# Your preferred method for snow removal on sidewalks.



## gallden (Dec 25, 2010)

Been floating around some ideas for faster removal of snow on walks. An atv with a plow, a snow blower, or a shovel? Any insight is appreciated.


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## MikeRi24 (Dec 21, 2007)

gallden;1320635 said:


> Been floating around some ideas for faster removal of snow on walks. An atv with a plow, a snow blower, or a shovel? Any insight is appreciated.


depends what you're doing. unloading a ATV with a plow to do a small residential sidewalk is a little excessive. My preferred method is tell people I don't do sidewalks and I dont get out of the truck because I can plow another driveway maybe 2 in the time it takes me to do a sidewalk, which is inevitably less money than a driveway.


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## iceman1 (Aug 10, 2011)

If you have an zero turn mowers check out www.mibarproducts.com themake a great plow. Also a zero turn works great and will push way more snow than you would ever think. You do not have to put chains on your zero turn. i think that is a crazy idea. I am a dealer so if you need one call me or email me for price. Thanks, Chad 513-678-1597 [email protected]


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## gallden (Dec 25, 2010)

Its a commercial building with loads of sidewalks. So in the view of some of you a zero turn is more effective than a 4 wheeler?


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## cold_and_tired (Dec 18, 2008)

I like my ATV for doing sidewalks. It tows a drop spreader as well. Plow snow and apply deicer in one pass.

I don't have any experience with zero turn mowers, sorry.


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## iceman1 (Aug 10, 2011)

Just think about it. A zero turn will go were you want it to go and make perfect turns. I am telling you we have around 100 guys on sidewalks at Oberson's and it is a large part of our business. 4 wheelers works great for long stright runs but not turns. The biggest thing that will blow you away is the fact that a zero turn can push 3" like nothing. Now if you dont own a zero turn and you own a 4 wheeler I understand and I sell mibar plows for both ATVs and Z-mowers and you would like your Z mower better. Remember your neighbor who most likey said come check out my new riding lawn mower looked nice and may have been nice but do to the turning issue you could cut 4x as much grass as he could with your 10 year old zero turn it is the same deal with snow. You can also get nice cabs with windshield wipers for most z mowers. My feeling for safety is that the cab is not always the best thing.


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## Glenn Lawn Care (Sep 28, 2009)

Snow blower! A 4 wheeler works if there is not much snow and if its light, but not so much if its wet and heavy!


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## iceman1 (Aug 10, 2011)

You say commercial property I assume that if you ever have 3" of snow or more on walks you are fired!! so a snow blowers is of no use. If this is a good customer you should be doing the walks every 1" at most. If I had 1" of snow on 90% of my accounts I would be fired (on the walks).


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## mullis56 (Jul 12, 2005)

Agree with you Mr Oberson


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## Precedence (Oct 3, 2008)

We used a ZTR with a plow last year, it did work good up to a point. Once the snow gets deep or it's heavy and wet it becomes useless. Around here the city plows the crap from the roads up onto the sidewalks next to the roads and that stuff goes nowhere with the ZTR plow. Stuff on the mower freezes up, the mower needs to be kept running constantly other wise the hydraulic fluid gets gummy and the mower doesn't respond well. Also, your average sidewalk is pretty uneven and full of expansion joints, if your going full speed and you catch the edge of the ZTR plow on an expansion joint or some other obstacle it doesn't matter how good the plows trip is it still just about knocks your teeth out or sends you flying off the front of the mower (cause snow and ice gets into the seatbelt and makes it useless).

In the end i would use it again for small storms but i'm getting a 2 stage blower to deal with the things the ztr just can't. Would i buy it again? No, it was a waste of money.


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## M.McDaniel (Oct 29, 2004)

Get a Grasshopper outfitted with the cab, heater, blower, counter weight and chains. They are the most efficient and economical sidewalk machine available.


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## tebletlawns (Oct 26, 2010)

about how deep where the snow storms you used the ztr plow on and where they wet or dry snow storms? also what size plow did you use, was it strictly on sidewalks? and was it the mibar plow or another brand?


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## Precedence (Oct 3, 2008)

tebletlawns;1325550 said:


> about how deep where the snow storms you used the ztr plow on and where they wet or dry snow storms? also what size plow did you use, was it strictly on sidewalks? and was it the mibar plow or another brand?


The sidewalk crew had it out in every storm we had to plow so anything from our trigger depth all the way up to a foot (plowing with the storm probably about 4" per pass). Both wet and dry stuff, worked good on dry snow. Just did sidewalks with it and a 3 car parking area behind a house that the trucks couldn't get into. It wasn't a mibar so I make no comment as the the general durability of the plow, the blade design is similar however.


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## tebletlawns (Oct 26, 2010)

What kind/size of mower did they use


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## Precedence (Oct 3, 2008)

60" Exmark Lazer Z


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## ROAD-SNAKES (Jan 24, 2004)

Any pictures of these ZRT'S with the plows on ??


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## WINTERGROUP (Dec 10, 2004)

*Sidewalk plow*

Residential, we use snow blower or throwers
Commercial, Bombardier SW48, on storm 6'' or more


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## Advantage (Nov 7, 2007)

We use F900 series jd tractors with blower and brooms. The brooms are fast and clean right down to the pavement. Best way to go IMO.


