Re: snow removal

Posted by paul on July 25, 2001 at 09:43:37 from (199.3.9.7):

In Reply to: snow removal posted by Jim in NH on July 24, 2001 at 18:21:50:

I live in Minnesota, so conditions can be quite different for me than for you. After Thanksgiving, snow does not ever melt away until about March, just keeps piling up & up. And the ground freezes hard, real hard, to 3 feet deep or more. And we have a lot of open prairie here, no forest, so lots of drifting. I've got, huh, 1/4 mile gravel driveway? Got a good hill in it on a curve, wouldn't know the grade of it.

So, here a blower is the only way to go. And on the 3-point, you don't want all that weight hanging on your front end so your rear wheels are weightless! Yes a front mount blower has a driveshaft under the tractor & belts or chains to the pto shaft. But those things sell CHEAP used around here, unless you have a tiny compact front wheel assist tractor, you just don't want a front-mount blower. More parts to break, and less effective, and harder to mount. The problem with a blower is much of your crushed rock will get blown away, and this is rather hard on any buildings you drive by. This is worse if the ground thaws more during winter in your area. Also if you have wet melting snows a blower will plug up more & not work as well.

You want chains & weight (whether that is CaCl in the tires, iron weights, something hanging on the 3-point, or a combination) on the back of your tractor. Never seen chains on the front tires, good new ribs will do the most for you.

A 3-point saltsander is very uncommon here, but I'd cuss the salt all summer long, I guess I wouldn't want this, maybe something that works where you live.

Those that don't use blowers here use a bucket on the front, a 3-point blade on the rear. Blades are quicker for light snowfalls, the bucket can move the snow out of your way when it really piles up. However, this makes banks on the side of the driveway, that fill in deeper & deeper & deeper with drifting snow. A snowblower gets rid of the snow so it doesn't get 6-8 feet high on the sides of the road. (I don't understand the guy who doesn't use a blower because of all the wind?)

Me, I'd look at this: Where I live with a winter tundra hard frozen ground, blowing snow, open ground, a 3-point blower does the best. If your conditions are a lot wetter & sloppier with trees to eliminate deep snow drifting, I'd use the bucket & a 3-point blade. (Or the blade in a bucket that others talk of, don't see that around here but sounds reasonable.) Either way, you want chains & weight on the back, and good ribbed tires up front.

When there's ice, be careful.

--->Paul

Follow Ups:

• Re: Re: snow removal Scott Green 10:30:56 07/25/01 (0)
• Re: Re: snow removal Dean 10:12:46 07/25/01 (1)
  • Re: Re: Re: snow removal paul 09:39:25 07/26/01 (0)

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