# Serious drifting solutions?



## GearheadGrrrl (Feb 10, 2014)

Hopefully the picture made it through, if so you can see I've got a 4 to 5 foot deep drift to punch through. This was the accumulation after spending january in Florida, and I've had it blow in 2 to 3 feet deep in just one storm. And this ain't the record- I came home to a 6 foot tall drift a few years ago. I've got snow fences deployed just about all around the property, but this is a windy area- they put hundreds of wind turbines here for a reason!

My current arsenal is some shovels and my brother's 5 HP or so supposedly self propelled snowblower. Even when I was younger, took me all day to shovel a 6 foot wide cut through that 7 foot tall drift. I'm in my 60s now, and this shoveling is gettin' old! This year took me a day to open up a walkable path, another two days to widen that path so my 4 by 4 Ford Ranger could fit through, and a further 2 days to clean it out to the point where the 2 wheel drive cars could get through. Thankfully no more snow is forecast for awhile...

My first thought was to get a plow for the Ranger, it's a '98 with only 92k miles and runs fine other than stuff rustin' out- replaced the rear brake lines and repainted the frame last summer. But the Ranger wouldn't be able to bust it's way out of the garage through a deep drift. "Spose I could park it outside, but it'd take forever to backdrag out a deep drift of plow it out from the side, bit by bit.

So I'm thinking I need something tractor mounted, though my little bro' thinks I should get an ATV (probably so he can ride it!). My biggest trailer can handle 2200 pounds, so I'm thinking of the smallest Kubota, Deere, Yanmar, etc.. Debating whether a loader or snowblower would work the best, the loader at least gives some flexibility. But I hate to spend $10k plus on just the tractor- could I get by with an older small tractor?

Any opinions? TIA, Diana


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## GearheadGrrrl (Feb 10, 2014)

*Sorry, pix didn't make it...*










If that don't work, just surf over to my blog and read the whole sordid story of my snowdrift debacle: http://gearheadgrrrl.com


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## leolkfrm (Mar 11, 2010)

find a compact tractor with a loader and blower....the combination will get you thru just about anything....a Kubota 23hp with loader and weather cab is around 12,000 new.....


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

Need install heated concrete in you drive and watch melt away 

I have one summer customer has tat her drive is always clear and dry


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## cotter (Oct 9, 2010)

I would start with checking to see if the snow fence could be deployed better, maybe even 2 rows high. As for getting thru the drift as is- tractor with a loader will work but slow (one bucket at a time), snowblower on the tractor would probably be faster and let you get rid of the snow better on the leeward side but add to the cost. Keeping up with the drift as it grows would be best but if you are gone for a month... Pushing or moving the snow up wind will just make the drift bigger next time it blows thru. LOTS of back dragging to get thru that.


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## cotter (Oct 9, 2010)

Need to add that you also need to look at your landscaping and how it effects where the wind swirls, slows and drops the snow. Letting the grass grow deeper can swallow some of that snow up wind and use natural wind breaks with evergreen trees. Placement is the key- too close and the snow dumps where you dont mant it, too far and the wind has picked up the snow again wanting to dump it where you dont want it. Think like Dale Earnheart and 'see the wind.'


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## GearheadGrrrl (Feb 10, 2014)

Good points on the snow fences- I've deployed 150 feet of fence on the upwind sides of this one acre lot, but I could probably still do better. There's already shrubs, etc. planted in a few spots, but I want to plant shrubs where I've got snow fence now to create more "living snow fence". As for double height snow fence, might be a good idea- the snow fence I've got is already half buried!


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## GearheadGrrrl (Feb 10, 2014)

Also, while the new 4 by 4 compact tractors do a great job, I like the style of the older tractors... So how would something like an IH Cub or Ford N series do with a 3 point mounted snowblower on the back?


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## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

Stay in Florida longer or pay someone to keep up when your gone.


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## Sawboy (Dec 18, 2005)

1olddogtwo;1753680 said:


> Stay in Florida longer or pay someone to keep up when your gone.


This....


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## GearheadGrrrl (Feb 10, 2014)

*Will that Super Duty...*

Punch through a 7 foot deep drift? That's worst case, but I've seen this driveway drift over 3 feet deep overnight.


