Anyone using a lawn tractor to plow there driveway and how well do they do? (Indiana not heavy snow)
snow plow
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I had a 5' blade on the front of an old 25hp 2wd Kubota that I used for a few years. It was worthless without the aggressive ice chains on the rear, but did fine with them even in the heavy stuff. The tractor weighed about a ton. For our snow, I found that a 10hp walk behind snowblower is a lot faster especially in the storms.
Do they make a blower for your tractor? My father in law had a 42" blower on the front of an old 14 hp Jacobsen that rocked.
Do they make a blower for your tractor? My father in law had a 42" blower on the front of an old 14 hp Jacobsen that rocked.
I use a 5' plow with my JD X575. It is 4X4, 23HP, liquid cooled and great!
Uses four 42lb suitcase weights on the rear with the plow attached.
The old A-C even with chains and weights still dug in. You cannot beat 4x4 for plowing snow.
Uses four 42lb suitcase weights on the rear with the plow attached.
The old A-C even with chains and weights still dug in. You cannot beat 4x4 for plowing snow.
ohio woodburner said:
chains weights and plow about 500.00 hate to spend the 1300.00 for the snow blower attachment. Took the belly deck off after mowing for the last time today and now getting ready for the winter
smokinjay said:
We get a little snow up here, but not as bad as some.
Have used one for the last couple years to do that. We have a Cub gt1554 27 HP. Cheap $300 MTD fast attach plow. Had to have the handle welded (I don't weld), after the darn thing cracked last winter. I hope it will last a couple more years, since it runs between 25-30 bucks every time my plow guy comes over. I plowed well over 10 times the first year alone, so, it's paid for itself and then some.
I put chains and plow on and remove the "belly deck" after the last mowing. The chains are almost mandatory, unless you don't mind getting stuck in snow only 2-3" deep. MUCH better traction since getting those.
As long as I don't let the snow get too deep before I start plowing, this setup works quite well.
I broke my forearm last January, and a friend came over with his quad that has a plow on it to help out. Yeah, that could spoil 'ya real quick, but the tractor does the job.
I also use the tractor to haul a trailer loaded with,..... yep, you guessed it, .......firewood. Same friend as above uses the quad to do that. He sucks.:sick:
Dave
Here in the home of the cloud graveyard we've been using lawn/garden tractors to plow snow for years. Plowing isn't neat looking when compared to blowing snow...but sure is way faster. I can plow our driveway 3 or 4 time in the time it took me to blow it once. If you know you're going to get dumped on you'll have to go out before it stops and stay ahead of it otherwise no big deal.
savageactor7 said:
That is one of the problems with them, you can plow a storm 3-4 times or snowblow it once. You will also have to shovel the edges and bankings back otherwise you will run out of driveway quickly.
I used one for a few years on a Craftsman rider. It was useless unless the snow was powder. The biggest problem is weight. The tractor doesn't weigh enough to push snow. Any accumulation in front of the plow will bring you to a wheel spinning stop. The other issue is the weight of the plow. Since there is no weight, the plow tends to ride up on the snow.
I have also used a blower on a Craftsman tractor. Far superior to the plow. The biggest problem with the blower is the size of the unit. They are big and heavy. I had to replace the steering unit more than once and the tractor can be difficult to maneuver with the blower on it. In the off season, the blower takes up a lot of space.
Chains and weights are a MUST for either option. Also keep in mind that the transaxle in lawn tractors is very weak and to replace them can be very expensive. Plowing is much much much harder than blowing on the transaxle.
Now I have plow trucks and use a 5hp blower for the walkway. If you have the $1200-$1300 to spend on a blower, I would just buy a yard truck to plow the drive and haul firewood out of the woods.
You didn't mention your tractor? I used to have a 18 horse Wheel Horse when I lived up north near Gary where the snow did get heavy and with tire chains and wheel weights I plowed a 300 foot gravel drive for 16 years. It did the job after learning how to move the snow around.
Shipper
Shipper
Shipper50 said:
that sounds like good new shipper I am 30 miles north of indy my tractor is a lt 135 24 hp john deere and concrete drive 100 x20
I would think if you can find the blade for your tractor and have some weight on the back end, your good to go. With my blade, I had to manually move the blade back and forth for the direction I wanted the snow to go, but it was not bad after getting used to it.smokinjay said:
I also had tractor tires on my wheel horse instead of turf tires.
Shipper
Iam going to get the chains and wheel weights and weights on the back we dont get hudge amounts of snow here. If you made it with what you had and near gerry I should be in good shapeShipper50 said:
update just order the 46 in plow chains and the suitcase type weights thanks to everyone who help and shipper you sold me! (I can still add wheel weight if need be) the rear weights are 86 lbs
Good to hear it working out for you, I love plowing snow...
...I'll be plowing shortly 4-5in of wet snow on the ground now...who knows how much could fall? Wet snow you have to keep ahead of, powder you can push even if it's over the plow... but that's not productive.
What ever you smokinjay do DO NOT lock the plow blade in...you always want that blade to collapse and fold down if it hits something. Now if you pushing/sand gravel at real low speed sure you can lock it down.
...I'll be plowing shortly 4-5in of wet snow on the ground now...who knows how much could fall? Wet snow you have to keep ahead of, powder you can push even if it's over the plow... but that's not productive.
What ever you smokinjay do DO NOT lock the plow blade in...you always want that blade to collapse and fold down if it hits something. Now if you pushing/sand gravel at real low speed sure you can lock it down.
I've done it with a riding mower (what is sometimes called a tractor these days).
Needed chains and someone sitting on the back for weight helped with deeper heavier snow.
Supposedly hard on the transmissions. Probably more so with these hydros.
Bought a snow-blower and it is less work. Mine is a 1993/94 Snapper 824 which is a bit of a bear to turn around.
When I bought it, it didn't snow for two years (we had some slush the first year and yes, I tested the thrower).
I bought a cab for the the thrower three yaers ago and haven't had to snow throw in biting wind yet, so it's still in the box.
I have a John Deere CUT with a front end loader and used that for the last storm where we got a record 20 inches in December. I used it because I couldn't get the thrower started.
I have two long driveways and there's just no way I can shovel more than 4 or five inches by hand any more.
If I hadn't gotten the old Snapper (mostly) going Sunday, there'd be a shiny new one sitting there waiting for a trial run.
Needed chains and someone sitting on the back for weight helped with deeper heavier snow.
Supposedly hard on the transmissions. Probably more so with these hydros.
Bought a snow-blower and it is less work. Mine is a 1993/94 Snapper 824 which is a bit of a bear to turn around.
When I bought it, it didn't snow for two years (we had some slush the first year and yes, I tested the thrower).
I bought a cab for the the thrower three yaers ago and haven't had to snow throw in biting wind yet, so it's still in the box.
I have a John Deere CUT with a front end loader and used that for the last storm where we got a record 20 inches in December. I used it because I couldn't get the thrower started.
I have two long driveways and there's just no way I can shovel more than 4 or five inches by hand any more.
If I hadn't gotten the old Snapper (mostly) going Sunday, there'd be a shiny new one sitting there waiting for a trial run.
billb3 said:
thats what this is a small john deere with chains and suite case type weight on the rear i think 40 lbs each 2 of them.
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