Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Larger 2WD vs Smaller 4WD for plowing snow

[jedon]

The Question:
Which is better for plowing 2 miles of gravel road a few times each winter?
1. 75HP heavy tractor 2WD
2. 40HP medium tractor 4WD

More details:
I am building a house on 100 acres in the woods in Northern California ( when the smoke clears! ).
I need a tractor for moving rocks and logs and dirt and pushing slash around and digging trenches etc.
The most important thing I need to do with it is plow 2 miles of gravel road in the winter, we get around 4-5feet so it's not like the frozen northland or anything but still prevents us from going to town.
I found a great deal on a Massey Ferguson 50E Industrial tractor with a 4-1 loader and a box scraper. My only reservation is that it's 2WD. If I was to buy some other tractor I could only afford something around 40HP but it would be 4WD.

Thanks!
-Jedon

 

[Charlesaf3]

I'd guess the 4wd with weighted tires - traction is usually more important than horsepower.

Might consider a snowblower too?

Others will hopefull weigh in with more experience.

 

[Egon]

Go for the four wheel drive with chains.

Just for interest many parts of the Frozen North are considered desert as little precipitation falls!

 

[jedon]

Thanks,
I know it's all about traction, but I am unclear about say a 4000lb 4WD vs a 7000lb 2WD, power aside the weight alone might be a deciding factor?
Hardly anybody seems to use blowers here due to the high water content in the snow, they call it Sierra Cement. It tends to destroy blowers pretty quickly.
I was just going to put a blade on it for now and see how that works first. My neighbor has a 40HP Tyr and says he's going to get a blower for it, I look forward to seeing how that works out for him but I need my setup before him so I can't use it make a decision.

 

[jedon]

Here痴 a local ad for it: MASSEY-FERGUSON : Nevada County Trader

 

[Negligence]

You'll be fine with the 2wd. You can add chains to it if needed, but with weight on the rear you should be OK.

Just keep in mind that 75hp is a big tractor to be running just for plowing snow / moving rocks, etc. A 40hp will do the same job just fine and save you gas money.

 

[N80]

For pushing something with a loader and for better traction and control I'd go for the 40hp 4wd without a second thought. It is true that a big powerful 2wd gets great traction on the rear and with the added hp it might could pull the little 40 hp around like a toy.

A 4wd gives you the advantage of much better steering capability when traction is poor. It also gives you much better breaking if there are any hills or grades invloved.

A tractor that size could also get a bit unweildy.

I'm sure plenty of folks will tune in and say they've been plowing snow with a big 2wd all their lives and its just fine. I don't doubt it. I just think the 4wd 40 would be better.

Disclosure note: I've never driven a tractor of any sort in the snow.

 

[flusher]

The Question:
Which is better for plowing 2 miles of gravel road a few times each winter?
1. 75HP heavy tractor 2WD
2. 40HP medium tractor 4WD

More details:
I am building a house on 100 acres in the woods in Northern California ( when the smoke clears! ).
I need a tractor for moving rocks and logs and dirt and pushing slash around and digging trenches etc.
The most important thing I need to do with it is plow 2 miles of gravel road in the winter, we get around 4-5feet so it's not like the frozen northland or anything but still prevents us from going to town.
I found a great deal on a Massey Ferguson 50E Industrial tractor with a 4-1 loader and a box scraper. My only reservation is that it's 2WD. If I was to buy some other tractor I could only afford something around 40HP but it would be 4WD.

Thanks!
-Jedon

If 2WD is your only reservation, go with the 50E for the weight advantage and get yourself a good set of chains for snow plowing. With 100 acres on which to work and play you'll find uses for the extra hp real quick.

I started in June05 with a new 21 hp Kubota B7510HST (4WD, 21 hp engine, 17 hp pto) and an LA302 FEl (4ft wide bucket) which got me through the house construction phase on my 10 acre place (flat pasture land). In July 06 I added a 1964 Mf-135 diesel (2WD, no FEL) as a project tractor to learn tractor maintenance by restoring an old, but runnning, tractor. In March08 I traded the 7510 for a new Mahindra 5525 (2WD, gear tranny, 55 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 5200lb without the FEL and loaded rear tires) with the ML250 FEL (6ft bucket, 2900 lb lift capacity at the bucket pivot pins). Need more hp and tractor weight for plowing my 7 acre hayfield.

My advice is buy as much tractor as you can as soon as you can. $7K seems like a good price if that 50E is a clean tractor (no missing parts, no leaks, engine starts and runs OK, no blue smoke, gauges work, pto works, 3pt hitch works, smooth shifting, FEL works OK--not sluggish) with low hours (a few thousand or less).

 

[Wayne County Hose]

You will have better control of the 2wd in the snow. When plowing snow, much of the steering is done with the brakes. You put some good hog ring chains on that thing and there almost won't be snow you couldn't plow. I plowed my driveway with a JD model 50 for years, and during the blizzards, I would plow out the neighbors driveways because their little 30 horse 4wd's couldn't push it. They would nibble at it like hitting a boulder with a chipping hammer. I could push a full blades worth. The only thing that would stop me was that the blade wasn't high enough.

