BX18 + Rear Blade vs. ATV Snow Clearing

[Deleted member 43421]

I recently purchased a BX1870 with FEL / turf tires for maintenance and dress up of my new property. I also have a small Grizzly 350 ATV. My driveway is about 280’ asphalt with concrete parking pad in front of garage. Most of driveway is gradual with moderate slope section for the last 75’. Currently, I have no way to clear snow (I used walk behind snowblower at last house). I live in Southwest PA, don’t usually get major snow...but can get dumped on from time to time.

After purchasing the small tractor, I have no current use for the ATV and considering selling for more space / tractor attachments. Should I purchase snowplow for ATV or rear blade for tractor given my situation? My main concern is clearing the steeper section of driveway. If the ATV is clear winner, I’ll keep for snow clearing.

 

[Ping]

I have a BX2370 and don't have any slopes to contend with so YMMV. Other than the really heavy wet sticky stuff, I haven't had a problem with using a rear blade. And, I can also use the bucket if it gets too deep and wants to push me around. Also, a back up camera and mirrors will help save your neck when using a rear blade.
HTH

 

[SidecarFlip]

Keep the atv and plow with that. My 2 cents. Turf tires generally blow on snow and ice anyway.

 

[BigG]

I do not find an atv convenient to do a lot of back and forth work. The steering always wore me out and the shifting was awkward. Great on a trail but not to work with.

 

[chim]

I have no experience with turfs, but some people say they work fine in snow. There are some pretty good videos of ATV's with plows.

 

[B737]

dump the ATV. Unless you want to keep it for the novelty of 'touring' your property with the mrs.
My neighbors have an ATV, they try to plow a 400' driveway with it, total joke. They are usually out there every few inches to keep up. The tractor will do a much better job.
My dad clears snow with turf tires on his BX1800, zero ballast, its no problem. You could always install chains too...

 

[skeets]

Down here in the coal country of the SW Keystone, My BX 2360 can drag the rear blade no problems, and I find it works OK on some stuff,,, never have gotten the hang of it ,,, I got the front push blade and the QD for the front of mine and i find it works better than the rear blade in most cases. For most of the light stuff we get here 2 to say 6 inches the rear blade works well enough, but remember its not made to push, which it will do, it is however made to pull and since you have black top it might not be a problem. I have seen lots of people pushing snow with turfs with a lot of success, but if it get icy, like the man said ,,, chains! Just MHO

 

[Deleted member 43421]

Thanks all. I’m leaning toward the tractor option. Several more items I’m considering:
- Occasional Deep snow = ATV will struggle
- Loss of traction, sliding down hill - I can drop bucket and blade if I lose control, don’t have option on ATV
- Storage - PITA to store ATV with blade (same shed as tractor). Can use rear blade as counterweight in winter.

I would also consider front blade for tractor or snowplow, but hard to justify when I can get rear blade for $400-500

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I haven't used a blade in decades since I put a snowblower on an old 'rider', with some weight in the rear. it gets RID of the snow...unlike a blade where if you don't push it far,far away, next day you'll have a mountain range of unmovable ICE. I'm too old and beatup to change implements, so the rider is dedicated to snowblowing. have another for grass cutting so they get swapped....
I've seen ATV/plows get stuck up here ,not enough weight and they never seem to get RID of the snow....
Last year I started making a selfpowered SSQA snowblower unit as I don't want to remove loader to put a front mount blower on ( I'm too old and beatup to change implements,)

 

[RCW]

I'm in upstate New York. I have a front-mount blower. That isn't on your radar, so I'll skip that.

We're not in a place like Tughill Tom that gets snow in feet often, but we can get 1-foot + couple/few times per season. Most is 3 feet in ~12 hours. Still, less than 3" is a dusting for us, less than a foot is flurries for Tom....

Neighbor uses BX24 TLB using FEL on 200'+ paved drive. Using just the loader bucket, he has always made sure to push everything back.

