Educate me on plowing snow with garden tractor

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Originally Posted By: Silber Igel
Prefer Green myself.... but these would do....

Still, 12 to 14 large??? When you can buy an Ariens for a grand and change???


I hear you. I love 'Green' also. Just throwing the most cost effective options out there for equipment in that realm.

Joel
 
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All of a sudden you're ready to spend 10 grand on a tractor of some type? Go with your original idea and buy an 4 X 4 ATV with a plow. During the Summer, you can play and in the winter you can work (play). My biggest problem with my little Suzuki Eiger w/plow is that my sidewalks are not as wide as the blade. So, I end up tearing up the grass that borders the walk a little. Otherwise, it's awesome and fun. When I only pushed the first 12 inch storm a little off the sides of my drive, I had to go back a couple days later (after it had turned into hard compacted ick) and push it another 10 feet to the side to make room for the next storm. Easy as pie. Need a path through the yard from the house to the street? Zoooom! Done! During the Summer, when I'm not up to my eyeballs in small engines or at the local trail climbing hills, I'm taking the grandkids for a ride around the yard. Win, win, and win. DISCLAIMER: If you don't like fun or you have an acreage where a tractor might be useful during the Summer, you'll have to weigh that into the decision. You never know, you might win the lottery and be able to buy a monster truck. Just don't run over the wife's car with it.
 
+1
A quad isn't a truck but I do my 1/4 mile driveway with mine. If I get 8" of wet snow then I wish I had a blower but on the other hand I did 5" of fluffy snow today in less than 1/2 an hour and was able to push this snow over the existing banks just by going fast.
I think for $2500-3000 you could get a solid 4wd atv and plow setup, but if you have no other use for it then investing in a compact tractor is probably a better idea.
Also I could never plow with a 2wd lawn tractor given my snow and driveway, momentum and speed are needed to plow even with 4wd and nearly 1000lbs of atv and me pushing a 50" blade.
 
Thanks for all the response's..really like hearing everyones experience!!

I think I have decided on a used 4x4 compact tractor. Would prefer JD or Kubota, but would consider cub, wheel horse, simplicity, etc.

My question now is what is the "best buy" in a used, two or three year old tractor?? Would be used on over an acre in the summer and of course to plow in winter.

Is it worth it to go to diesel power, or is it just a hassle??
 
Originally Posted By: daddi
I think I have decided on a used 4x4 compact tractor. Would prefer JD or Kubota, but would consider cub, wheel horse, simplicity, etc..


Diesel is going to be your only option for a 4x4 CUT (compact utility tractor). Used pricing is anyone's guess. I'd go new with the all the 0%/60mo financing avail for these particular tractors.

Joel
 
You can find used 4300's or 4310's for well under twenty grand. Way under.

The 30-40,000 dollar 4000's are the new ones with cabs and all the goodies.

My 4300 was about 24,000 in 2000 with the tractor, 4wd, with the 430 front loader and the MX5 bush hog. The tractor itself without implements was right around 17,000 or so.
 
OK apparently I have an exceptional lawn tractor!!!

I have a 2006 John Deere LA135 http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCatalo...&link=enav#

22hp briggs v twin with the 46" snow blade http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCatalog/HO/attachments_flash/rle/index.html?att_num=BG20020. it is a hydro automatic too! This is my 3rd winter with it and I have few if any problems plowing!! Including ramming large piles of snow, you have to do that to move the larger piles!! Yes if you inch up to them and then try to move them you will start to spin the tires as the snow weighs more than you and the tractor. DUH!?

Last year after a blizzard made 3 foot drifts in our street and since we live on a secondary street and needed to get out before the snow plows got here I helped plow out the street in front of our house and our neighbors kids where also there with shovels helping also, but me and the Deere was doing most of it and the neighbors where very happy that after I did my driveway I wheeled into the street to start plowing it. Good thing we only live on a 1 block long street.

This December has set a record for snowfall here at nearly 25 inches in just 2 blizzards, one being over Christmas. I have plowed my driveway and two of my elderly neighbors driveways since their plow service was "TOO" busy to get to them right away. After the Christmas snow I had a drift that was taller than the Deere over my driveway and I also had to plow the 1st snow's snow into the middle of my yard to make room for the new snow. I now have piles of snow about 4 feet high in my yard and will be adding to that before it is all over since none of it is melting as the temps are very cold this year. I do have tire chains but I do not have the wheel weights, I am a LARGE man and have more than enough extra weight. It takes a little work yes but I do just fine!!!

