More tractor snow blower advice needed

R

Rance

Member

• Feb 4, 2016

• #1

Guys, Thanks for all the good suggestions and advice to my previous post. The 6 miles of road I need to plow are an unmaintained county road. The local sheriff has told me if I'm on a county road in any truck, plow or not, it will have to be licensed and insured and he'd nail me if he caught me--even though I'm the one who would have to pull his tusch out of a snow bank. Given the cost of licensing and insuring an old highway truck I have to rule that out. A blower on the front of a tractor (with heated cab!!!) will work but at 1.5 to 2 MPH that's a lot of hours to clear 6 miles of road out and back. So, what about putting a highway truck type blade on the front of a beefy tractor? I know mounting it would involve lots of creative welding and hydraulics, but could the thing even be steered with that much weight on the front? Heck, maybe I just need a snowcat! Thanks

 

glennster

Well-known Member

• Feb 4, 2016

• #1

years ago one of the towns had a case, 1570 i think, with a big V road plow. chains on the back and loaded tires. seemed to push snow very well.

 

M

moresmoke

Well-known Member

Location

E ND

• Feb 4, 2016

• #1

Any old articulated 4WD tractors out there? Or an Austin-Western grader?

 

Bruce from Can.

Well-known Member

Location

Woodville, Ontario, Canada

• Feb 4, 2016

• #1

Few years back , our county workers all went out on strike. We had a heck of a dump of snow that winter , about once a week, and lots of wind to blow it around. I had to blow just over a mile every other day to get the milk truck in. Takes a heap of time and diesel fuel if you get much snow. After 2 or 3 weeks of the strike , the county contracted farmers with big 4wd tractors with front blades or V ploughs .They did a good job moving the snow, but no sand. Big tractor and blade would work for you, but I would still go for a road grader with a wing. Graders will push more snow then any tractor ever will, and in the summer you will need to grade your road too.Atractor with a blower or a front blade will not do this for you. You are mantaining a road.

 

D

Dick2

Well-known Member

• Feb 4, 2016

• #1

Move!

 

O

OH Boy

Well-known Member

• Feb 4, 2016

• #1

Danged if I would pull out the sheriff if he was intent on giving me a ticket for just moving snow off the road.

 

O

oldsarge

Well-known Member

• Feb 4, 2016

• #1

I would think that if the sheriff has the authority to ticket on that road,then the county would have the responsibility to plow you out.Going in and out a few times a year when it snows is not the same as "maintaining" it,otherwise it seems it would be a private road..............$.02

 

D

dzc3

Member

• Feb 4, 2016

• #1

tell the county commissioners that they need to plow your road. That it is a county road and that they have a legal responsibility to do so.

 

S

Steve@Advance

Well-known Member

• Feb 4, 2016

• #1

Do you have elected county commissioners there? If so, give him a call, tell him what the sheriff (or deputy) told you. Then have all the neighbors on the street call him. Ask what you would do in case of an emergency if the road was not plowed. They might can work something out.

 

C

Cliff Nelson

Well-known Member

• Feb 4, 2016

• #1

Closer to Madison (WI) some of the crop farmers have mounted heavy duty front plows on their mfwd tractors and hire out to the shopping centers to move snow. They seem to get along OK.

 

J

JD630-2520

Member

• Feb 4, 2016

• #1

Around here the state contracts for out farmers with 100 plus hp tractors and supplies the blade and hook up. Most are 4 wd and have no problem moving snow.

 

47fivewindow

Well-known Member

Location

Davidsonville Md.

• Feb 4, 2016

• #1

Have you considered a truck old enough for historic plates? My local officer allowed me to plow with expired plates as long as I was insured. He is now retired and so is the truck. Looking the other way seems to be a lost art.

 

Janicholson

Well-known Member

• Feb 4, 2016

• #1

A 36" tall v plow about 7 or 8ft. wide on a solid rear axle mounted frame, mounted to a 60+ hp tractor with A rear weight and chains will do well. A cab and heater is really a necessity as well. County roads should be county responsibility!!! Get your government on your side, not the sheriff. You might be able to discuss the implications of fire equipment access and police security or medical intervention. My opinion is that it is not your issue to invest in a plow. Jim

 

R

RedGreenGuy

Member

• Feb 4, 2016

• #1

You pay your taxes for county services. Attend county board meeting and present a case to get your taxees lowered because they refuse you services you are paying for. I have seen that help with dirt roads that are only access for farmer to his fields

 

V

VicS

Well-known Member

Location

SE Il.

• Feb 4, 2016

• #1

I was a commissioner in another life. A truck plow is easy to put on a front assist tractor. Easier than putting one on a truck. I found a 180 HP. Tractor was better than a truck or grader. Our grader was a 670 JD no front assist. But chains and a truck blade on front. You did have the other blade to kick the snow farther. But for 6 miles. A 3/4 truck with a blade on the front should be OK. Chains and ballast helps. Secret is to plow early! Have fun!

 

H

Heyseed

Member

• Feb 4, 2016

• #1

one of my neighbors filling up at the local market.
Said he resisted selling that blade for years and was glad he hung onto it for this past storm.

 

Blackhole49

Well-known Member

Location

White Lake MI

• Feb 5, 2016

• #1

Not sure how much snow your talking about, but in SE MI, we used to use 3/4 ton 4x4 pickups with 8' western plows to do clean up, dead ends and cul-de-sacs. We plowed way more than 6 miles of road with these each snow for years. I would think you could pick a use one cheap and plow for years.

 

B

Bill in IL

Well-known Member

• Feb 5, 2016

• #1

A dairy farmer friend of mine had a Leon dozer type blade on a 1066 and used it mainly to plow snow. He had a quarter mile long driveway and 2 other farms to clear. If you could find the frame setup for one of those adapting a highway plow to it would be easy.

The local TWP has a HWY plow on their FWA deere don't know the number but it modern and probably 150hp range. Its better than a truck for some situations.

 

M

Married2Allis

Well-known Member

• Feb 5, 2016

• #1

SW Colorado isn't flat right? How smooth and level are the roads? A 3/4 ton truck with 8' plow on level ground maybe, but not on hills with ruts and rocks -- no way.