Snow Too much snow! Help!

[NuBota]

Thought I would share a few photos from our last snowfall. Looks like another storms is hitting tomorrow afternoon, what fun!

Thavil, Nice pics! After doing my drive and 6 others, multiple passes, I was too pooped to take any

Think tomorrow is a "work from home" day. I did my 40 mile commute today, just for the manly adventure of it - wasn't worth it. Tomorrow evening will be worse I suspect....

 

[KubotainNH]

Hi I'm new here but here is what I put together today, a Bobcat 72 inch blower stuck on the front of my L48. It was not easy I had to work around Bobcat's "black Box". Why a snowblower needs a microprocessor, I don't know. Look here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmcU0Jcn1Ac

Jackwho, it wouldn't let me watch it. Youtube wanted a login.

 

[Matt_Jr]

Well today I drove around for about six hours trying to find some chains for my BX. I swear it's like looking for the fountain of youth. By the time I got home, pooped, gas wasted, but refueled on groceries for the rest of the week, I decided to cut up my Silverado's front axle's chains. After shoveling the driveway with my wife(who did a great job by the way) my back was too far gone to not use the tractor anymore. They are a little loose, but I think they'll work. To get them any tighter would have been very time consuming. Whoever the people are that make chains for a living, my hat's off the them. What a pain in the rear. I'll let y'all know how they do, and post some pictures. I can't even look at a shovel anymore without my back aching.

 

[traildust]

"Hope that wasn't the wife's ride."

It was my wife's ride, but she has a much newer VW now. It is now my beater so no harm done

To say the least it's your beater..HA! Here is what I see: a hole that can be taped over and the windows not even broke. Not to mention you still have three more doors AND a hatchback! Save the $1000.00 on the car and put it into the tractor.

Scott

 

[Matt_Jr]

I have to agree with Scott. That is some really good advise.

 

[riptides]

Thought I would share a few photos from our last snowfall. Looks like another storms is hitting tomorrow afternoon, what fun!

Gotta beat Todd! These storms have cured me of any itch to play in more snow. I took the B for a ride over two days and clocked 12 hours (9-5) one day,4 the next just clearing.

Since the JD's are somewhere else no cab for me.

How are the horse doing? I was thinking about putting ours to work.

 

[Paul Wise]

Well that's your problem, right there. I imagine it would add incalculable hours to your job having to stop, shift, reverse, stop, shift, forward slow, forward fast, stop, shift, reverse, etc...

I clear ~1/2 miles worth of driveway (8 different houses, so add 8 garage areas, 8 street ends, 8 mailboxes, etc.) with my BX each storm. I run turf tires, no chains, and nothing but the FEL.

This snow, we got 16 inches on the ground, but the first 12 inches of snow were reduced to 4 inches by sleet, creating a very hard, heavy, wet, crusty, and otherwise impossible to shovel sandwich of junk. Took me an hour just to shovel the walkway from my driveway to my front door. Thankless work.

All that said, I didn't have much problem dispatching of it with my little BX. The whole thing took maybe 6 hours. But I couldn't fathom doing that with a geared tractor...painful.

And, of course, I'd never miss an opportunity to share pictures of my family...tractor included...

KIS, you have a beautiful family

 

[taborekle]

Injury to Volvo, my bad move and difficult conditions caused about $1,000 damage I figure.

It's easy enough to have that happen. I dug out about 300 feet of a neighbors drive and he has a horse corral fence along one side of it. I couldn't just FEL to load, turn and dump, as that would have swung the back blade into his fencing. So for all 300 feet, I had to FEL load, then backup down down down to where his fence ends and then dump, and then return. So it took about twice as long.

When it came to his parking area, I did some of it far from his vehicles, but then told him I would loan him my tractor for him to do the rest, as I was not comfortable operating around other peoples vehicles. He borrowed my small Kubota the next day and spent about 2 hours doing his parking area. He was very appreciative after working his own space the drive that I had opened up for him.

And he loved operating the Kubota.

 

[m7040]

Here is a pic of my M7040 whre the brushhog is used as counter weight. Of course a layer of snow helps a bit as well. 3 ft of snow was no match for tractor and plow

 

[toxic]

Finally I got a decent snowfall last night. Still nowhere near as much as you guys but that's alright. I get paid the same for moving 5 inches as I would for moving 2 Feet. Here's a Picture of what I do battle with.

 

[toxic]

Or if the snow gets really, really, really deep, I got the equipment for that to.

 

[thavil]

Thavil, Nice pics! After doing my drive and 6 others, multiple passes, I was too pooped to take any

Think tomorrow is a "work from home" day. I did my 40 mile commute today, just for the manly adventure of it - wasn't worth it. Tomorrow evening will be worse I suspect....

