Snow Attachments Snow Removal with loader

[firemarshal]

I am taking delivery of a new (left over) B7500 on Thursday.
I had planned to remove snow from the driveway using the loader bucket this year since I had to lay out the doe for the tractor. I was thinking I would shop for a used rear mount snow blower for next winter. Good or bad idea. I live in Southern NH.

 

[NIXON]

No doubt about it , It will do the job . But it will be a slow process . I don't know how much snow you get . But would you consider getting a rearblade in addition to your FEL ?
It makes for great ballast while using the bucket ,and when angled it will move a decent amount of snow . John

 

[SeymourBota]

If you expect more than a half dozen decent snowfalls during the average winter, I would buy the snowblower now.
This might be a good time, as people look to upgrade before winter- some reasonable used units might be on the market

 

[BGL990]

I've moved quite a bit of snow with my old Ford 9N over the last 3 years (got a new 990 this year to replace it). The 9N has both a loader and rear blade and I find the rear blade MUCH easier to use and it moves more snow.

The loader is good for scraping snow back away from against walls and that sort of thing, but going forward I always find it digs in too much, or if you try to keep it from digging in, you don't get down to the ground. Perhaps if you have a paved driveway it would be better, but for me the rear blade at an angle is by far the best.

 

[pekabu]

I did it last year with my TC24. My biggest issue is that my driveway has two planes to it. So when I put the bucket down so it would clean well, the tractor would wonder off not going straight down the hill. When I lifted the bucket enough so the front would steer, the driveway wasn't cleaned as well. I am picking up a used snowblower tomorrow to try.

If I didn't get the blower for so cheap, I would be doing it again this year. I have borrowed my brothers plow truck to do it, but my driveway is tight so the tractor worked much better.

One thing is does the Kubuta bucket have wear strips on the bottom of the bucket? It seems my neighbors bx22 doesn't.

 

[henryjacobjosh]

Hi,

The loader should do just fine for removing snow. I have been using a FEL for the last 7 yrs or so and it has never disapointed me.Once you get good with the loader controls you can feather and work the bucket to avoid gouging or digging in.
I think the big question would be, how big of a driveway are you going to clear. If it is a long lane or driveway, it might be worth checking out a snowblower.
Hope to see some pics once you get you're new machine. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[MikePA]

Need to know;

How much snow do you get?
Is the area to be cleared paved?
Are the areas where you can push/dump the snow?

A FEL can be used to remove snow (I use it), but answers to these questions will assist in recommending whether it's the best long term solution.

BTW, if you have not checked into prices for 3ph snow blowers you might want to. They are not cheap. This might also figure into your decision. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[PhilNH5]

Firemarshal,
I live in SE NH and use a FEL for snow removal. It is fun but it can be slow. I use a walk behind blower as well. For the long straight away the blower is quicker. But up by the house and garage I use the FEL - don't have to worry about where I am throwing it. If the snow is not to deep I use the FEL for the whole drive. Or if I am not in a rush I use the FEL - did I mention it is Fun?

Phil

 

[Boondox]

Well, it depends. The FEL will work, but slowly. And if your driveway isn't level your snow removal won't be either. I live in northern Vermont next to a cross-country ski resort, so we get a bit of the white stuff. But for me, personally, the rear blade on my Kubota has done such a great job over the years I simply can't justify the cost of a blower. If we lived in the UP where the lake effect snow buried us on a regular basis my feelings would be different, but for the foot deep storms we typically get I just lower the rear blade at an angle and drive forward thru the snow. Three passes and my road and driveway are clear.

That said, after spending several hours last winter in a driving wind at thirty below zero on an open tractor, this year I bought a Chevy so I can plow in heated comfort!

Pete

 

[MadReferee]

I am also a southern NH resident and last year I could have gotten by with just a rear blade and the FEL. However, I used my 64" Puma blower for each of the snowfalls we had that were more than 1 inch. If your driveway is long and we get a big storm you will be spending almost all of the day clearing the snow with the FEL (while I sit back and have a brew after spending only 45 mins doing the same. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif)

As others have said, the effectiveness of using just the FEL is dependent on the type of driveway you are attempting to clear. If you driveway is paved it will be easier. In any case it will take you a long time so be prepared with warm clothes and bundle up.

 

[Youare]

I live in the southwest corner of New Hampshire, the Monadnock region which can get it's share of snow. I have used the FEL on my Kubota to clear snow from the driveway. However, I did pretty quickly purchase a rear blade just for snow plowing.

I have a dirt drive. The FEL works great after the ground has really frozen, when it has not it is very easy to remove a layer of dirt with the snow. The rear blade can be turned on an angle to allow you to push the snow off to the side it is difficult to do this with the FEL. Unless you can push everything straight back or the drive is wide enough to go across pushing snow to one side is necessary.

