# Pickup truck with plow vs tractor with a snowblower



## An_Dy4 (Feb 12, 2021)

Does anyone know the pros and cons to plowing residential driveways with a tractor/ 6-8' snowblower vs a pickup truck with a snow. I currently use a 3/4 ton diesel pickup to plow driveways and I saw a real nice setup the other day of a guy who had a tractor with a v plow on the front and like an 8' snowblower on the back and got wondering how much quicker that setup would be or if it all depends solely on the type of driveway. I know the tractor setup would cost more money, but would you theoretically make more money because driveways are being plowed faster or more efficiently. And would you be able to charge more for a service that doesn't leave as big of piles and doesn't have as much risk of digging up a lawn?


----------



## BossPlow2010 (Sep 29, 2010)

Like this?
This guy comes one here, but I think he's sells plows more now, nice guy


----------



## An_Dy4 (Feb 12, 2021)

BossPlow2010 said:


> Like this?
> This guy comes one here, but I think he's sells plows more now, nice guy


Yeah something like that. It seems way more efficient time wise, especially on smaller driveways that don't have a lot a lot of space to put snow.


----------



## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Here's some light reading:

https://www.plowsite.com/threads/switching-to-blowing-service.110685/


----------



## Western1 (Dec 4, 2008)

Yes


----------



## An_Dy4 (Feb 12, 2021)

Mark Oomkes said:


> Here's some light reading:
> 
> https://www.plowsite.com/threads/switching-to-blowing-service.110685/


Thanks, thats the thread I was looking for. Figured there must be one somewhere in this forum but couldnt find one earlier. I'll read up on some of the 151 pages in a bit


----------



## Bighammer (Aug 20, 2003)

LOL, the tractor might seem faster until you have to drive to the next job. lowred:


----------



## WIPensFan (Jan 31, 2009)




----------



## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Bighammer said:


> LOL, the tractor might seem faster until you have to drive to the next job. lowred:


Yeah, this hasn't been covered.

Nice to see you're the first one to bring this up.


----------



## lawntec (Aug 20, 2006)

Tractor is much much faster to complete the job. It goes 37kph, so you will focus on route density, which will drive profits up! Tractors are nearly unstoppable, and people start relying on you to be the 'hero' who always was able to be reliable. I had a policy with my route that I would always clear at least 1 random persons driveway every time it snowed over 2" (for free). That helped me market bigly 

My rig which I am about to list for sale in the for sale section can clear 200 driveways in 7 hours.


----------



## WIPensFan (Jan 31, 2009)

lawntec said:


> Tractor is much much faster to complete the job. It goes 37kph, so you will focus on route density, which will drive profits up! Tractors are nearly unstoppable, and people start relying on you to be the 'hero' who always was able to be reliable. I had a policy with my route that I would always clear at least 1 random persons driveway every time it snowed over 2" (for free). That helped me market bigly
> 
> My rig which I am about to list for sale in the for sale section can clear 200 driveways in 7 hours.


Video or I call BS.


----------



## BossPlow2010 (Sep 29, 2010)

lawntec said:


> Tractor is much much faster to complete the job. It goes 37kph, so you will focus on route density, which will drive profits up! Tractors are nearly unstoppable, and people start relying on you to be the 'hero' who always was able to be reliable. I had a policy with my route that I would always clear at least 1 random persons driveway every time it snowed over 2" (for free). That helped me market bigly
> 
> My rig which I am about to list for sale in the for sale section can clear 200 driveways in 7 hours.


Separate crew fir walks?


----------



## SHAWZER (Feb 29, 2012)

So 1 driveway every 2.1 minutes ?


----------



## Fourteen Contracting Inc. (Jul 5, 2019)

WIPensFan said:


> Video or I call BS.


He's still under probation for putting up the video with the suspicious pile of snow in the middle of the parking lot. It's still under investigation as to how it got there.
Even VSI may be guilty of it. These piles look staged! Call the authorities! @Luther


----------



## WIPensFan (Jan 31, 2009)

Fourteen Contracting Inc. said:


> He's still under probation for putting up the video with the suspicious pile of snow in the middle of the parking lot. It's still under investigation as to how it got there.


