Snow Attachments Snow removal? Snowblower? Chains?

[Royboy]

I have been reading threads here and looking at the great pics and videos posted here and now that I am watching the third BIG snowfall of the year here the Mid-Atlantic. I am thinking about trying to be better prepared for snow in the future.
Can anyone recommend a snowblower that will fit and work well with a Kubota B2410 (4WD)? I have seen front and rear models posted here. Are there distinct advantages/disadvantages (other than having drive backwards if it's on the rear)? Is one more effective? More affordable? Any brands to look for or avoid?
Snow chains? I have never used any on my tractor. When I bought the tractor I used it for mowing more than anything and so I have turf tires on the front and some sort of hybrid Ag/Turf tires on the rear. I perhaps should change to more aggressive tires since I mow with a Lazer Z and only mow a few acres of pasture with the tractor anymore. But either way I feel I may need chains to be effective in the snow. Most of the pics here show tractors with rear chains, and I know I need to buy a set for the rear. However does anyone bother with chains on the front as well? The front seems to be holding me back when I am using my loader to move the snow or even move around in 30+ inches of snow.
Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge!
Roy

 

[o2batsea]

Next year there won't be any snow, so you'll spend big money in a knee jerk reaction to a rare event that will not repeat. A generator is a far wiser purchase in case you lose power. That is by far more important than having a clear driveway. Whatever you have done in past winters will be the strategy you should continue with.

 

[Royboy]

Thanks. I appreciate your view of this. I have a generator and agree it was more important and thus was something I secured before I began looking into making my tractor more useful in snow. I have no basis to challenge your snow prediction for next year, certainly you may be right and we will have 'no snow' next year. But I am thinking about the year after that and the year after that....
My question is about how to find the right snow blower, etc... for my tractor rather than if I should be researching these options or not.
I get what you are saying, feel much the same way, but am intererested in finding out more about the options available to me. That's all.
Thanks for your reply! I do appreciate it.
Roy

 

[MikeInEburg]

Most effective is snowblower. Rear mounted is usually less expensive by a good bit. Rear also allows you to keep your loader mounted (if you have one) for utility purposes. Although I certainly could have used one this year - it's been a long time since we've had this much snow. I'll probably just make do with my rear blade and loader.

Chains will provide double or more traction in snow and ice. If you have blacktop or concrete drive choose wisely - some can beat up the surface. Dozens and dozens of other threads about chains - good reading.

Mike

 

[CharlieR]

I've debated the value of a snow blower for my needs and have decided its a bit pricey for me now.
Rear mount seems to be easier to mount, cheaper and easy to swap onto another tractor when up grading.
Rear mount lets you keep the FEL for moving snow too.
Front mount is the most expensive choice and seems to be a more dedicated install than the rear mount.
Cheapest yet would be a rear mount plow (and FEL) with a front mount plow a little more money but no twisted neck.
Currently I use the FEL with a walk behind snow blower just in case.

Truthfully, my first choice would be a heated driveway!!

 

[doxford jim]

Rear mount seems to be easier to mount, cheaper and easy to swap onto another tractor when up grading.
Rear mount lets you keep the FEL for moving snow too.
Front mount is the most expensive choice and seems to be a more dedicated install than the rear mount.
Cheapest yet would be a rear mount plow (and FEL) with a front mount plow a little more money but no twisted neck.
Currently I use the FEL with a walk behind snow blower just in case.


Hi,


I don't agree that the plow is necessarily the cheapest route - certainly up here in Canada. The cheapest and most effective is the snowblower.

A lot depends on what you are clearing of snow and how often. If you are just doing a 50ft long drive, say 20ft wide then a walk behind blower will work very well.
If you have to clear a longish driveway - say 1000ft, then everything changes your opinion. However, just looking at the methods employed says it all.

Using a blade - either front or back blades - only moves snow to the sides of the drive, or whereever you put it. In a bad/cold winter that pile of snow gets bigger and bigger to where you could have trouble keeping your driveway clear.

A snow blower throws the snow some 30ft away from where you are working. This method is by far, superior to just piling up loads of snow. Depending on your situation the larger self propelled walkbehinds blowers might work. Better still is the tractor three point hitch mounted mowers. Rear mounted, backward operation is the most versatile but requires driving in reverse - not everyone's first choice. The rear mounted pull type mower is used with the tractor being driven in a normal m anner - ie forwards. More comfortable but means the snow is packed down before being blown. Also, in drifts more than 12" deep, the tractor will be struggling and exposed filters and hydraulic hoses become a concern. Both types still allow FEL utilization all the time.
The front mounted blower is probably the easiest to use but means extra modifications (either mechanical or hydraulic) and loss of FEL.