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## DaveCN5 (Oct 19, 2011)

It all depends on the type of properties and accounts you have. We are all commercial and do everything from medical facilities, to banks, to manufacturing plants that operate 24/7. 

Quads are great for long city walks. However, they're not ideal for sidewalks right up against buildings. We sometimes can't get past cars who park too far over curbs. Snow blowers sometimes work well for that, if you're not afraid of throwing snow over the cars and possibly risking damage. Sometimes you just can't beat the shovel. 

My favorite method is a UTV with a power broom and liquid sprayer in the bed. You can clear up to 6" well (depending on the broom), get the surface bare, and spray or drop salt onto a bare surface in a single pass.


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## gbtl (Dec 15, 2010)

Today I just bought a 64 Gravely L8 for dirt cheap. I'm going to fix it up and use it as my backup for sidewalks. My main unit is an 05 Kubota with a blower/blade/boxblade. I like the Gravely cause they are beastly and fit in tight spots.


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## MI Green (Jan 7, 2012)

I was poking around on here and found this. So I will chime in. I have a kubota zd 326 with a plow. I do a small parking lot, driveways, and sidewalks with it. Granted it weights 1800 lbs, but we had 6 inches of the wetest snow you can have and the water was freezing while pushing, I could push as far as I wanted with it. I did not have chains on so I hard time with the ice on hills, but even from I heard trucks were having a hard time with it. But its super quick to do side walks and driveways because you never have to back up to turn and you can get around tight corners a atv can never get. HP is not an issue with a good ztr, mine is a 26hp diesel and I can even push a blade full of gravel without a problem. Basically is like a 26hp 2wheel drive kubota subcompact tractor with the engine hanging off the rear with differential lock. It does about as well as our neighbors 18hp compact 4 wheel drive kubota tractor. The 2 problem with a lot of smaller ztrs and grasshoppers are if your have to actually drive in the snow. Grasshoppers are low to the ground and a lot of the weight is on the rear tires and smaller ztrs are low to the ground so they can't get move in the snow and don't have the weight to move larger snow falls. I say you need to have something in the 1300+ lbs range to push 12 inch plus snow falls. The one issue I thought I was going to have is the blade moving my front end where it wants, has not been an issue so far.


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## Triple L (Nov 1, 2005)

My sidewalk setup... I love it


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## MI Green (Jan 7, 2012)

see i would done that at 11 mph haha but I like it, I could put a hitch on mine and put a truck spreader on it too. Can it throw a lot farther in deeper snow or not really?


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## Triple L (Nov 1, 2005)

We've only used it twice so far this year... I would have drove about 10mph quicker as well but were not really in any rush and were drop salting as well so its all good... The drop salter will make a rotary salter look stupid... Plus then we go 31kn/h between sites where u have to to trailer a machine around tieing up a truck and trailer and the operator loves it and is warm and even has his ipod plugged in LOL...


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## MI Green (Jan 7, 2012)

plus a stereo to boot. Ya, thats pretty lazy haha. Ever though about running JCB's as plow tractors that can run 45 mph down the road?


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## Triple L (Nov 1, 2005)

Everything sounds like until you see the price tag LOL


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## MI Green (Jan 7, 2012)

Should in the same price range as those JD's I saw plowing.


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## Bigrd1 (Dec 4, 2010)

If you have walk behind mowers I think there a company that makes a blower for the front of them.


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## Jacobsmovinsnow (Jan 12, 2011)

I got 3 hand snowblowers, hardly ever use em. Using a CAse DX 40 with loader and snowblowers. The loaders got a reverse mold board, quick detatch. and a TC 30 New Holland tractor with 5 foot bucket and snowblower at back. Dont usually get into resi sidewalks and when we do its a extra charge .The tractors are used at institutions and malls.


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

I run a ATV works well I think its faster then a blower until snow gets deep then blower be faster
Most my big walk jobs are group together so the crew only has to load cpl time during the night

My crew setup is with 2 guys 1 rides and other salts and clean with shovel areas the atv cant get Hope shovel part will be less since I made rear plow for the atv To get in them tight areas that front plow never could get


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## jayman3 (Jan 18, 2006)

four wheeler do a decent job when the snow is light,but get the heavy stuff and it becomes really hard to push,the four wheeler also has no down pressure to scrap off that packed stuff.But that is my two cents


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## Turf Guy (Feb 5, 2011)

On residential sidewalks we use walk behind blowers, on commercial, institutional or municipal we use a Bobcat S70 with a six way blade, broom, and drop salter.... Seems to work good for us! tymusic This year we haven't had to use anything!!! *LOL*


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## perrysee (Jul 30, 2009)

i like using my atv for the sidewalks ,faster and can use for drive-way too


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

jayman3;1408394 said:


> four wheeler do a decent job when the snow is light,but get the heavy stuff and it becomes really hard to push,the four wheeler also has no down pressure to scrap off that packed stuff.But that is my two cents


I know what you saying why I made rear pull plow with down pressure
Figure they can clean off the heavy snow and then do a 2nd pass with rear plow to scape walk clean if ever will snow


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## Burkartsplow (Nov 1, 2007)

Someone else out there doing them! Lol


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