Snowplows

[WURTY]

My yard is knee deep in the white stuff and my wife can't get the car out of the garage. Too much to shovel at my age.

 

For the money and in your opinion what is the best answer to small farm snow removal, a quad with a plow or an old tractor with a blade ???

 

Show me some Pictures.

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

Not an authority on snow removal but, I am one on how to hurt yourself. Quad and keep a WOT...especially on slick stuff.

[yabadabapal]

If you fly me there Ill bring my shovel. But here are two options that look pretty good to me. Gotta be some great used options on craigslist and other resources.

 

 

http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=77635

 

http://www.agricover.com/index.php/products/category/C24/

 

Im wondering now if they have invented any plow and attachment fixtures for a snowmobile.

[Paul Mihalka]

Did you consider a snow blower? Last year with record snow I borrowed a neighbor's blower and it worked great. This year it is not going to snow here. I bought a blower for ourselves.

[big-t]

 

Which one can you get the most use out of when its not snowing?

 

This is what I use.It also has a brush hog,backhoe attachment,plow and disc.I have put over 800 hrs on it since I purchased it and would be lost without it.

 

 

Depending on how much land you have to work,I'm thinking a garden tractor with mowing deck and blade or snowblower might work well.....of course a quad would probably be more practical...

 

 

 

[Art..]

How long is your driveway? Is it gravel?

 

In heavy, deep snow, the quad with a plow will get overwhelmed. The tractor won't.

 

I have a 4x4 25 hp John Deere X585 and a 48" blower. This setup will easily handle a foot of wet snow, 2 inches of crusty ice / snow, or anything in between. It's a great setup, and I bought it for about the price of a decent quad.

 

How about a plow for your truck?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Boone60]

How much area are you looking to clear? Just a drive at what length? If it's just a short drive, then a snowblower with a cab shield would be fine.

 

My drive is over a quarter mile long--I use a 21 hp diesel B7500 4x4 HST Kubota with a 5 foot back blade and the front end loader. I have a three point 48 inch blower for it, but if the snow is wet, it will plug up. I'm going to try using a Polaris Sportsman 500 with a 48 inch blade, got it from a friend that said it didn't plow well. It should be interesting.

[Antimatter]

Find someone with a big truck and a plow and shoot them a few bucks. Around here (MN) that's what landscapers do during the winter to make money. Whatever big 4x4 pickup they use for hauling equipment around gets outfitted with a plow, and they have a regular route of houses they clear.

[Ron_B]

 

[Joel]

Which one can you get the most use out of when its not snowing?

 

That was the clincher for me. Ended up with a modified Deere 318 with 47" blower:

 

 

Also runs a 48" mowing deck, and I'll be adding a 3-point hitch and box scraper in the spring to grade the road and driveway. Not as much fun as a quad, but gets the work done.

 

I prefer a blower to a blade. Pushing snow around takes more mass, torque and traction, and you need to be looking for places to stack it.

[upflying]

I just spent Thanksgiving week with my son in Tucson. No need for snow removal there.

[Dennis Andress]

Maintenance is an important consideration. Something that's adequate but has to work hard to get the job done is going to wear fast. Something that's bigger than you need but chugs effortlessly along is going to cost less in the long run.

 

[hANNAbONE]

My yard is knee deep in the white stuff and my wife can't get the car out of the garage. Too much to shovel at my age.

 

For the money and in your opinion what is the best answer to small farm snow removal, a quad with a plow or an old tractor with a blade ???

 

Show me some Pictures.

 

wURTY - yOU'RE in an area where the quad makes a lot of sense .. on the off days you could cruise with it to pick up shee...sheeee-type females in town.

Really - the Quad would be my pick 'cause you could do more with it after the plowing.

[Alan D]

I have an 850ft 1/2 gravel 1/2 concrete driveway that goes up a hill.

First I tried to hire the landscape guys. Undependable, and I was at the end of a very long list after they finished their commercial customer parking lots.

Second I tried a large Honda snow blower. Dry light snow blows back in your face, and it was work, hard to steer.

Then I bought a riding mower, equipped it with a blade, wheel weights and chains. Worked OK until we had a lot of heavy snow and ice. Then it just could not keep us and traction became a problem.

Then I bought a 4wd Kawasaki mule and put a plow on it. This has been the best answer and we use the mule for lots of chores. The mule is many times more practical the an atv and does a great job plowing.

[BrianT]

Depending on how much you need to remove, look into snow blowers too. Used one for my father in laws long ass driveway and worked great. Definitly way faster than shoveling.

[StuGotz]

Then I bought a 4wd Kawasaki mule and put a plow on it. This has been the best answer and we use the mule for lots of chores. The mule is many times more practical the an atv and does a great job plowing.

 

OK so it's decided....Wurty needs a mule...

 

hey buddy..

 

MB>

[Gregori]

Bah - you don't want a plow - you want a snow cutter.