Occasionally I can get stuck if I try to get a little to much in a hurry and I have had to get off it twice now to lift the back end and move it over out of a large pile so the chains could get a better grip. It gets high centered. I get mad at having to man handle it but I have no one to blame but me for getting in a hurry so I deal with it. Like I said I am large enough to do it so not really a big deal to lift it and move it over a foot or so if needed.

Other than that I can't complain one bit sure beats a shovel and a sore back!!! And spending hours bent over shoveling!!!

It is 15 below this morning with another 6 - 7 inches of snow forecasted to fall on Wed then winds to drift it again on Thurs with a morning low of 20 below and 5 below high temp on Friday!! Sure I'll be cold but I'll be done plowing with my Deere faster than using a shovel!!!

BTW I use Amsoil in it and I have no problem starting it either and it sets out in the cold not a garaged baby either, biggest problem is the cover likes to freeze onto the hood and makes it hard to get it off.

So I am confused and amazed that I seem to have a "super" lawn tractor compared to most everyone here. Plowing snow in the winter in addition to mowing in the summer (DUEL USE) is how I was able to talk my wife into spending the money on a Deere and not some sears special.

My biggest complaint is some peeling paint and some rusting but since it sets outside all the time that is problem I am sure. So I keep an eye on it and use oil based implement enamel every time I see a paint problem. Genuine Deere green of course!!

I also have the CargO Mount electric spreader unit that hangs on the back of it behind the seat. It holds 100lbs of fertilizer or seed in the summer and I also use it in the winter to spread deicer after I plow. I would not try salt as it can be too big sometimes and may clog it. But deicer works just fine.

NOW the snow blower attachment would be useful and I am considering maybe getting it my self if it keeps mega snowing like it has this winter http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCatalo...20480&tM=HO
It would be nice not have to tear up my grass plowing snow into the yard to make room for more snow as the blower would be able to blow it far into the yard and I think it could be a time saver not having to keep ramming the large piles over and over to move them along to where you need them. But for now I have my Deere and a blade!
 
+ 1 ^^^^^ as I mentioned before,I dont have any problems either. Maybe we purchased super LT`s and didn`t know it?
 
Originally Posted By: lexus114
+ 1 ^^^^^ as I mentioned before,I dont have any problems either. Maybe we purchased super LT`s and didn`t know it?


We must have missed something somewhere!!! If mine only had a heated cab I'd be in hog heaven!!

I getting too old to shovel anymore!! I've been there done that got the T-shirt and moved on; the only shovel I have is in the van just in case I get stuck somewhere!!!

Maybe we should hold snow plowing clinics 101 LOL
lol.gif
lol.gif
 
I don't think anyone's disputing the fact lawn tractors can't plow snow. They sure can given the right conditions. You can clear your driveway of snow with a leaf blower given the right conditions.

Joel
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
I don't think anyone's disputing the fact lawn tractors can't plow snow. They sure can given the right conditions. You can clear your driveway of snow with a leaf blower given the right conditions.

Joel


This is my 3rd winter and the conditions have varied from small light fluffy snows to blizzard dumps of heavy wet snow sometimes preceded by a layer of ice from freezing rain that fell before the snow. SO far using my head I have made this lawn tractor do things that it is not supposed to do according to some. I am not saying that there is NO limits but so far I have not had any problems other than this year of having to plow snow up into my yard to make room for more that falls.

We are getting another 6 - 7 inches today to be followed by winds that will drift it. This is on top of the 25+ inches we have already had around here. We have roofs that are collapsing under the weight of snow around here since we have had so much so fast this year. Driving around here is like driving in a giant rat maze with all the snow piled up where you cannot see around intersections or even stop signs that are buried in some places.

One adjustment that I have had to make is to tighten the tension of the spring on the blade so that the blade does not "tip" as easy. This makes it scrape harder and it is able to push more before you have to back up and give it another run to move it along.

Like I mentioned a blower could be useful to prevent having to plow into my yard. A hydraulic lift dump bucket would be nice to, so that I would not have to ram piles multiple times to make the snow push up in high ridges until it stays put. But I don't have either of those so I am using my dinky little blade and so far I'm doing fine. It is a little bit of work but it is working.

My "little" Deere and I have the cleanest driveway on the block, that is all that I know so when someone says it can't be done I can't figure it out!?
 
Originally Posted by Bluestream
Chains are a must, wheel weight I found do nothing. I would get a blower if you can, works much better than a plow


Exactly, if you don't have chains forget it.
 
weights are a must but fluid filled tires work as well though a blower is faster than a plow. my only tip is try not to push a lot in one go take it in layers specially wet snow.
 
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