Re: Duals and snowplowing

Posted by Hugh MacKay on December 22, 2008 at 03:33:41 from (216.208.58.134):

In Reply to: Duals and snowplowing posted by onefarmer on December 21, 2008 at 15:24:37:

onefarmer: Snow plowing is a funny business, what works under some conditions, can be rather useless in other conditions. This has been my experience and most big two wheel drive tractors are not the answer. Here in Canada, anyone doing serious snow plowing use Canadian ring chains with 2" corks

I did my first snow plowing back in the 1950s with a Farmall H, chloride, wheel weights, chains and a front blade. By the end of the decade we had switched that same equipment to a new Farmall 300. By 1958 we had a new Farmall 130. My dad and I got plowed out after a storm and went to the feed store in a village of roughly 50 homes, church, bank, post office and several assorted other businesses. At that time 3 guys did all the private snow plowing with a Super A, Super C and a MF 65. From the feed store we watched the guy with the Super A, and man could that guy move snow, he was running circles arund the other two. I'll admit part of this was operator. On the way home dad commented, "I think we plow snow with the wrong tractor, should be using the new 130." A second problem we used 300 for hauling logs and fire wood from the bush, and every time we went to the bush, we had to remove the blade. We never did change.

Later I plowed snow around the farm with Farmall 560, 45 hp skid loaders and an articulated Deere forestry skidder with 4 ring chains, 8 speed power shift and 3'x 12' blade. It took a lot of snow to stump that old Deere. If one got off the roadway he had crab steer plus the winch.

Since that time, I've plowed snow some for a logging company, 300hp Champion road grader, front angle blade, wing and ice blades on the 18' grader blade. 4 wheel chins. That machine required a bit of room. It was also quite useless if you got in a ditch even as shallow as 15". That can be quite easy on logging roads, in the middle of a blizzard.

Now that I'm retired, I finally put a 7' angle blade on the 130, just my own driveway, maybe the ocasional neighbor in trouble.

After 60 years my accessment, nothing will match those articulated skidders or tractors, not even the Champion road grader, TOO HEAVY. For the dollars invested, the little Farmall 130 comes out on top. When I moved here, all the farmers laughed at my thinking I was going to keep my 400' driveway clear of snow. They are all using 100hp plus. They don't laugh anymore.

An interesting mote about snow plowing in my home town, probably 100 homes today. It takes about a dozen pickups, two wheel loaders, 3-4 skid loaders, and they don't get it done as fast as the guys with SA, SC and MF 65. Mind you the old guys didn't have a coffee shop or a cab, so other than the ocasional hot toddie at the end of a driveway, they kept the heavy clothes on and kept on plowing. Hasen't progress been great.

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