Snow Attachments Reality Check before I get a snow blower

[colestin]

Thanks, Boustany, Bob_Young, and all!

About the snow: often it is wet and heavy here, but last year we got some so fluffy it confounded folks who had snowshoes. Four feet is considered a lot. Maybe no big deal if you're from Ontario or Northern Mich., but it is over a mile to the County road. My wife is really concerned about getting snowed in. Seems a little bit silly, but if it helps justify a tractor it's okay, right?

 

[nick37]

I have a front-mounted snowblower for my ~1000 ft driveway. I don't think I would like to go for 4 hours without a cab. Mine takes about 15 minutes to do two passes (almost 11 feet wide). Turnarounds, the mailbox and other niceties take more than twice as long.
My personal truck/ tractor debate came down to two issues: (1) The tractor had so many more non-winter uses and (2) A new tractor is way more reliable than a used plow truck.
Being non-mechanical and also being worried about being snowed in, this was important. A used truck that has previously plowed is especially at risk (transmission, etc). Many people recommended I look for a used truck that hadn't plowed and outfit with a plow.
I'm happy with the snowblower, but for 6000 feet I would reconsider a truck or at least a cab tractor. Ski goggles and a full snow suit help, but when the wind's from the north, I get about 8 inches of snow piled on my lap pretty quick.

 

[jimgerken]

OK, I gotta add a bit here. I bought my compact utility tractor only a couple years ago. Before that I used a garden tractor with little 36" snowblower. Last year I decided not to hassle putting the snowblower on the garden tractor since, heck, I have this nice CUT and loader now. What a mistake. I could blow the driveway clean in about the same time it takes to move the snow with the loader, but the big difference is in the spring cleanup. The loader puts so darn much gravel onto the lawn I need to mow, it is a terrible mess. With the blower, it was small but everytime you took a 3 foot pass, it was clean when you got done. With the loader every pass spills over both sides and it seems less systematic. In addition, with the loader you end up with piles of snow concentrated, instead of snow nicely distributed over larger areas with the snowblower. I think using a blade (your other choice) would be more like the loader in the respects of gravel misplaced onto lawn, and piles. Myself, I plan to complete my snowblower construction project before this winter.
My officemate blades all his snow. He tells about how he deals with the first few snow, pushing them 50 feet or so off the desired-clear driveway area. This way, he hopes to have room for later snows, and make it thru till spring.
My opinion, after having used a blade, a loader, and a blower, the productivity of the three would easily be ranked as follows: Snowblower most productive, Blade next most productive but could lead to buildup/blockage, and lastly the Loader 'cause it is slow.
The other advise about a cab is very important too, cause it is alway cold and windy when you want to move snow, and the wind always blows it toward you (it seems like).
If you have other uses for a tractor, it will serve as a very good snow removal also. My wife says to me "If I had known that the tractor could do all these jobs for us, I would have wanted you to buy one years ago." How do you argue with that? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[shvl73]

I saw this pic on a dealer's website in Vermont & thought of this thread. If it were me, after using a blower (3pth) vs. a plow, I'd go for the blower, but in this situation it would be front mount. Cab's are nice but, pricey. I'd dress as I would for sledding.

 

[ByronBob]

Do you have other options available to you if you get snowed in such as a snowmobile until the driveway can be cleaned out?
I think you can't go wrong with a big truck plow as mentioned but if your heart is set on a tractor then go 50hp or bigger for that length of driveway. Everything mentioned here will work it's just the time and effort which is a question you can best answer.
In WNY the typical winter is over 100". Do you get that much?? It seems we are out there sometimes everyday moving snow

 

[nick37]

A few more random thoughts.
As pointed out by many before, a 3ph snowblower is a lot cheaper than a front blower, but I think the lack of visibility in reverse (over the shoulder, with winter headgear, and perhaps only a rear-facing work light) is also something to consider along with the potential discomfort.

A big con against a front blower is the loss of the FEL. However, my loader still fits with the snowblower subframe attached, just with much lower clearances. A lever and a pin releases the blower part and I can hook the loader back up. I keep my loader handy in case I need it, and take the subframe off in the spring.

 

[shvl73]

I have a 64" 3pth blower & like it a lot but, my driveway is only 600'. No way I would want to look over my shoulder for 10 times that length. I wouldn't be too quick to consider hp requirements before I decided how wide a path I was clearing. I'd size the blower first, for two passes, one out & one back, with a good amount of overlap, then look at required hp for that size. If it's a long driveway, most likely two passes of a 6'-7' unit would do. If it's more of a road (wider) then obvously more passes would be needed. There is nothing like a snowblower for handling snow just once.

 

[slowzuki]

You don't need to plow banks way back with a plow unless you are in a confined place with a lot of snow.

I live in Canada and we plow our very confined yard with a Suzuki Sidekick with a 6 ft Meyers power angle. I also do snowblowing and bucket work for neighbours with a 9000 lb, 50 hp ag tractor with cab and 7 or 8 ft blower.

The Suzuki is much faster hands down. I opened up 1/2 mile of woods road with it last year in February with 2 ft deep packed snow. It was able to widen the road too. It does have rear chains and 300 lbs of ballast in the rear.

A full size pickup with plow and some weight in the back is way better than the Sidekick. A tractor with a plow is a bit different as you don't go fast enough to throw snow but it can also reach with the loader arms to stack snow.

Snow bank or not, water usually runs down the wheel tracks.
Ken

 

[shvl73]

It seemed like he wanted a tractor (who here could blame him?) & it would be one machine to maintain, with year round utility.

 

[RoyJackson]

"It seemed like he wanted a tractor (who here could blame him?) & it would be one machine to maintain, with year round utility. "

Maybe so...but he asked the question...

Anyway, if he really wants a tractor, he doesn't need us to justify it!

Never had a problem justifying mine...just never told the wife about it until after the fact...