Shopping for Snow Blowing Turbo Tractor - LX3310?

[ChrisO83]

Hello All,

I'm looking for a tractor with the primary use of snow blowing and plowing.
I am located at 8000 ft elevation in the Utah snow country (Wasatch Mts.). We have close to 300+yrds of road and roughly a third acre of area that will need plowing. We have some hills/grades but are not very steep, 4-10% grade.

This would be my first tractor, so there is a lot I need to learn, but I have a little experience using skid steers with blowers that have done a great job on the snow.

I'm looking for a front snow blower and, if effective, may also run a plow blade on the rear along with the blower. I haven't run a blade behind a tractor as yet so I don't know if that is worth pursuing. Of course a front loader would also be needed. Also, I hope to have the enclosed cab.

Because of our elevation it has been recommended that we look at a turbo charge unit. Of course, at first, the Kubota dealer was recommending a L6060 but once we were clear on my budget he settled on the LX3310.

It seems the LX3310 might be a good fit but there are so many different units that Kubota makes that it is a daunting task to figure out which one would be the best for my budget and needs.

I'm looking for input on comparable models, blower and blade recommendations, tires/chains, and anything else that might be important that I have overlooked.

I'm sure there are questions that will need to be asked.

Your help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
ChrisO

 

[chim]

I don't think the 3310 has a CPAP

I had a rear blower that was kinda fun for a while. It was nice for clearing driveways and narrow parking areas. It was not the ticket for parking lots that were too wide to blow the snow off without re-blowing. After the snow was blown more than once it became dense and a pain to blow a second time. Third time it was really bad. When I got the L4240 I also went with an 8' power angle blade. Sold the blower with the L3200 and am happy. A blower isn't nearly as quick as a blade, but it is valuable if you don't have space to push the snow back and out of the way.

 

[jimh406]

You should take a look at GP Outdoors on youtube. He uses a LX2610 cab model with front snow blower and blade. I think that size would be pretty ideal. I can’t imagine you needing a L6060 for just snow work, but I guess it depends on how much else you plan to do. Fwiw, GP Outdoors previously had a ROPS model. He’s in Central Ontario.

GP Outdoors seems to use the blade to push the snow in the middle of the drive sometimes and then come back with the blower to blow off the road. He uses a rear remote to rotate the blade. The blade would allow you to get close to the garage etc which would be pretty hard with just a snow blower for most people.

Fwiw, I use a Polaris Ranger with snow plow for most of my snow moving, but after getting my L2501 a bit ago, I’ve used the bucket to move piles of snow. I don’t have a rear blade yet, but my Ranger is doing that duty right now.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Since you're getting a loader on the tractor, consider a SSQA loader and a SSQA selfpowered snowblower unit. All the front mounted snowblowers except for SSQA seem to be a 'pain in the ...' ! Maybe cause I'm closing in on 70,but I want easy install equipment these days. Being selpowered, 30 seconds to get it on and go.... then if you need a bucket or forks, 30 seconds, it'll come off. Yes, kinda pricey if store bought, but a lifetime investment. I made my own 2 years ago..kinda funny how it hasn't snow enough to use it yet.....

 

[ChrisO83]

I don't think the 3310 has a CPAP

I had a rear blower that was kinda fun for a while. It was nice for clearing driveways and narrow parking areas. It was not the ticket for parking lots that were too wide to blow the snow off without re-blowing. After the snow was blown more than once it became dense and a pain to blow a second time. Third time it was really bad. When I got the L4240 I also went with an 8' power angle blade. Sold the blower with the L3200 and am happy. A blower isn't nearly as quick as a blade, but it is valuable if you don't have space to push the snow back and out of the way.

I agree that a plow is much faster than a blower and having to re-blow the snow is slow and not ideal at all. I been using a Side x Side (Honda P500) with a little 60" blade for doing a lot of my plowing and believe it or not it works wonders - fast, agile, good turning radius and gets into tight spots - provided I don't let the snow get to deep before plowing. But at some point I need a blower to get the piles of snow out of the way especially during heavy winter/snow fall periods.
Do the front mounted plow blades have power (hydraulic, elect) angle adjustments?
Also, I'm not familiar with what a CPAP is (still learning the lingo)(unless your talking about sleep apnea )?
C

 

[FUSE]