:laugh::laugh:


----------



## BossPlow2010 (Sep 29, 2010)

SHAWZER said:


> So 1 driveway every 2.1 minutes ?


No, 2 driveways every 4.2 minutes...


----------



## jonniesmooth (Dec 5, 2008)

BossPlow2010 said:


> Separate crew fir walks?


My tractors do sidewalks too.
















Not doing that with a truck.
















And that's just finding the sidewalk edges
The contract calls for bare concrete. 
Now we have to salt and let it work. 
Then come back with the broom.
























I ran out of daylight getting this one done.
Temps were in the low single digits so not the best conditions to melt nearly 2" thick ice.
There's no perfect piece of equipment. 
You have to weight the pros and cons of each with empirical data. Then you will know what is most effective. 
After 25 years I know,for us:
1)Roading the tractor is more efficient than trailering it.
2)The diesel tractors save gallons of fuel over gas.
3)The blower/ broom does much nicer work for our customers then a truck pushing big piles in their yards.
4)A truck with a plow is nearly useless on most of our driveways,unless we break the Law and push snow across roads.
5)The "ease" of plowing the driveway with the truck,then doing walks with a paddle blower/ shovel, does not save time vs the tractor. 
6) running a "driveway" tractor and a sidewalk crew separately doesn't work for us. Huge waste of fuel for the second truck.

Your results may vary.


----------



## lawntec (Aug 20, 2006)

1 minute 33 seconds to be exact.

wipensfan: Call my bluff all day long man, you may do things different than me - but that doesnt make you smarter.

I have a condo complex that has 75 driveways. I guess you'd have to factor in the 0 drive time for those. I focused 8 years on a very dense route. My math doesn't lie.


----------



## lawntec (Aug 20, 2006)

Then I built the 14' broom, and can do things even faster. And before you tell me it doesnt work in deep snow.....just know, it works in deep snow!!


----------



## BossPlow2010 (Sep 29, 2010)

Your customers don’t get sick of the loud music?


----------



## lawntec (Aug 20, 2006)

BossPlow2010 said:


> Separate crew fir walks?


I only offer driveway service. I mean, some of my houses I do hand shoveling - but I share work with another company; he does my shoveling and I do his driveways.


----------



## lawntec (Aug 20, 2006)

BossPlow2010 said:


> Your customers don't get sick of the loud music?


When I learned how to post to youtube, I got carried away with the unlimited options. lol


----------



## Fourteen Contracting Inc. (Jul 5, 2019)

lawntec said:


> Tractor is much much faster to complete the job. It goes 37kph, so you will focus on route density, which will drive profits up! Tractors are nearly unstoppable, and people start relying on you to be the 'hero' who always was able to be reliable. I had a policy with my route that I would always clear at least 1 random persons driveway every time it snowed over 2" (for free). That helped me market bigly
> 
> My rig which I am about to list for sale in the for sale section can clear 200 driveways in 7 hours.


Did you switch over to commercial and found the truck to be better for that?

Edit: nevermind, I forgot you've got the blower on the back of the truck.


----------



## lawntec (Aug 20, 2006)

Fourteen Contracting Inc. said:


> Did you switch over to commercial and found the truck to be better for that?
> 
> Edit: nevermind, I forgot you've got the blower on the back of the truck.


The truck is defiantly not better for commercial. It is faster and pushes heavy, but stacking and visibility remains the issue. But we have scaled back our commercial operations and are increasing residential.


----------



## WIPensFan (Jan 31, 2009)

lawntec said:


> The truck is defiantly not better for commercial. It is faster and pushes heavy, but stacking and visibility remains the issue. But we have scaled back our commercial operations and are increasing residential.


Looks awesome my man. Not doing things differently than you...not even doing things anymore. Just like watching vids. Great equipment! Well done.


