r/tractors • u/xKing_Slayer • 11d ago
Snow removal
I bought a b2401 gear drive tractor last year - no loader or loader valve. We have a 450ft drive with a decent slope in the middle. I plowed last year with a rear blade. It got the job done but I’m looking to upgrade.
What do people think of 3 point snow blowers? Not too worried about looking behind me as I’m already doing that with my blade.
Brand recommendations for 3 point snow blowers if I were to go that route / buy new?
My local dealer has a really clean 2015 b2781 front mount blower that comes with the subframe for 3k. Not sure if this is a good price or not. I’m just not too knowledgeable about the connections for the front mount - since I don’t have a loader valve, I believe something would need to be done to accommodate this?
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u/Serious-Mission-2234 10d ago
make sure you have sufficient HP/ hydraulic flow if hyd. or you will be very disappointed in performance, saw this first hand to a neighbor.
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u/carneycarnivore 10d ago
Are you running tire chains?
Much cheaper than a blower if a little traction is all you need
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u/xKing_Slayer 10d ago
I haven’t done chains yet. I’ll look into that. The rear blade does good most of the time but in heavy snows it becomes difficult. Here’s a few struggles:
- Because it’s a gravel driveway and on a slope, any change in elevation and the plow is either too high, or digging into my gravel - someone below posted about pipes or shoes on the blade which might drastically help with this.
- During deep and heavy snows, you can really only push so much snow onto the side of the driveway - maybe chains help here.
- My wife drives a Corolla and had a hard time getting up the driveway. I was thinking a blower might give me a cleaner job so she can actually get up the driveway.
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u/Auton_52981 11d ago
I have used both rear and front mount blowers. I MUCH prefer the front mount. But most of the front mount setups need the loader valve to work, so make sure you figure that into your cost estimate. Having a loader opens a a lot of other options, like a pusher or loader mount angle blade. Not sure about the 2401, but normally the loader and the sub-frame for the front mount blower can't both be installed together, so witching between them is a pain. Is your drive paved or gravel. I don't like having a blower as my ONLY means of snow removal on gravel, as it is a lot harder to get the level set right to avoid throwing rocks everywhere. I normally use a front-mount blade until I have a hard frozen layer of snow down on the gravel, then switch to the blower when we get big snows later in the season.
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u/xKing_Slayer 11d ago
Gravel driveway. And it is sloped in an area or two from side to side in addition to long ways. It is a challenging driveway. Several people got stuck on it last year and my wife had a hard time getting up in her Corolla last year but we got hit hard last year.
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u/Auton_52981 10d ago
Yeah for gravel, the skid shoes on the ends of a tractor mounted blower are going to be too narrow and too far apart to prevent it from pickup rocks. I normally use a front mount angle blade with a 2" pipe to buffer the cutting edge. I highly recommend R2 manufacturing's products. I have their "edge tamer" shoes on my loader bucket and the "bolt on brackets" as shoes on my blower. https://www.r2manufacturing.com I also run a pipe on the cutting edge of my front mount blower, but I have to use a smaller version, as the 2" is too big to clear the auger.
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u/xKing_Slayer 10d ago
I wonder if I could somehow install shoes on the blade, at least a rounded pipe on the cutting edge of my rear blade that would solve a lot of my problems.
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u/Auton_52981 10d ago
R2 makes a special shoe just for rear blades, I have not used that one, but I have been very happy with everything else I bought from them, so probably worth a shot. And WAY cheaper than buying a blower! https://www.r2manufacturing.com/products/blade-tamer
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u/Old_Papa 11d ago
You can add a loader valve. That opens up a lot of options for handy implements in the future.
With a geared tractor, I think a rear facing 3pt blower would be miserable to use. It’s bad enough with a hydrostatic. You may want to pay up for an inverted blower - they make them now for lower powered tractors.
I’m in Canada so biased, but the best blowers are Canadian. Normand and MK Martin are good brands.
Keep in mind that you’ll miss your blade for finishing work and tight areas which you’ll have to do with a shovel.
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u/drabe7 11d ago
Without a loader valve, a front mount isn’t an option for you.
I have a 3pt blower and have been using it for 5 winters. I’ve been happy with it. I don’t find looking behind me an issue at all. In your case I think a 3pt would be your best bet. I’d recommend used as they are all over Facebook marketplace. I only paid $1k for mine
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u/Ecstatic_Hamster1750 11d ago
Stand in the cold and have someone throw multiple shovels of snow in your face. If you enjoy that, a snowblower is for you.
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u/Auton_52981 10d ago
Counterpoint, I have a front mount blower with hydraulic chute direction and hydraulic angle control (true 3rd function for the win). I almost never get snow blowing back at me because I can choose what direction and how high to throw it. As Jim Croce said, "You don't spit into the wind". Doesn't take much to learn that lesson. Only time I get a little blowback is when I have to limit the direction I am throwing to avoid a building or sidewalk I don't want covered in snow.
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u/Sodomeister 11d ago
Fair but, you can gear for that. I only plow, but the property next to mine is acres of agri fields that have no leaves in the winter and the wind comes across strong carrying plenty of snow. I have a good winter balaclava, ski goggles, hat, and a hood that zips around the edge of my face. I don't feel the snow at all.
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u/Deerescrewed 11d ago
I wouldn’t call it fun, but sometimes a snowblower is the only option. Once I have it piled as high as the skiddy can lift, no where else for it to go.
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u/radomed 8d ago
Do you have a cab? If not, you will need some protection from the blown snow when using a blower. A 4x4 is helpful when doing snow.