Please tell me your opinions on driveway snow removal. Plow or snowblower? Are there truck mounted snowblowers? I have seen tractor mounted, but not truck or Jeep mounted. We just bought a place and I need to make plans. There is plenty of yard to push the snow out of the way, but I know in a heavy snow year, the driveway can get smaller and smaller. Snowblowing looks good to me, but can I get something in a self propelled, heated cab? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks, Mark
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Snow removal
- Thread starter ripp6957
- Start date
booondocker
New member
Plowing is faster, but it creates plow ridges that can drift in and make even more snow to remove and you have to push it somewhere and in a long winter that can add up. Blowing.<font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font> a good way, but it is much slower to do.
Either way beats the <font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font> out of mowing the lawn.
Either way beats the <font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font> out of mowing the lawn.
Yea you can get a truck mounted blower but I would think that it would not be as efective at a tractor mounted one. Plus from what I have seen the cost of those you can get a pretty nice used tractor with a blower. Plus if you have that much land to deal with a tractor will be usefull year round. I have always prefered blowing from the aspect of not having to worry about wind making deeper snow in the driveway. You can get some pretty big walk behind units and yes they do have them with "cabs" and even heated grips.
A
admin
Guest
I think it depends on a few variables. How much snow do you get in an average season? How much driveway do you need to keep clean? Is there parking areas that need to be kept clean too? How much walkways do you have?
The pros to plowing is it is fast and comfortable. You sit in a heated cab and move the snow much quicker than any other method. The cons to plowing is you need a place to put the snow. If you live in an area that gets a lot of snow, you will need dump zones. Places that you push the snow to get it out of the way. Just plowing the snow off to the sides of the drive in a big snow area (annual average around 80-90"+) is not going to work. The banks will get too big and you will slowly close in.
The pros to throwing the snow is you do not have to worry about banking of the snow. Just toss it off to the side of your drive. To some extent you can also direct where the snow is thrown (ie, in a clearing rather than on the house!). Another pro for a thrower is you can do walkways with it, so very little shoveling needs to be done (a real plus!).
The cons to throwing is it is slow. Whether it is with a walk behind or a tractor mounted unit, you can only go so fast before the auger and impeller are overwhelmed. Another downside is clearing a parking area with a thrower is no fun. Lots of quick up's and back's and just a lot of work for the results. Of course you are going to be out in the cold. They do make throwers with canopies, but it is to keep the snow from being whipped back into your face by the wind. You are still out in the elements. A blower mounted on a tractor with a cab is better, but unless you want to pay up for a nice heated cab, you are not going to be as warm as in a heated truck. The last downside that I can think of with the blower is moving the lighter snows (1-5"). You do the same amount of work for these small snows that you do for the 12"+ ones.
I use an ATV with a plow and also the thrower. For the 1-5" snows, I push the snow to the sides with the ATV and plow and then clean up the sides with the thrower. When the snow gets deeper than around 5" then it takes more time to plow and clean up than with the thrower alone.
Hope this helps!
-John
The pros to plowing is it is fast and comfortable. You sit in a heated cab and move the snow much quicker than any other method. The cons to plowing is you need a place to put the snow. If you live in an area that gets a lot of snow, you will need dump zones. Places that you push the snow to get it out of the way. Just plowing the snow off to the sides of the drive in a big snow area (annual average around 80-90"+) is not going to work. The banks will get too big and you will slowly close in.
The pros to throwing the snow is you do not have to worry about banking of the snow. Just toss it off to the side of your drive. To some extent you can also direct where the snow is thrown (ie, in a clearing rather than on the house!). Another pro for a thrower is you can do walkways with it, so very little shoveling needs to be done (a real plus!).
The cons to throwing is it is slow. Whether it is with a walk behind or a tractor mounted unit, you can only go so fast before the auger and impeller are overwhelmed. Another downside is clearing a parking area with a thrower is no fun. Lots of quick up's and back's and just a lot of work for the results. Of course you are going to be out in the cold. They do make throwers with canopies, but it is to keep the snow from being whipped back into your face by the wind. You are still out in the elements. A blower mounted on a tractor with a cab is better, but unless you want to pay up for a nice heated cab, you are not going to be as warm as in a heated truck. The last downside that I can think of with the blower is moving the lighter snows (1-5"). You do the same amount of work for these small snows that you do for the 12"+ ones.
I use an ATV with a plow and also the thrower. For the 1-5" snows, I push the snow to the sides with the ATV and plow and then clean up the sides with the thrower. When the snow gets deeper than around 5" then it takes more time to plow and clean up than with the thrower alone.
Hope this helps!
-John
I know we dont get the snow in MN that you get in da UP. but how many years of paying a guy to plow for you would add up to the cost of a tractor and a blower?or eaven a plow for the truck.add in paying your self a minn of 20 bucks a hour to do it.I dont know but I quit the snow blowing thing a few years back and I gota say I dont miss it one bit .I still get my fix with the steps and walk to the drive way eaven that sucks.the olny time I want a shovel in my hand is when I am arm pit deep in pow digging the cat out of the hole I drove in to.I olny pay 20 bucks a shot and he olny plows no side walks ect but he lives down the block and it is done when the wife has to go in the am.and when I am on a trip it is done .1 less thing to have to hear about from the wife how I was gone she had to you all know the story.now that I think about it that is how I started paying to have it done.