Snow Equipment Owning/Operating First snow!!!

[LAXPatrick]

Got a few inches of the white stuff last night so I got my first opportunity to try out the 4310! Have a 430 FEL and a 6' Frontier rear blade.

300 feet or so of gravel, 150 feet of grass/path down to the pole building and a 3 car width pad in front of the garage.

First off - in 4WD this thing just keeps on going!

Techniques - I turned the blade around and angled it off - it's only like 10 degrees, would probably be more efficient if I could get more angle. Overall, this blade drag technique worked well on my driveway - no damage to the gravel and it moved the majority of the snow off. It'd be nice to get down farther, but that'd likely be at the expense of the driveway. I haven't figured out the optimum location/technique for the blade drag castings at either end of my loop yet...

I tried using the FEL on float - found that it dug in too much on uneven ground (have to patch those when this stuff thaws!). I used the drop and drag technique to drag the snow from in front of the garage - worked fairly well, but I think I need a steeper angle to get all the way down to the snow...

I've read some of the posts on this topic - any other techniques folks use with good results and similar equipment?

Almost forgot - haven't used the iMatch much until this morning... I put it on the tractor in hopes that it'd just pop on. It did! My rear blade was outside the barn in the snow - backed up to it, lifted up, slapped down the levers and I was off! Never got off the seat. Now if I could just find the time to get it rigged for my Frontier RFM that it doesn't fit (read BeenThere's posts, not sure if I totally have that figured out to the point of confidence but I've got a few months to noodle on that one...)

LAXPatrick

 

[PineRidge]

Normally we begin to build a frozen base by driving over the first snowfall and letting it pack between the gravel. Once you have done that and you get additional freezing temps it will build a hard frozen base. From that point forward clearing the drive will be simpler and you won't move the gravel around in the process. Think snow! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[thcri]

Hey Pat,

Was in the big town of LAX yesterday, headed out up the big hill and hit the snow. From Roch here and I think you guys got hit harder.


murph

 

[44trxfun]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( It'd be nice to get down farther, but that'd likely be at the expense of the driveway.)</font>

Hi LAX,

I think I got this idea (see attachment) from someone else on this board, but I had this post welded on last year. It allows me to put a/several weights on it and really helps prevent my blade from riding up over the snow.

Good luck and keep having fun. They're calling for 6-12" of snow here by tomorrow afternoon!

 

[LAXPatrick]

Cool idea - may have to try it if I have trouble "gettin' down"...

Day 2 - more snow and some drifts. This is too easy. Shovels are for people who don't have tractors...

Turned the blade around and scraped the concrete pad - worked just great. Didn't use the FEL at all this morning, just a couple of passes with the blade.

I imagine that with a "real snow" things get a lot more interesting, take more time, and require some more serious FEL work.

Good times!

Yeah even town (10 miles away) didn't get much snow. We're always 2-3 degrees cooler. They only had a dusting of snow and we're under 4 inches or so.

Spent last night hooking up the horses' heated water buckets and the tank heater. Looks like we should thaw out on Friday. That'll be a good opportunity to put some driveway markers out.

I've also got an excavator coming in to dig a trench (no backhoe on my 4310) for getting power and water down to the barn. He's assured me that he'll be able to get it done... Running 12GA extension cords down there makes me nervous with the tank heater (1250 watts) and 3 bucket heaters (125 watts x 3) along with a few flourescent lights over the stalls...

LAXPatrick

 

[HEC]

A contractor person who I had done business with several times had some heavy duty extension cords run in the snow and he went to pick one up and got hit real hard with the electricity.I went to see him a few days after and he didn't even recognize me, it really messed up his mind, and the last I knew he never recovered fully from it and this happened several years ago.Be very careful until you get things underground.

 

[JoeL4330]

install a GFCI outlet (properly) ...cheap insurance

 

[TimP]

LAXPatrick,

If you curl your bucket up a bit while in float, it will keep the edge from digging in. You won't get down to bare ground/asphalt, but in a deep snow you can make it driveable with a car and keep from digging in.

Tim

 

[SacandagaBrad]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I imagine that with a "real snow" things get a lot more interesting, take more time, and require some more serious FEL work. )</font>

That's why they make snowblowers /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Not sure if I would call it more interesting or just plain amazing. Doesn't really matter how deep it gets, one pass and you're done. If I plan to use the blade for a storm, I try to get out every 6" or so with my TC24. With the blower I just wait till the storm is done.

We might be getting some snow this week!

Brad

 

[FarmGeek]

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away....

I was using a 4WD CUT with 6-foot rear blade to remove a very heavy snowfall (for the central NC area) of about 6" depth. This was a heavy and wet snowfall, the day was bright but bitter winds were blowing. Things were going well but taking longer than expected and I started getting cold. To save time, I lowered the FEL bucket thinking I could push AND pull snow at the same time.

Stupid me!

As I was watching the FEL bucket closely, the rear blade gathered up so much snow that it cascaded under the rear axle and actually lifted the tractor off the ground /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Now I've got snow jam-packed under the FEL subframe, three f00t high pile of it between the rear wheels and the blade and remember the FEL? It's got a VW size pile in front of the bucket.

It took me the rest of the day to dig it out with a shovel /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif and the <font color="red"> </font> really <font color="black"> </font> bad part is my wife noticed and kept asking why I wasn't using the tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Good thing we don't get much of that snow stuff. Us Southern Boys just can't handle it.