The rear mounted push type blower is the cheapest of the three - depending on where you live, probably no more than a front blade - the blades vary a lot in size and quality. A good quality blade say 7ft wide would be close to the cost of a 6ft wide snow blower.

I have gone through the lot - JD450 with outside 9ft dozer blade, rear mounted 8ft tractor blade, used 73" PTO driven blower and a walk behind 10hp 28" snow blower.

The tractor PTO driven 73" blower wins hands down in my opinion. Mine is the rear push type (driving backwards) blower and is not as bad to use as a lot make it out to be. The snow is moved away from the driveway, which is important as this keeps the driveway width constant, instead of getting smaller. However, it takes longer to do and can be cold and uncomfortable if windy.

For my money, the rear mounted tractor driven PTO blower and FEL is the way to go. That being said, everyone's situation is a little different and it boils down to personal choice for most people.

Jim

 

[forester2]

I had a 72" rear mount for years. Now have a 60" front mount. I'm twice as productive with the front mount as well as safer and don't have a sore neck to deal with. Although I have a second tractor with a loader kept on, I haven't used it for snow since I got this unit. If I lived near DC, I wouldn't either type of blower; snow just too infrequent. Get a quick attach for your loader and put a blade on the arms.

 

[GPintheMitten]

You've gotten some good replies about the options. You'll have to go shopping to see the costs of the various options for your tractor.

Between 1975 and 2000, I cleared long drives with a rear blade and Ford 2N (like 9N) and worked fine for years but there were challenges when snow piled high as other posters have mentioned.

Now I have a 4wd Kubota B6200. I prefer a tractor mounted snowblower for heavy snows now that I have one (first year). I bought a rear snowblower because it was cheaper and easier to find one used rather than one that is specifically designed for a given tractor.

We just got the first heavy snow this year and I tried out my new to me used rear mounted snowblower in deep snow. It worked great. I was afraid it might be too big for my little 15hp Kubota (12hp pto). It is a 5 footer. I would have preferred a 4' or 54" but was shopping used and found a really good deal last summer on this 60"er. I have hydrostatic transmission which makes it easy to adjust ground speed as low as needed while keeping engine rpm's high.

So long and short of it, if you go for a rear snowblower, your 24hp (?19 pto hp?) could handle anything from 48" to 60". But if you're buying new, select the size that you feel is wide enough to cover your tire tracks but not too much for your hp.

Regarding chains, they make a big difference and I recommend rear tire chains. You probably won't need them all the time and I don't think you will need front chains but they are available and some people use them. I have rear chains but did not use them yet this year. I have 4wd and turf tires which are generally consider better traction for snow and ice than ag or R4s.

 

[mvoght]

Next year there won't be any snow, so you'll spend big money in a knee jerk reaction to a rare event that will not repeat. A generator is a far wiser purchase in case you lose power. That is by far more important than having a clear driveway. Whatever you have done in past winters will be the strategy you should continue with.

I am also looking at the tractor mounted snow blowers, in the mid-Atlantic region. I have a Case IH 585 with FEL, so it will be rear-mounted. And, the size of the tractor dictates 84".

And, I look at it this way, if I spend $3500 getting a huge snow blower attachment for my tractor, and it means we don't have another snow for 7 years (1996, 2003, 2010) I will gladly pet my un-used snowblower every time I pass it in the winters where I don't need it.

I have a farm, a working horse farm, AND a real job. And a husband who wants to stay here and not move south. I need parking areas cleared, areas in front of trailers, the 150' to the manure pile (#1 priority when horses are stuck inside for the duration of these storms), 150' to at least one pasture gate, when it is 36" deep, I need a path to go into the pasture to throw hay, and then, there is the 900' of driveway too.

A good sized walk behind looks like it would cost a solid $1500-2000, and I would struggle to use that, I'm not a big person. I do not struggle to drive my tractor. A good sized walk behind would also be one more engine to maintain, and I have enough of those already.

So, on to finish reading the thread, and read all the old threads on snow blowers. So far, I've read up on Puma and Case IH.

Mel

 

[jakedog]

We put chains on the IH574 w/FEL. Went from getting stuck on flat ground to operating as if on dry ground!
Mel, couldn't agree more. I love the snow but this winter has been over the top. I wasted hours on Craigslist looking for a blower after the fact. Need to remember the preventative purchase plan in the spring when the successful "knee jerks" start selling this winter's impulse buys.
Its amazing how many square bales you can strap to a tractor when there's 30"+ on the ground at feeding time, LOL!