# Advice on equipment purchase for homeowner



## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

Hi - I am hoping that someone can provide advice on a snowplow and vehicle, or vehicle-mounted snowthrower to replace my current setup.

I have lived in my current house for 11 years. During that time I have done snow removal using a Honda HS1132 snowthrower with track drive. My driveway is relatively short, but VERY steep (over 30% grade). The Honda does a great job of blowing snow, and of traveling down the driveway (it pretty much "falls" down the driveway due to the angle), but struggles to get back up it. The company that maintains my snowthrower added snowmobile cleats to the tracks the first year I got it, which helps quite a bit, but there are still many times when the snowthrower needs to be more or less pushed UP the driveway.

Due to an injury, I can't continue to manhandle the Honda back up the driveway any more. I'd like to find a small vehicle (ATV? Truck? Bobcat? Other?) that I could park at the top of the driveway and then either blow or plow down the driveway. It needs to be able to get back up the driveway, backwards I guess...

Here are photos of the driveway. We get between 250-500" of fairly light snow each year. Last winter was over 500". The snow is fairly light (Utah snow), and the season is about 6 months long. Elevation is 7400 feet. It is not uncommon for storms to drop 1"/hour, and 24 hour storm totals are often over 1 foot. I clear the driveway every time there is more than a few inches of snow on it for safety. This is sometimes 2x/day. As you can see, there is an extra parking space at the top of the driveway.



















The asphalt on the driveway has settled in a few places and is now relatively uneven in those areas.

Could any of you offer suggestions for rigs to consider? My neighbor has an ATV witha blade, but it seems that he only uses it as part of his snow removal tools (he also has a snowthrower), so I'm guessing it doesn't deal with the larger storms. They should have outstanding traction to be able to get back up the driveway. Thanks very much for your time,

Jeff


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## JDiepstra (Sep 15, 2008)

This might sound crazy but a powerful backpack leaf blower works very well on a few inches of light snow. Im suggesting this as a great tool to use as long as you stay on top of it every few inches or so.


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## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

Thanks for the suggestion, I think that might work sometimes, but probably not most of the time.

Inevitably, a few inches of snow gets driven over when we come home and needs to be removed with the snowblower.

Cheers,

Jeff


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## Camden (Mar 10, 2007)

I'll take the piece of junk 1132 off your hands. How's $500 sound?


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## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

Lol, sounds a little low


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## Camden (Mar 10, 2007)

What'd you have in mind? I thought it was a fair offer considering its age and its heavy usage. I'm truly interested so let's talk. My email address is majorleaguelawn AT gmail . com


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## Camden (Mar 10, 2007)

And to answer your original question, have you considered a compact tractor with a blower? Kubota, JD, New Holland, Massey Ferguson and Case all make machines that would handle that job with ease. 

Check out tractorhouse.com and you'll find dozens of units that'll fit any budget.


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## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

I probably won't be selling the Honda until I can verify that whatever I get to replace it can handle the job (i.e, next spring).


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## Tahoe99 (Jan 17, 2006)

What's that pickup on the left side ? Tacoma ?


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## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

Camden;1300145 said:


> And to answer your original question, have you considered a compact tractor with a blower? Kubota, JD, New Holland, Massey Ferguson and Case all make machines that would handle that job with ease.
> 
> Check out tractorhouse.com and you'll find dozens of units that'll fit any budget.


Thanks for the suggestion! That sounds like a great place to start. Any specific Kubota models that you could suggest? Would a tractor be superior to an ATV for my application?

Cheers,

Jeff


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## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

Tahoe99;1300147 said:


> What's that pickup on the left side ? Tacoma ?


Yes, unfortunately I no longer have it. The two cars in the family currently are a 2000 Range Rover and a 2005 Subaru STI.


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## Camden (Mar 10, 2007)

jweiss;1300148 said:


> Any specific Kubota models that you could suggest?


You could probably get away with using a machine that has anywhere from 25-30hp. Equip it with a loader in the front and a blower on the rear and you'd be all set for many years.



jweiss;1300148 said:


> Would a tractor be superior to an ATV for my application?