 

(In action: Case 406)

 

 

(In action: SBU with small cutter)

 

 

[Misterlogan]

i have a 318 and the 47" blower, they are just not mated up yet. Soon I hope

[Hermes]

I have a 300 yard graveled driveway uphill and downhill. I tried the Snowblower on my Kubota but didn't like the gravel it shot out onto the lawn left and right.

So I bought an articulated hydraulic (snow) blade, 5' wide, onto a subframe for my B7800 Kubota with V-chains on the loaded backtires. The blade gets installed in late fall and replaces the loader. On the 3Pth I got a 6' grader blade which I use simultaneously with the front blade.

 

Great set up, never too much snow.

I can send you picture, if you like.

 

 

p.s. how are the sheep?

[Joel]

i have a 318 and the 47" blower, they are just not mated up yet. Soon I hope

I'll be interested to know how it works out for you. I've got 6 suitcase weights on the back, plus about 100 lbs of ballast in the rear tires (Carlisle Tru Powers), and it seems pretty stout for a relatively small machine.

[Boffin]

My yard is knee deep in the white stuff and my wife can't get the car out of the garage. Too much to shovel at my age.

 

For the money and in your opinion what is the best answer to small farm snow removal, a quad with a plow or an old tractor with a blade ???

 

Show me some Pictures.

 

[John Ranalletta]

didn't like the gravel it shot out onto the lawn left and right

My drive is ca. 150' of limestone as well. We don't get as much snow, so I use a Toro 2-cycle, paddle blower. I elevated the skidplate of the blower 1/2" by attaching a strip of neoprene.

 

On a larger blower, one could fab a "ski" for each side of the blower to elevate it leaving an inch of snow but leaving the stones in place.

 

I've never plowed snow but it seems whatever one uses to plow needs loads of torque and be special built to handle the stress. is that why one should never buy a used p/u that was used for plowing?

[Svensk]

My solution was the old style Gravely two-wheel tractors (50's and 60's vintage) with the snow blower attachment. They work great in up to 2' of snow. And, I like the technology (or lack thereof)!

 

 

 

[eddd]

Make all of your neighbors envious...

 

[eddd]

 

Ready for deliver! What's your address?

 

 

[Bill_Walker]

If you call it a farm, you'd better get a tractor. Head over to TractorByNet and ask around the forums there.

[Joel]

Make all of your neighbors envious...

 

 

(insert grunting noises here)

 

[Pilgrim]

My yard is knee deep in the white stuff and my wife can't get the car out of the garage. Too much to shovel at my age.

 

For the money and in your opinion what is the best answer to small farm snow removal, a quad with a plow or an old tractor with a blade ???

 

Show me some Pictures.

 

wURTY - yOU'RE in an area where the quad makes a lot of sense .. on the off days you could cruise with it to pick up shee...sheeee-type females in town.

Really - the Quad would be my pick 'cause you could do more with it after the plowing.

 

He lives in Idaho, 'bone. State law requires that he own a pickup truck at least ten years old with a broken windshield, one headlight, no taillights AND a beat-up quad.

 

Pilgrim

[Pilgrim]

Then I bought a 4wd Kawasaki mule and put a plow on it. This has been the best answer and we use the mule for lots of chores. The mule is many times more practical the an atv and does a great job plowing.

 

OK so it's decided....Wurty needs a mule...

 

hey buddy..

 

MB>

 

The sheep are gonna be soooo jealous....

 

Pilgrim

[EddyQ]

For the money and in your opinion what is the best answer to small farm snow removal, a quad with a plow or an old tractor with a blade ???

 

I have a 4 wheel drive quad, wheel chains and a 48" plow. I've used it for years and it works quite well for small walkways and driveways.

It works good, but does not handle lots of snow that well. I've plowed up to 12" deep with success. It cuts right down to the pavement better than pickup truck plows. It also doesn't mess up the lawn nearly as much as a pickup plow. Very deep snow requires only a portion of the plow to cut through at a pass. Not easy if you are breaking a long path to somewhere. It does plow into decent piles of snow, maybe 4-5ft tall, but lacks the power to build mountains of snow. I often plan ahead and push the early season snow way off onto the lawn with expectations of more future snow. With the chains, I can widen an old snow path with ease. Heavy slushy snow is no problem either.

 

Now, I do not have farm. I simply have a driveway that is two cars deep, two cars wide. I had the machine for fun, so I put a plow on it rather than buying a snow blower. But, I think the machine is better used on much longer runs than what I have. I've often thought of replacing it with a snow blower. If the type of paths you have are like sidewalks or narrow paths, the ATV is very good. For roads, get a bigger machine.

[Fubar]

My yard is knee deep in the white stuff and my wife can't get the car out of the garage. Too much to shovel at my age.

 

For the money and in your opinion what is the best answer to small farm snow removal, a quad with a plow or an old tractor with a blade ???

Skip the blade, save your back and let her enjoy the feeling you get on the cycle: let her ride the quad. If its deep enough, go with a snowmobile instead. Its just a motorcycle on snow after all.