Tractor options for plowing

[tacsled]

New guy to the site. Thinking about upgrading my tractor. Was wondering which tractor and HP range you guys think would be good for:
-Pushing a 6-7' snow plow 9-10 mph in the low range on mountain roads.

My current is a little Montana 2740 with 4 speeds in low range and 4 in high. I have a pto blower on the back, 6' FEL attached blade on the front and chains all the way around. I had a quick mount built so I can easily take the bucket off and attach the blade. It is a great tractor (had it for years) but is slow. I sometimes need to plow a mile or more of mountain road. I plow in low 4 because I don't want to tax the clutch too much going up hills while pushing the blade. So it's slow and snow doesn't really roll off. I also don't have a cab and freezing my *** off while plowing the road is getting old and my next one is definitely going to have a heated cab. Also, I've never run a hydro tranny in a tractor so I don't know if that would be better than a shuttle shift.

I don't really have a brand loyalty so let me know what you guys think and please don't say buy a plow for a pick-up. Hard to plow with a truck for 20 years and not have tranny and frontend problems. If any of you are doing what I described now let me know with what.

I look forward to your opinions.

 

[RNeumann]

I don’t think you will find a machine that will do 9-10 mph in low range. I have 38 hp HST and with 4 chains and a good blade I’m sure I could do 9-10mph on flats or down hill with 6” or so of snow. If I’m really pushing uphill I drop into low range or about 3-5mph. I have a 6’ blade. Based on that I’m guessing you’d be in the 45-50hp range.
Honestly from what you describe I’d get a beater with a heater truck and put a blade on it. I think that will work better for the speeds you want to do.

 

[George2615]

Welcome to TBN tacsled.

You might not want to hear it but I too think if you're going to be plowing a mile or more of road that a plow truck may be a better option.
I jumped from a 26HP open station to a 36HP cabbed tractor 4 years ago and really enjoy having a heated (and has A/C too) cab. I don't usually hear the term MPH when using a tractor but I get my fair share of snow each year and plow it with my LS XR3037HC with a 7 1/2' plow. I also have a 7' double auger snowblower on the 3 pt. if needed. I don't plow any roads, just driveways. Tractor is HST and I run at 2200 RPM in mid range when plowing. I do travel roads in high range with cruise control and could plow in high if needed. Not sure what that translates to in MPH but makes no difference to me.
Any 35-50HP tractor would easily do what you need.
Never owned a shuttle shift, just gear and now HST tractors for the last 14 years.

 

[grader guy]

I would shoot for a tractor in the 60 hp range. I plow with a 5093e john deere and can plow at 15mph. what else do you use the tractor for? That would have a big impact on my decision because different transmissions are better than others for certain tasks. If you do alot of loader work i would get the biggest HST tractor you can afford.

 

[pmsmechanic]

So your plowing in 4 low so as not to be hard on the clutch? Try it once driving as fast as you can. Don't worry about the clutch. I think you'll find you have a different tractor unless your running out of power now.

 

[Fallon]

I don’t think you will find a machine that will do 9-10 mph in low range. I have 38 hp HST and with 4 chains and a good blade I’m sure I could do 9-10mph on flats or down hill with 6” or so of snow. If I’m really pushing uphill I drop into low range or about 3-5mph. I have a 6’ blade. Based on that I’m guessing you’d be in the 45-50hp range.
Honestly from what you describe I’d get a beater with a heater truck and put a blade on it. I think that will work better for the speeds you want to do.

My 40hp 5-6,000lbs L4060hstc can't do 9mph on smooth dry road if there is any hills involved. I got 15mph downhill with a tailwind. Nevermind adding plowing to that mix. I probably get 5mph tops with my 8' plow & 6" of snow.

If you want speed you aren't looking at a tractor. At a minimum look for a frame mounted plow rather than SSQA. Less likely to damage the loader (not that it's likely at all unless you are really stupid), but more importantly it's more compact. Better maneuverability & the less the plow pushes the tractor sideways & generally stops steering from working.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

I would deff look into a truck, not a tractor, I have a 4320 (48hp cabbed tractor) on the road unloaded it will do 15mph in high range, 7mph in medium range and 3.5mph in low range.

There is no way I could plow at 9-10mph, I could in high range but that’s hard on the transmission and I wouldn’t think it would last long.

You need like a 150hp tractor to plow at 9-10mph on hills.

Or buy a cheap truck with a plow.

 

[Rustyiron]

I've got 95hp and 9 mph is "doable" in 8" but in the hills...... hills & speed need hp & torque, the longer the hill, the higher your power needs.
I'll second the question about your other tractor needs. I know you said no truck because of tranny & front end issues, but was that on a 1/2 ton automatic? If you don't really have a need for a 60-100hp tractor the rest of the year, I'd look for a used, 1 ton solid axle truck with a manual transmission for at least the majority of your long road. Keep the tractor for clean up around the home & summer chores. And welcome to TBN!

 

[RjCorazza]

If speed is the requirement, then a big ag tractor with frame mounted plow is what to look at. I plow mostly driveways with my L4060 HSTC, but even on the long ones I am doing maybe 4mph. You may find that in a heated compact tractor cab speed is not so important!