I would think you'd run out of room to stack the snow once you got into the heart of your season. ATVs definitely have their place but I don't think they'd be very useful in a location that gets several hundred inches of snow each season. JMO


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## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

Camden;1300157 said:


> You could probably get away with using a machine that has anywhere from 25-30hp. Equip it with a loader in the front and a blower on the rear and you'd be all set for many years.


Thanks so much for your advice.

So something like a Kubota compact tractor with their 50" 2-stage snowblower (e.g., BX series)?

I called the local Kubota dealer and he suggested that a GR Series Mower with the 46" two-stage snowblower would probably work if I didn't need a tractor for other stuff. Does that seem reasonable? They are 778 cc, 21 hp, 4wd.

I assume I would need chains on these to get back up my driveway?



Camden;1300157 said:


> I would think you'd run out of room to stack the snow once you got into the heart of your season. ATVs definitely have their place but I don't think they'd be very useful in a location that gets several hundred inches of snow each season. JMO


Using a blade? There would be times that it was tough, depending on how the county does on widening the road at the bottom of the driveway. What about a blower on the front of an ATV or RTV? I see that there are Bercomac blowers available, but not sure how that setup would handle a steep road, it seems quite long front-back...

Cheers,

Jeff


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## Yooper75 (Dec 30, 2010)

I wouldn't get to hung up on the brand of tractor until you talk to some dealers and see what there service departments are like. If you know any people that have compact tractors go talk to them and see what there dealer experiences have been like before setteling on brands because there is nothing worse than having a shiney new piece of equipment to move snow and then have it sit in the dealers service department for days on end when you need it. My suggestion would be a 4wd compact tractor with loader and blower as well, I would also invest in tire chains for both set of front and rear tires.


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## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

Yooper75;1300181 said:


> I wouldn't get to hung up on the brand of tractor until you talk to some dealers and see what there service departments are like. If you know any people that have compact tractors go talk to them and see what there dealer experiences have been like before setteling on brands because there is nothing worse than having a shiney new piece of equipment to move snow and then have it sit in the dealers service department for days on end when you need it. My suggestion would be a 4wd compact tractor with loader and blower as well, I would also invest in tire chains for both set of front and rear tires.


Thanks for the advice! One of the great things about the Honda has been "Speeds Power Equipment" in Salt Lake. They come and pick up / deliver the snowthrower each year for service. I'll check around to see how the local Kubota dealer is rated.

I figured that chains would be needed, regardless of whether it was a tractor or ATV...


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## leon (Nov 18, 2008)

*equipment purchase*

The bigger issue is traction in your specific case where whatever 
you purchase needs both loaded rear tires and chains on all four 
tires and tire chain tensioners for all four tires.

The choice of chains is either standard cross link chains or 
the V link chains for extra traction. Ring chains are even better 
and both will mark up the driveway so thats a given.

The ring chains cannot be mounted on the BX tractors because 
of the fender clearances.

My drive way is so bad I think the V chains are an improvement HAHAHA.

I would advise you to visit www.tractorbynet.com and www.mytracorforum.com 
and register and prowl the boards and ask lots of questions and post your 
pictures on the web site there.

You should also look at the BCS 2 wheel tractors as you wil have a great 
snowblower in a small package that has gear drive and gear driven implements 
with both a single stage and two stage snow blower set up fore the BCS tractor.
You can also add a mower and use the sulky for that too.

You can add a riding sulky to avoid walking and you will have plenty of wieght
and traction with snow chains for the BCS and you could put windshield washer 
fluid in the tires for even more traction with wider tires.

The largest BCS 2 wheel gas tractor and widest snow blower will be less money than a 
Kubota with a snow blower and you will have no issues with the gear drive of the 
BCS two wheel tractor. The smaller size of the BCS will allow you to keep it 
garaged as well.


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## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

Thanks very much for your reply, leon.

You are right about traction being a major issue for the driveway. Even the current Honda track drive with snomobile cleats on the tracks struggles to get back up the driveway when it has a layer of snow.

I will check out the two sites that you suggest for advice on tractors.

