School me on snowblowers

[Ausfahrt]

I have lived my entire adult life in Florida. Lildreama and I recently bought a vacation cabin in Vermont and I am driving a truckload of furniture up there in two weeks.

The cabin sits off a dirt road on 15 acres and the dirt driveway is about 100 yards to the garage. What do I need to keep this clear in the winter?

I read stuff about single stage and two stage, whats the difference and which is better? Do I need a tractor with a snow plow instead?

I really need you northerners to help me out here.

I have a care taker that is managing the property for me this winter so these questions are for next year and beyond. Here are a couple of pics of the property from back and front so you get an idea of what I'm dealing with....

 

[sciphi]

Dirt road means plow. Snowblowers do not work that well on dirt.

 

[eljefino]

1) Best, get a "yard rat" plow truck that's too rusty to pass state inspection. Generally you have to be a tolerable mechanic to keep some of the brakes working as the lines tend to fall off. Or, a tolerable driver who uses the plow blade as your brakes.

2) The tractor's a good idea, you can lift the bucket and toss the snow over existing banks. Cold though, cabs are pricey. Could get a mower deck etc too.

3) Snowblower: I'd get a monster two stage 11+ HP model, 26-30 inch swath. By this point they're hard to man-handle so you want stuff like individual wheel control so you can have it spin itself on its axis. You can adjust the skid shoes so the bottom 1/2 inch doesn't get gobbled up by the auger, this will protect your gravel.

Your first winter you won't know where the ice forms, or how to plow your banks so they don't make a mess on the melt/ refreeze. Generally, stick it downhill and be mindful of the sun.

Are you going to be up there all winter? If you let it sit, it will turn to slush then ice then be impossible to snowblow. Might be worth hiring it out to a local.

 

[stockrex]

case diesel bucket loader?
how much snow do you get?
do you have a truck? just put a blade on it and push the snow out of the way,
you have lots of ground to push the know off to.
Luv your property.....

 

[CharBaby]

You'll need more than a snow blower(and twin stage is what you want). But, a full plow truck is what you need for the pictures above

 

[Trav]

That's a lot to snow blow even with a big 2 stage but its doable. A tractor mounted one would be a lot easier.
Personally I would just get a old PU with plow for the winter.

Single stage is just a blower with no auger up front, a two stage has the blower and an auger.
In VT a single stage isn't worth a pee hole in the snow.

 

[threeputtpar]

If a plow truck is out of your budget, then you'll need a good sized two stage snow chucker. Obviously, the more HP you can get the better off you'll be, but also take notice of the auger and impeller sizes. I have a 10.5HP 30" cut, but it has a whimpy 10" auger and a 12" impeller. Even though it has plenty of power, it struggles in snow over 12" deep because the auger on the front cannot feed the snow to the impeller fast enough.

Troll craigslist for an older 28" Ariens or bigger with at least an 8HP engine, as they usually had 16" augers and 14" impellers. The newer Ariens models of the late 90s and early 00s went down to 14" augers and impellers. I'm actually looking at older Toro machines to pick up on the cheap and sell my big machine before it starts to rust and isn't worth much. I used to have a Toro 826 from the late 70s and it was a beast to handle, but the auger design with the drum inside of the auger blades really pumped the snow into the impeller and it would go through the mess that the street plow left 18" deep at the end of my drive without any fuss.

 

[TWG1572]

I'm not from VT, and I know you guys can get more snow than here in WI. But I maintain a similar length driveway with a lawn tractor and a 38" single stage front mount snow blower. I've had no issues with it taking 8-12" of snow, as long as I'm smart about how I do things.

I'd be worried about the dirt road myself. Around here, it takes a long time for the county to get around to plowing roads like that. If you are planning on staying there during the winter, the old pickup with a plow blade suggestion makes a lot of sense.

Love the place BTW! I so wish I could have something like it.

 

[Recalculating]

Don't forget about an appropriately powered ATV with a plow. This option gives you summer use with the machine to pull yard equipment accessories and recreate about the property.

 

[whip]

The best option is a tractor with a snow blower. The plow will be limited if you get a lot of snow, and run out of room to push it. The blower will keep throwing it. The tractor can be used for so many other things.

 

[bepperb]

I love single stage blowers but that's not going to work here, they would pick up rocks and be too tiresome to use.

