Tractor suggestions for primarily snowblowing a long, steep, windy driveway?

[adriand]

I live in new england and have a bad driveway. The property is 5 acres on top of a hill. The driveway was cut through ledge and made of switchbacks to get up the grade. The steepest section is about a 35ｰ angle. Overall the driveway is 2000' long and I have been getting by with a gator 620i with an angled plow. This does a fine job except 2 major issues. One is when the snow is deeper than 8 inches the gator can't handle it which means I wake up in the middle of the night to plow if it's a long storm overnight. And two, parts of the driveway are very thin which means I run out of room to push the snow halfway through the winter which means the driveway gets thinner and thinner. For these reasons I want a tractor with a snowblower attachment for its primary function.

I want a tractor with 4 wheel drive hi and lo and a locking differential that can take a front mount snow blower. This is what the gator has and I have always been able to get back to the top of the driveway even in the iciest conditions. I don't need the tractor for much else. I would mow with it but I only have 0.5 acres of lawn which I currently push mow so that is not a huge need. I move cordwood around but getting a trailer for any tractor should be easy enough. For price I am looking for something similar to the price of my gator which is probably worth somewhere between 4 and 8k. Cheaper is better but I need to make sure it gets the job done for years to come. I also want it to be common enough that I can find parts and get it serviced if needed. I also don't want a massive machine so I can park it in my garage where the gator currently resides.

So I come here for suggestions. So far my googling has lead me to the JD 4100 (pricey) as a choice but I figured I'd get the pros input to see if there's any other models or brands that would be a better deal or better suited to my task. I am not loyal to any brand, just the right tool for the job.

 

[searcyfarms]

i smell trouble right away, you are going to be disappointed in the traction of a tractor vs the gator getting back up the hill. You will likely need chains just FYI. A tractor with most any tire is helpless on snow pack/ice. The tires are even more stiff and worse traction when cold. It wont matter what kind you have Ag/R4/Turf they will all be challenging on traction.

You will be able to combat a little of that with air pressure but still likely will end up with chains. The tires on a gator are softer/flexible and you have all of those knobs grabbing little bits of anything it can so many more points of contact than a tractor tire.

Now............regarding tractors, lots of good ones around but the main thing would be what kind of snow blower you can find to mate up with your tractor. It will also depend on if you are talking a rear mount or front mount snow blower also.

I have a good friend that has a similar situation in Montana and he gets over 225" of snowfall avg. He uses a 4 wheeler and creates run outs at the end of the drive and on the switchbacks to push the excess snow over the bank or down the hill like a dozer would on a dirt pile when leveling out a hill. He has limited space like you so needs the maneuverability that a tractor doesnt give him.

 

[adriand]

That is a little disheartening to hear. The run outs aren't the biggest issue for me it's really the issue where if it snows more than 8" when I am not home my only option is to use a walk behind snow blower for the entire driveway. I had to do it once last year, made me want to never do it again. I am surprised a tractor wouldn't be able to climb back up the driveway across the half it already snowblowed.

 

[oosik]

I, also, would suggest a full set of chains on any tractor you will purchase. It's just not worth slipping into a dangerous position while blowing snow. This added traction will allow you to keep the driveway at full width.

I have a mile long gravel driveway with a deep valley in the middle. One side always ices up due to drainage from a large field. My Kubota with R1's and weighing 10,100 pounds will slip dangerously when plowing this iced side. I've learned the safest way. Go to the top and plow DOWN - onto the flat part of the driveway. Across the valley floor. It takes extra time/trips. The alternative is slipping off the driveway and falling some twenty feet onto the valley floor.

 

[LouNY]

If the main purpose is to be snow blowing, I would throw this out.
A 100hp 2 wheel drive tractor with euro style chains and a pull type 3 point mounted blower.
The tall tired ag tractor with good chains will walk thru any 2 ft snow fall pulling a blower.
4wd helps and is nice to have it is not the end all do all, tall narrow tires with chains will amaze you with what it will do.

 

[dodge man]

Your budget it going to kill you. You probably need to double it. The front mount blower is what is going to kill your budget. A lot of older tractors just won't be able to run one, you need a mid PTO for that. I'd probably look at a 2 or 3 series John Deere or a B or L sized Kubota. A 1 series JD or a BX Kubota will do it also but might be a little small. I don't know the numbers, but a rough guess is that it costs more than $3000 to add a front mount snow blower to a new tractor so budget accordingly. A rear mount blower is much cheaper but what you describe as your needs a front would be much better.

