Clearing snow. Kubota, quad with plow, or snow blower. Go

[bywaterdustin2]

What does everyone prefer? First time today clearing snow with my tractor not sure if I like it more than plow or snow blower

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[Missouribound]

Anything is better than picking up a shovel.
I have used a plow and snowblower in the past. This year I will use my new tractor with FEL. If the question is still around I will let you know.

 

[D2Cat]

Missouribound, you must be an optimist! You really think you'll get any snow? All of last winter we got a 2" snow.

 

[L5460]

Last winter I cleared snow with a MM 670, which was annoying. A nearly 8 foot wide tractor with a 5 foot bucket. Could never clear where it drove, bucket had minimal capacity. One time I was trying to make my lane wide enough to drive up and had the big MM slide into the ditch. My neighbor came to the rescue in his Kubota M120 and pulled me out, then cleared my whole yard in about 10 minutes with an 84" bucket. I think it was that moment seeing that big orange thing motor through 3 foot drifts with the front assist that convinced me I had to have a smaller version.

I purchased my 5460 with a 74" rear blower and have a 72" bucket, the tractor is 71" wide. I use a JD LA165 with a 44" front blower on my city driveway and I think I'll enjoy the big snow blower on the Kubota.

Just noticed you are from Teulon....know a couple people quite well from there.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

What does everyone prefer? First time today clearing snow with my tractor not sure if I like it more than plow or snow blower

What implement are you using with the tractor?

 

[torch]

If you have a big area or long driveway: tractor or quad. Much quicker and easier than a walk-behind blower.

If you don`t get much snow and you have lots of room beside the drive, then a blade is fine.

If your annual snowfall is measured in feet or meters OR if the drive goes through trees or bush: blower or blower attachment. That plow ridge becomes a permanent fixture for the rest of the winter after a thaw - freeze cycle, especially if there are embedded trees.

 

[KeithG]

I have used my Suzuki quad runner for years and when things were bad I used the FEL on my Kubota. There are problems with both.
If the snow is too heavy the quad bogs down and cannot push much snow which leads to longer times to clear the driveway and more wear and tear on me (groan).
My driveway is about 30'x50' at the top for parking and then another 80' down hill to the road. This brings up another problem, when the snow is deep and heavy the Kubota would end up making this huge snow mound in front of the FEL going down hill. Of course the snow would come back into the tire path making it almost impossible to backup the driveway. So I would have to take a bucket at a time to clear the snow going down the hill.
Last year was the first year I had the front mounted snowblower on the Kubota. Can you say "Why didn't I buy this years ago!!" The snowblower is 63" wide and takes 2, maybe 3, passes to clear the driveway. Plus the big and I mean BIG bonus is it goes right through the plowed snow from the town plow clearing the road. I have no snowbanks, I am only moving the FEL lever and driving the Kubota so there is no wear and tear on me.
I would definitely say the front end snowblower on a Kubota is the absolute best way to go.

 

[ItBmine]

I have both. The ATV/plow is faster in light snow. But you have to plan ahead. If you are in a big snow area you have to over-plow your yard quite a bit to make room for banks. Because once you pack big snow banks with an ATV plow.....you aren't moving them later.
The other downfall is you can't let the snow build up as deep as a tractor with a blower and sometimes you have to chase windrows quite a bit.

Where a tractor/blower shines....it doesn't matter how deep you let the snow get, it will go through it.
No chasing windrows.
No need to clear a bigger area than you need.
They will cut better if you have been driving over the snow with your vehicles before you clear the driveway.

 

[mendonsy]

I have a FEL and a 3pt snow blower on my tractor. About the only time that I use the FEL is in heavy wet snow to clean up the small piles that the blower pushes along.
The blower gets the snow completely out of the way no matter how deep it is. The main advantage to the blower is not having piles of snow everywhere to create more snowdrifts.
I had one storm where the snowdrifts were higher than the blower could remove (8' in places). I used the FEL to knock down the drifts then got the snow out of the way with the blower. It took a while to clear, but a snowplow wouldn't have a chance of clearing it.

 

[rut3556]

I have a FEL and a 3pt snow blower on my tractor. About the only time that I use the FEL is in heavy wet snow to clean up the small piles that the blower pushes along.
The blower gets the snow completely out of the way no matter how deep it is. The main advantage to the blower is not having piles of snow everywhere to create more snowdrifts.
I had one storm where the snowdrifts were higher than the blower could remove (8' in places). I used the FEL to knock down the drifts then got the snow out of the way with the blower. It took a while to clear, but a snowplow wouldn't have a chance of clearing it.

What he said............

 

[CountryBumkin]

I have a FEL and a 3pt snow blower on my tractor. About the only time that I use the FEL is in heavy wet snow to clean up the small piles that the blower pushes along.
The blower gets the snow completely out of the way no matter how deep it is. The main advantage to the blower is not having piles of snow everywhere to create more snowdrifts.
I had one storm where the snowdrifts were higher than the blower could remove (8' in places). I used the FEL to knock down the drifts then got the snow out of the way with the blower. It took a while to clear, but a snowplow wouldn't have a chance of clearing it.

