I don't get it. If I can use a grading blade, without a problem, then why would a rear mounted pull snowblower be a problem? With both implements you need to drive through the snow, with the tractor, in order to use them. I don't get it.
No, you don't need to always drive through the snow to use a rear blade.
This was a 7 year old thread until the last few posts. The OP, Carl Bert, has not been back on this thread anyway since 2010 (!) Surely by now (in 7 years) he has long since done something. Why don't you come back and tell us what you did enlightened by the last 7 years ?
Since the thread obviously has taken on a life of its' own in early 2018 (topic getting popular every year when there is an attention-getting winter) I'll throw in more opinion.
1) With 100' blacktopped driveway you really don't "need" anything but the FEL you have (or had.)
2) Cheapest easiest addition is the rear blade. You do not have to run over snow using it -- turn it around and plow backwards. The idea is not that plowing is reverse is such a great idea but rather with that simple cheap addition you can "work both ways" shoving with the FEL one way and pushing it in reverse the other way. No deadheading and no turning around. Also the FEL and rear blade complement each other in what they are best at.
3) The GX345 was never a good idea for snow removal when you have (had) a Kubota BX around. The GX345 is around 6 to 700lbs. -- 1000 lb lighter. Weight matters. Traction and investment sense also matter.
4) Any front mount blower is a whole bunch more effort to put on and take off than a simple blade. Worse yet you have to give up the FEL to use the front blower. No way ! Simplicity usually whips complexity. And unless you just "want one" you can't justify a blower on a 100' drive unless maybe a walk-behind for clean up and trim purposes.
5) You probably get 3x the snow we do down here in So MD. But, to the extent any of this is still "current" you might be interested in what I did with a
BX2200 and a 100' blacktop driveway. I usually do a dozen driveways when we have snowfall over 8 or 10 inches. Plus opening at least a dozen driveways after the ultra-helpful County has covered up our driveway entrances and mailboxes with 5x the depth of snow that was in the natural snowfall.
With those excuses, I found a beat up old used bucket (still very serviceable, not full of holes or rust damage) for $100 at auction; around 50% larger than the BX std bucket. Moves a LOT more snow per pass. I had a local Amish welding shop adapt the old bucket to fit the mount on my BX loader frame by putting some new mounting holes on the bucket. ($100) The welding shop also had some 1/2" thick hard plastic scrap (do not know if it is ultra high density super stuff or not.) I had him cut me 4 "skids" around 3" wide and a foot long for the bottom of the bigger bucket. I bolted those on using carriage bolts so i could minimize the heads sticking out. A few cans of black spray paint and minor grinding and wire brushing for looks. Total project under $250.
