Snow blower vs Plow gravel driveway?

[David9723]

Which is better for a long uneven gravel driveway? My driveway is 470 yards long.

I Plan on buying a BX or B tractor and a front mount snow blower. Dad always used a rear plow on his Kubota and always messed up the road and got stuck a lot from drifts my road drifts really bad.

Or maybe a front mounted snow plow would work.

Are there any like spacers you can put on the bottom of a snow blower to keep it a inch from the gravel? I've never had one so i don't know how they work.

Thanks

 

[85Hokie]

Which is better for a long uneven gravel driveway? My driveway is 470 yards long.

I Plan on buying a BX or B tractor and a front mount snow blower. Dad always used a rear plow on his Kubota and always messed up the road and got stuck a lot from drifts my road drifts really bad.

Or maybe a front mounted snow plow would work.

Are there any like spacers you can put on the bottom of a snow blower to keep it a inch from the gravel? I've never had one so i don't know how they work.

Thanks

All of the above have or can have "feet" or spacers that lift the implement off the surface, 1" is typical on a snow blower - sometimes 1 1/2"

When you said rear PLOW - I think you meant rear scraper blade?

Otherwise you would have a hellva mess!

On a blade - there has been great success on a PVC split pipe that will dig snow and not gravel - cheap and very effective. Really depends on your budget

Where 'bout you in VIRGINIA?

 

[cerlawson]

As to what tractor, go larger. You won't regret it.

I have worked snow plowing on both gravel and paved using a rear blade only. But, until I got a BX for a city lot, with a rear blade, I didn't know about a trick i could have used years ago. On the city lot I plow snow off a vacant lot to give my dog a place to toilet instead of the salty street. I plow there with rear blade with cutter edge facing forward, but I back up with the blade not doing too bad a job any how.

Thinking back for the long gravel driveway I used to plow, I can imagine this current BX would be just too small for that way of plowing. Of course, this backwards way of doing things would be for the early winter first few snows until the gravel is nicely frozen, Then, conventional plowing on frozen gravel does not plow off much gravel.

I don't like the idea of leaving an inch or two, since my experience then with the icy surface, I fixed one problem but cause another one, possibly worse.

 

[David9723]

All of the above have or can have "feet" or spacers that lift the implement off the surface, 1" is typical on a snow blower - sometimes 1 1/2"

When you said rear PLOW - I think you meant rear scraper blade?

Otherwise you would have a hellva mess!

On a blade - there has been great success on a PVC split pipe that will dig snow and not gravel - cheap and very effective. Really depends on your budget

Where 'bout you in VIRGINIA?

Harrisonburg, VA

Yes i meant scraper lol

Never heard of using a pvc pipe on the blade that sounds like a great idea. Is that like the rubber cutting edge that kubota sells?

I can see buying a B model if i decided to use a plow. It really depends on what price i can get from a dealer but i don't see a front plow being able to get through drifts on a small tractor without getting into traction issues.

Based on other tractors i've seen plowing on a gravel road they always get so much snow built up on the blade the tractor eventually loses traction and diging into the road that's why i always thought a snow blower would not have the issue.

 

[Diydave]

If you have welding skills, and not much $ take 2 identical lawn mower blades, and weld them into a V plow. The V plow can be adjusted to a road's crown; by raising the front. It also eliminates side draft, as both sides exert the same force on the tractor.

I've been using a V plow made of 2 old Gravely walk behind plows, on my Allis D-10, off and on for the past 15 years. Haven't had that much snow, here, lately to hook it up. I also put nylon boards on, as cutting edges, so's not to dig up thin asphalt...

 

[85Hokie]

Harrisonburg, VA

Yes i meant scraper lol

Never heard of using a pvc pipe on the blade that sounds like a great idea. Is that like the rubber cutting edge that kubota sells?

I can see buying a B model if i decided to use a plow. It really depends on what price i can get from a dealer but i don't see a front plow being able to get through drifts on a small tractor without getting into traction issues.

Based on other tractors i've seen plowing on a gravel road they always get so much snow built up on the blade the tractor eventually loses traction and diging into the road that's why i always thought a snow blower would not have the issue.

That B will push a lot of snow !!!! Front or back! Depends on tires and what kind of blade you are using and angle of blade. The rear blade is cheaper - the front blade will need a lot of fabrication or $$ and the blower will need a lot more $$$$. The blower will only be used about 5 times a year! - AND yes I cant wait for it NOT TO #$@$@ snow.........had enough already !!!

the trick with the pvc pipe is to take a table saw/circular saw and cut a slit through the axis creating a "C" that is very closed. Then slide it over the cutting edge and friction keeps it there, depending on the size of the blade it may take a good "whack" to get it on! And if it breaks in the cold - and it will, the new one is cheap!