I looked at the BCS two-wheel tractors. My concern is that with only a 28" snowthrower it will take too long to clear the driveway. My current snowthrower has a 32" wide intake. I'm also not sure how secure that the ride up and down the driveway would be using the riding sulky.

cheers,

Jeff


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## leon (Nov 18, 2008)

*snow etc.*

Hello Jeff,

Unsure about your budget buUUUUUT,

I was thinking out load that a used 
Zaugg snow bear or a new Yamaha
32 inch track drive snow blower will 
work as the new 32 inch Yamaha 
track drive snow blower is over 
five hundred pounds with big snow lug tracks

The diesel snow bear would allow you to do the driveway when 
ever you want to with no issues of snow cover as the adjustable 
auger will go all the way to the pavement too.
The snow bear has steel tracks and zero traction issues

www.zauggamerica.com

The new Yamahas also have a hydraulic lift and tilt for the cross auger

The New Yamahas are a bit over $6300
canadian loonies but the dealer has sold out 
every unit he imported to Labrador.

He will ship to the US and the owners
love the new Yamaha snow casters

Please look at the old nabble home page

www.oldnabble.com

The Yamaha snow blower forum


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## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

Not having any luck for googling "Zaugg snow bear". Do you mean "snow beast"?

Regarding the Yamaha - looks pretty similar to my honda with 32" wide intake:

HS1132

Not sure it would do much better of the Honda with snowmobile cleats in terms of traction going uphill. The Honda weighs around 275 lbs so it is quite a bit lighter...


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## leon (Nov 18, 2008)

*snow etc.*

WHOOPSIE;

I ment the Zaugg Bulldog:yow!: Did I mention the 32 inch Yamaha snow caster model weighs over 500 pounds? If I did not I apologise for the error.


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## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

Uh yeah, the bulldog might be overkill for my 100 foot driveway


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## Mabepossibly (Dec 12, 2010)

If your back is blown out to the point of not being able to handle a honda blower, Id suggest getting a pay service.


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## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

It's a hip issue, my back is fine. I'd get a pay service if I thought that they could stay on top of it, or even do an effective job given my driveway configuration. They pretty much have to drive over the whole thing before they can take a first swipe at it, which means that it winds up with a layer of snow stuck to the pavement.


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## LEVE (Dec 5, 2005)

I have a 70' section from my 200' entry driveway to my parking area that's steeper than yours. The grade you have could easily be done by an ATV with something like a Snowhog or perhaps a Polaris snowblower.

This type of setup does not come cheap. In my case I considered it. I had my neighbor come over with his ATV and blade; it worked well up to about 18". A blower would have been better to remove the snow from the drive. The ATV was easy to maneuver in tight areas, and that was a huge consideration.

However I still didn't want to be out getting all cold and wet in the snow. I opted for a blade for a pickup I bought for a plow. IIRC, I paid $800 for my '93 4WD Ford Ranger and about $1300 for Snowsport plow. I put another $100 in to repairing the Ranger. So my total cost was about $2200.

A couple of years ago I got lazier and decided to put a DIY winch modification on the plow so I could raise and lower it without getting out of the cab. That cost was about $50. It also lets me do a little stacking of snow.

This setup has worked flawlessly. The Ranger is just a plow truck. That's all I use it for... nothing else, but it was a good value. I keep it in one bay of my 3 car garage... fueled up and ready to go for the next season.

I do use a tracked Craftsman snowblower to clean up areas I don't dare plow (like my decks.. and near the decks, etc..)

Even though you're only plowing 100' and a parking area, the cost of what I did would be far less than going to a doctor or a chiropractor to get that back/hip of yours repaired. I'm much like you, but I wear a long leg brace on one leg, and have a replacement knee on the other. I'm not into beating myself up walking behind snow removal equipment and manhandling it.

My only concern about plowing your drive is space management. You get a heck of a lot of snow, powder or not (Yeah, I know Park City, I was there on my honeymoon... when it was only a dirt road to the place), it will pack. Do you have a place to plow it and stack it and get it out of the way for the next storm? That's where a truck mounted blower may be best, even if it's a truck mounted blower.