A larger two stage model would work. Keep in mind you're moving about 1 mile an hour, 100 yards, in freezing weather. At a 30 inch cut you're making at least 4 passes. So that's probably a miserable hour all said and done.

A garden tractor would make that better, and anything bigger than that would be better yet.

But most people around here would pay someone with a plow to do this for you. Around here that's probably 40 bucks per snowfall and they probably wouldn't come out for less than 2 or 3 inches.

 

[KD0AXS]

Originally Posted By: whip
The best option is a tractor with a snow blower. The plow will be limited if you get a lot of snow, and run out of room to push it. The blower will keep throwing it. The tractor can be used for so many other things.


Agreed, get a good size John Deere tractor. (the real garden tractor type, not the riding mower type) You're going to need something to mow all that grass, and the JD can mow in the summer, and do snow removal in the winter.

 

[Bandito440]

This is my preference, or an ATV with a plow.

Alternatively, there are many folks in the Northeast with plows on their pickups who will be happy to plow for you at a reasonable cost. Ask neighbors and check Craigslist.

Originally Posted By: KD0AXS
Originally Posted By: whip
The best option is a tractor with a snow blower. The plow will be limited if you get a lot of snow, and run out of room to push it. The blower will keep throwing it. The tractor can be used for so many other things.


Agreed, get a good size John Deere tractor. (the real garden tractor type, not the riding mower type) You're going to need something to mow all that grass, and the JD can mow in the summer, and do snow removal in the winter.

 

[Donald]

I live near Albany and have a dirt drive that is longer and I use a snowblower.

First you are moving or a vacation home? If its going to snow when you are not there you need to hire a local guy to plow your drive. Don't want to arrive with 2' of hard and crusty snow packed like ice where your drive meets the road.

A old truck is an idea but if it has a plow and 4WD is probably been beat. Do you want to spend time and money working on a beat truck?

A 28" or 30" snowblower will do the drive just fine. Two stage is all you will find in the bigger models. Better to get a name brand used than a MTD piece of junk new. My Airens 36" cost be between $300 and $400 used abd its a beast.

What vehicle for yourself? Hope its 4WD with M/S tires.

If money is not an issue, then a nice 4WD small farm tractor with a bucket.

If you will be running a snowblower then Dickie lined bib overalls and a decent jacket, lined work gloves.

Go to breaksfasts at the local fire house, you will meet people there who can help you out.

I would start by finding someone local who is doing other driveways on your road.

 

[IndyIan]

Are going to live up there in future winters? Or just visit once in a while?
If you are just visiting, you probably need to have someone do it regularly to keep your insurance and just keep the cabin accessible if you are going to keep it heated.
If you live there, and can plow with the storms, an ATV plow is a good way to go, but a foot plus of heavy stuff at once won't be fun, been there, done that...
My uncle does a bit more than your driveway with a large walk behind blower, it can be a couple hours though with a foot of heavy stuff.
Do you want a tractor? Like a 2500-4000lb one? I use a Kioti DK40 HST for my 400 yard driveway with a simple 7' rear blade. Its almost as fast as a plow truck and it has lots of other uses. Driveway maintenance, lifting stuff, firewood, plowing up the garden, food plots, making trails, moving dirt, brush hogging etc, etc....
Once you get a 4wd diesel garden tractor, you are only a couple grand from a bigger one with a real front end loader that can do something. Get a dedicated mower to do the mowing.

 

[eljefino]

^ Envious.

 

[DaHen]

Darn, you guys have all the fun.............

 

[Eddie]

Things are backwards. You spend summers in Vt and winters in FL. )

 

[lars11]

Similar situation in the 80, 130 yard packed gravel road and up 15" snow some mornings.
Did ok with a 32" Canadiana two stage with a 12 hp engine. Adjust speed to the snowdepth and just walk along.
Lower the ground distance shoes to avoid picking up gravel until you have a solid frozen road.
Only boring situations were when winds blew the snow in you face or the snow was too heavy.
You will do fine, but find a local snow plower or farmer that you can call if in some situation the blower just won't cut it. Probably rare occations.

 

[Bror Jace]

Some good information here. I agree that you CAN do it with a good, 2-stage sbowblower (name brand like Ariens, 28" and 10hp minimum) but it will be 1-2 hours every time it snows 6"+ and that area probably gets 3-4 feet of snow or more each year.

A tractor or truck with a plow will likely be a lot of $$$ or headaches if you buy used.