I wish I could go up there and experience that - just once!
But then I would probably quickly run home to the warmth and sunshine of my own state.

 

[rjcorazza]

My preference is a 72" rear blower or 84" blade for lighter snow. This winter will be my first with a cab and ssqa bucket or 7' blade (and the same blower with hydraulic chute controls added).

 

[torch]

One thing I would mention is that there are blowers and then there are blowers. I would avoid a single stage blower. There is no separate impeller fan. They rely on the auger stuffing enough snow up the chute to work. The distance they can throw is highly variable, depending in part on depth of snow, speed of travel and density of snow.

By comparison, the impeller fan of a dual-stage blower tosses snow out the chute at a reasonably constant speed, so, for example, the blower can be advanced slowly in tight quarters without sacrificing the reach. They are also harder (but not impossible!) to plug the chute when the snow is wet and heavy.

 

[mendonsy]

I wish I could go up there and experience that - just once!
But then I would probably quickly run home to the warmth and sunshine of my own state.

Yeah, I suspect that you might! A heavy coating of snow on the ground is one thing, but when the wind starts blowing it around it becomes a different matter entirely.
One of the tricks you have to learn with a blower is to clean the driveways in a pattern that allows you to always blow the snow downwind. Blowing it upwind just doesn't work well!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

One thing I would mention is that there are blowers and then there are blowers. I would avoid a single stage blower. There is no separate impeller fan. They rely on the auger stuffing enough snow up the chute to work. The distance they can throw is highly variable, depending in part on depth of snow, speed of travel and density of snow.

By comparison, the impeller fan of a dual-stage blower tosses snow out the chute at a reasonably constant speed, so, for example, the blower can be advanced slowly in tight quarters without sacrificing the reach. They are also harder (but not impossible!) to plug the chute when the snow is wet and heavy.

A single stage snow blower is called a snow thrower.

 

[NoJacketRequired]

We live in an area with lots of snow, and lots of cold weather, and even the odd January thaw that produces snow that I call "slop" because it's so wet. Hands down winner, without fail is a GOOD snowblower.

I've had an MF-35 gasser, a pair of MF-135 diesels (still have one), a Holder municipal tractor and blower, and now a pair of Kubotas. At home we have a B7510 with front mount blower, heated cab, and rear-mount box blade. At the airport we have a newly-acquired B7200 with a rear-mount Meteor blower.

If you get any amount of snow at all, and especially if your setup has any potential for drifting, pushing snow is dead last. If you push it, you will end up with tall side banks down your driveway, and a crosswind will cause your driveway to drift in even deeper than the adjacent areas. The blower puts the snow far enough away, and prevents the buildup of snowbanks so you never have the same challenges with drifting.

My father-in-law used to do his driveway with an old Farmall row crop tractor with a front end loader. He came here to visit once and arrived just as a nasty snowstorm was wreaking havoc on the roads. We got about 2 feet of snow in one dump. He watched me clear the driveway with the MF35 and snowblower. The next time we went down to see them, lo and behold, he had traded the Farmall for the MF135 diesel and a Meteor 3pt hitch blower. He never pushed snow again. They live in north-west New Brunswick where getting a foot of snow doesn't even qualify as a snowstorm.

A front-mount blower is very nice. A rear-mount blower is fine if you're not doing a lot of snow removal, but if you're going to be on the machine for more than an hour, your neck, shoulders and back will get awfully sore. Maybe not this year, but as a guy who's done it for more than 20 years, I can assure you that wear and tear adds up over time.

Oh, did I mention how nice it is to remove snow while cruising around in a heated cab? Yeah, now that's true luxury. Our B7510 with its front-mount blower, heated Curtis cab, and rear box blade, is just about the ultimate in snow clearing machinery. If I had a lot more snow to do, I would just scale up the size of the tractor and equipment, but stick with the same technology.

The front-mount Kubota blower really moves the snow far better than I had expected, too.

 

[torch]

A single stage snow blower is called a snow thrower.

I did not know that. Makes sense though.

 

[rjcorazza]

I did not know that. Makes sense though.

What about a "snow caster" ?
Canadian? Canadian single stage?

 

[Wbk]

I use both an Honda Rincon with tracks and a 60" blade at home an my bx 2660 with a loader and 50" Buhler blower at the lake. In deep snow I prefer the blower but the ATV is a lot faster in the light stuff and with the tracks it will push as much snow as the bx and I never get stuck it's amazing where it will go. I have a steep hill to back up at the lake the ATV with tires there couldn't make the hill in the deep snow I fill the bucket of the bx with snow and back fairly easy (without chains).

 

[kupitz]

I have a plow and blower for my quick hitch on my BX2660 with heated cab. Plow for light snows and the gravel pad in front of my garage and the blower for the heavy stuff and main drive which is 1200' long and about a 15 grade slope. Blower is the way to go regardless as it get's it out of the way for the next snow. I have tried many things over the years, plow on the truck, 4 wheeler, UTV with plow, and this is where I ended up.