Snowblower vs. Plow? Cost?

1. A tractor/blower set-up is slow and expensive but the best if there are many plow days.

2. A old plow truck would would work well in most years. A hand snowblower would help move snow back in bad years.

3. An ATV with plow is a possibility.

We have lived here in the flatlands of Bremer Co Ia. for all are lives. My lane is a half mile to the yard. I use a 1750 Oliver with a 7 foot blower and would not want anything smaller.
We have been really lucky the last few years not to have much snow but, it can get really nasty sometimes. Plan for the bad.

$2K will get you a nice walk behind snowblower.

A lot of folks that know better simply leave for Florida before Thanksgiving & return around Easter!

In my lifetime I've plowed snow with Farmalls H, SA, 130, 300, 560 and 656, Case skid loaders, John Deere 540A forestry skidder, Champion road grader along with and assortment of pickups. Plowing heavy snow falls in wind will beat the crap out of equipment. This is particularly true with farm tractors and pickups. Skid loaders will actually do less damage to themselves than most vehicles, basically because you are closer to your work, thus you see obstacles quicker. While the road grader is a fast machine to plow lots of snow, they can also get in trouble, getting bogged in snow you have pushed, especially if you get off roadway and are not on level footing. The forestry skidder will come out of any situation short of being on it's roof. They will out push any tractor, pickup or skid steer. I have seen my Deere with chains on all 4 wheels, encounter 8' drifts and never even slow it down.

Believe me a 1/2 mile is a lot of road to keep clear. If you get the kind of snow falls I think you get, cheap aint going to cut it. Cab is number 1, 4x4 is number 2 and number 3 is blower or 100+hp. That is unless you have a week to dig out after the storm. If that be the case go with the skid steer.

I agree plowed roads must be pushed wider, however plowed snow stays where you put much better. I watched three guys here in western Middlesex Co., with paralell drivways, each about 500' apart. The guy at the west blew his once, guy in center blew his plus the first guys snow. The most easterly guy blew all the snow from all drivways 3 times. I've also seen them in one of those west to east wind switches, blow the same snow 1/2 doz times. While my plowed snow stayed where I put it in the first place. Good old cedar hedges are the answer, and about 60' from roadway.

My own drivway had corn stalks to the west two years ago. Last year it was soy stubble to the west. This year it is back to corn stalks. Compared with soy stubble those corn stalks are as good as a snow fence. Just have to roll the 25 rows next to drivway. If Ontario just had a market for snow, what a cheap crop to harvest, as it will all blow to your yard, no hauling from field.

Snow blades work well in areas where temps hover close to the freezing mark. You push wet snow back well from driveway and it will freeze and stay put. When you encounter lots of snow and temps below 20F, snow will remain quite dry and move around at the slightest wind, nothing is easy. Heavy winds can blow it back as fast as you clear it. If you don't have lots of good level space to push snow away on either side, blower is the only option.

There is one other option, build roadway up so it is about 2 to 3 feet above soil, trees and hedges on either side. Then plant a good hedge about 60' from center of roadway on the side from which your prevailing winds come. You may then be able to blade snow with a tractor within your proposed budget.