I'll give my .02
See the 2 tractors in my profile pic, they are a 2650 and a 3350. The 3350 has a front mount blower and a rear blade....the 2650 has a pusher on the FEL and a rear blower. FEL has to come off the 3350 for the front blower, but these newer tractors its a simple process taking the FEL off and installing the blower. The 3350 definately has more power in the deep stuff, and doesnt bog down nearly as bad as the 2650 with its rear blower (both blowers are the same size)
If i could have just one setup, I would probably pic the FEL with the pusher on and the rear 3 point blower. That way you can retain the use of your loader. Also, Front blower kits get very spendy. Will mention, we have a front blade with hydraulic angle....for a long stretch of say a narrow driveway - that would probably be the way to go - but all my properties are large open parking lots so we dont use that much...when the snow gets deep the front blower is so nice, no neck cranking...I think for you its gonna come down to would you rather save the dough, retain your FEL in the winter, and try to get by with plowing, or if snow removal is the sole purpose in the winter, then maybe go with the front snow blower and a rear angle blade. Good luck!!!

 

[ChrisO83]

You should take a look at GP Outdoors on youtube. He uses a LX2610 cab model with front snow blower and blade. I think that size would be pretty ideal. I can’t imagine you needing a L6060 for just snow work, but I guess it depends on how much else you plan to do. Fwiw, GP Outdoors previously had a ROPS model. He’s in Central Ontario.

GP Outdoors seems to use the blade to push the snow in the middle of the drive sometimes and then come back with the blower to blow off the road. He uses a rear remote to rotate the blade. The blade would allow you to get close to the garage etc which would be pretty hard with just a snow blower for most people.

Fwiw, I use a Polaris Ranger with snow plow for most of my snow moving, but after getting my L2501 a bit ago, I’ve used the bucket to move piles of snow. I don’t have a rear blade yet, but my Ranger is doing that duty right now.

Yaa! That's what I am looking to do - Blade and blower.

The LX2610 looks very capable but my concern is potential power lose due to my 8000' elevation thus the recommendation for turbo.

I also using a Honda P500 with a blade to a lot of my plow work. Amazing how well it works for my situation. But there are limitations, today we had a foot of snow and though I was able to move it with the P500 it was a lot more work.

C

 

[ChrisO83]

I'll give my .02
See the 2 tractors in my profile pic, they are a 2650 and a 3350. The 3350 has a front mount blower and a rear blade....the 2650 has a pusher on the FEL and a rear blower. FEL has to come off the 3350 for the front blower, but these newer tractors its a simple process taking the FEL off and installing the blower. The 3350 definately has more power in the deep stuff, and doesnt bog down nearly as bad as the 2650 with its rear blower (both blowers are the same size)
If i could have just one setup, I would probably pic the FEL with the pusher on and the rear 3 point blower. That way you can retain the use of your loader. Also, Front blower kits get very spendy. Will mention, we have a front blade with hydraulic angle....for a long stretch of say a narrow driveway - that would probably be the way to go - but all my properties are large open parking lots so we dont use that much...when the snow gets deep the front blower is so nice, no neck cranking...I think for you its gonna come down to would you rather save the dough, retain your FEL in the winter, and try to get by with plowing, or if snow removal is the sole purpose in the winter, then maybe go with the front snow blower and a rear angle blade. Good luck!!!

I've been concerned about having to blow backwards on a tractor - never had to do it yet. But as I'm seeing how much faster plowing is than blower. It might work out better to have a rear blower with a blade on the front. Still the SSQA set up may be a good alternative.
Will continue to look into all the advantages for each.
I guess it comes down to personal preference and each persons plowing conditions which only comes from experience in using different machines and configurations.

 

[chim]

Also, I'm not familiar with what a CPAP is (still learning the lingo)(unless your talking about sleep apnea )?
C
[/QUOTE]

My attempt at humor. I use a CPAP for sleep apnea, and when you mentioned turbo, my mind went to "gosh, for several hours a day I'm not 'normally aspirated'"

In short, I didn't think the 3310 had a turbo.

 

[River19]

i run a front blower and rear blade combo on my 2601 (similar to GP's original setup) and it is perfect for my northern New England winter maintenance.

The blower is great for actual dumpings of 4"+ but in between those actual storms we get plenty of 1-3" dustings that if left alone become ice.......the rear blade allows me to either clear that to the side or clear to the middle in a pile then blow it off the driveway.

Bottom line, I recommend the spend on the front blower and rear blade.........

