I know Murf is a proponent of tractors for snow removal, but I strongly advocate a beater truck and a plow for any snow removal chores. Nothing beats a radio, heat, a cushy seat and a cab--even someone along for the ride. And you can go plow your neighbor$ in the time it takes to do your own driveway with a blower.
To a certain extent Jeff is right, I do run a lot of tractors for snow removal, but it's because I already have them for other uses, snow just makes them earn their keep all year round.
In years gone by most of our machines were parked for the winter, but the biggest influence in e decision to find winter work for them was my employees. They wanted to work a full year and not just 8 (or so) months of it.
The other issue is the kind of work we do, most of it just can't be done with much other than a tractor.
Jeff does make a good point though, a tractor won't be nearly as fast as a truck, if you need to be competitive on the price, the tractor will lose, especially if you have to go very far between jobs. At ~10 mph between jobs you're not going to get any speeding tickets.
**Knock On Wood** Of the 3 machines I have used to move snow in the winter, only one got eaten up by the salt and that was a craftsman tractor. For me since its a side job its easier to do it with a tractor than a truck because the cops around here dont hassle me because technically you need a home improvement liscence to plow.
Thanks Hardwood you brought up a good point i didnt think of the smash factor with having something on the 3 point all the time, makes a weight box more economical since smashing the box is a cheap fix.
For me since its a side job its easier to do it with a tractor than a truck because the cops around here dont hassle me because technically you need a home improvement liscence to plow.
You better talk to your local cops then. Around here they are starting to crack down on equipment on the road at night. They don't mind you moving stuff with an SMV (slow moving vehicle) sign on the back day-time, or even after dusk in the summer, but they sure don't like it in the winter. We've even been hassled while driving day-time during snow storms.
They're more concerned about safety than they used to be. I'm hearing the same thing from other areas too. Even when you show them proof of insurance they don't like it and strongly suggest moving in clear daylight hours.
If you plan on driving around at night be sure you have lots of lights on that unit.
Chains? I recommend you get them for the fronts. Front chanins cost little, are easy on/off, and will help not only traction but steering control.
But you get relatively little traction from the fronts because they are smaller than the rears, have less down-force, and in slippery conditions likely only one will be pulling. If, after seeing what front chains do, you decide to get them for the rears too, they are easily available.
I have ridden my LX 188 to town and backk with the SMV Triangle and Strobes without any trouble, because as long as it looks like im helping a neighbor its ok. The town goes after people who look like they are profiting from it, and it helps that I live in suburbia and most things i do no one else does around here, like buy a 2305 .
Auerbach thanks for that, I didnt know they made chains for the front tires I will look into them because I always hated the lack of steering control.
I also called the dealer and oreded an engine block heater for the machine, so theres no cold starts this winter since I dont have the luxury of a heated garage (someday tho.)
Just be very careful if your 'customers' have paved (asphalt, concrete or pagers) driveways.
As Jeff (earthwerks) mentioned earlier, chains wreak havoc on any 'finished' surface.
People really dislike paying 'pro's' and then finding 'amateur' damage afterwards.
I used to happily chew up several sets of turf tires a year doing snow removal at a few estates we maintain. It was a pittance compared to; a) what I was charging, and b) what repairing the damage of running R4's & chains would have cost.
Auer IMHO I don't agree with you on running chains ONLY on the fronts. It makes the tires taller changing the gear ratio causing the tires to spin faster than they need or should (ever try operating a front-tine rototiller on hard ground?). And that added spinning will wear out the chains quicker. So, really, if chains are used, they should be front and back.
Earth, the tire circumferance is the same with chains on. Mine are not thick mesh that covers the rolling surface, but a link every 6" or so, having the same effect as rolling over a small stone. As for scraping and wearing, if you don't need the added traction at the moment, you should not be in 4WD. In any case, I was suggesting the doing the fronts as a way to try out chains, a step to getting all four.
As for ballast, I should think he'd want a rear blade rather than wasting the hitch on just something heavy. But he might want a good weight over the blade unless he has down-power at the hitch, which I doubt. As for tire filling, I've had calcium ballast in the rears since new, and the only problem in 30 years was the valves corroding from it (a simple replacement). He might be better off calling a farm tire shop than the tractor dealer.
I've never been a big fan of putting chains on the front, but that's just me. My concern is if you're lacking in traction all around and the front grabs first it could give quite a jolt to the MFWD, being undersized to pull the entire load. If you have a FEL, that's usually adequate front ballast. My dealer encourages the more ballast on the rear, within reason, the better; especially on MFWD tractors. The brakes should handle turning issues.
Auer, rolling over a small stone does not affect circumference. However, if that stone is stuck to the tire--like a chain would be---it does affect it even albeit momentarily, just like over- under-inflation or over-weight conditions.
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09-28-2009, 11:36 
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