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## cotter (Oct 9, 2010)

You need raw HP to run a blower. The old Fords might run a 4 font blower which would be narrower than the tires. My buddy has a 7 foot blower on a 65 hp tractor and he is ok but it has 15 speeds (?) forward and reverse so he can keep his ground speed low and pto up. Not to mention a cab would be very nice. I think thag manufacturers recommend snow fence to be around 75 feet up wind for best effect. I will try to get a pic of some tomorrow that the county puts up that is full for that 75 feet. Also the wood fence seems to do better at stopping the snow than the plastic. But the wood is more expensive and bulkier and heavier for storage and installation.


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

Fixed it.Thumbs Up


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## GearheadGrrrl (Feb 10, 2014)

Cotter, agreed on the power- my brother's 5 HP snowblower has trouble pushing it's 2 foot width blades. An 8N would need a five foot wide blower, and 2 1/2 times that 5 HP. IIRC, the 8N had 20 HP at best, would be kinda marginal. I could do worse, my neighbor has an 8N with a 5 foot wide loader in front and giant concrete wheel weights in back... Handles like a pig!


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## 98K3500 (Oct 28, 2013)

GearheadGrrrl;1753820 said:


> Cotter, agreed on the power- my brother's 5 HP snowblower has trouble pushing it's 2 foot width blades. An 8N would need a five foot wide blower, and 2 1/2 times that 5 HP. IIRC, the 8N had 20 HP at best, would be kinda marginal. I could do worse, my neighbor has an 8N with a 5 foot wide loader in front and giant concrete wheel weights in back... Handles like a pig!


The real problem with the 8n would be the high-speed they run in reverse. You will need a tractor that can run slow in reverse with the RPM's needed to run the blower. Even with a very rare Sherman under-drive, an 8n would move too fast.

Look for an old Massey Ferguson 65 or similar. I believe the gearing and power would be sufficient to allow the use of a 3-point blower in the 5-6' range.

My .02


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## Antlerart06 (Feb 28, 2011)

98K3500;1753905 said:


> The real problem with the 8n would be the high-speed they run in reverse. You will need a tractor that can run slow in reverse with the RPM's needed to run the blower. Even with a very rare Sherman under-drive, an 8n would move too fast.
> 
> Look for an old Massey Ferguson 65 or similar. I believe the gearing and power would be sufficient to allow the use of a 3-point blower in the 5-6' range.
> 
> My .02


agree +Make sure it has live power with 8N you clutch it the PTO shuts off
TO 35 will have live power with a 2 stage clutch TO 35 is pretty much same size as a 8N with little more HP


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## IMAGE (Oct 21, 2007)

10k likely buys you 10+ years of someone else doing it for you... I'd hire it out and sell my shovel.


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## bcramblit (Jan 15, 2011)

IMAGE;1754056 said:


> 10k likely buys you 10+ years of someone else doing it for you... I'd hire it out and sell my shovel.


Finally good advice. Find someone with real power. Skid steer or a real tractor with a real blower. They can use the snow as a snow fence? Anyone with real experience would need more technical information such as aerial pictures and elevation maps. This looks like a serious problem. You need a professional solution.wesport


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## GearheadGrrrl (Feb 10, 2014)

*I am a professional...*

Worked most of my life in trucking, facilities maintenance, etc.. I've moved snow before with a Case tractor with loader, plowed with a tandem dump. As for reducing the drifting, I can improve the snow fencing a bit, but the house is centered on a one acre lot so I can't get the snow fences back far enough to get optimum placement. Taller fences might help, but IIRC you need a 50:1 distance/height ratio and I can't get to 50:1 now due to limited space. As far as contracting out the work, most of the folks in town who used to do that are retired and getting out of it- One goes to AZ for the winter, another has stage 4 lung cancer, and the guy behind me has a Cat D4LGP, but he's drunk even in the morning so I wouldn't trust him. I've already got the Ranger so I could put a plow on it, though no way would it bust through the current 4 foot drift. I've also got uses for a compact tractor besides snow moving, so I can justify spending $10k on one.