I would buy the old Massey and put a snow blade on it for the winter. Put a drawbar thru a 55 gallon drum and fill it with cement, lift it with the 3 point hitch for weight oin the rear tires, then have some fun!

Anyway, if you can find a 40 hp 4wd for $7,000 that is in better shape than the Massey, I'd be surprised.

 

[jedon]

Thanks for all the advice, the 50E is now $6K! It does have one small hydrolic leak near the front loader arm according to the owner. I'll go check it out tomorrow.

 

[Renze]

a 2wd needs weight on the rear, to get traction. A front blade needs a heavy tractor front to be able to push the snow aside.
I think the front of that 75 hp industrial tractor, with rear ballast, is as heavy as the unloaded 40 hp compact front end.

The local municipality uses a JD 7610 with rear drag, and front plough, for maintaining dirt and gravel roads.
I've seen them pushing themself into the ditch when they ride the front end on the blade. (they dont have a double acting front hitch, just floating) Instead of pushing material to the center of the road, they push themself into the ditch, even while steering opposed, with this 7 ton tractor.

Dont forget that a 40 hp compact, is of a totally different build style than a 75 hp industrial tractor.
The MF 50 will give you much more use in most conditions, much better lifting (so you can carry a FULL pallet of masonry stones that they unload from the truck by truck mounted crane, instead of having to load half of it to another pallet to be able to carry them)

If you were comparing FARM tractors of 40 hp 4wd and 75 hp 2wd, it might turn out to be quite equal.
But when comparing a 75 hp industrial tractor (generally heavier than farm tractors) to a 40 hp compact, you'll see they differ as much as a bull and a donkey, even if the industrial tractor lacks front wheel drive.

 

[flusher]

Thanks for all the advice, the 50E is now $6K! It does have one small hydrolic leak near the front loader arm according to the owner. I'll go check it out tomorrow.

If that's all the leakage you find, no problem. FEL hydraulics are pretty simple and easy to work on (they're accessible). My MF-135 had a leaky pto shaft seal when I bought it. Still does. I'll get around to fixing it one of these days. The leak is small and doesn't cause a problem. Just remember to check fluid levels in your 50E before you start it. Top off as necessary.

 

[jedon]

The leak is said to be a gasket in the front left hydrolic cylinder. Owner said it was cheap to fix. I'm out to look at it tomorrow, $6K seems too good to pass up.

 

[BarryinMN]

Only thing I can add is 2wd requires the brakes to steer.. Be certain the brakes work well. I plowed snow the first year with an Allis Chalmers TLB 2wd and the brakes would heat and become worthless in 20 mins. Repair costs more than the machine is worth.

Weight is about 7500 lbs and will push snow like a freight train straight ahead - and slide off the road. Picking it up and back on the road just takes time with the loader/bh. Oh yeah add -15F and howling winds.

My ag tractor is MFWD cabbed with a 8' snow bucket on the front and a 7' (same as rear wheel spacing) 2 stage blower on the back. At least 11K lbs. Mother nature can still push back. With the heavy wet Spring snows the blower augers sometimes plug up smooth with snow and I end up pushing 20-30' snow back until the augers clear & snow again makes it to the fan and up the chute.

Snow clearing time with the TLB 6' bucket was 4 hours, time with the ag tractor is 45 mins.

 

[Rara Avis]

The Question:
Which is better for plowing 2 miles of gravel road a few times each winter?
1. 75HP heavy tractor 2WD
2. 40HP medium tractor 4WD

Thanks!
-Jedon

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[jedon]

Well I got the 50E, it starts right up and runs great. It needs a brake fluid reservoir, some hoses replaced and a couple seals mended but it's hydrostatic so that makes it nice and easy for me to drive! It doesn't have PTOs so I'll need to find a hydraulic snowblower for it. I'll be keeping my eye out for a backhoe as well, right now it just has the super heavy duty gannon box and the 4-1 loader.
I also got a Max II AATV with tracks and a V snowplow for the tight areas.

 

[easygo]

I'd say try a winter without the snowblower. Get a GOOD set of chains for all wheels and that machine will be unstoppable. . If you get stuck just pull yourself out with the back hoe if you get one. I have seen a 2WD 1970 JD that was about the same size as your machine and it was doing very well plowing snow (with bucket) in Maine. We had about a total of 12ft of snow here last winer. I'd say you made a good choice!

 

[Gravdigr]

I actually prefer my 4 wheeler over my truck for plowing out the cemetery. As long as I don't let the snow get much over 18" the grizzly will push it, but over that it's time to break out the skid steer or the dump truck and plow.

 

[jedon]

I got a MaxII 6x6 with tracks and a v-plow, maybe that will be the funnest way to plow!