How miserable is it to use a rear mount snowblower on an open station tractor?

   / How miserable is it to use a rear mount snowblower on an open station tractor? #11  
scesnick said:
I have a Yanmar 2000BD and I usually sit on the hood looking backwards with the steering wheel between my legs. It saves my neck from hurting and it is also warm...

You need to change your profile picture from Clint Eastwood to Slim Pickens. :rolleyes:
 
   / How miserable is it to use a rear mount snowblower on an open station tractor? #12  
Canopy (nice in summer as well as winter) and a jury rigged, $100 golf cart cover...works for me
 
   / How miserable is it to use a rear mount snowblower on an open station tractor? #13  
I used a snow blower on the front of a garden tractor for 1 season before deciding either I get a cab, or the plow goes back on. I got the cab.

Having the wind blow the snow back at you is once, is an experience that cannot be adequately described. Having that happen several times, with your body twisted, so that you can look behind you, does not sound more appealing.
 
   / How miserable is it to use a rear mount snowblower on an open station tractor? #14  
rjblum said:
"I usually sit on the hood looking backwards with the steering wheel between my legs."

Anybody else wanna see a picture of that? I know I do! You guys are going to scare me right into buying a cab tractor. Sheesh!

lol !! It may be unconventional but it works very well. At 2 mph tops I don't think my neck would survive the whole 2.5 mile drive. I can even reach the clutch and brakes !!
 
   / How miserable is it to use a rear mount snowblower on an open station tractor? #15  
   / How miserable is it to use a rear mount snowblower on an open station tractor? #16  
In many cases it is good to aim low with low volume output. Try to resist the thrill of blowing the stuff as high and far as possible. I know it makes for great photos, esp with the sun shining, but a moderated technique will save some, but not all, of the blowback.
 
   / How miserable is it to use a rear mount snowblower on an open station tractor? #17  
The things to consider for your comfort, what way does the driveway run compared to the way way of the normal winds?
Is the driveway straight so you might just look at the last cut looking to the front instead of having to watch the rear?
Will the blower have hydraulic turn? It will reduce the amount of twisting you have to do which might help give you a bad back as well as neck! (often the rotator can't be reached without raising the blower to turn it, they hit you in the back otherwise!)

If you have a loader on the front and the snow that you are blowing is going to be hitting you in the face then maybe a blade for the front and then the blower could remove the piles so it won't drift so much.
 
   / How miserable is it to use a rear mount snowblower on an open station tractor? #18  
Even with a cab, a rear mounted snow blower is miserable to use, I know, I've tried it. I have a 1/4 long driveway, and I use a backblade for snow removal. It's so much easier than a rear mounted snow blower, and it's even easier than using a snow plow on a pick-up truck. By pulling the snow instead of pushing it, you can pull in right into the road, and than push it off to the side. And if you're going to get a loader, than you can just pick up the pile when it's in the road and dump it. That's what I do.

I've had several open station tractors, but I got a cab tractor over a year ago, and have been thrilled with it. But a backblade is the best way for snow removal, unless you have a rubber neck.
 
   / How miserable is it to use a rear mount snowblower on an open station tractor? #19  
Cab sounds great for front blower but do most cabs have wipers on the back? If the idea is to keep all that snow from blowing on you, and you put plexi between you and the snow to stop it, wouldn't the plexi be covered in snow / water drops in no time?
 
   / How miserable is it to use a rear mount snowblower on an open station tractor? #20  
I have an open tractor with a 30" tall Hiniker plow attached to the FEL. It does a great job on my long drive. 2 passes at medium speed and it's done. It rolls snow off like a truck plow. I can push and lift the blade to really pile it high. I can swap back to the bucket in seconds thanks to the quick attach. It's much more enjoyable than having the snow blow all over me. Now, if I had a cab tractor I might have opted for a blower rather than the plow. But there is something peaceful about quietly plowing snow after a storm when the sky is bright blue and the sun is out. (at least for the first few times of the winter)
 

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