newbie snow removal advice needed

[hickorychickens]

Hello, this is my first post. I'm Eric and live in Northeastern, CT. I'm looking for advice on snow removal. I have a 1/2 mile long dirt driveway that I currently clear using my Mahindra Max25 with a front-mounted plow. My issue is that about 75% of the driveway sites in a trench that is about 1-3 feet below grade on both sides. Furthermore, the driveway is about 'wide. There is no option to widen it further. My Mahindra can push the snow to the sides of the driveway fine, but since it doesn't throw the snow up onto the bank, I soon run out of room. This past winter was very nerve racking when trying to come up with places to move the snow to keep my driveway passable.

I was thinking about getting an additional tractor with just a loader to move the snow piles at the sides of the driveway to other parts of my property as needed (I have 30 acres). I was looking at the Ford 8N since it is 1) inexpensive when compared to other tractors in my area, 2) has a shorter wheelbase that I should be able to maneuver in the tighter areas of the driveway, 3) could serve other purposes during the summer months. My concern is will it have the power to accomplish this or, more simply, is there a pitfall to this plan.

Other worthwhile information: I'd like to spend no more than $3,000; although I have a FEL for my Mahindra, swapping it out mid winter with the plow would be a major PITA and I don't have the garage space to make it happen; anything much bigger than the 8N I just don't see maneuvering well for my situation (I think a Ford 815 could work but something like a JD 3010 is far too big ?. I use these as examples just because I've looked at these that are for sale in my area); a tractor-mounted snowblower might be an option but my concern is we occasionally get heavy wet snow in this area and the driveway has many small rocks that destroyed shear pins and impellers on my push snowblower this year (Mahindra only has a front-mounted snowblower for my model and once again trading this out with my plow as needed isn't an option); a pickup with a plow would also be an option and then I would keep the FEL on the Mahindra for the season.

Your thoughts/advice/concerns/ideas are all appreciated.
Thanks.
Eric

 

[devildog1]

Have you thought about a SSQA for your Mahindra tractor? I have a 72" HD bucket that I can swap in about 3 minutes for my 84" HLA angled snow plow or forks, with the SSQA it's a breeze to do.
DevilDog

 

[lamarbur]

for three thousand dollars, why don't you obtain a rear snow blower and go along the driveway throwing the snow back. I'm right up the street from you with similar problems however I push the snow off into large piles along the fields that border our long driveway

 

[Baby Grand]

for three thousand dollars, why don't you obtain a rear snow blower and go along the driveway throwing the snow back. I'm right up the street from you with similar problems however I push the snow off into large piles along the fields that border our long driveway

^ +1 About what lamarbur said.
Get a rear mount snow blower for getting the snow up & out of the trenches.
Rear mount blowers are a lot heavier built than walk behinds.
Keep the front plow for light snows & for areas where you think there will be too many loose rocks for the blower.
The snow blower will also be good ballast for the plow.

 

[chuck172]

If I were you I'd get a new keyboard first

 

[Shift4200]

Another nudge for the rear blower. I use one on my Max25 and love it. My driveway is roughly 1400ft with a pretty steep incline. I have a Woods SB54 and it doesn't even break a sweat.

I've posted this before, but seems appropriate here as well.... Here is a vid the morning after the recent Blizzard in our area.

-J

 

[Ralph Copp]

I did a lot of snow plowing this winter and used a combination of snow blower and snow pusher. I would clean up with the snow pusher and blow everything back with the snow blower. Worked good. I added a back drag to the top of the snow pusher to get the snow away from buildings and knock down large banks at drive way entrances. Makes it easier for the snow blower.

 

[Shift4200]

As you can see in the vid... I my FEL stays on while blowing. It's nice to have for cleanup and moving piles when necessary. I was not interested in the front blower or blade as I use my FEL all winter and the thought of swapping back and forth in those temps was dreadful.

Oh, and that blower was far below the 3K you're hoping to spend.

-J

 

[hickorychickens]

Thanks for all the info.
Chuck172 - not sure what all those symbols were about but I corrected it.
Shift 4200 (and everyone else who voted for the rear mounted blower)- that video is awesome, being a newbie I didn't realize I could use non-Mahindra implements, duh. There's a Woods dealer 20 miles from my place, thanks.

 

[Shift4200]

Hickory,

I'm relatively close to you... I live in western RI about 10m from the CT border. I bought my Max and all of my attachments from Dubay Tractor just over the border in CT. He's right on the RI/CT line just off RT6 on Cucumber Hill Rd. Doesn't seem too far for you, might want to give them a go. Ask for Dale.

Best of luck, and be sure to post pics of whatever you buy!

-J

 

[HEC]

If you get a decent base and on frozen ground the rear blower will be fine . It is a little hard on the neck and back but if that isn't an issue , you should do just fine . I adjust my blower up an inch or two at the beginning of the winter and then go over it with the rear blade on the back of mine , it works out quite well for me.

