Questions about snow removal.

[rogersmithiii]

I just took ownership of a tractor, and hope to use it to plow two driveways. I'd like to ask some questions.

1. What do you use to plow with your compact and utility tractor? Front loader? Back blade? Plow? Etc? I get the impression that the standard loader bucket is a bad choice, as it digs up the pavement, packs with snow, and is very inefficient. Agree?

2. In the commercial market, the following things are important. Getting down to bare pavement, no breakdowns, and no damage if someone hits a curb or manhole cover. What is most important to you?

3. Do you use tire chains?

Trying to figure out what I need to get to do this job right.

 

[dodge man]

I use a rear blade and the end loader. The rear blade works good up to maybe 6” of snow or a little more. I have a synthetic edge on my blade so I don’t tear up my asphalt drive. After that the tractor won’t pull it. I use the FEL to back drag snow away from garage doors and cleanup. I don’t normally have problems with snow building up in the bucket but it is slow.

I don’t use chains and have turf tires on my tractor.

 

[RalphVa]

Use the FEL and rear blade. Our driveway is fairly flat; so, no need for chains. When I had a Gravely, it needed chains to push its big snow plow or to run the snow blower. Need turning brakes in snow/ice unless you have turfs. They will grip a bit in snow to turn. R4s are almost hopeless.

 

[LD1]

Take a moment and fill out your profile like where you live.

There is a HUGE difference is what equipment people will suggest for you if you live in canada and measure snow in feet....vs kentucky or tennessee where you want to maintain a drive when you get a few inches at most per storm.

Also, location is somewhat of an indication of hills you may have. If you have steep hills in your drive and deal with hardpack/ice alot....chains are a nice asset.

I use a 8' rear blade with hydraulic angle that I can adjust from the seat in conjunction with the FEL. 10-12" isnt a problem. It all depends on if you need to remove the snow....or carry snow long distances all to one area....or if windrowing off to one side is sufficient.

You can use a front angle blade , front bucket, front blower, rear blade or rear blower.

Obviously the front blade and blowers are single purpose tools.

For less than 10" snowfalls.....angle blades are the fastest. Either front or rear.

Knowing what tractor you have, 2wd vs 4wd, what tires, etc will also be a huge help in advising you on what equipment to look for

 

[Dwellonroof]

I live a little east of Cincinnati, Ohio
And had a front quick hitch with a 72” plow I used with my JD 2720 but now have a 3046r and will try this out next year.

 

[oosik]

I have a heavy duty Rhino rear blade on my Kubota M6040. The tractor weighs 10,100# the way it's set up. The rear blade weighs - 1050#. I've never found that the bucket on my FEL is very efficient. It fills up - then you have to find somewhere to dump it. The rear blade curls the snow to the side and off the driveway.

If I have to plow the driveway and the driveway is still soft - reverse the rear blade 180 degrees and go like smoke and oakum. It will leave the gravel right where it is.

My driveway - a mile long, gravel, straight as an arrow. It goes right down a section line.

 

[Captain Dirty]

Scores, if not hundreds, have expressed their opinions in posts in the Snow Removal section of this forum. Read enough of the posts and you will have fair idea of what might work. PlowSite is another resource. By August you will have enough information to decide what to get. I say August because by mid to late September demand and prices begin to rise, and once snow flies, availability drops.

 

[PILOON]

For speed a front angled blade works fine for minor and occasional snow events.
In a snow belt the front blade will soon find U with an ever narrowing drive.
If in a snow belt area you want to move it as far away as possible, hence a blower be it front or rear mounted.
Luxury is front mounted blower on a 4 x 4 chained tractor but also most costliest solution.
Rear pull blower very fast, somewhat pricy and mostly used by contractors in dense populated areas where speed is profit. Effective only if wheels can maintain road contact.
Very much depends on your $$'s and available time.
Hilly drives (and ice) generally call for a set of chains as well.

Rural you often have few choices but urban it is probably best to simply contract the snow removal.

Then do you have time restraints? or retired?
The preceding poster also made a few valid points.

 

[hube2]

If you plan to do a lot of "plowing" type snow removal, I can tell you from experience that a bucket it is a rather poor way to move snow. I do it, but I generally get a lot of snow and the amount that I would use any type of blade for plowing is so minimal that I cannot justify the expense or the need to change out implements when I need it. Since I have a gravel driveway and I also clear a large area of my lawn I have a set of edge tamers for when the ground is soft. I remove them once I have a decent about of hard pack.