As for build up on the drive, that's where a plow can be mighty handy to remove it down as much as possible to the pavement. I like my Snowsport for that reason. It took a while to figure out exactly how to do it, but cleans the cement nicely.

IMHO, before you buy, do a little more research and thinking about what you want/need.


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## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

LEVE - thank you for the excellent comments. I am heading off to work but will consider your message in more detail this afternoon. I'll also try to dig out some wintertime pictures of the area around the bottom of the driveway. Bottom line is that there is usually a decent place that snow could be stored. The road at the bottom is quite narrow after the county initially plows it after a storm, but within 24 hours a supplementary rubbertire trackhoe comes through and pushes all the snow back and over the cliffs / into the gullies along the sides of the road to keep the road wide.

I really like the idea of an atv with a blower or blade, primarily because of the (I think) smaller footprint for maneuvering and storage. Do the blowers on ATVs work well? Will such a rig make it back up my driveway? Maybe something like a Honda Foreman? I don't have anywhere to store whatever I get except outside, so it will be in that extra parking space at the top all summer/winter. We only have a two car garage.

Cheers,

Jeff


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## LEVE (Dec 5, 2005)

Will an ATV make it back up your driveway? Of course. 

Before I used the pickup and plow I plowed my area with a Craftsman LT1000 lawn tractor with a 48" plow. The lawn tractor had wheel weights and chains and I could plow uphill easily if I kept the blade angled to one side and move the snow out of the way. Remember, you'll likely be making your first pass going downhill, and then back up. Worst case, if you had to you could go up the plowed path you just made and then plow/blow a second width going back down. Yes, tedious, but doable.

An ATV is much more powerful, and would move the snow quicker and be easier to maneuver than that lawn tractor (which, I may add, was much better than a shovel).

How deep is your garage? What is the height of the ceilings? I've built shelving in the back of my garage. These shelves not only hold the pickup plow in the winter, but also has an "alcove" for the lawn tractor. Something similar could be built for an ATV and blower.

If the ceilings are high enough, you could a winched platform to raise the ATV off the floor. It also looks like you could build a shelter under the deck/stairs. Either solutions would be pricey, but useful.

Have you thought about putting a small plow (Snowport ~I like the Snowsport as it keeps a lot of the weight off the frame~, Snowbear, etc.) on that Range Rover? It's 4WD, and would do the job nicely and solve the storage problem. IMHO, it would be the best value for the money even though you'd have to have a mount fabricated. It would be nice to have the driveway cleared in less than 15 minutes... over an done with and you back inside sipping hot chocolate.


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## pooleo8 (Nov 8, 2009)

I have also seen the back blade jobs that slip into the rear hitch. Perhaps that would be an option for your ranger rover. The idea here tho is you would have to drag it to the road, then drive down a bit slowly raising the thing and scatter it on the road. But, it would be cost effective, not take up much space and work....????


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## cjwoz (Jan 7, 2008)

What about a ventrac ,,, www.ventrac.com


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## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

Just wanted to thank everyone again and update this thread.

I spoke to my next-door neighbor about his plow setup. His driveway is about 3x as long as mine, but not quite as steep (about 20% grade). He uses a Chevy S10 blazer with a 7.5' Boss V-plow and chains on all 4 wheels. He has been using that rig for about 10 years, and hasn't had to used his Honda snowthrower at all during that time. He said that he never has an issue with running out of room to put snow, and he doesn't think that I would either. The downhill side of our street is a rather steep gully and he pushes the snow over the edge. I could easily do the same.

After considering that I would not have a use for a tractor/UTV during the off-season, I decided to look into a regular vehicle for plowing. Based on his suggestions and comments about the effectiveness of the Boss Vplow, I purchased a 2001 Jeep Wrangler Sahara yesterday. Next week I am having a Boss Vplow installed. At the suggestion of the local Boss distributor, I have getting a slightly smaller blade than their standard 7.5' blade for the Wrangler, based on combining Boss' new UTV blade (6.5 feet) with the installation kit for a Wrangler. The jeep currently has Bridgestone AT Dueler tires, which appear to be a decent all-season tire, but I will need more traction for winter...