When the ground has not frozen and we have had a light snow I use the rear blade with the curve backwards to it's normal operation to keep it from digging into the soft ground.

I had an 8N with a FEL on to which I mounted a 6 1/2 foot Meyers snow plow. That worked great for plowing snow. I know several people who have made or had made a bracket to mount on the lift arms of the FEL and attached a snow plow using the curl hydraulics to control the power angle feature of the plow. A set-up like that can be purchased for reasonable price.

The only draw back to a rear mounted blade or blower is it is a little bit of a pain in the neck to drive backwards while moving snow. There is also the tendenancy to forget about the FEL sticking out on the front and hitting something.

Randy

 

[tc18ny]

I use my FEL for snow removal on my 200' long drive. It takes me about 30 min when we get less than 6''. It works great for moving banks and making big piles. You do have to get good with the controls, but once you do, you can move right along. What I do is start at one end of the drive (up by the garage), set my loader to float and tip the loader edge up slightly. I push the snow straight down the drive near the road end. I make 3 or 4 passes like this to clear the drive and end up with a pile at the road end. Then I just move the pile to either side of the drive, into the grass. This way, for spring clean up, all I have is a small area at the end of the drive to rake up any debris.
Dave

 

[bellweather]

my limited experience with moving snow with a fel has been pretty discouraging. if the snow is deep the fel accumulates snow in no time and then you loose traction. you're not plowing... you are lifting buckets of snow and dumping them to clear a path. just imagine how many buckets of snow fall on your driveway and you'll get an idea of how slow the process can be...gets old real fast. like others have said, the fel is useful for removing snow from around the house and detail work, but to get the job done I believe a blade (plow) or blower is required.

 

[rameye]

I'm in monadnock also..have a FEL and a back blade, this will be my first year removing snow with the tractor. I'm in Stoddard and at the extreme elevation we get clobbered. Alot of removal up here is done with FEL because there is just nowhere to put it by February.

Hope this works OK...wife will be expecting great things. :0

 

[firemarshal]

Thanks for the responses. This is my first post on this forum. My driveway is only 180 ft - 200 ft long and is paved. It is 25 ft wide at each end and about 10 ft wide in the center. I will be adding another 200 ft of gravel driveway as part of a barn project in a year or two.

I have found that 60 " snowblowers with manual shute rotation are around $1500. I have not priced rear blades. Do you push or pull the snow with a rear blade? I'm new to all of this.

 

[KubotaSteve]

You should pull the snow with a rear blade as pushing causes stress on the arms and could cause damage if not careful (catching something like and immoveable rock while plowing).
I used my FEL last year to plow snow and really didn't have many problems once I got the hang of it. My drive is 220 feet long and I dropped the bucket down and when the bucket filled, I continued pushing using is as a plow. I went the entire length on my 220 foot drive in 12" of snow that was on the wet side and never spun a wheel. I have the B-7800 which is the next size up from your 7500. I know you get a lot more snow than I can, but I think you will be fine this winter. If you get several snows a year that exceed 12" then I would be looking around for a blower for the future.
Besides, once I get outside plowing snow, I usually go and help the neighbors out and then you have to take the kids a ride either on a sled or inner tube (use plenty of string). It is more play than work to me.

 

[ByronBob]

Try it with the loader and blade and if you disagree with us then your shopping for more toys....or I mean implements next year.
The 7500 is a nice machine and you'll be impressed with what it can do for you.

DO NOT FORGET A BLOCK HEATER...............

 

[hazmat]

Go with the blower if you can swing the $$$. I bought a used one (old) for $500.

The heavier snow we get in New England is tough on the smaller tractors (I have similar size New Holland). You have to get out often in a big storm. I could effectively plow 3" of heavy snow, or 6" of fluffy. any more and instead of widrowing off to the side, it would push the tractor off course.

With the blower you move the snow once.

 

[8561]

Firemarshal - I am a little north of you in Hopkinton. I did my drive last year with an FEL and rear blade. It can definitely be done that way, but you'll be amazed how long it takes. I've ordered a rear 60 inch blower for this year. One thing to consider is piling snow. As you'll recall, we had a lot of snow in December. By New Year's Day, I didn't know where I was going to put it. Fortunately, January and Feruary had limited snow, so it wasn't an issue. A blower will leave you with no snowbanks and be much quicker, but certainly costs a lot more than a rear blade and the FEL you've already bought.

By the way - who quoted you the $1500 for 60" with manual chute? What brand? That's a pretty fair price, better than most I've seen this year.