 

[Shift4200]

I do similar to what HEC describes for early season snow. My drive is 70-80% gravel, and i do tend to pick up some rocks here and there. For my first few storms i'll lower the skid shoes a little bit and/or angle the blower down using the top link.... this seems to keep the "cutting" edge up just enough that I leave the stones behind. Once you get a little snow packed down it's really not an issue for the rest of the year.

If you're Max is HST, you'll find you can sit sideways in the saddle and operate the HST treadle with the left foot. Worked well for me... and saved my neck some strain.

-J

 

[The Deerslayer]

Looks like we are in the same neck of the woods. Another strong vote for the rear mount blower. My driveway is all gravel (800 feet) and as long as you use the shoes to keep the blower up for the first snow, it works fine. Thereafter the snow usually packs well and then it is just like blowing a paved driveway. There are several manufacturers that are really great quality. I bought a Pronovost and have been very happy with it. I still maintain the use of the FEL which is a HUGE advantage. Sure a front mount would be more convenient but the significant cost increase and the loss of the FEL made my decision for me.

Here are a few pics... Good luck!

 

[hickorychickens]

Thanks again for all the opinions. The Mahindra dealer I bought my tractor from has new 54" Ber Vac Blizzards with manual chutes for $2800, another local tractor store can get either a 51" Landpride or 54" Woods for $2900. Another Mahindra dealer about 45 minutes from my house has a 2011 54" Ber Vac Blizzard supposedly used only once for $2300 (they sold it new in '11 and took it in on trade in January '15). The used blower has a 30-day after first snow fall warranty while the three new ones come with a 1 year warranty. Wondering what your thoughts are? I obviously would love to save $400-500 but I'm hesitant about buying something that's 4+ years old by the time I get to use it for the first time.

 

[leonz]

spend you money wisely and buy a new Pronovost or an Allied/Farm king
as the last thing you need is to be trapped by a huge snowfall with a
broken snow blower. The Pronovost units are built in Quebec where they
get plenty of snow.

 

[The Deerslayer]

I would check the used one out very closely in regard to condition. If it has been stored outside for over 4 years that would be a factor for me and I would question the "only used once" explanation. When I was looking used, I found that these units do not stay around long as people scoop them up quick. That is the main reason I bought new, plus I got a great deal. I did a quick search on CL for you and found nothing locally that you could consider. If it were me, unless they came down to at least 2k on the price, I would be considering new. As was already mentioned, you might want to at least check out the Pronovost and Farm King line. These were the two that I narrowed my search down to before I bought mine. That is not to say that the other brands are not decent units, I was just very impressed with the reputation and construction of the Pronovost units.

 

[chim]

This past Winter was the first season for the used Pronovost Puma 64 I bought in the heat of Summer 2014. It was in good mechanical shape but needed paint. I used Pittsburgh AUE300 and it held up very well. The only area that didn't was part of the inside of the blower. Small stones can be more than a little bit abrasive.

While I had it in the shop, I added an electric seat motor for rotation and a small linear actuator for UP/DOWN of the discharge chute. The FEL and rear blower combo worked well. I also made a pair of extensions for the FEL bucket that made it into a fairly effective pusher. The extensions sandwich onto the side of the bucket and are effectively held in place with one bolt each.

Here's a short video of the chute operation and pics of the blower disassembled & then installed. Also a shot of the bucket extensions.

http://vid1295.photobucket.com/albums/b628/jim_miller7/Chute Video_zpskmfbsmu0.mp4

 

[joeyd]

Whatever you get make sure it is wider than your tractor, you mention a few blowers and all were different widths. Saving a few hundred and getting a blower that is not wide enough is going to cause you lots of heartache.

 

[Amvcane]

If I was looking for another 3pt blower I would buy a used one again. I looked for about 5 months till I drove by one for sale on someones front yard last July. They are out there but you have to always be looking and patient. You could save yourself a lot of money. 3pt blowers are pretty simple and durable machines with few parts,drive shaft, chain, auger, impeller, gearbox. Most units will rust away before any of these parts fail. Also, used blowers typically have low hours on them since they are only used after a significant snowfall. Maintaining 2 properties, both with 200' drives and parking for 8 vehicles, I only put 6hrs. on my blower last winter. Anything under 5" I plow with my garden tractor and blow back the banks with the 3pt the next big storm. The 62" Schulte blower I purchased is 3" narrower than my rear tire track and this concerned me the rest of the 2014 summer until the first snow. I could see the advantage of the wider blower letting me get closer to objects, but I personally don't have any conditions where this is very important. After the first pass, subsequent passes are about 3/4 the width of the blower to prevent wind rowing. When buying the blower of your choice I would make sure that you get at least a 22" fan with 20" being the very, very minimum. Also a chain driven auger.
This is the 1995 Schulte 6200 I picked up last summer for $1,000. Good luck hunting.

 

[aeblank]

I bought a 6-year old blower, never used.
When I asked my dealer's service guy if I should be concerned, he laughed.

Honestly though, I'd get a front mount and a rear blade. And tire chains.

Snowblower Photos by aeblank | Photobucket