Small Tractor reco - Primarily for snowblowing long drive

[KennyG]

You will hate taking the MMM on and off. My neighbor has a JD 2 series and hates having to switch over from mower to blower.

He must be doing something wrong. I have a 2320 with MMM. It takes maybe 2 or 3 minutes to take it off or on if I'm not in a hurry. I don't have a blower, but my plow only takes a couple of minutes to put on or take off.

 

[shooterdon]

He must be doing something wrong. I have a 2320 with MMM. It takes maybe 2 or 3 minutes to take it off or on if I'm not in a hurry. I don't have a blower, but my plow only takes a couple of minutes to put on or take off.

Nope. The JD front mounted blower is not easy to install. And the blower "frame" must be removed to put the MMM back on.

 

[seville009]

You have to try to plan for the worst case plowing scenario, and get whatever would handle that. Might be more cost up front, but when you’re in the middle of that worst case scenario, you’ll be thanking yourself.

Example - I’m in the northeast (central NY). If we are about to get hit with either lake effect or a Nor’Easter, there is likely going to be alot of wind (blowing and drifting). It’s pointless to plow with the storm, because the wind will fill everything back in right away. If you’re making snowbanks/piles, it will be even worse because the banks will cause worse drifting.

In those cases, I wait until the storm seems to be winding down to plow. I am comfortable with that, because I know the equipment that I have can handle it.

 

[stevem5215]

When clearing the snow around here and especially when it's cold I use a snowmobile helmet with a double lens shield and they do make ones with electric heating to keep them frost clear too. The open face works 90% of the time fine and especially in the blowing snow and very cold temps.

 

[bigtiller]

Nope. The JD front mounted blower is not easy to install. And the blower "frame" must be removed to put the MMM back on.

Getting the driveshaft and front carrier bearing pinned in place is the hard part. Getting the hexagonal shaped stub shaft through 2 free floating bearings that are 6" apart while laying on your back is frustrating.

After that, the rest is easy. Been doing it on my 2720 for 10 years, but never again. It's too much work for me. I bought another tractor.

 

[zombieda]

Is the driveway gravel or is it paved ?

Its all gravel

 

[zombieda]

My experience: For snow under 4 inches you need a power angle plow. Over that you need a front drive snow blower. And four wheel drive AND chains.

I was wondering about this.... I think the area is subject to lake effect snow, so I'm sure we will get dumps in the 24"+ on occasion.

Interestingly... I spoke with the current owner.. he's in his 70's and does it with a walk behind snowblower (not sure of the model, but its a 40" cut, so he does once down, once up and he is done (sounds simple... but thats a looooong driveway lol)

 

[bdhsfz6]

It looks like I will be moving to a farm in December (fingers crossed). The drive to the house is about 500m(canuck measure) or 0.3 miles(freedom units). I want to get a small tractor that will be multipurpose, but #1 job would be to clear the drive in the winter.
What are some good ones to look at?

Cheers!

Lots of good advice so far in the thread. If you haven't already made a decision, I agree with what others have said. Get a cabbed 4WD tractor with a FEL in the 25 - 30HP range. The FEL bucket will come in handy for grading and filling potholes on a 500M driveway. You'll also find uses for it that you haven't thought of.

You say your driveway is fairly level. If there are no major obstructions along the sides, I would consider using a FEL plow. A blower on a driveway that size will take a fair amount of time to clear. If you use a rear mount blower for that length of time. it will definitely put a crick in your neck!

Welcome to the forum and good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[nybirdman]

I live in Northern NY ,right on the border;so similar winters/summers.
For winter you want cabbed for sure;may want to look at pre 2012 larger tractors and purchase a separate lawn mower .
I use an 8ft.front and 7flt.rear on a Kubota L4240 HSTC and a Simplicty mower(there are alot cheaper options).

 

[zombieda]

I live in Northern NY ,right on the border;so similar winters/summers.
For winter you want cabbed for sure;may want to look at pre 2012 larger tractors and purchase a separate lawn mower .
I use an 8ft.front and 7flt.rear on a Kubota L4240 HSTC and a Simplicty mower(there are alot cheaper options).

why pre-2012?