Go BottomSnow Removal Method Idea
 | schlich92
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 4 Minnesota 
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2005-11-15 119375
I have thought a great deal about how I am going to remove snow from my driveway. It is about 1/2 mile long and I have a 4310 with a FEL. This is my first year, so I first considered the cadillac plan of having a front mounted blower, then after reading a lot of the posts and talking to a local dealer...decided that may be more money than I really need to spend. I like what Murf has designed, but thought a cheaper way to go would be to have a blade on the back and drive forward with the bucket tilted up a little with it in float mode with a the blade behind angled and offset to direct the spillover from the bucket to one side. I could possibly add a little extension on the back blade to move more snow to the side. I am interested in comments on my idea.....
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada 
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2005-11-15 119376
First of all, thank you.
Now, one of the main things about plowing snow most people don't think about at all, until it's too late, is that any snow plow blade has a trip mechanism of some sort built in for safety. A rear blade or the FEL bucket does not.
When you hit something frozen into the ground, and you WILL do it eventually, you will be very lucky if you only get a good thump, I've seen both people and equipment hurt pretty badly doing it. There has to be some 'give' in there some were.
As for cheap, if you're a bit handy and can weld, you should be able to do what I did for $500 or less.
Compared to what you might pay your chiropractor or JD dealer that might be a real bargain. ;->
Best of luck. ....
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 | DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2005-11-15 119378
You live in Mn so you must get alot of snow. Is that .5 mile drive paved? gravel? smooth? Flat? Some place to push the snow on both sides?
The front blower is more than a cadillac in more ways than just the price tag, it is specifically made to do the task you need done the best. That said you have a nice heavy powerful tractor and you will certainly be able to move snow around with it with a loader and a blade.
The problem with this set up is the blade is not a snow blade so the snow does roll off it like it does on a front mounted blade, also it is rigid so you have to go slow, this also stops the snow from rolling off the blade nicely. You also are pushing the snow ahead of you and it is not going off to the side. You may have to alot of backing up.
If you already have the blade and loader, you may want to try it. I have a loader and an rear blade on a much smaller tractor (Kubota B7610) and there is abolutely no way I would leave the front mount blower in the garage and use the loader and blade instead, like using a chisel instead of a surgical knife, but they both still get the job done. But since you don't have the blower you won't know what you are missing and may be happy anyway.
One problem you will have is the lead time for blowers can be long. I had to wait over a month for mine and they told me if I had waited until later in the fall I would have missed the winter, its already pretty late, you'd have order it now if you want it for this year.
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 | beagle
Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 1333 Michigan 
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2005-11-15 119380
Here in Michigan, we can get our fair share of snow. I've done both, Loader with rear blade, and hydraulic front blade. Both with the same machine. There is now way to compare trying to clear snow with the loader and Rear blade to the front blade. The front blade is fast and efficient, and like previously described, angles and rolls the snow off to the side. The loader was a considerable amount of work, and the rear blade alomost useless, and quite dangerous since there wasn't a trip mechaninsm.
I'm sure the blower would be the Cadillac, but the front blade is at least a Buick. We fabricated the subframe and mount ourselves, and bought a good used angling blade. The front blower would be $3000, not really worth the extra money after using the front blade. ....
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 | AV8R
Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 882 North Central Wisconsin 
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2005-11-15 119386
Although I will never have a bad thing to say about my front mount snowblower, I too have a 1/2 mile long driveway. This is WAY too much for a snowblower if you get any appreciable amount of snow. They're just too slow if you have to do anything else in your day (like go to work!).
I watched all summer and finally found (for less than $2500) a '89 Chevy with a new(ish) Hiniker plow on it. Hands down will beat my Kubota on a 1/2 mile driveway. Lately I have seen plow trucks ranging from $500 on up around here for USABLE condition. Some are worse than others, but a heated truck beats an open tractor any day in my book. ....
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| JAZAK5
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 276 coxsackie,ny
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2005-11-15 119387
If you get a 30 inch snow fall and the temperature rises changing the density of the snow,your going to spin your wheels with that plow, this is where the blower will out do any plow !!!! get a couple of these back to back like I did a few years ago where you ran out of pushing room.
Call it going backwards or not, I went from a f-350 4x4 with a fisher speedcast to a jd 790 4x4 with a front mount erskine blower and I will NOT GO BACK. as far as speed, I make 2 passes without the need to "clean "things up and I dont have piles, I throw it 30-40 feet "that"way. ....
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| lbrown59
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2005-11-15 119402
Put the snow blower on the pick up and stay warm. ....
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| schlich92
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 4 Minnesota
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2005-11-16 119411
Thanks for all the help....I am thinking I will have to look into a plow. I really have thought about a heated truck, but a beater truck that doesn't start has me thinking that even though the elements are there....I can depend on my tractor starting, it is in a heated garage. I will have to do some looking. I have heard the blower fans as well, but like I said in the first post, they are very spendy. I have a gravel driveway and plenty of room to push snow on both sides. The majority of the driveway is through a wooded area which should help prevent major drifting issues. What size plow should I be looking for???? ....
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 | Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2005-11-17 119449
There is no easy simple solution for snow removal. Many people in our area have people plow but with a average year of snow they have to have larger payloaders come in to move it back. Some driveways lay right to the wind so they don't have banking problems and some lay the wrong way and a blower is really the only complete way. Tractors have the ability to have a heated cab so that does take one of the advantages of the truck away. The older trucks can be a problem for maintanance when older and naturally rusty and just having another tool is not always the answer. ....
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 | wildbill34
Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 27 Kalamazoo, MI
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2005-11-26 119876
Well I have tried the blade thing, but the snow builds up too much around the sides and I need to put the fel on to move it out of the way. So I bought a blower for this year. I have used it twice and love what it does. However, I did get cold and wet. Now I have a Curtis Cab coming and should be installed the 2nd week of December. Just hope we don't keep getting snow until it is installed. The boss at home just keeps shaking her head in amazement that I like to work on it so much......hehehehe ....
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