EDIT: BTW, in no way am I recommending the 2601 for 8000' elevation over a 33hp Turbo......just the setup of blower and rear blade.....with the proper tractor sandwiched in between for the application.

 

[SDT]

Also, I'm not familiar with what a CPAP is (still learning the lingo)(unless your talking about sleep apnea )?
C

My attempt at humor. I use a CPAP for sleep apnea, and when you mentioned turbo, my mind went to "gosh, for several hours a day I'm not 'normally aspirated'"

In short, I didn't think the 3310 had a turbo.
[/QUOTE]
It does.

SDT

 

[SDT]

Yaa! That's what I am looking to do - Blade and blower.

The LX2610 looks very capable but my concern is potential power lose due to my 8000' elevation thus the recommendation for turbo.

I also using a Honda P500 with a blade to a lot of my plow work. Amazing how well it works for my situation. But there are limitations, today we had a foot of snow and though I was able to move it with the P500 it was a lot more work.

C

Wow! 8,000'. That's a lot of elevation. I'm at around 900'.

The LX3310 is much more powerful than is the LX2610. I know little about power loss due to elevation but your dealer should if he has been in the business long. I would probably heed his advise if you have no other experienced owners to consult.

I use a B3350 with B2673 hydraulically angled front blade and hard rubber cutting edge to plow my two steep 900+' asphalt driveways. I have R4 tires and a Kubota weight box filled with bagged playground sand on the lift. I plow in M range and have found instances where I must back off on the HST pedal a bit when plowing uphill due to power limitations (no, I do not plow at WOT). I expect that an LX2610 would be in L range in such circumstances.

I have F & R chains for the 3350 but did not put them on this year because one of my driveways has been recently sealed and I do not wish to damage the sealcoat. If ice causes traction problems, I get out my B1750 with rear blade. I did install the F & R chains on the 1750 but have not needed it so far this season. The twist link, two-link ladder style chains do not damage the asphalt (absent abuse) but will quickly remove the sealcoat.

We rarely have enough snow here to justify a snow blower so I have only a walk behind unit for smaller areas.

SDT

 

[ChrisO83]

Wow! 8,000'. That's a lot of elevation. I'm at around 900'.

The LX3310 is much more powerful than is the LX2610. I know little about power loss due to elevation but your dealer should if he has been in the business long. I would probably heed his advise if you have no other experienced owners to consult.

I use a B3350 with B2673 hydraulically angled front blade and hard rubber cutting edge to plow my two steep 900+' asphalt driveways. I have R4 tires and a Kubota weight box filled with bagged playground sand on the lift. I plow in M range and have found instances where I must back off on the HST pedal a bit when plowing uphill due to power limitations (no, I do not plow at WOT). I expect that an LX2610 would be in L range in such circumstances.

I have F & R chains for the 3350 but did not put them on this year because one of my driveways has been recently sealed and I do not wish to damage the sealcoat. If ice causes traction problems, I get out my B1750 with rear blade. I did install the F & R chains on the 1750 but have not needed it so far this season. The twist link, two-link ladder style chains do not damage the asphalt (absent abuse) but will quickly remove the sealcoat.

We rarely have enough snow here to justify a snow blower so I have only a walk behind unit for smaller areas.

SDT

I getting confirmation from my mechanic friends and others that the turbo is the way to go with the elevation. A lot of guys up here with tractors have gone that route, so it looks like the 3310 will be the unit for me . . . so far.

I was looking at the Aquiline chains recommended by GP Outdoor as I have a gravel driveway - waiting for the asphalt fairy to show up . Those chains look very capable with the studded cross chains. i do have some grades and soft areas and of course ice that, on occasion, can give the chained skid steer I borrow some challenges, so I figured I will likely need chains. The Aquiline don't appear to be your bargain chains.

I'm not finding the F&R chains anywhere so far.

I was thinking of going with the R1 tires as snow, loose gravel and such are the main surfaces so traction is the priority.

CO

 

[jimh406]

You’ll lose power at elevation, but that doesn’t mean you have to have a turbo. You simply need more hp at sea level to make sure you’ll have enough hp at 8000 ft.

Any way, if you think 26 would normally be ok, 33 is probably fine at 8000 ft.

