Snow-blower attachment for walk-behind tractor vs. gravel drive

[timfromohio]

I have an older BCS walk-behind tractor, model 737 with a 10hp motor (the original Acme if anybody else out there is into these). It's built like a tank, all metal gear transmission (no belts). Currently, the only attachment I have is a 30" tiller box which I use with our garden. I'm contemplating a snowblower attachment, but have a reasonably long gravel drive. The snowblowing attachments have skids to raise the the attachment up so as not to pick up rocks, but I wonder how well these would really work?

Any of you guys have experience with these? How about snowblowers in general on gravel drives? The minimum length I need to clear off is a bit over 200' in length and I live in NEOhio. To date, I have relied mostly on shoveling, but after last winter that got realy old and I'm not going that route any longer.

Thanks for any opinions!

 

[mayhem]

My Ariens has the skids on it and they work fine. I had to lift mine about a half inch before it stopped tossing gravel into the woods.

 

[Bocefus78]

They work fine...Fwiw, plows use shoes too.just remember to not point it at anything you don't want broken lol. The occassional flyer is possible.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

The skids work just fine once you get them adjusted, walk the drive several times before snow season to get any branches and large rocks out of the way. Be sure to have plenty of shear pins, as it is likely you'll break a few before getting things cleared off the drive. I do more than 500+' with a walk behind Areins.

 

[velvetfoot]

+1 on the spare shear pins, but not every time.

 

[billb3]

My gravel driveway is about 225 feet long.
I also do the asphalt driveway next door. I used to have the feet to lift it up. I don;t bother any more. I'm just careful not to aim at the house.
If I break a shear pin it will be on a oak tree branch or sheets of ice from the street plow at the bottom of the driveway.
Or the newspaper. (although the paper deliverer has been told to give it away if they can't get to the box)


I haven't put a layer of stone, though. That can get messy raking that back out of the lawn in the Spring, course a blade can push loose stone into the lawn, too.



I used to shovel my drive, too.
I don't know where that ambition has gone.



edit: I haven't broken a shear pin in a long time.
It'll happen when you least expect it though.

 

[kettensäge]

I have a Toro 11 32 power shift. My drive is about 20' wide and 80' long. My machine doesn't have shear pins so no experience there, however, my driveway is covered with 1B red rock gravel so it easily passes through if I happen to get into some loose gravel early in the season.

Drop the skids as low as they will go (raising the machine) and if there is a scraper behind the main auger raise that as well. This will leave a 1-2" layer of snow on the driveway that will get packed from trafffic and weather. The next time you clean your drive the hard packed layer of snow will keep the gravel out of your machine. (keep the skids and scraper set as previously mentioned).

 

[velvetfoot]

I will add that we got our driveway paved the spring before last and it makes snowblowing easier.
I'm still a little ambivalent (sp?) about since the pavement is one more thing to think about.

 

[timfromohio]

Thanks for all of the input guys - gives me some confidence that the snowblower will work.