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## bcramblit (Jan 15, 2011)

GearheadGrrrl;1754176 said:


> Worked most of my life in trucking, facilities maintenance, etc.. I've moved snow before with a Case tractor with loader, plowed with a tandem dump. As for reducing the drifting, I can improve the snow fencing a bit, but the house is centered on a one acre lot so I can't get the snow fences back far enough to get optimum placement. Taller fences might help, but IIRC you need a 50:1 distance/height ratio and I can't get to 50:1 now due to limited space. As far as contracting out the work, most of the folks in town who used to do that are retired and getting out of it- One goes to AZ for the winter, another has stage 4 lung cancer, and the guy behind me has a Cat D4LGP, but he's drunk even in the morning so I wouldn't trust him. I've already got the Ranger so I could put a plow on it, though no way would it bust through the current 4 foot drift. I've also got uses for a compact tractor besides snow moving, so I can justify spending $10k on one.


Professionals have solutions. They don't ask for them. Just sayin!


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## GearheadGrrrl (Feb 10, 2014)

*A professional isn't a know it all...*

I'm professional enough to ask for advice, and I expect to learn something new every day.


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## Emans_scapes (Dec 25, 2013)

GearheadGrrrl;1754247 said:


> I'm professional enough to ask for advice, and I expect to learn something new every day.


Nicely said. You can never stop learning.

And if you think being a professional means you can never take any advice I would Hate to be an employee of yours. I know guys like that and usually everybody hates them.


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## IMAGE (Oct 21, 2007)

If you really want to spend the money I know a guy looking to sell a JD 2305, it has a front blower, and a front loader. You can't use both at the same time, but you could chose between them depending on the need. It has a cab also so you'd stay warmer. It would be a little over your 10k budget, but it would do a nice job.


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## GearheadGrrrl (Feb 10, 2014)

*Compact tractor is probably what I'll go with.*

I'm looking for a compromise between low center of gravity for mowing slopes, short wheelbase for working around trees, shrubs, etc., and enough weight and power to dig through drifts. To handle the drifting, I figure I'd need at least a loader and maybe a blower... Make sense?


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## maxwell1027 (Feb 8, 2014)

*snow drift*

Go rent a skidsteer and trailer with a bucket and/or blower and get rid of the s***! Return skidsteer....job done!!!


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

A tip on show fencing.
You put the fence where you want the drift to form.

The bigger/taller the fence the bigger the drift.

Qc/H2.2 = (3 + 4P + 44P2 - 60P3)

Qc is snow storage capacity in t/m.
H is the fence height in meters.
P is the porosity percentage of the fence.

sometimes no fence is better, depending, as the wind will scrape the snow away.

http://www.dot.il.gov/blr/l002.pdf
http://www.climate.umn.edu/snow_fence/Components/Lamberton/lamberton10.htm


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## sublime68charge (Dec 28, 2007)

Id find your self a Nice Compact tractor with loader and Heated cab and put a 3point blower on the back. 4x4 also.

get a Hydro drive and then you can set the ground speed for the blower.

and if the drift is taller then the blower you can raise up blow the top half off then drop down and due the bottom half or use the loader to knock the drift down some. 

My dad has a Ford Boomer 35-40HP or so I think with Super Steer on the front axle turns on a dime with quick tach loader and nice cab Hydro drive 


that should work out good for you and also you'll have the means to push your banks back and use them as a snow barrier.

A cab with Heat and go can spend all day out there cleaning the drive.

just my thoughts.


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## GearheadGrrrl (Feb 10, 2014)

*Renting vs. buying, etc....*

If it was a once a year job, I'd rent. But there's a couple months of winter left yet, and the cost of a few rentals would equal the yearly ownership costs of a tractor. Also, I've got a bunch of other projects for a small tractor- mowing, tillage, remodeling, landscaping, etc. at both this property and another I own in the cities.

Oh, and thanks for the drifting formulas, they look familiar. The problem I've got is that I can't get the snow fences far enough out, and I may move them around some for next winter.


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## aczlan (Jan 10, 2009)

GearheadGrrrl;1753648 said:


> Also, while the new 4 by 4 compact tractors do a great job, I like the style of the older tractors... So how would something like an IH Cub or Ford N series do with a 3 point mounted snowblower on the back?