----------



## Landgreen (Sep 8, 2007)

Bighammer said:


> LOL, the tractor might seem faster until you have to drive to the next job. lowred:


Yeah definitely don't buy a tractor/blower. Plow trucks are way more efficient for drives here in TC...


----------



## Leafs14 (Feb 19, 2021)

Depends on how dense you are, your scale etc. We have 6,000 residential driveways with 45 kubota l6060 with pronovost blowers.


----------



## An_Dy4 (Feb 12, 2021)

Fourteen Contracting Inc. said:


> Did you switch over to commercial and found the truck to be better for that?
> 
> Edit: nevermind, I forgot you've got the blower on the back of the truck.


How does one attach a snow blower to the back of a truck? Wouldn't you need a PTO?


----------



## WIPensFan (Jan 31, 2009)

An_Dy4 said:


> How does one attach a snow blower to the back of a truck? Wouldn't you need a PTO?


Separate engine in the back.


----------



## Fourteen Contracting Inc. (Jul 5, 2019)

An_Dy4 said:


> How does one attach a snow blower to the back of a truck? Wouldn't you need a PTO?


Have a look









My 2021 Ram 4500 w/Metal Pless


My Trucktor is almost complete. Where it comes from.... My 2013 M110 Kubota was a bit too slow for my liking, so I set out to build up a truck to do what the tractor could do. Details: 14' Metal Pless live edge plow 120hp hydraulic power pack on the deck ( 42gpm at 3000rpm) 7' hydraulic...




www.plowsite.com


----------



## Calcon (Jul 31, 2012)

So my opinion is tractors are better than pickup plows for residential driveways. But, there is always a but. You need to be able to check these boxes:


Density
Driveways that are similar is size
Density
Tractor needs to be close to service area.
5 mile service radius max. In my opinion. Less is better. More money per hour can be made. We make up to $350 per hour on a few of our areas. Still working on density. We average about $225 at the moment.
Density
More than 2 months of snow conditions. Preferred 4+ month of possible snow. Also should have regular snow of 40" + (100cm) per-season.
Or 15+ snow events that you would go out on.
Density
If you have hilly areas you should look at getting tractor snow tires and some studs. Makes a big difference in traction and productivity.
We have found so far once we convert a residential property to snow blowing we change the way customers views snow services. Most of our customers won't go back to plow trucks and large piles of snow everywhere. We have had one that did go back to plowing due to price.

Our price is on the higher side. But the tractor blower offers a superior cleaning job. Most customers are blown away with how good a job it does.

I would recommend looking at the Normand Hybrid snowblowers. There are 2 other companies that make the same style. All 3 work very well. I have a Normand N82-260HYB.

Tractor wise you have a few different ways to go. If your customer spacing is going to be on the less dense side for the first few years you might think about not getting a hydrostatic drive and sticking with gears.

If you go gears then make sure you get 12 speed or better because they should top out at 24 to 25 MPH (40kph). They all should have power shifters (no manual clutching required) ( modern day tractors) for forward to reverse. So that makes blowing driveways a breeze.

60 to 75 hp range is good for beginners and will run 82" and 92" blowers without any issue. Once you have a season or 2 you might want to look at 100HP - 140HP range and get 108" blowers.

Loaders on the tractor in the 70+ HP range should lift in 2000lb range. Under that HP expect 1800lbs or so. If you jump up to 100+ then you should see 3000lb to 4000lb range.
Keep that in mind when deciding on a rig and also basing your decision on getting a loader as well.

I could go one for a while longer but I will spare everyone. I will leave you with a few links to some face book groups that you could join as well for tractor blowing and a youtube channel that has tons of great information.

Facebook groups:

*United Snow Pros*
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=2291306474519674&ref=content_filter
*Snow Tractor Mafia*
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=170850560309701&ref=content_filter
*Youtube*
https://youtube.com/channel/UC5Ky8_WQmga6KaN4Hg8mBZw
Here is our rig:


----------



## NYH1 (Jan 10, 2009)

OP, I can't answer your question, I use my truck. However, they're a few larger companies using tractor/blowers in my area. Seem to work pretty good.

