Snow Snow plowing

[SBHunter]

New to the forum but have not purchased a tractor yet, I am in the market for a small compact that will plow snow. I want a FEL, snow plow and a back blade. My question is will a 25HP tractor plow 12-15 in of snow? Will it plow it efficiently? I am trying not to have to buy a bigger tractor in 2 years. I just don't want to beat up the tractor during a big storm.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[nybirdman]

Of course it will.I used to plow with a 600lb.atv and it still has it's place.Weight is your friend for snow plowing;so the heavier the better.I have always used R1(loaded) tires.A tractor that size should have a six ft.front plow and maybe a seven in the rear.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Used a Massey sub compact, 25 hp for years and it did well up to about 2 ft and I worked through some 3 ft drifts. A long 4 ft drift stopped me. I like a frame mount plow much better, the weight is much closer to the tractor and for the massey it costs less. With it out on the loader you might need to put weight on the back that is more that just a back blade. :2cents: Ed

 

[Tomtint]

I had a BX and it did just fine moving snow. 15" of wet snow is different than 15" of powder. Depending on what type of snow you get, a plow or small snow box on the front could work well.

 

[RjCorazza]

As others state, weight is more a factor than hp. I wouldn't necessarily limit your shopping by hp, but would physically look at machines of various sizes. As far as traction, 4wd and R1 tires are generally preferred. I personally run loaded R4 industrial tires without issue for snow plowing. You may also want to consider a snowblower if you really do get even occasional 2' snows. A lot of opinions out there on snowblowers, but my preference is rear mount for the flexibility and cost.
A final consideration would be if you want a cabbed tractor. I finally got a cabbed tractor this past spring after many miserable hours in the snow over the years. My current setup is a 40hp Kubota L4060 with SSQA loader, 7' front blade, 7' rear blade, and a 6' rear blower. I plow between 10-20 driveways making the cab and heavier weight a real plus. This winter I will be in a T shirt listening to Abba while I plow!

 

[oosik]

I plowed my mile long gravel driveway for 25 years with a 28 hp Ford 4WD 1700 tractor. I used the rear blade and when the berms got to big to blade the snow over, I had a 3-point snow blower to clear the berms. Wet snow will always be a PITA, no matter what size tractor is used.

The little Ford worked out just fine, plowing snow. It was a bit heavier than the standard small compact tractor.

 

[Thomas]

How long of push?
Around 30hp should do the trick.
Have you consider style tires,loaded tires,tire chains,type of transmission?

 

[SBHunter]

Thanks for all the replies, I did consider the weight to be a major factor in the ability for the tractor to plow efficiently so I am glad multiple members confirmed that. How good is a back blade for snow? I was surprised to read multiple people use back blades. I need to be able to plow about 400’ of gravel/dirt drive and then about 1000’ of blacktop.

 

[SBHunter]

How long of push?
Around 30hp should do the trick.
Have you consider style tires,loaded tires,tire chains,type of transmission?

Thomas so you think 25 is too little? I would like to be able to run R4 tires unloaded without chains with a HST trans. What do you think?

 

[CobyRupert]

Weight= traction.
Horsepower=speed.

 

[nybirdman]

R4's are going to be a handicap in snow IMHO.The guys with the very large tractors will say no but they have a lot more weight than a 25-35 HP tractor.
With R4's you may not have room for chains if you go that route.
A rear blade is just O.K.for snow removal(I use both) but you have to drive over the snow to plow.Pushing is a no/no with a rear blade.No trip springs and you could break some expensive parts on your tractor.

 

[Fallon]

My l3200 is around 3,500lbs + plow & blower, 32hp. I have a 6.5-7' light truck plow I built a SSQA mount for. I can plow up to a foot & a half or so before I need the blower. A narrower but taller plow might increase that. I've been stopped dead by 1' of snow without even trying to plow, but it was really heavy wet nasty stuff. We don't get a lot of that, but it was enough for me to break down & get the 3pt blower.

I can run out of power plowing uphill, but it's usually traction limited. I have R4s but now have front chains. I don't have R1s to compare, but I'm sure they would give me a bit more traction. Wouldn't trade my R4s for em though, they are a much better all around compromise tire for my year round needs. I highly doubt a light tractor will cut it without chains.