As has been said already, not enough HP and no real low reverse gear.
I would look for either a compact tractor with at least 25HP, a hydrostatic transmission and a 5' blower, or a big tractor with a loader and a big blower (such as: http://marshall.craigslist.org/grd/4310150016.html )
Another option (if you want to be real creative) might be to mount a self powered blower (such as this one: http://siouxfalls.craigslist.org/for/4310039355.html) on the front of your Ranger. You might need to mount it offset to one side, but that should be able to handle the snow in small bites.

Aaron Z


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## GearheadGrrrl (Feb 10, 2014)

*I've been thinking along those lines...*

My trailer's good for 2200 pounds, so that sets the maximum weight and size of a tractor. Would like to go with something narrow and low for mowing, but the trailer could handle up to around a 30 horse machine, provided the implement(s) are carried in the pickup's bed. Being narrow helps keep the horsepower demands down for a blower too, as a 4' wide blower needs less HP than a 5'.

As for putting a blower on the Ranger, I've heard of them on pickups. Might work best on the rear what with the weight, but still no ability to lift the blower to attack tall drifts. If I stayed here all winter I might be able to get by with a plow on the Ranger, provided I didn't let the driveway drift in. Currently we've got 30 MPH wind gusts and that's filled in the cut almost a foot deep on the sides, so I'll have to clear it out again tomorrow.


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## leolkfrm (Mar 11, 2010)

2 rows of fence may help with 25 ft in between the rows


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## Whiffyspark (Dec 23, 2009)

I'd get a one series Deere. If it's too heavy for the trailer just get it delivered. 2200 is a tiny trailer.


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## GearheadGrrrl (Feb 10, 2014)

*I like the 1 series Deere, but...*

It's kinda pricey, like everything green. It's basicly a green Yanmar, and while there's a bunch of Deere dealers near me they don't wanna deal. Kubota is at least a thousand dollars cheaper and there's a dealer 20 miles away, also Mahindra dealer nearby and he seems to want to deal.

As for weight, the Ranger is rated to tow 3500 pounds, trailer is a 6 by 12 Shorelander that's rated for 3000 GVW and 2200 pounds payload. I've got chores for a tractor here, at my old house in Minneapolis, and my brother is buying a house at the edge of the city, so probably need to get it there too. Thus I need something light enough that I can transport it.


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## Whiffyspark (Dec 23, 2009)

GearheadGrrrl;1754882 said:


> It's kinda pricey, like everything green. It's basicly a green Yanmar, and while there's a bunch of Deere dealers near me they don't wanna deal. Kubota is at least a thousand dollars cheaper and there's a dealer 20 miles away, also Mahindra dealer nearby and he seems to want to deal.
> 
> As for weight, the Ranger is rated to tow 3500 pounds, trailer is a 6 by 12 Shorelander that's rated for 3000 GVW and 2200 pounds payload. I've got chores for a tractor here, at my old house in Minneapolis, and my brother is buying a house at the edge of the city, so probably need to get it there too. Thus I need something light enough that I can transport it.


The compact Kubota aren't bad. Deere Dealer has a 1025r for 15 with loader but no cab today

I don't think yanmar is making Deere tractors anymore. New Hollands are the cheapest around here


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## Whiffyspark (Dec 23, 2009)

I don't think an x700 or whatever the big Deere garden tractors will be enough for you


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## IMAGE (Oct 21, 2007)

Whiffyspark;1754921 said:


> I don't think an x700 or whatever the big Deere garden tractors will be enough for you


An x700 would blow through that. It will just get a good workout on the drift cutter. I have a x739, I haven't used my blower for it personally, but I've seen my buddies x700 machines use the blowers with no problem.


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## GearheadGrrrl (Feb 10, 2014)

*Deere assembled, with Yanmar powertrain...*

Which ain't a bad thing. As for the X700, it's as expensive as the 1 series and can't handle a loader.


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## Whiffyspark (Dec 23, 2009)

IMAGE;1754937 said:


> An x700 would blow through that. It will just get a good workout on the drift cutter. I have a x739, I haven't used my blower for it personally, but I've seen my buddies x700 machines use the blowers with no problem.


No loader though.


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## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

Still vote Florida


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## GearheadGrrrl (Feb 10, 2014)

*Wish I could...*



1olddogtwo;1754983 said:


> Still vote Florida


I've got too many responsibilities here in MN, can't leave for more than a month.


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