Good luck, NYH1.


----------



## Landgreen (Sep 8, 2007)

NYH1 said:


> OP, I can't answer your question, I use my truck. However, they're a few larger companies using tractor/blowers in my area. Seem to work pretty good.
> 
> Good luck, NYH1.


We had a really poor winter but February was okay and I was looking over the data. One of our tractor resi routes did as much revenue as three of our truck routes combined plowing mostly parking lots and some residential. And two of those trucks salt parking lots when we don't hit the trigger to plow.


----------



## NYH1 (Jan 10, 2009)

Landgreen said:


> We had a really poor winter but February was okay and I was looking over the data. One of our tractor resi routes did as much revenue as three of our truck routes combined plowing mostly parking lots and some residential. And two of those trucks salt parking lots when we don't hit the trigger to plow.


Do you guys use the tractor/blower in parking lots? I think I've only seen them used for driveways.

NYH1.


----------



## Chineau (Aug 24, 2010)

I get dedicated equipment for the winter and if everything goes right I am sick of loader by spring, I am, what about the of season with the tractor? park it and look at it, it paid its way in winter make the off season payment? that can be a chunk of change.
if you have a farm great put it to work, other ideas?
the beauty of snow blower no pile at the end to move.


----------



## jonniesmooth (Dec 5, 2008)

NYH1 said:


> Do you guys use the tractor/blower in parking lots? I think I've only seen them used for driveways.
> 
> NYH1.


Yes. They work very well in small lots particularly, or would take the place of a skid doing the derail work staging snow to be moved by a larger machine.


----------



## Mountain Bob (Nov 12, 2017)

Interesting thread,and, I learned a bit, as I know little about plowing congested residential areas.My only thought would be, here in the USA, good chance insurance on a tractor, or a blower, might be through the roof?


----------



## Treeboy (Nov 8, 2017)

Chineau said:


> I get dedicated equipment for the winter and if everything goes right I am sick of loader by spring, I am, what about the of season with the tractor? park it and look at it, it paid its way in winter make the off season payment? that can be a chunk of change.
> if you have a farm great put it to work, other ideas?
> the beauty of snow blower no pile at the end to move.





NYH1 said:


> Do you guys use the tractor/blower in parking lots? I think I've only seen them used for driveways.
> 
> NYH1.


Great for small lots that you can blow to each side without blowing the same snow twice. Tight lots a truck struggles maneuvering in it excells.


----------



## Landgreen (Sep 8, 2007)

NYH1 said:


> Do you guys use the tractor/blower in parking lots? I think I've only seen them used for driveways.
> 
> NYH1.


Only a few small lots. And those that get snowblowed are properties that tolerate some hardpack buildup. Blowers dont scrape as well as a plow and would require more salt if the prop owner wanted it down to blacktop.


----------



## NYH1 (Jan 10, 2009)

Landgreen said:


> Only a few small lots. And those that get snowblowed are properties that tolerate some hardpack buildup. Blowers dont scrape as well as a plow and would require more salt if the prop owner wanted it down to blacktop.


What does a good setup tractor/blower combo cost? Hopefully the tractor gets used throughout the year to help spread the cost.

NYH1.


----------



## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Mountain Bob said:


> Interesting thread,and, I learned a bit, as I know little about plowing congested residential areas.My only thought would be, here in the USA, good chance insurance on a tractor, or a blower, might be through the roof?


Your only thought it is wrong.


----------



## jonniesmooth (Dec 5, 2008)

NYH1 said:


> What does a good setup tractor/blower combo cost? Hopefully the tractor gets used throughout the year to help spread the cost.
> 
> NYH1.


A 1025r JD with cab, and front blower will run $25-30k
A 3 pt blower could be cheaper by $2-3k
A 3033r with a front blower will be just under $50k
Those are new prices. 
A used 4 series runs about $45k and a blower could be had for $3-5, but a new inverted will be $8-10


----------



## Landgreen (Sep 8, 2007)

NYH1 said:


> What does a good setup tractor/blower combo cost? Hopefully the tractor gets used throughout the year to help spread the cost.
> 
> NYH1.


