Are you ready for Winter?

[jyoutz]

I need some advise on snow removal. I live in Va and we don’t get a lot of snow. And I’m new to the tractor world. I’ve got a box blade and it worked fine on the little snow we had last year. I’ve been thinking of getting a rear blade. And would like some advise on this from people with more tractor experience than me. Thanks in advance

if you will be plowing a gravel driveway, a box blade will also scrape off your gravel. If you get a rear blade and turn it around, backwards, the blade will float over the gravel while moving snow.

 

[IanB]

A fellow Manitoban, here, SE corner of province. Have been using my B2650/B2782B front snow blower w/hyd. chute since December 2017, my 300ft driveway and about 60ft x100ft parking area is all gravel.

I also foray into a few fields trails and a bush trail with the blower as needed, we do lots of walking, dog walking, all winter here on this 116 acres.

I always have my BB1560 box scraper on the 3-point when the blower gets mounted. Not only a great ballast, but a very useful close-quarter snowpile-mover. I pull drifts well away from my garage door wall, etc., with the box, then hit with blower from safe distance. Scrapes up ice way better than the blower's bottom edge too.

Get yourself a 4l jug of winter weight chainsaw chain oil to regularly lube the drive chain. I use a 1 litre squirt-nose (has a tip like a caulk tube tip, and cap, was a 80w-90 gear lube container) for a chain oil bottle to throw in the tractor tool box, give the chain lube hole a little shot a couple times a day.

I just wish it snowed a lot more last winter! I have a lot of fun moving LOTS of snow FAR AWAY from the driveways FAST.

The hookup of the subframe and blower takes some getting used to, I've gotten it down to as little as about 20 minutes once the loader is off the tractor, but plan for it to take longer than that. I don't have interior or otherwise concrete floor space to be able to use a dolly or floor hoist to position the frame correctly - and it's fussy - and heavy to handle too.

And when it's time to check the drive chain tension, it's easy to over tighten that chain but still think it's within the operator's manual free play spec. range. The key is it needs that free play for the WHOLE RANGE of rotations of the drive sprockets and chain, several full rotations where no point is tighter than the spec. The assembly does not rotate perfectly evenly and the chain free play changes slightly through a few rotations, and with temperature changes, too. I overtightened a bit, and you can really hear the chain noise increase.

My point, leave it a little loose if anything, and don't tighten it much if neded.

Great info, thanks!

 

[RCW]

if you will be plowing a gravel driveway, a box blade will also scrape off your gravel. If you get a rear blade and turn it around, backwards, the blade will float over the gravel while moving snow.

To avoid pulling gravel, just lengthen top link so front blade is lifted. I do this early- and late-winter snows when driveway isn't frozen.

Works good, but doesn't hold much.

 

[jyoutz]

To avoid pulling gravel, just lengthen top link so front blade is lifted. I do this early- and late-winter snows when driveway isn't frozen.

Works good, but doesn't hold much.

True. It’s not a one pass solution. Plowing gravel driveways isn’t easy

 

[ItBmine]

Edge tamers installed, I ended up deciding to drill the bucket as these knock off ones had a small indent for the bolts in the bottom. So I grabbed some spacers, the cordless drill, and here we are. Did a little trimming to get the fit just right.
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Wow!! I need those for the wheel loader at the mine. Every time I come home for my week off my cross shift starts all kinds of new "open pit mines" I have to fix when I get back, LOL

 

[nbryan]

True. It’s not a one pass solution. Plowing gravel driveways isn’t easy

Damn rights not easy, can leave a mess real quick. Takes time and patience, and properly adjusted and operated equipment.
All that takes time, and learning from mistakes, to learn.

 

[RCW]

All that takes time, and learning from mistakes, to learn.

Said a mouthful there....believe me, I've had some adventures over the years.

Whether it's when to clear the snow or leave it, gravel/stone frozen down or not, what kind of stone to use in the driveway, when to put it in and how to grade or pack it, what kind of shoes or skids to use......the list goes on....

 

[thirdroc17]

Never

 

[ItBmine]

Well, I thought I was ready, until I just realized looking at the pics that I put the rear rims on my B on the wrong sides. So the direction of the tread is backwards.

