and wet, a front blade is best to push it to the side. If fluffy and light, you can't beat a snow blower. I can't comment on the rear blade method, because even though I own one, I have never had to use it. I use a snow blower primarily. I used to use a plow truck until old age took its toll on the brake lines.
As for the person that has a BX with a Woods backhoe, you can still add a front mounted Kubota snow blower or blade since the front hitch mounts on the tractor frame once you remove the grille guard. The hitch goes on easily and quickly, and it is used with all Kubota front mounted attachments, so once you purchase it, you can add any other accessory to the tractor. The hitch comes as two parts. The hitch itself, and the power take off section which hooks up to the front PTO shaft.
Dusty

 

[AndyM]

What you need is a Flame Thrower !


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It that powered by the PTO?

 

[Fjord]

So, I ordered the v-bar ladder tire chains from tirechains.com. I am going to put them on tomorrow

Do you have to put wheel spacers on to fit those chains,or will they fit on with the stock wheel mounting?

 

[Stef]

I have a rear blower and a FEL. I spent the last two days moving snow and I think I have the best setup that I can wish for in my situation. I have a snowblower mounted on my tractor since my first Kubota (before that I had a walk behind snow thrower 12HP 33"). By experience, I think the blower is far more efficient for a big snowfall than a FEL. When the blower is completely raised it can bit a drift nearly 4' high. When it's on the ground, the bottom blade is half an inch from the ground (most of my neighbours (and me) don't have a paved driveway). The final result is a pretty hard snow surface perfectly even (even if the neighbour rolled over his snow bank with his F350 many times). The rotation and the angle are controlled by hydraulic cylinders so I can put the snow where I want.

What I like the most of a snowblower is the fact that it compacts the snow a great deal so the snow banks take less space and let's not forget that it's very pleasant to operate. One other thing is the fact that a snowblower requires nearly no traction to operate because the snow is not pushed on the side it's completely taken away. The only friction is the weight of the snowblower on the skid shoes.

 

[Northland]

What everyone is forgetting is the first rule of snow removal. PLOW WITH THE STORM.

That's good advice assuming you are at home at the time of the storm or you don't get all your snow overnight. The snow we get here in the mountains off SE Lake Superior often comes in overnight in bunches from 6" to 15" by morning.

 

[Northland]

Do you have to put wheel spacers on to fit those chains,or will they fit on with the stock wheel mounting?

I sure hope they fit without spacers. From searching the archives here at TBN I understand that the turf tires require spacers, because they are wider, but my R-4's don't. No sure about Ag tires

 

[Northland]

What I like the most of a snowblower is the fact that it compacts the snow a great deal so the snow banks take less space and let's not forget that it's very pleasant to operate. One other thing is the fact that a snowblower requires nearly no traction to operate because the snow is not pushed on the side it's completely taken away. The only friction is the weight of the snowblower on the skid shoes.

Sounds like you have just what I need/want

 

[fishpick]

I like the idea of the FEL and rear blower as well - question - Kubota seems to say a 4' blower for the front off the mid-PTO... since the rear PTO goes slower and has more torque - think a BX24 could run a 5' rear mount?

 

[Stef]

I like the idea of the FEL and rear blower as well - question - Kubota seems to say a 4' blower for the front off the mid-PTO... since the rear PTO goes slower and has more torque - think a BX24 could run a 5' rear mount?

IMHO there's no torque difference between the rear and the mid PTO at the end (I mean after the gearbox mounted on the snowblower). The gearbox for a front snowblower reduce the speed. The point is, they both turn at the same speed (if not, a front one would throw a light snow 200' away but would bug down with heavy wet snow).

About the width, I have a 64" mounted on my B3030. It was mounted on my BX23 before I swapped tractors. It was ok mainly because the BX23 had an hydrostatic transmission (meaning: you go slower, that's all). If you plan to break the fastest snow removal world record I'd recommend something smaller though. But it was very fonctionnal and if I had to do it again I would do it without any hesitation. The situation is the same with my B3030, when there's a 18" snowfall I don't back up as fast as if there was only 6" (dry or wet snow is the same logic).

Two pics: B3030 and BX23... same snowblower.

 

[canoetrpr]

I've got a rear blower and leave my FEL attached. Bought my blower this year.

For this winter, other than the novelty of blowing with the blower, I think I would have been better off with a rear blade. We've never had more than 8" of snow this winter.

However, a snowblower can do what a blade can in 6 to 8" but a blade can't necessarily do what a snowblower in 18" and higher.

Realistically, I ought to get a rear blade anyway for al the other things I could do with a blade and then with the Pats pick and choose the best implement depending upon the amount of snow.