First time tractor owner moving snow l3800

[theaverageJoe]

Howdy all,

Apologies if this is a dim witted question, but the l3800 arriving next week is my first tractor.

One of the jobs assigned to Betsy Ross (said tractor) will be moving heavy wet snow 1ft common, 2-3ft occasionally on a 100ft long x 25ft narrow ASPHALT driveway by my house with a mild ~10 degree slope in the icy wastes of Massachusetts.

My questions are:

Can I move snow with my bucket on Asphalt and get it down to the driveway surface with no damage?

What would work better in my situation? Snowpusher - any models/brands? (budget is up to ~1500)

How well does the l3800 shift snow in user experiences?

Would I need tire chains to cope with the slope and what are the best sources, cost and sizeing for the l3800?

 

[Muzzy]

Snow Pusher works excellent.
https://hlasnow.com/blades/1500.php

 

[b12]

Is your L3800 2 wd or 4 wd ?
Hydro or Gear tranny ?
A problem with a snow plow is snowbanks getting too big and running out of room to put the snow.
I like using a snowblower for snow removal.

 

[Jblac197]

Howdy all,

Apologies if this is a dim witted question, but the l3800 arriving next week is my first tractor.

One of the jobs assigned to Betsy Ross (said tractor) will be moving heavy wet snow 1ft common, 2-3ft occasionally on a 100ft long x 25ft narrow ASPHALT driveway by my house with a mild ~10 degree slope in the icy wastes of Massachusetts.

My questions are:

Can I move snow with my bucket on Asphalt and get it down to the driveway surface with no damage?

What would work better in my situation? Snowpusher - any models/brands? (budget is up to ~1500)

How well does the l3800 shift snow in user experiences?

Would I need tire chains to cope with the slope and what are the best sources, cost and sizeing for the l3800?

I have the same tractor (2012 model) and about a 500 ft paved driveway also. It didn't take long to figure out it was very hard to clear snow without damaging the asphalt, lots of scrape marks and even a few small chunks tore up. I ordered edge tamers for my bucket from R2 Manufacturing and they work awesome. Eventually I might get a snow pusher but for now I have a 6 foot 3 point blower. Between that and the FEL with the edge tamers it's a good snow removal machine.

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[theaverageJoe]

Thanks - do the edge tamers get your down to asphalt level so you can see the driveway after moving the snow or do they leave like an inch or so on the surface?

Just curious as anything I leave behind becomes ice pretty fast.

I have the same tractor (2012 model) and about a 500 ft paved driveway also. It didn't take long to figure out it was very hard to clear snow without damaging the asphalt, lots of scrape marks and even a few small chunks tore up. I ordered edge tamers for my bucket from R2 Manufacturing and they work awesome. Eventually I might get a snow pusher but for now I have a 6 foot 3 point blower. Between that and the FEL with the edge tamers it's a good snow removal machine.

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[theaverageJoe]

4WD Hydro.

Is your L3800 2 wd or 4 wd ?
Hydro or Gear tranny ?
A problem with a snow plow is snowbanks getting too big and running out of room to put the snow.
I like using a snowblower for snow removal.

 

[Jblac197]

Thanks - do the edge tamers get your down to asphalt level so you can see the driveway after moving the snow or do they leave like an inch or so on the surface?

Just curious as anything I leave behind becomes ice pretty fast.

No, it will not allow the cutting edge to reach the pavement. There's about a 1/2 inch gap from the cutting edge to the ground. I know lots of people seem to like getting right down to the pavement but it doesn't bother me that it leaves a thin layer behind. There was one fellow on here that said he used a 2" diameter pipe as long as the bucket is wide and sliced it length wise down the center and put it over his cutting edge and claimed it worked well.

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[mickeyd]

When I push snow off mu gravel driveway I put the bucket flat on the ground and then tilt the front blade up just about 1/2" and put the FEL in float.

It works great at removing the snow without disturbing any gravel.

 

[motionclone]

Leaving an inch of snow is likely going to turn to ice with melts during the day then freezeup at night.

Also not really understanding why everyone seems scared or opposed to running a steel cutting edge on a paved driveway, it wont hurt it one bit. Paved roads, highways, driveways and parking lots in New England are all scraped by steel cutting edges. What damages paved roads is too much weight and shifting or wet fill under the road surface.

 

[Missouribound]

If your asphalt is in good condition the blade shouldn't hurt it. If it has loose chunks or speed bumps you can get hung up on that. You can just tip your bucket back a little bit to keep the edge from digging in. After a few passes you will know just how close you can get without any damage.
Is there a reason why you would let a foot or more pile up before you would start removing it?
As far as the pusher/blade goes if you can angle whatever you use you will be able to push it off to the side. Do you have a quick attach for your bucket?
You said a narrow driveway. Does that mean you have no room at the sides to push snow? You may be better off to just get a snowblower you walk behind.
They can move a lot of snow. You will learn pretty quick what works the best for you. I doubt you bought the tractor just for snow removal.

 

[rjcorazza]

My past 2 Kubota buckets had side plates that will gouge pavement if the bucket is dead level, or rolled back. On smooth pavement I lower the bucket and slightly roll the bucket forward onto the cutting edge. The bucket edge won't mark pavement any more than plowing with a blade, but catching joints or areas of poor pavement will likely cause damage.
The edge tames are great (have some), but as others have pointed out, they leave snow behind.


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[japollner]

Howdy all,

Apologies if this is a dim witted question, but the l3800 arriving next week is my first tractor.

One of the jobs assigned to Betsy Ross (said tractor) will be moving heavy wet snow 1ft common, 2-3ft occasionally on a 100ft long x 25ft narrow ASPHALT driveway by my house with a mild ~10 degree slope in the icy wastes of Massachusetts.

My questions are:

Can I move snow with my bucket on Asphalt and get it down to the driveway surface with no damage?

What would work better in my situation? Snowpusher - any models/brands? (budget is up to ~1500)

How well does the l3800 shift snow in user experiences?

Would I need tire chains to cope with the slope and what are the best sources, cost and sizeing for the l3800?

I live about an hour north of you and am going to call BS on Holden getting a foot of snow regularly... Massachusetts is not the Sierras. But I digress.

You'd be best off with a front mounted blower.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

If you worried about asphalt damage and want it down to the asphalt, get a bolt on plastic or hard rubber cutting edge for the bucket.

 

[BlackDawg]

I agree with Wolfman about a poly or rubber edge either on the bucket or plow. I have a 72” landpride plow with a poly cutting edge and hydraulic angling. Does not damage the asphalt at all and works awesome. A blower just wasn’t in the budget and the snow push reportedly doesn’t work well for larger snow falls. Downside of the plow is the creation of banks after a few snowfalls. If you have room to push back from the driveway simply angling the tractor allows you to push the banks back and creating more room for the next few snowfalls. Positive, this creates more seat time with your new machine!!! Win, win!


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