Our 2020 JD 5100 was a little over $80k. That's including blower, snow tires, extended warranty.

No summer work for them. I could probably lease one to a farm but there is no way some amateur operator is gonna lay a finger on my ladies. We named them Darla, Darlene and Daisy.

With the low hours from snow work they hold their value quite well so I quit worrying about them collecting dust for 7-8 months.


----------



## Western1 (Dec 4, 2008)

Landgreen said:


> Our 2020 JD 5100 was a little over $80k. That's including blower, snow tires, extended warranty.
> 
> No summer work for them. I could probably lease one to a farm but there is no way some amateur operator is gonna lay a finger on my ladies. We named them Darla, Darlene and Daisy.
> 
> With the low hours from snow work they hold their value quite well so I quit worrying about them collecting dust for 7-8 months.


GIDDYUP


----------



## jonniesmooth (Dec 5, 2008)

Western1 said:


> GIDDYUP


We only had 2 months of real winter the last 2 years, we should have 4, at least, with 3-6 events each month.
When my guys ask if we are going to upgrade one of the tractors, I tell them;
" we have plenty good tractors to sit around and collect dust".
I like what I have and hate to even trade off my X720, it's a good back up machine and we paid cash for it about 8 years ago.
One 1025 has a loader and mower deck and I got a hydraulic dump bagger for it last year, so it gets used occasionally throughout the year, but the one with the front mount blower just sits, unless we need to broom or blade something.


----------



## Western1 (Dec 4, 2008)

Yes winters are getting wierd? Too goofy


----------



## Chineau (Aug 24, 2010)

80 I every do able if you are if a market that supports the number with a good operator you could shine it all summer.


----------



## Chineau (Aug 24, 2010)

Treeboy said:


> Great for small lots that you can blow to each side without blowing the same snow twice. Tight lots a truck struggles maneuvering in it excells.


some jobs you cannot beat a snowblower, if you can fill up enough time for it you will make big bank.
I have a sb200 bobcat blower excellent tool.


----------



## snoworks1 (Jul 11, 2009)

My two cents, 

I purchased a M110 with an inverted blower in 2013. 

What I have figured out regarding the pro's and cons of owning such a unit.

Pros: 

-No windrows to clean up
-Plows 2" to 10" in the same amount of time
-Typically consistent clearing of driveway surfaces
-Multiple speeds to choose from
-Air ride suspension
-No plow blade(front or rear plows) damage to driveways or lawn

Cons:

-Expensive to purchase: Mine cost $90k for blower and tractor
-Expensive to fix if something goes wrong, even a flat tire
-Speed --- and mine goes 24.4 mph
-Size(height of unit): This depends on how much hp you are looking for. Generally the higher the hp, the taller the unit. Mine unit has over 100 hp.
-Not every seasoned snow plower is a candidate to operate a Ag tractor!

General comments:

-Density and driveway conformity is key. If you don't have these two factors in your route, don't think of using a tractor. Can you use a tractor without those two factors, yes, but it's not worth it to do so(IMO). 

-The AG/blower set up is more productive and profitable than a plow truck in less than ideal conditions vs. a plow truck, plowing residential driveways. However, the AG/blower set up can cost you twice as much to purchase and maintain.

-The up side on the AG/blower set up is that it can make over $800.00 + plus, with the right density and driveway conformity.


----------



## Treeboy (Nov 8, 2017)

Chineau said:


> some jobs you cannot beat a snowblower, if you can fill up enough time for it you will make big bank.
> I have a sb200 bobcat blower excellent tool.


My truck is a cclb and it really starts to suck in tight spots. Driveways i can barely back drag because im almost across the street trying to pull the snow out. 1 lot there is 3 light poles and all snow goes to the side with the shortest push. Truck takes over 1hr. Kubota 15min. I have to blow the snow twice and its still that much faster. I put over 100hrs on the machine doing walks and small lots this winter. Its impressed everyone in the area.


----------