I am wondering about chains...My neighbor said that I will need them. He plowed with his S10 for two years without chains, finally decided that it was too sketchy/squirrely, added chains and hasn't looked back. I would really like to be able to drive this new Jeep during the winter from time to time, but I know that if I put chains on it, I'll never want to deal with taking them off during the winter. Do you guys think that either Blizzaks or a studded tire like the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac would be an adequate substitute for chains? I'm not sure if my neighbor ever tried winter tires or studded tires before going to chains, I am going to check back with him...

How do studded tires compare to Blizzaks in terms of traction? I run Blizzak WS70s on my STi and they work great for that car, but it is not pushing a plow blade...

Cheers,

Jeff


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## leon (Nov 18, 2008)

*snow issues*

I am glad you are further along with your purchase
of a snow removal appliance for the coming winter.

The issue of chains is a sticky one-pun intended 
as you are doomed!!, if you lose traction even with 
no spin diferentials.

Now about installing and removing the chains:

One of theses three Gemplers or Northern Tool or Tirechains.com
has a tire chain changing platform that allows you to set the chains
in the grooves of the plastic sheet that it is made of to allow you
to drive right over the thick sheet and install the chains for the vehicle.

Not good for removing them unless you have a floor jack to remove them
one at a time.

You must have tire chain tensioners on all four tires or you will be 
on a fools errand, and your chains will spin off !!!!!!!!!!!!! (been there done that)
The tensioners are inexpensive rubber with steel hooks to tension the
outside of the wheel after you clamp in the last link on the inside of the 
wheel.

You can buy the tensioners at NAPA as well as your tire chains too if you 
want regular cross link chains but with your traction issues I would buy the 
V-lug cross chain snow chains for your use as you will not lose traction.

The only issue is visibility where you may want a back up camera for the Jeep.

You can purchase a radio remote back up camera from the "Cab Cam" USA distributor and 
you will have excellent vision with less install work.

I have hard wired CAB CAM cameras mounted front and rear for my truck as it has too many blind spots and they work well.


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## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

Thanks for the tips on chains, Leon! Still hoping that someone might know whether I could get away with Blizzaks or studded tires instead.

If visibility is an issue, I'll take the spare off while using it for plowing.

Cheers,

Jeff


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## Cmbrsum (Oct 2, 2008)

Hire it out. There are a few good residential companies in your area. If you have an injury your nursing, you are best to just pay to have it done professionally.


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## Camden (Mar 10, 2007)

When you get your new rig all set up make sure you post some pics. I'm surprised the UTV plow from Boss is big enough for your application. I can't wait to hear how it works out. And tell your next door neighbor I'll take that Honda off his hands if he doesn't plan on using it again


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## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

Camden - I'll be happy to post pictures when I have the plow installed.

Regarding the Boss UTV plow - it will use the kit that Boss sells for the '97-02 jeep, but substituting the UTV Power-V XT plow blade for the standard Power-V XT blade (6.5' for the UTV instead of 7.5' for the Jeep). I asked about getting a smaller blade since I thought it would be much easier to maneuver on my (relatively) small driveway, and the Boss dealer/installer suggested the UTV blade. The track of the Jeep is 58" (4.8'), so I think a 6.5' blade should clear a wide enough path in front of the tires.

In case you or anyone else is interested, here is Boss's web page on the UTV plow:

http://www.bossplow.com/utv-plows

My neighbor never seems to get rid of anything, but I'll pass the word along that he has a buyer for his Honda if he wants to sell 

Checked back with my neighbor about the chains - he said that he needed them because the sun would melt some snow on his driveway and ice would form when the sun went down. He thinks that since my driveway stays cold (north facing, no ice forming) chains may not be mandatory. So I'm going to try with just snow tires or studded tires at the beginning of next season.

Cheers,

Jeff


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## jweiss (Aug 22, 2011)

Hey guys, thanks again for your help! I posted some pics of the Jeep with Boss blade here:

http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=124510

Cheers,

Jeff


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