 

[adriand]

Your budget it going to kill you. You probably need to double it. The front mount blower is what is going to kill your budget. A lot of older tractors just won't be able to run one, you need a mid PTO for that. I'd probably look at a 2 or 3 series John Deere or a B or L sized Kubota. A 1 series JD or a BX Kubota will do it also but might be a little small. I don't know the numbers, but a rough guess is that it costs more than $3000 to add a front mount snow blower to a new tractor so budget accordingly. A rear mount blower is much cheaper but what you describe as your needs a front would be much better.

Thanks for the input. I am trying to buy used with a snowblower included. I have seen a few for 5-8k which is right in my budget. I will research the B and L Kubotas, never looked into them before.

 

[airbiscuit]

You're right to look for a package that includes a front mount snowblower. They are pricey as a stand alone attachment. I have had tractors with R1, R4 and Turf tires. The R4s were useless in snow, especially if it was wet. They turned into racing slicks.

 

[Kioti Dave]

I live in new england and have a bad driveway. The property is 5 acres on top of a hill. The driveway was cut through ledge and made of switchbacks to get up the grade. The steepest section is about a 35ｰ angle. Overall the driveway is 2000' long and I have been getting by with a gator 620i with an angled plow. This does a fine job except 2 major issues. One is when the snow is deeper than 8 inches the gator can't handle it which means I wake up in the middle of the night to plow if it's a long storm overnight. And two, parts of the driveway are very thin which means I run out of room to push the snow halfway through the winter which means the driveway gets thinner and thinner. For these reasons I want a tractor with a snowblower attachment for its primary function.

I want a tractor with 4 wheel drive hi and lo and a locking differential that can take a front mount snow blower. This is what the gator has and I have always been able to get back to the top of the driveway even in the iciest conditions. I don't need the tractor for much else. I would mow with it but I only have 0.5 acres of lawn which I currently push mow so that is not a huge need. I move cordwood around but getting a trailer for any tractor should be easy enough. For price I am looking for something similar to the price of my gator which is probably worth somewhere between 4 and 8k. Cheaper is better but I need to make sure it gets the job done for years to come. I also want it to be common enough that I can find parts and get it serviced if needed. I also don't want a massive machine so I can park it in my garage where the gator currently resides.

So I come here for suggestions. So far my googling has lead me to the JD 4100 (pricey) as a choice but I figured I'd get the pros input to see if there's any other models or brands that would be a better deal or better suited to my task. I am not loyal to any brand, just the right tool for the job.

Good day. Live in country with 1 mile long driveway. From top to bottom is a 150 foot drop. Spent last 15 years with a Kubota B7800 (30hp) and front mount snowblower. I personally would not get a rear mount blower unless you have a good chiropractor. I also had front and rear chains, but the last few years just used front chains. That seemed to be adequate. I routinely had drifts 4 to 6 feet high. Last year sold B7800 and got a Kioti NX4510 with cab. Really like the cab!!!! However, the front mount blower is 11 K!! So this past winter used a large snow bucket to move snow. Really miss the blower. You will never have an issue with piles of snow. Your budget might make it tough to accomplish this, but would make your life much easier. Blowing is many times faster than pushing and leaves a much better result. Good luck in the hunt.

 

[adriand]

Good day. Live in country with 1 mile long driveway. From top to bottom is a 150 foot drop. Spent last 15 years with a Kubota B7800 (30hp) and front mount snowblower. I personally would not get a rear mount blower unless you have a good chiropractor. I also had front and rear chains, but the last few years just used front chains. That seemed to be adequate. I routinely had drifts 4 to 6 feet high. Last year sold B7800 and got a Kioti NX4510 with cab. Really like the cab!!!! However, the front mount blower is 11 K!! So this past winter used a large snow bucket to move snow. Really miss the blower. You will never have an issue with piles of snow. Your budget might make it tough to accomplish this, but would make your life much easier. Blowing is many times faster than pushing and leaves a much better result. Good luck in the hunt.

I found a JD 4100 with cab and 47" snowblower for $9k. Do you think that is a good deal and enough to get the job done.