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BX for snow removal use your FEL or a blower

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AKFord
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 7 Alaska
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2004-08-23          94142

I am trying to pick attachments for my BX 1500 and as snow removal is a major consideration I am trying to decide if I should spend the extra $1,500 for a rear mount snow blower or try my hand using the FEL. The area of Alaska I live in gets a mix of wet snow (but not slushy or necessarily heavy) and dry snow. I have about 1,400 square feet of drive to plow. Thanks for any input.


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grinder
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 677 central Maine
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2004-08-23          94146

If it's paved,or good hard pack that stays frozen, I
don't think you can beat a blower. A rear mount keeps
your bucket available. ....

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TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2004-08-23          94149

I'm on gravel and I use my loader until freeze-up when I switch to a blower. Loaders aren't great for snow removal since they don't push it to one side like a blade. Blowers aren't great on gravel until it freezes. After freeze-up, blowers are good since you don't have to figure out where to put the plowed snow. ....

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jarndt
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 351 Northern Virginia
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2004-08-23          94155

I live in northern Virginia. It snows here, but usually not a whole lot. Occationally we will get a surprise storm that dumps a foot or two at a time, but usually it is only a few inches of wet stuff. I use a rear blade on a gravel driveway. The blade is facing forward but I drive in reverse so that the blade is pushing with the convex side. That way it rides over top of the gravel, but is heavy enough to scrape the snow. I've noticed that I start having traction issues (even in 4WD) when I start to build up a big pile (three feet high or so). It's due to the relative light weight of the BX. I have used a rear snow thrower on a larger machine in Buffalo N.Y. (lots of snow!) I would highly recommend the snow thrower for the BX because it doesn't have to "push" the snow. It will even work fine on loose gravel as long as you set the skids up about an inch or so.
....

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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2004-08-23          94164

AKFord, I would buy a blower for a 1400 FOOT driveway but it would be a waste of time for a 1400 SQUARE FOOT driveway.

If I am reading this right you have a 70 foot drive.... the FEL will do that in a snap. If you live in Anchorage the biggest problem is stacking snow and busting the berms after the city plows do their thing. The FEL is the right tool for that job too.

I hope you got the turfs rather than the bar tires as they will do a better job on snow and ice.

I do need your help on one issue.... how wide are your rear rims? There should be a number stamped on them. I am toying with the idea of using BX1500 rear tires and rims all the way around on my RTV 900. I am thinking they are the same rims as the other BX's. Thanks.


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AV8R
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 882 North Central Wisconsin
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2004-08-23          94166

Your neck and back will thank you if you get the front blower. Limited reach of the FEL is not an issue with a blower which will throw 20 feet up. Also if you adjust the shoes for gravel untill freeze up there isn't a problem with throwing stones either. ....

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AKFord
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 7 Alaska
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2004-08-23          94189

DRankin,

I wish I could help you but I haven't taken delivery of my BX yet, as soon as I do I can tell you what size they are thouhg. Sorry I couldn't help. ....

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jarndt
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 351 Northern Virginia
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2004-08-24          94273

DRankin,

The rear tire size on a BX1500 is 24X12X12. I belive the rim is 10" wide to accommodate 12" wide tires. ....

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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2004-08-24          94296

Thanks. ....

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unit5alive
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 250 Latrobe Pa
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2004-08-24          94322

The fel on my bx works great for snow removal! ....

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tsatter164
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 1 Athens NY
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-08-24          94360

Had to use FEL until my front blower arrived lst yr.
Blower has it all over the FEL - faster, neater, gets the snow out of the way. ....

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091755
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 143 brantwood wisconsin
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2004-08-26          94637

I would say that the small amount of driveway would
not warrant a blower, unless you have a ton of money
I would get a good backblade with sides and skids
I personally have plowed my one quarter mile drive way
and they areas around the buildings for 6 years with
a 6 foot backblade on my B2400
just this year i purchased a L3410 with a front snow-
blower, because my ill father lives with me in the
boondocks of N. Wisc.-If i need to get out fast, now
I can It all comes down to money I dont think
the amount of surface you have to clear warrant a
snowblower, be it rear or front ....

