Snow Blade Which is better ?

[bill ns]

I have differece of opinion between two neighbours about plowing snow one swears by removing this bucket ( to keep it from wearing out )and installing a snow plow blade the other neighbour says this is a waste of time and the bucket is better for picking up snow and moving it and he has never worn out a bucket both do a lot of plowing and have done so for a very long time . what is your opinion ?

 

[Cat_Driver]

Theoretically the guy using the snow plow would be correct. Snow plows "usually" have either skid pads or "blade ski's" to keep the blade off the ground by a few inches. With that set up he can replace the "skids" forever and the blade will never ever touch the ground and encounter wear.

Theoretically the plow guy could do the same thing so for wear it would be a tie.

Now for the advantage bucket vs plow.

You can plow and when you want to stack the snow the blade will float and walk right up a snow mountain that you create.

A bucket will stack as high as a plow will float - so again tie.

I think where the blade wins is in speed. By angeling the glade you can clear a lot of snow faster. A bucket will not push the snow aside and end up eventually with an impassable mountain in front of the bucket which has to be lifted out of the way, taking time.

For me I always used a blade. I would go one way and force the snow to the right and come back the other way and do the same so that was two passes with an 8' blade I cleared 16' with 2 passes.

 

[Thomas]

I've tried both and plow works best for me..quicker also does cleaner job.

My plow attach to bucket and I can mount snow high,also stay on frozen surface less of chance getting struck.

 

[Zork]

I like a plow.

 

[flyingcow]

I can't see wearing out a bucket from pushing snow. At least not in my lifetime. if i had to choose, plow blade for sure. i think I'd hire someone to plow me out, if i had to depend on using bucket. Too big of a yard i got

 

[FastPauly]

My vote is for a plow. Being up to a couple of feet across the bottom, buckets are too sensitive to the angle (curl function) when attempting to scrape clean. Even trying to use float funtion, be prepared for a sod ripping event when you go off the edge of the pavement should the bucket be tipped downward even a very small amount.

A QA loader mounted plow will allow you to pile snow up plenty high. If you want to move the pile then the QA will get you back in bucket mode as needed.

 

[LD1]

Another vote for a plow from me.

Allthough I perfer the truck mounted type unless you have a cab on your tractor. I like staying warm while I work and a truck is also faster.

 

[jpm]

a plow works better it pushs the snow to the side. a bucket fulls up to x amount then pushs the snow all a round it so that you keep leaving rows of snow you have keep trying to remove

 

[jimmysisson]

Big advantage of a (old, worn out) plow is it will float over contours, both fore-aft and side-to-side. Bucket always parallel to rear tires doesn't clean the surface as nicely. Also speed and added width and not having to lift so much.
Two old farmer neighbors, one Deere guy, one Ford guy. Ford guy plowed in reverse for 40 yrs, swore by it. Deere man plowed forward, swore by it. Kidded each other. When they retired and had to pick one tractor for their own, they reversed methods, and each learned to swear by the new one. To each his own, then not!
Jim

 

[Train]

From this past months experience. I have a Ford 1900 with a loader and also a front mounted blade that both lifts and angles left or right. For general clearing of snow nothing beats a blade but, you have to plan ahead if your going to move a lot of snow. If you know your going to have a lot of it over the season, you'd best make sure you've pushed out of the way as far as you can because once it piles up to a certain point a smaller tractor with a blade doesn't work as well as you'd like. The other thing is packed, drifted snow. In a couple hours I'm going to go out to clear the drifts from our corals. Unfortunately the blade doesn't work for that at all so I'll remove it and use the bucket. Slow going but that's how it is. A blade on the loader arms itself would be a big improvement but it still wouldn't work in my case.

 

[Chilly807]

a plow works better it pushs the snow to the side. a bucket fulls up to x amount then pushs the snow all a round it so that you keep leaving rows of snow you have keep trying to remove

Pretty much the whole truth.. I have a front bucket with bottom mounted skids, you can tip the bucket ahead slightly to get better clearing, but full is still full. I usually punch a hole through on the first pass, then the rest are cleanup. The bigger the tractor the easier this is.

