Snow Should I get a better snow setup?

[Olympus]

The last couple years, we've gotten a large amount of snow. I always use my tractor to hit all the neighbors driveways. This year I started getting neighbors giving me some cash. That got me thinking if I should invest in some better snow equipment and expand a little more. Let's not get bogged down in liability,insurance, lawyers, yada yada. I'm not talking about a business, just found a better job for friends and neighbors.

My first thought would be a soft cab with some kind of heater. The wind and cold keeps me from spending a lot of time on the tractor. It also keeps me in close proximity to home. But OTC now makes a soft cab for the 2030, which I believe is the same frame and dimensions as my 2023. $900 and that solves that problem. Anyone have any advice or experience with OTC cabs? They seem to be the least expensive option. Any ideas for heat? With a cab, I could take my tractor down the road a little ways to my grandparents subdivision and get their driveway. And my thinking is that since they live in a very nice subdivision with other elderly people, I might be able to hit a few more driveways while I'm there.

Next question: for the front end should I stay with my factory bucket, drop the bucket and find a power turning front snow plow, or go all out and get a front snow blower?

What should I do for the back end? I currently have a 5ft grader blade that I use.

 

[tjcarguy]

Buy a snowmobile suit and a toque --- Trevor

 

[Olympus]

I'm pretty sure I could come close to paying for the cost of the soft cab on the first good snow.

 

[KennyG]

The OTC cab is a great option and will let you keep working indefinitely in most winter weather. I would recommend the optional safety glass windshield. I also added some Ebay LED lights to mine which works well. If you are doing short driveways (20 or 30 feet) your back blade and loader should be fine. Long driveways would have you looking at a blower or an angle blade.

 

[Olympus]

All of the driveways in my neighborhood are long. Mine is probably the longest at 400ft probably. Most of the others are over 100ft. A lot of us, myself included, have chat driveways and using my bucket and blade always ends up pushing gravel in the yards. That's why I was considering a blower. It's no full shoveling and raking gravel out of yards and back into the driveway.

That cab looks great! What are your thoughts on quality? How hard was it to install?

 

[Olympus]

This is my machine this year. Had 12" all at once, then another 2 on top a few days later, then another 9" after all that had melted.

 

[windcatcher]

Olympus, did you have chains on your tractor? I doubt it, but I'm still asking. I know you had problems earlier in the year with your tires spinning on dirt until you had them loaded.

She looks great though!

 

[HEC]

A snow blower sure is nice for getting the snow out of the way for up coming storms . The blower on my 2650 works great along with the blade on the rear . I have a long gravel driveway and this is what works good for me . I have the blower adjusted about an inch or so off the ground so I don't pick up rocks etc. at the first of the season or after things melt some . I have a piece of 6ft. 2 inch pipe slit so it fits on my rear blade so it doesn't dig up the dirt . I drag the blade as I am blowing snow so it picks up any remaining snow and pushes that to the side so I get that when I make the return trip. If you don't mind going backwards with a blower you could do that and keep your bucket . As for a soft cab that should keep you dry and warm if you opt for a heater also . There are several different ways of getting the job done , just depends on budget and your preference .

 

[nybirdman]

If you get less than 100in./year a front plow in combination with your rear blade should do it.Remember snow blowers do have there place where above 100in/year but are higher maintaince and cost.

 

[Johnny g]

I'm pretty sure I could come close to paying for the cost of the soft cab on the first good snow.

If you are doing that much you do need insurance, sooner or later it will come back & bite you in the a#@.

 

[Olympus]

Olympus, did you have chains on your tractor? I doubt it, but I'm still asking. I know you had problems earlier in the year with your tires spinning on dirt until you had them loaded.

She looks great though!

No chains, but I filled the rear tires with Rim Guard and that solved the traction problem.

 

[Olympus]

If you get less than 100in./year a front plow in combination with your rear blade should do it.Remember snow blowers do have there place where above 100in/year but are higher maintaince and cost.

If I was just doing my own driveway then I'd certainly agree. But this winter I did 10 driveways of friends and neighbors including my own. Everybody lives on at least 3 acres so driveways are longer than average.

 

[nybirdman]

If I was just doing my own driveway then I'd certainly agree. But this winter I did 10 driveways of friends and neighbors including my own. Everybody lives on at least 3 acres so driveways are longer than average.