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jjfinn
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 46 Northern Virginia
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2004-08-27          94694

Interesting issue. Of course the blower is easier and faster if money is not an issue, but the FEL is essentially free since you already have it. However, you may also want to consider having a place to put the snow if you use a FEL or a blade. I am not sure where you are in Alaska, so the Fairbanks data of 75 inches of mean snowfall annually may indicate this could be an issue, even with the modest 1400 square feet of drive area. (The record is just under 150 inches). Actually, a FEL may enable moving it further away than what a snowblower would accomplish -- providing you have another area to put it. Several areas of the lower 48 can get a more snow (including the UP of Michigan, Buffalo and certain other areas of New York, etc.), so how to dispose of the snow can be an issue. A more moderate area of Alaska than Fairbanks may suggest less snow, less of an issue.



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Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2004-08-27          94696

Nothing looks cleaner then a blown driveway! If paved with down pressure you can clean it so the sun can burn off the residue even after being packed down some. Your snow fall seems to be somewhat less then we have here in central NY and I've seen larger drives just cleaned with the loader but then come spring it normally requires more lawn fixing. ....

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AV8R
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 882 North Central Wisconsin
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2004-08-27          94766

"Actually, a FEL may enable moving it further away than what a snowblower would accomplish"

jjfinn: I'm confused. How is this possible? ....

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BX for snow removal use your FEL or a blower

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jjfinn
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 46 Northern Virginia
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-08-29          94876

AV&R: If the location where the snow would be blown is not desirable for piled snow, then a FEL allows moving the snow to a more suitable location. Not likely a problem in most areas. If AKFORD chooses to get a rear blower like he asked about (despite the neck and back stress), then he still would have the FEL to move snow piles if needed and do other stuff.

....

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DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998
Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2004-08-29          94892

When you use a blade to clear a drive you get hard pack banks. In my case the hard pack banks leads to water not running off and refreezing on the the drive.

I always curse if I am out of town and my wife has to get a plow as I have to deal with those ^%^^%^&^$*&$^ banks for hours and hours. Nothing does a cleaner job than a blower and does the least damage to the lawn at your driveways edge. ....

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dillo99
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 16 Rochester, NY
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2004-08-31          95153

I have a B7500 and used the FEL this past year to clear the driveway - it worked okay, but not great. It seems to me it would work a lot better with a simple modification....
1. one idea is to just clamp some wings on the side that allow the fel to push more snow without it spilling over the sides.
2. strap some kind of a plow on the fel that is angled.
3. strap a larger bucket on. Around here, the large parking lots (at malls and stuff) are cleared by large loaders that have snow buckets chained right onto the fel (anyone ever seen that?). Seems to me the same thing could be done on a tractor fel. Sure, it will reduce your lift capacity, but it is just snow and already weights a fraction of what gravel would way.
Has anyone seen these kinds of mods used to move snow? ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-09-01          95251

Dennis ole' buddy, I think your statement about hard packed banks needs a little clarifying.

If you plow snow with a plow on a pickup you will PROBABLY get hard packed banks.

If you plow snow with a blade on a FEL the only reason for hard packed banks is the 'loose nut behind the wheel' syndrome.

With a FEL-mounted blade it is very easy to lift the blade as you get to the edge of the plowed area and push the snow UP and off the cleared section. This does NOT leave a had packed bank at the edge of the plowed area.

Dillo, one of the simplest mod's to make a regular bucket on your FEL more productive is side plates, not wings. Once the bucket is full of snow the snow itself extends further out from the bucket in the middle than the sides, this makes the snow spill off to the sides. If you merely extend the sides straight out with swivelling plates, then the pile of snow trapped by the sides is vastly more before it gets full and spills off to the sides. The swivel protects from damage and allows trhem to follow contours instead of dropping snow, and allows the bucket to pivot for scraping had pack.

Best of luck. ....

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DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998
Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2004-09-01          95269

Thanks Murf!

As you point out a Front End Loader (FEL) mounted snow blade operates diffferently. My only experience is with front mounted blades on tractors and pickups with limited lift capabilities. Of the choice of a non FEL blade or a front blower I usually prefer the blower until we get that slushy icy mix. Hey but what is all this talk of snow it's still summer and isn't winter far away ;>) !

Dennis ....

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bross52
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 4 Illinois
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2004-09-05          95644

I have a bx2200, used FEL for last 2 years. Works great. I have about a 100 ft drive, plus I clean my 88 year old neighbor's drive also. I do have a blade on the rear to use also. ....

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