Thanks Nubota, I have to give credit to mother nature and the wife. I agree with being too pooped to take any, while I was out working, the wife was taking some pictures after she finished with the stall duties.

I'm one of the federal government workers everyone complains about (I work for the Air Force, so maybe not so much) and had the day off Monday and today. If we get as much as they say on tonight's storm, we'll be closed again tomorrow. I don't blame you for driving in to work, I get cabin fever and would do the same thing if they let me.

 

[ccsial]

It's easy enough to have that happen. I dug out about 300 feet of a neighbors drive and he has a horse corral fence along one side of it. I couldn't just FEL to load, turn and dump, as that would have swung the back blade into his fencing. So for all 300 feet, I had to FEL load, then backup down down down to where his fence ends and then dump, and then return. So it took about twice as long.

When it came to his parking area, I did some of it far from his vehicles, but then told him I would loan him my tractor for him to do the rest, as I was not comfortable operating around other peoples vehicles. He borrowed my small Kubota the next day and spent about 2 hours doing his parking area. He was very appreciative after working his own space the drive that I had opened up for him.

And he loved operating the Kubota.

Your a very good neighbor indeed.

 

[thavil]

Gotta beat Todd! These storms have cured me of any itch to play in more snow. I took the B for a ride over two days and clocked 12 hours (9-5) one day,4 the next just clearing.

Since the JD's are somewhere else no cab for me.

How are the horse doing? I was thinking about putting ours to work.

You definetly beat me with seat time Mike. I did do another 3 hours today trying to improve on what I had already done with this new storm coming in this evening.

The horses are doing fine, they are getting cabin fever like I have. The wife kept them in their stalls during the first storm and will do it again tonight. I have both barn areas cleared of snow now so they are out as much as they want to be. I would love to put mine to work also!! Hope everything is going well on your farm with all this snow.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Well that's your problem, right there. I imagine it would add incalculable hours to your job having to stop, shift, reverse, stop, shift, forward slow, forward fast, stop, shift, reverse, etc...

I clear ~1/2 miles worth of driveway (8 different houses, so add 8 garage areas, 8 street ends, 8 mailboxes, etc.) with my BX each storm. I run turf tires, no chains, and nothing but the FEL.

This snow, we got 16 inches on the ground, but the first 12 inches of snow were reduced to 4 inches by sleet, creating a very hard, heavy, wet, crusty, and otherwise impossible to shovel sandwich of junk. Took me an hour just to shovel the walkway from my driveway to my front door. Thankless work.

All that said, I didn't have much problem dispatching of it with my little BX. The whole thing took maybe 6 hours. But I couldn't fathom doing that with a geared tractor...painful.

And, of course, I'd never miss an opportunity to share pictures of my family...tractor included...

Cute family there Keith. I could not imaging doing it with just a FEL. I use my plow mounted blade and 7' rear grader blade. I would take that any day of the week over a HST. I can push 15" of snow for miles if needed without stopping so there is no forward and back. I clear this 18" of snow in 20 minutes last year with my 5,200# 28HP Jinma.

Chris

 

[Deerlope]

Or if the snow gets really, really, really deep, I got the equipment for that to.

If you slide one of those snowcats off the trail and down a mountain side is it hard to get it back on the trail?

 

[toxic]

If you slide one of those snowcats off the trail and down a mountain side is it hard to get it back on the trail?

Not really any mountains to speak of around here, But I have had it stuck. Not really that fun, When this thing gets stuck it's really in deep.

 

[riptides]

Here are a few.

One of the horses right after we let it out of the barn.

The other two, using the FEL to move the snow. I actually have a blade on the backend that was attached just for this snow. Getting smarter all the time.

 

[dodge man]

Geez, what did you do, shoot the horse after you let it out!

 

[KeithInSpace]

Cute family there Keith.

Thank you to everyone who passed along this sentiment. I'm quite proud.

I could not imaging doing it with just a FEL.

Don't disagree one bit that the FEL is inefficient. Normally, I would say, the FEL is plenty sufficient for the amount of snow we get. After getting over 50 inches in a single season, I'm secretly wishing I'd have gotten a blower or a blade at the beginning of this year. Secret wish, mind you, since I didn't/don't have 2 pennies to rub together...Considering the FEL is essentially free-to-me at this point, I think it does a spectacular job!!!

...with my 5,200# 28HP Jinma.

Ummmm...ya. Little different animal than my cute little 2,400# BX. I'd love to have a rig like that, but it'd look a little funny mowing my front lawn with it...I do adore the front mount blade. If I could spend 6 weeks locked in my garage with beer, welder, and metal, I'd have a great many modifications come out the other side...a blade like that on my BX among them.