They are also very handy plowing or grader/scraping our community road. I can see vehicles coming up behind me without constantly looking behind me.
Pros and cons of snow removal options
- Thread starter torch
- Start date
I purchased a bx 1880 a year ago. The mid mount mower was great for my acre lot. bought a 48” snow pusher from a Canadian manufacturer and a rear snow blower from another manufacturer. This winter has been great. The tractor was not under powered but performed well on my 20x150 drive way here in Canada.
Enjoy using my 1880 for snow duties plus cutting grass. More capable than what folks give credit to it. Cuts grass great, doesn't bog down. I plow snow using my 6 foot 3 point blade. Moves snow without issues. Small enough to get around tight spots cutting grass. Worth every penny.
Anyone have any good idea for an implement to scratch up the surface of glaze ice? Every once in a while, and this year is one, we get a thaw/rain in December or January that leaves a couple inches of hockey grade ice on my very steep driveway. I'd like to score it up somehow (with my BX). I have used a toothed bucket and that works sorta, I have a box blade I got really cheap that I'm thinking about turning one of the cutting edges into a bunch of little spikes to drag through the surface of the ice and give the cars some traction. I'm going to get pea gravel tomorrow, the problem with it is the expense (long steep driveway) and that I know as soon as I put it down it'll snow 4" in a freak storm and I'll end up plowing it off the driveway.
Yep. Welcome to the long, steep driveway club. You don't say if it's gravel or paved. My gravel drive is 800 feet, curved and steep. I have mudpit on top from last year's logging, so with snowmelt, has become ice covered with refreezing, I use stone dust (called supergrit by local quarry). Spread over ice and gives good traction. And yes, the plow and or snowblower does displace the stone down the incline. I use my box blade in the spring to regrade and drag the stone back up. I need to ditch sides of drive this year and build a crown into the center once the loggers finish up their operations in May. Just part of the joys of developing a homesite. Hang in...spring is coming.
torch
Well-known member
Equipment
B7100HSD, B2789, B2550, B4672, 48" cultivator, homemade FEL and Cab
If there is one, I'd love to hear about it for the same reasons. I've tried the toothed bucket. I tried the roto-tiller. No Joy.
The best I've been able to achieve is giving it a nice crown and breaking the banks at low spots when thawing or rain is in the forecast so the runoff has a place to go. I use a hand-held seed spreader to apply ground corn husk material as a traction aid where needed.
Those measures help with my own driveway. Good quality studded winter tires (I favour the Altimax Arctic series for both car and truck) help everywhere else.
Oh, and studded ice cleats that slip onto my boots for pedestrian travel.
I ended up filling 3 5gal buckets and a pull sled with sand from a local place here (cost $0! they said they'd get me on something else. I self loaded with a shovel) This seems to be doing the trick enough for my daughter to get up in her FWD car. Studded and/or Winter tires are a must with just the snow pack on my driveway even in AWD or 4WD vehicles. In a couple days the highs are supposed to be in the 30's with some sun, so I'm thinking that'll bring the end of it.
I haven't found it yet, similar situation as you with the added butt puckering situation of an off-camber turn on the steepest part of my driveway. I use a spreader to dump sand every time I blow and so far that has been good enough to keep everyone on the driveway. When we finally had a thaw last month I was breaking up 2" thick sheets of ice. I'm seriously considering getting a wood-fired boiler and heating the worst 100yds of my driveway to stop ice buildup.
On topic, I love my front mounted snow blower for my little bx2230. I had an f250 with a 9' fisher blade that I used to use, and while it went faster, I get much cleaner woth a blower. Even the f250, 4x4, with a bed load of sand could get pretty sketchy trying to push 2' of snow off the driveway. With my little blower I can just wait until the storm is over and take my time instead of having to go out every 8"-10".
I tried using a huge weed burner one year. I went through about $60 of propane to clear 10' of driveway. Would not reccomend.
finally it's over, I have to say that before warmer weather softened it up, the best and most economical was driving my 3/4 ton dodge up and down the driveway with chains on the back. That scuffed the surface up pretty decently.