He's an excellent operator, but it does take quite a long time to clear it/push back, especially when deep.

You're in skeets' neighborhood. He pushes, so I'm assuming a blade will work. Maybe a blade front and rear are worth consideration. Is your FEl bucket SSQA (e.g., two-lever quick attach), where you can pop the bucket off and attach a blade to the loader arms?

Advantage of a push blade on the loader allows stacking, etc. A blade mounted to an undercarriage quick hitch doesn't afford the same luxury as well as a loader-mounted blade. I used one of those one time to do a co-worker's driveway when her husband was laid up after surgery. Worked well and quickly.

My thought is try year 1 with the bucket on the loader and rear blade. After some experience you'll figure out if a front blade makes sense.

 

[ItBmine]

I have almost 300 feet of driveway and a turnaround for my transport truck and trailer.

I plowed my yard for 8 years with a 2004.5 Polaris Sportsman 500 H.O. with Carlisle Badlands radials. 60 inch Razor plow.
It worked great, and I am still amazed at the snow it will push. We get 13 to 13.5 feet of annual snowfall.
Also never changed a CVT drive belt once in those 8 years.

Now I have the Kubota with FEL, blades and blower. The atv is way faster. And if using a blade with your Kubota....the ATV will keep the banks back further because you can plow at higher speeds.

That being said......the Kubota will be more durable, less parts will wear (my Polaris plow is pretty much wore out now and I have snapped the winch cable 3 times.)

The ATV you have to start out pushing as wide as you can. Once it closes in, you aren't moving it. The Kubota will have the power to break up some hard packed banks.

I can't comment on all ATV's, but that 500 Polaris is a bulldozer.

With my Kubota, first choice is blower, FEL is also used as much as blower. My rear blade is never used except for spring breakup to scrape the slush and ice off.
A loader is my favorite attachment though. You can do anything with a FEL. May not be fastest way, but it will move anything.

 

[pauly]

I’ll toss my .02 in. I use the ATV for light snow, it’s quick. For heavy snow, more than 6” the Kubota with a front mount blower. I’m doing a quarter mile gravel drive with a hill.

 

[Ping]

OP, one more thing to consider since you're on asphalt is adding a rubber or poly cutting edge to whatever you use. The corners of the blade's metal cutting edge have a way of catching asphalt. Mine are made from a horse stall mat about 5/8" thick. At the rate i'm going, 1 4x6' will nearly last me a lifetime.
Regards

 

[shelkol]

I have a Kubota with a blower or a front mounted blade. I use the blade almost exclusively as it is much faster. If we get a year with lots of heavy snow, then I switch to the blower mid year. Lots of trees, so I almost always go through a shear pin or two with the blower on downed branches.

The Kubota isn't as fast as the ATV so won't really curl the snow back, you have to push it.

I run turf tires and have about 700# of ballast in the weight box. I do not own chains, just haven't neede them. Live about 30 miles NW of Boston

 

[dirtydeed]

JRB,

Save the coin and just go with a rear blade (5 footer or so). I use a 6 footer (my old bx23 handled it fine) and the 2650 has no issues at all. You can always push backwards for light snow to clear stone, grass without the blade digging in. Or pull the blade as intended but that gets to be an issue once your "wind rows" get too deep. Since you have a loader, you can always cut a path in deep snow or move piles with the bucket.

I also have an atv (550 grizzly) with a plow. I've used it occasionally for light snows, but overall its a slower operation using the winch to lift the plow and reversing for a second pass.

 

[Dvan]

I live in Colorado and we get a fair bit of snow, I use the back blade on my 2501 pretty much exclusively, and I have the ATV as well. One thing is great about it is, I can back right up to my garage and pull the snow away from it no problem. My driveway is approximately 500 feet long and I can clear 12 inches of snow in about 30 minutes. Another bonus to using the tractor is you can make piles and then use the loader just push the piles off the driveway. Last winter was my first winter with the 2501 and it’s hands above the ATV if you ask me.