Small machines with limited traction mean you're forever filling and dumping the bucket.

I also have a rear blade with skids that I'm going to use this year to clean up the spilled snow behind the tractor. I think three passes should do it for a 10 foot driveway. The first with the bucket down to poke a hole, the next two with the blade angled and the bucket up to finish the edges.

Sean

 

[Baby Grand]

There is a frequently recurring motif in the saga of the snowstorm in these lands and it goes like this: The storm comes in raging at 33 degrees and dumps a heavy, wet blanket on the land. As it leaves, it leaves the door open and the cold wind rushes in behind it, freezing the heaping piles that the towns valiant drivers have offered up at the end of my driveway. An eye high, crusty behemoth; frozen granite-like hard and nigh impenetrable. All hail the FEL!

 

[Chilly807]

There is a frequently recurring motif in the saga of the snowstorm in these lands and it goes like this: The storm comes in raging at 33 degrees and dumps a heavy, wet blanket on the land. As it leaves, it leaves the door open and the cold wind rushes in behind it, freezing the heaping piles that the towns valiant drivers have offered up at the end of my driveway. An eye high, crusty behemoth; frozen granite-like hard and nigh impenetrable. All hail the FEL!

There's truth in them thar hills too.. the FEL IS a digging tool first, a frozen ridge of ice/snow can be a challenge to a smaller tractor with a plow attached. I remember the old walk-behind snowblower chewing away like an infuriated beaver at a waist-high plow ridge that had frozen onto a solid block after a day or two away. Lots of growling and chewing, not much effect.

Sean

 

[bill ns]

I guess those two old neighbours of mine will probley go on doing there snow plowing the same way .I think from all the sound advice i just got from this question i will be looking for a quick attach blade for my Koiti and then i will have the best of both worlds Thank you all for your advice

 

[jjmarotz]

Can't see how a bucket would ever wear out using it for snow removal cutting edge maybe, but not the bucket itself. Plow blades same thing... cutting edges wear too.

Think about it... how much more abrasion does a bucket see in the summer vs winter?? Snow adds a certain amount of "lubrication" and slick surface that normal dirt and rocks can't offer in summer months.

I do agree tho that a plow is a better tool than a bucket for moving snow, but for wear...... how long have most ag buckets, industrial buckets, etc been around even when used yr round

 

[LD1]

Can't see how a bucket would ever wear out using it for snow removal cutting edge maybe, but not the bucket itself. Plow blades same thing... cutting edges wear too.

Think about it... how much more abrasion does a bucket see in the summer vs winter?? Snow adds a certain amount of "lubrication" and slick surface that normal dirt and rocks can't offer in summer months.

I do agree tho that a plow is a better tool than a bucket for moving snow, but for wear...... how long have most ag buckets, industrial buckets, etc been around even when used yr round

I can see how.

If someone has a longer and paved driveway and they are wanting it scraped clean. Asphalt in VERY abrasive. But I agree, the cutting edge and NOT the bucket.

 

[Dead Horse]

I can see how.

If someone has a longer and paved driveway and they are wanting it scraped clean. Asphalt in VERY abrasive. But I agree, the cutting edge and NOT the bucket.

bingo.

The cutting edges on both of my tractors are measurably worn after 10 years of keeping 3/4 of a mile of pavement clean, and that is with only occasional use. I have plow blades for both tractors (now) and expect my buckets will now last the rest of my life.

Run your tractor down the paved road for a mile with the bucket down in float and tell me it does not wear off the edge of the bucket......... That is just silly.

 

[Ford850]

The real answer is... It depends.
It depends on the length of the drive, the contours and grade of the drive, the amount of snow, the type of snow (wet, powdery, drifted, etc), and most importanly the size of tractor.
I think for most the front blade is the best choice but there are some storms when I swap back to the bucket briefly.