 

[MNVikingsGuy]

I love my new lx3310 with front blower in northern MN. I have a 1/4 mile driveway and another half acre of open area to clear. It's gravel so wasn't thrilled about using blade and it can get high and nice to blow the snow into the woods. It works great. It is a 10 minute hassle if you are swithcing back and forth from FEL to blower but for the most part I have left blower on for the winter. If you must stay with FEL all winter then I would go snow pusher for now and then maybe get rear PTO blower for when you need to blow out piles. I would not want to routinely use rear blower as the neck strain would suck. I also would not try SSQA front blower as they are hydraulic and the flow rate on these little tractors is minimal compared to the skid steers they are designed for. I have a simple blade on the back if I need to scape away along a garage door or our side walk but mostly just blow everything. If you could manage the budget I do think you would like the extra weight of the L60 series on the hills - my land is table flat so I haven't had any traction issues with the filled R14 tires and chains on the back.

 

[PaulL]

You’ll lose power at elevation, but that doesn’t mean you have to have a turbo. You simply need more hp at sea level to make sure you’ll have enough hp at 8000 ft.

Any way, if you think 26 would normally be ok, 33 is probably fine at 8000 ft.

My understanding is that a NA loses power due to reduced air pressure, and therefore reduced stuff to explode inside the engine. Most turbos compensate for air pressure - so they put the same amount of air into the cylinder irrespective of outside air pressure. Therefore turbos don't lose power with altitude the way an NA does. I have no personal experience with it though, and my analytical mind says that it must depend on the turbo - surely some turbos just increase the pressure by a fixed percentage, whereas others increase the pressure to a fixed total pressure. But I have no actual knowledge on that.

 

[jimh406]

For sure, turbos and superchargers are better at elevation. My point is that a normally aspirated engine will still work but will only produce less power at elevation due to the density of the air.

 

[JimmyJazz]

Hello All,

I'm looking for a tractor with the primary use of snow blowing and plowing.
I am located at 8000 ft elevation in the Utah snow country (Wasatch Mts.). We have close to 300+yrds of road and roughly a third acre of area that will need plowing. We have some hills/grades but are not very steep, 4-10% grade.

This would be my first tractor, so there is a lot I need to learn, but I have a little experience using skid steers with blowers that have done a great job on the snow.

I'm looking for a front snow blower and, if effective, may also run a plow blade on the rear along with the blower. I haven't run a blade behind a tractor as yet so I don't know if that is worth pursuing. Of course a front loader would also be needed. Also, I hope to have the enclosed cab.

Because of our elevation it has been recommended that we look at a turbo charge unit. Of course, at first, the Kubota dealer was recommending a L6060 but once we were clear on my budget he settled on the LX3310.

It seems the LX3310 might be a good fit but there are so many different units that Kubota makes that it is a daunting task to figure out which one would be the best for my budget and needs.

I'm looking for input on comparable models, blower and blade recommendations, tires/chains, and anything else that might be important that I have overlooked.

I'm sure there are questions that will need to be asked.

Your help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
ChrisO

I would consider a real 4x4 truck with a plow. Maybe a jeep or dodge M37. Thats serious business you are describing. You might need to spend $50,000 on a suitably outfitted Kubota tractor. You could find an older plow truck for probably under $10,000. You could always paint it orange. Just my opinion based on what hillbillies do here in the mountains of Southwestern Pennsylvania. The folks with money hire it done. Eighteen inches of snow near Seven Springs resort within the last week. An unusual occurrence.

 

[greg86z28]

Have you looked at John Deere? Check out the 2038R, although it might be more than you want to spend I’m not sure.

 

[SDT]

I getting confirmation from my mechanic friends and others that the turbo is the way to go with the elevation. A lot of guys up here with tractors have gone that route, so it looks like the 3310 will be the unit for me . . . so far.

I was looking at the Aquiline chains recommended by GP Outdoor as I have a gravel driveway - waiting for the asphalt fairy to show up . Those chains look very capable with the studded cross chains. i do have some grades and soft areas and of course ice that, on occasion, can give the chained skid steer I borrow some challenges, so I figured I will likely need chains. The Aquiline don't appear to be your bargain chains.

I'm not finding the F&R chains anywhere so far.

I was thinking of going with the R1 tires as snow, loose gravel and such are the main surfaces so traction is the priority.

CO

The Aquiline chains are premium chains and ideal for gravel driveways but will be very damaging to asphalt. I would not go that route if you plan to have your driveway paved.

FWIW, no tractor tires are designed for snow so none are very good therein. That said, R4s are the worst, followed by R1s. Turf tires are considerably better than either. The jury is still out on the new R14s but I expect them to be nearly as good as turfs, perhaps even better.

SDT