No wait.....it snow blows backwards, so I meant to do that! LOL

Guess I'll be pulling those wheels off again. I keep that set of R4's just for winter and use the ones that have some wear in the summer. I don't have any issues with R4's in the winter as long as the treads still have a nice square edge.

 

[number two]

Nice equipment set-up you have there!

 

[Lil Foot]

Nice equipment set-up you have there!

I agree!
Almost makes me wish we got enough snow to need those.... almost.

 

[dirtydeed]

View attachment 66712

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Three tons of pellets in…have another half ton left from last season. Will get another ton in October.

Tore pellet stove apart for preventive maintenance. Replaced the door glass after 15 years and about 80 tons. Old glass was getting pitted on the interior.

Putting it back together today.

Same stove here. I like it with the exception of where mine is placed. I have very limited access to the back side of it unless I pull the whole thing out which is a PITA.

We've been here 5 years and the stove was here when we bought the place. Only thing I've had to do to it thus far is replace the distribution fan. That wasn't very difficult to do, I think that fan ran approx $275.

I get the occasional harmonic hum from the auger as well which can be annoying. Just have to clean it out a bit and it typically goes away. Fingers crossed that it will provide another year of nice, warm radiant heat.

 

[orange crusher]

Bx 2680 set to go 3 ways into the snow.........................

 

[River19]

Haven't really started prep for winter yet at least with regards to snow removal etc. I had to finish up the 70' French Drain project along part of the driveway first which required the bucket and box blade. Still have some minor touch up to do with the BB before swapping to the Blower and Rear Blade......

I also want to do the 50hr service at the same time I am getting all that equipment swapped over as I am at 46-48hrs now and if this winter is like last I will put ~10-15hrs on the tractor if not more and I don't feel like doing the service in the winter with cold fingers.

I also have to get my sand buckets ready to go and staged along the 500' driveway hill.......

Gotta be ready before Thanksgiving.......that is my goal.

 

[JeremyBX2200]

Not quite ready yet. Maybe one more mow and then the deck will get cleaned and put away for the winter.

About halfway through my homemade snowpusher project. I plowed with the bucket last year. Did okay, but a pusher will be a lot better.

Got my 2 pellet stoves cleaned and running well. Picked up half a ton of pellets. Gonna need to pick up about 3 more ton to be safe.

Going to change the oil and hydraulic fluid in the BX before winter sets in.

 

[nbryan]

I'm ALWAYS ready for winter tractor-wise.

My blower has been ready to go since last spring when I parked it on a pallet and went over it's maintenance needs.

I'll get excited about removing the loader and backhoe and mounting the front blower and box blade ONLY when there's a snowstorm on the horizon. Until then, and between snowstorms, it's loader/forks on year round, with the back sporting the BH or box scraper. Those last two come off temporarily when the chipper, trailer receiver, bush hog, or drawbar are needed on back.

 

[fruitcakesa]

I have to mount the rear chains, usually the day after the first storm
It is too steep and rough around here to plow without them.
We are still logging so the winch and grapple are still on but switching the grapple for the plow is a 5 minute job.
The winch can double as ballast and rear plow till I we finish logging and then can be switched out for the box blade.

 

[jimh406]

That reminds me, I might go out and put my chains on early. It’s not like I’ve been using my tractor a lot lately. Maybe I’ll do one more tuneup of the community road with the grader/scraper first.

 

[Snowman7]

1st winter at the new place, with the B2650. Front mount 63" snowblower purchased, having it installed (1st setup) at the dealer in early Nov, hoping it works well to clear the parking area and driveway, mostly gravel. For anyone with a similar setup, would you recommend using a rear mounted ballast box with the front mount snowblower? I've got one I've never used, but thinking it might be good for that purpose.

I highly recommend a rear blade to go with the front mounted snowblower. It will be a snow moving machine.

 

[nbryan]

I highly recommend a rear blade to go with the front mounted snowblower. It will be a snow moving machine.

My box blade does a fantastic job with snow and ice too, not as wide as a blade, but can handle a lot more volume and rough surfaces. I guess the advantage of a blade over box is fine control and sweeping action. I guess it depends on what the blade is used for the rest of the year. My needs are for the BB. A rear blade for me would be almost useless.