As others have said, it's weight & traction, not HP. HP means speed & you can fling the snow farther, but you need weight & traction more.

 

[RjCorazza]

Thanks for all the replies, I did consider the weight to be a major factor in the ability for the tractor to plow efficiently so I am glad multiple members confirmed that. How good is a back blade for snow? I was surprised to read multiple people use back blades. I need to be able to plow about 400 of gravel/dirt drive and then about 1000 of blacktop.

Gravel is always going to be a hassle compared to pavement. When my 500' driveway was gravel I turned the rear blade backwards and drove forward (blade moves most of the snow, but compacts some over the gravel.) Some folks swear by skid shoes on blades for gravel, but I never tried it. Anyway, I am a big fan of rear blades. The FEL bucket and a rear blade is what I used for years. Somewhere in this thread I read a comment about unloaded R4 tires.... Do yourself a favor and load whatever tire type you get. The post about chain clearance with R4's is correct, some tractors will not have enough clearance. Mine has plenty of room, but I hope to never have to chain up. I never chained my previous tractor (kubota L3410, loaded r4's, about 4k lbs). If you are considering a blower I highly recommend an HST transmission. Have fun shopping!

 

[PILOON]

For gravel skid shoes are the answer.
\I even made up a set for my rear blower as I don't like to rake gravel plus it saves wear and tear on the blower.
As to back blade, well I'd for sure prefer to have my blade up front.
Weight is your friend, (also chains for traction)
With first early snow events I simply drive back and forth to create a firm base.

 

[Threepoint]

OP, with 1400 feet of driveway, so long as you're willing to keep ahead of the storm by plowing every 6" to 8", 25 hp with an FEL and a 6' back blade is all the tractor you'll need. And, if you love hours of seat time and don't mind lots of loader work, you can wait til the storm's over. :laughing: BUT, if you expect to be able to plow 12" to 15" of wet snow at a time, I'll almost guarantee you'll be wishing you went bigger and heavier two years from now.

Just a for instance. My Kubota B2150HST (22 hp) with big, filled, rear turf tires, a 54" FEL and a 6' rear blade is a snow-moving machine. Maybe around 2800 lbs with FEL and blade. For 20 years I maintained nearly a mile of crusher-run drive with it. But anything over 6" of heavy wet snow was a whole lot of work. If your budget allows for it, I'd think about going bigger. Also, for tires on rough ice or hard-pack snow, I'm a big fan of heavy-lugged turf tires. Some of the patterns today are quite aggressive.

 

[Ivan49]

Thomas so you think 25 is too little? I would like to be able to run R4 tires unloaded without chains with a HST trans. What do you think?

I use to live across the state from you in Allegan county where we got hit every which way with lake effect snow somtimes 2 foot over night. My drive way was 1/8 mile long and I cleaned it for a couple years using a 14 hp tractor and blower. Then I used my JD 50 with back blade slow but got the job done. Then I bought a new 32 hp compact with a 6 foot rear blower and that was a dream come to

 

[BigBoyToys]

I have a large gravel area and fabed up some bucket skids/skis. They really keep the blade from cutting into the gravel. We've had some big storms here the last couple years and haven't had any issues moving 2' of the white stuff.

 

[PILOON]

I have a large gravel area and fabed up some bucket skids/skis. They really keep the blade from cutting into the gravel. We've had some big storms here the last couple years and haven't had any issues moving 2' of the white stuff.

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That is an excellent solution and it could also be applied to scraper blades with a bit of design change.
In fact I think I'll just do that tomorrow for my front blade.
LOL need a project!
(I did make oversized skids for my blower.)

 

[BigBoyToys]

That is an excellent solution and it could also be applied to scraper blades with a bit of design change.
In fact I think I'll just do that tomorrow for my front blade.
LOL need a project!
(I did make oversized skids for my blower.)

It could be modified with a vertical mount for the scraper blade. Being 6" wide it really keeps the blade "floating" on the surface of the gravel without digging in.

I used my HF 20 ton press and a brake I made to do the bends. I originally bought the press for a Jeep build I did with my son. If you own a welder a metal brake is invaluable!

 

[LD48750]

Yes, a 25 HP compact tractor with a FEL & back blade will keep your drive & road clear.

People around here have been doing it for longer most of us have been alive with old 9N, 8N Ford tractors & a back blade.