 

[CaveCreekRay]

David,

Here's a flick of a buddy in Ohio using his L3800 with shoes on the bucket lip. You can see them on the first frame before the video starts. His whole drive is gravel and he SWEARS by the shoes and just letting the bucket float. Much cheaper option.

https://vimeo.com/120393613

Ray

 

[CaveCreekRay]

David,

Here is another video of Bert leveling his gravel...

https://vimeo.com/111546157?from=outro-embed

 

[bxray]

You can buy bucket skids at
http://r2manufacturing.com
Or make them if you have welding tools.

You can put a rubber tire tread on the back blade.
I run mine backwards and it is like a big squeegee.

http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?p=125044#post125044

Ray

 

[Spen aver]

I'm in north east ohio. I just purchased a b3000hsdcc. I will have snowblower on it next winter. You can only pile up snow so high. A snowblower can throw it far. My 2 cents.

 

[David9723]

Thanks for the tips and videos it gives me lots of ideas.

Does anyone know if the R1 and R4 tires tear up grass when mowing? I was thinking about getting the turf tires and putting chains on all 4 of them in the winter would that be just as good in snow as the R4 or R1? Where do you even by chains of that size.

 

[pauly]

I used a blower and a rear blade together and it worked very well. When you get a lot of snow or drifting the blower is the way to go.
I have a quarter mile long gravel driveway that is out in the open. At first I thought that the blower was a mistake. After some heavy snow and drifting I realized the blower was a good choice.

 

[aeblank]

Front blower and rear blade for in front of garage and just scraping down. Any tire and chains will be great. Tirechains.com. duh....

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[A.O.]

Ok, I'm sorry, while I love my Kubota a front mount plow on a pickup it the best way to go for snow period!
When I was in colorado I had about a quarter mile long gravel driveway shared with 4 other houses, I was at the very end. First year we were there had a heck of a time getting out, neighbors had plows but no clue how to use them. Second year I got a 5' 3ph snowblower, dry powdery snow no problems, blew it just great, but you looked like the abdominal snow man when done. Heavy wet snow just packs it up and the blower hardly works !!

Sold the snowblower the next fall and bought a Western plow for my dodge.. Ahhh... perfect tool for the job! Moves snow just perfectly, was warm inside, and the cupholder even held my coffee... WAY BETTER!!!

 

[GBJeffOH]

If you get much snow I would get a bigger tractor.

I do a 700' drive and a 2,000' drive. We got a lot of snow in N.E. Ohio this winter.

I have a L3540 with a 8' plow on the FEL. I worked it hard this winter. It would take about 1 1/2 hour to clear both drives.

 

[nzzshl]

I'm in north east ohio. I just purchased a b3000hsdcc. I will have snowblower on it next winter. You can only pile up snow so high. A snowblower can throw it far. My 2 cents.

Spen Aver's right about pumping the snow further away from the driveway. Even at relatively quick paced plowing, the snow plowed today takes a set then each subsequent time the wind row is taller. Eventually, its not effective to plow. Ordinarily, we get about 35-40" seasonally in the part of Michigan where I live.....the winter before last we had a 100" and this year about 75". I am content with using the snowblower now versus the plowing I used to do. Not being able to speak for traditional Virginia snows, I suspect that a plow would be sufficient. As to a "V" plow balancing draft, it would seem that would only be true on the first pass.

 

[OldeEnglish]

Plows work great if you have somewhere to push the snow to that isn't a hill of any kind. Plowing at a good rate of speed is key to make the snow your plowing curl and flop out of the way. I used to plow a steep gravel driveway with a Polaris 300 4x4 and it worked great even in deep snow. Plowing up hill, I used to attack it at a fast speed and drop the plow when I hit the driveway. Basically, you can do the same thing with a tractor if the driveway is long enough.

I use both a plow on the front and a blower on the rear with my 7100. The driveway that I have now requires the blower because I don't have anywhere to push piles and only one hill along my drive that I can put the snow. I usually make a few passes with the plow and use the blower to loft the snow along the area I put it.

This year wasn't too bad for our end of the state, but I have had years where the snow pile would be even with the bottom of my windows, practically a glacier. I would lose a good portion of my driveway if I didn't have a snowblower. If I had an area that was flat and I could push the snow back, a plow would be just fine.

 

[Humblebub]

I am drifting a little off topic but agree on a blower if you have any amout of snow. End of my driveway this morning. Little 2370 with FEL and blower and I was out. Took me 90 minutes but I made it.

 

[OldeEnglish]

Wow, now that is a lot of snow ! I'm surprised you folks don't drive around in snow cats like this pisten bully. Although, I think you would need a larger snowblower on it!

 

[Diydave]

That's not a snowblower, now THIS is a snowblower:

https://youtu.be/QBSuNz3g0oA