And a plow would be three times faster than a blower;I do 2 miles of drives and woods road and we get 100+/yr.

 

[Looking4new]

My vote is for a front mount blower. BUT be prepared to shell out some bucks....They are not cheap.

 

[Threepoint]

[snip]This year I started getting neighbors giving me some cash. That got me thinking if I should invest in some better snow equipment and expand a little more. Let's not get bogged down in liability,insurance, lawyers, yada yada. I'm not talking about a business, just found a better job for friends and neighbors.[snip]

Not trying to be provocative, but getting paid cash makes it a business, whether you view it as such or not. Warm apple pie once in awhile is different. I gather you've followed discussions elsewhere on this kind of thing, and we all have our own comfort zones on risk. But if you're doing 10 driveways off your property as you say, even for neighbors who are friends, and are accepting cash for it, it would be beyond mine to run without at least liability coverage. And that would be even if I were comfortable without physical damage coverage (which your homeowner's policy or typical farm policy won't provide in those circumstances).

Just a fer instance, then I'll butt out: Say you plow a driveway for a neighbor on a sunny 34F day, and there's a little more precip, then a refreeze that evening. Neighbor's 15 y/o daughter orders a pizza delivery. Or invites her 17 y/o boyfriend over after telling him the way's been plowed. Delivery guy or boyfriend slides on the icy driveway and wrecks his (or Daddy's) car, and bang's himself up. When the lawyer's demand letter arrives, it accuses you of negligence for failing to clear the driveway properly, failure to put down rock salt, ice melt or sand, and failure to warn of a dangerous condition you reasonably knew would result from the existing circumstances, yada yada. Even suits that end up being dismissed cost thousands to defend these days, and that would be all on your nickel.

Unfortunately this kind of risk exists even for those of us who plow strictly as volunteers. But doing the plowing for hire raises the ante, makes the operator even more of a target, and also makes any insurance he/she does get significantly more expensive :2cents:

 

[Olympus]

Let's say not for hire, but accepts donations and move on to the specifics of the equipment again.

 

[Olympus]

And a plow would be three times faster than a blower;I do 2 miles of drives and woods road and we get 100+/yr.

I'm not worried about speed. I certainly would without a cab, but provided I put a cab and heat on my machine I would be comfortable with taking my time and doing a better job. Like I said, digging gravel out of yards after the snow melts from being scraped off with a plow is not something I enjoy.

 

[DB Pilot]

olympus,

Your set up is the same as mine with both of my Kubota tractors. I am not a fan of snow blowers. I had a nice cub Cadet blower for 13 years. When all conditions were just right it was great. If the wind was wrong I couldn't see, and the cab won't help, I took snow in the face or it was blowing snow into a neighbors yard. On the coldest day It would break a shear pin and I would freeze my fingers repairing it. The PTO to chain drive gave me trouble and over night the chute would freeze so I couldn't change the blower direction for a while. I also like my insulated overalls and Jacket instead of the cab. Because I sometimes work near the road and I like the better visibility to spot traffic on a usually slippery road. :2cents:
The down side so far using the bucket scraper technique has been running out of space to put snow but has not been a huge problem. :thumbsup:

Across the road to my mailbox is gravel so until the ground freezes and in the spring I use the backside of the scraper to move snow. That way the gravel stays in place and keeps a flat surface for the mailman's car.

 

[KennyG]

That cab looks great! What are your thoughts on quality? How hard was it to install?

I find the quality to be excellent. Nothing very complex on the install but there are a few points where things can go two different ways and you have to study the pictures closely. My only advice would be to separate the fasteners very carefully and identify them. Mine had a mix of metric and US sizes and some were very close in size. The initial installation will be 3 or 4 hours for most people. After that, it can be taken off or put back on in an hour or two.

I put on my Carhartts and find I'm comfortable down to well below zero. I think a heater would be an unnecessary luxury for most people.

A blade would probably be faster than the snowblower, but I think the snowblower with skids would do a better job on gravel drives. As far as visibility goes, if you blow into the wind you will be completely blinded. So, don't blow into the wind.

 

[RAYJAY]

go with a rear blower front power angle blade i use the blower 80% of the time the plow is great for back dragging the snow out of hard to get area's and removes 95 % od the snow this way if you have a lot of hills you will need front chains ..