 

[TerryR]

I just took ownership of a tractor, and hope to use it to plow two driveways. I'd like to ask some questions.

1. What do you use to plow with your compact and utility tractor? Front loader? Back blade? Plow? Etc? I get the impression that the standard loader bucket is a bad choice, as it digs up the pavement, packs with snow, and is very inefficient. Agree?

2. In the commercial market, the following things are important. Getting down to bare pavement, no breakdowns, and no damage if someone hits a curb or manhole cover. What is most important to you?

3. Do you use tire chains?

Trying to figure out what I need to get to do this job right.

There's no way to make a useful response without knowing what kind of snow conditions and what kind of terrain you have.

 

[rogersmithiii]

I live in Central Mass. Snowfall has been a bit off lately, but we can get 24 - 36 inches in a shot. My driveway is 270 feet long, and there is a bit of an incline. Paved surface. Same with my aunt next door. Snow can be fluffy, but lately it tends toward heavy wet and slush.

I do have a Gravely 16G, but just bought a Deere 310 L backhoe for the farm. Trying to decide what might work the best for snow removal. Snowblowing with the Gravely is getting old. I'm tired of getting showered with snow blow back, and being wet and cold. The Deere is heated.

I do have some time constraints as I run a rescue farm, and work a consulting gig to pay the bills.

 

[bigtiller]

It sounds like you need a dedicated snow moving machine with enough weight to push into a 3' wet frozen snowdrift. Preferably a front mount blower with a cab.

 

[Aquamoose]

Locals can provide a wealth of information. Ask your neighbors.

 

[Deere Dude]

Living in WI, I had a JD cut with FEL and bucket and a 6' rear blade also a capable JD large garden tractor with 54" snowblower. No cab for either. After a couple times with the back blade and FEL and getting frustrated with drawbacks, I switched back to using the snowblower for the majority of the snow and the rear blade for the concrete where it had to be really clear. I had a couple parking lots and 500 feet of driveway.

 

[LD1]

That backhoe isnt the ideal tool for snow removal.

 

[Thomas]

Been number threads on this subject over the year,try SEARCH also ATTACHMENTS for ideas.
Kinda depends on how much snow you get and if your not in hurry to remove the snow.
Tire chains are big help also loaded rear tires.
If you push with back blade remember there no trip spring if you hit solid object.

 

[hube2]

If you get that kind of snow and you don't have or want to spend a lot of time out moving it then you need a blower. I have a neighbor that does his driveway with a blade/plow about the same length as yours, maybe a bit longer. When we get this kind of snow the only way he keeps up with it is to be out there constantly during the storm, all day or all night, whatever it takes, that's nuts as far as I'm concerned.

It's worse here because of the wind, 20 to 30 MPH wind where I live is considered a strong breeze. Creating berms with a plow is the best way to ensure that you need to clear more often and eventually get snowed in. That neighbor with the plow needs to have someone come in at least once a year to dig him out, more on above average years. On those occasions when I do use my bucket to move snow I do not create berms, I put it into a pile in the driveway and then I use the blower to send it as far away as possible. Even then when the wind is from the SE I'll have a 3 to 4 foot drift across the middle of the driveway.

 

[SylvainG]

I have a plow on my ATV that I use if there is just a few inches of snow and until the snow banks are too high/road too narrow, then I use the blower on the tractor for the rest of the winter. The plow (with its snow skids) also gives me a good base for when I start to use the blower.

 

[PILOON]

So your cabbed, and get fair amounts of snow but the drive is not all that long.

Sounds to me that a rear blower would fit the bill at a reasonable cost.
If you don't want to sit 'side saddle' a back up camera would help.

For a major dumping 2 quick passes would get U out to work.
With a blower U wont end up with troublesome banks that any plow would create.

Just make sure that the blower U buy is wider than your wheel tracks.

 

[Captain Dirty]

Since the only John Deere equipment I am intimately familiar with is a F510 lawnmower, I'll ask some stupid questions.
Is A JD 510L a TLB, period?
Is it practicable to have a SSQA plate on the FEL?
Can the BH be removed; is there a PTO?
Is there enough hydraulic flow to power a snowblower?