 

[tacsled]

Thanks for all the replies. I didn't know if it was doable or not. From what I've seen, snow doesn't really roll off the plow unless you go @ 9 mph and up. I need a tractor outside of winter for maintaining my gravel road and other chores around my place. I was hoping to upgrade instead of getting another piece of equipment to maintain and store (limited shop space). I have a utv that I use on the road when the snow is less than 8" but plowing that much on those things is hard on them. I don't want a plow on my everyday truck. Sounds like unless I win the lottery and can afford a 150hp tractor I'm stuck getting a used pickup and plow.

 

[tacsled]

Anyone else have any thoughts if an HST tranny is the way to go for plowing or not? I've never run one so don't know anything about them. I use the loader in the summer and winter, plow snow, pull a blade to maintain my road in the summer, run a pto sprayer for weeds, pull a few logs for firewood, etc. If I upgrade, would an hst be the way to go?

 

[RjCorazza]

My past 2 tractors were HST. Great for all around tasks, particularly loader work. Kubota’s HST has come a long way in the past few years with 3 range + hi-lo, Auto Throttle (ties hst pedal to throttle), Cruise, Stall Guard, adjustable hst response.
I love the transmission on mine.

 

[Fallon]

Anyone else have any thoughts if an HST tranny is the way to go for plowing or not? I've never run one so don't know anything about them. I use the loader in the summer and winter, plow snow, pull a blade to maintain my road in the summer, run a pto sprayer for weeds, pull a few logs for firewood, etc. If I upgrade, would an hst be the way to go?

My old L3200 & new L4060 are both HST. I drove JD PowerShift & Power Quad 7000-8000 series machines for several summers years ago. I've driven Kubota GST for a few hours a year ot 2 ago doing loader work...

Even with the 15% HP tax on HSTs I'm more productive with them doing utility work by a good margin. When plowing snow flat out on a straight with a big blade full & good traction I could use that missing 15%. But inching up on a garage door, plowing near a car, or anything precision goes orders of magnitude faster & more precise than any kind of gear machine.

With a HST you can wring out every last HP available. Just pres on the go pedal until the RPMs consistently drop. You may or may not find the right gear on a gear machine. And even if you do, varying conditions change HP h gear needs.

If efficiency matters like pulling a plow all day or mowing in open spaces, the 15% HP tax isn't worth it. But that's generally more relevant in big ag machines, not in SCUTs & CUTs.

 

[FatTire]

I like HST for both plowing and running a snowblower, but travel speed isn't fast. If plowing in the 10 mph range is really your goal, maybe consider a Mercedes Unimog, perhaps something like a 406 or U1200. You could run an 8 foot or even 10 ft plow, and depending on the machine you could also run a snowblower. A Unimog 406 with snowplow in decent shape can be obtained for less than a 60 hp cab tractor with 2000 hrs. Depends what else you might use the machine for if this might work for you. Just food for thought....

 

[finn1]

Buy a used F450 with an 8 bed and install a 9 Boss plow.

With descent tires and ballast, it will plow your drive with no problem, at any speed you want.

Our road is plowed by the county, usually with a John Deere road grader equipped with a front mounted plow, wing, and under body scraper.

That thing literally flies, and flings snow thirty feet.

A slow moving tractor can稚 do that.

 

[Wolfy]

I am inclined to tell you to find a Chevy 3500 4x4 yard plow with an automatic transmission and 350ci gas engine. Chevrolet seem to be easy to repair, the 350ci will have plenty of power, and keep your transfer case in low range, you should have no worries of abusing the transmission. Tractors are fun, but I have more important things to do with my time than suffering while plowing snow.

 

[Farmer495]

Try high range. Your clutch only wears if you are riding it, if you are moving and the clutch is fully engaged you can drive as fast as you have power....and a smooth surface...

 

[Garandman]

If you keep your tractor, Gerbing and others make electrically heated jackets. I use an SAE extension from the battery jack. Bought one for motorcycle riding, really helps. $2-300.

Gerbing :: The leader in Heated Gear Technology

Firstgear - Heated Motorcycle Gear

 

[RjCorazza]

If you keep your tractor, Gerbing and others make electrically heated jackets. I use an SAE extension from the battery jack. Bought one for motorcycle riding, really helps. $2-300.

Gerbing :: The leader in Heated Gear Technology

Firstgear - Heated Motorcycle Gear

I set up my Gerbing heated gear for use on my previous open station L3410. I ran 8 or 10 ga wire to the rear of the tractor, and got power off a fuse box for the Gerbing connector. Those suits are awesome.

 

[tacsled]

Thanks for everyone's input. After comparing tractors in this class from JD, NH, Kioti, Kubota and LS (brands local dealers carry) I decided to buy an LS. Getting an XR4155HC with 8' blade. I really liked it driving it around the dealership. After driving the LS I just couldn't personally justify spending $9k and up more for the bigger names and $2k more for the Kioti. It may not plow as fast as a truck but I won't be rebuilding the front end every 2-3 years either.