# Cleaning Driveways with skidsteer. (how long?)



## bashbro1 (Oct 30, 2009)

I am have been cleaning driveways with skidsteer for two years now and while I have looked around I am trying to figure out if I am spending far too long at each driveway. We did get pretty hammered here last weekend with 5' drifts across many of my driveways I clean but it was taking me 1/2 hour plus each by the time I cleaned. Got snow onto boulevard and shoveled away from the garage door. 

Is that about how long each driveway is taking you guys with skidsteers? I have an ASV 4810 with 78" bucket soon to be 96" snow bucket. I know all the little things I do are burning up time but still I only do 22 driveways and I know some guys on here are do several times that in the same 12 hour day.

thanks
bashbro1


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## buckwheat_la (Oct 11, 2009)

skidsteers are very poor for doing driveways, unless you have large groupings of them all in one area, we use skidsteers in residential ONLY, when we get really high drifts or piles of snow. the loading and unloading time it takes really doesn't make it worth while.


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## snow game (Sep 28, 2008)

Half hour for a drive way sounds like a lot of time, but around here a BIG driveway is only 100' long by 2 cars wide. I don't think that would take me 15min with an 8' blade, but we almost never have 5' drifts (except for last week).


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## jomama45 (Dec 25, 2008)

bashbro1;932811 said:


> I am have been cleaning driveways with skidsteer for two years now and while I have looked around I am trying to figure out if I am spending far too long at each driveway. We did get pretty hammered here last weekend with 5' drifts across many of my driveways I clean but it was taking me 1/2 hour plus each by the time I cleaned. Got snow onto boulevard and shoveled away from the garage door.
> 
> Is that about how long each driveway is taking you guys with skidsteers? I have an ASV 4810 with 78" bucket soon to be 96" snow bucket. I know all the little things I do are burning up time but still I only do 22 driveways and I know some guys on here are do several times that in the same 12 hour day.
> 
> ...


I assume you're spending too much time, but it's fairly subjective as many factors can come into place, most importantly the size of drive.

My suggestion would be to look into a blade vs. the bucket. Safer for the pavements, machine & operator due to trip function. Also far faster because you don't need to dump the bucket every time it's full.

I'll give you an example: I always have one skid at my house/shop over the winter. If I use the plow, about 15 mins to plow & pile the yard. If using the reg. 6' bucket, closer to an hour to do the same work.


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## bashbro1 (Oct 30, 2009)

I do have a plow but am leery of using it for driveways because I don't like the idea of piling up snow right along their driveway. With the bucket I scoop and pile it on their boulevard away from view. I figure this should also give them less fill during the next storm. I guess I could try the plow on my own driveway and see if I like the results.


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## blowerman (Dec 24, 2007)

One word: Blower!


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## bashbro1 (Oct 30, 2009)

I have tossed around the idea of a blower. I have ideas of retrofitting an old 3pt blower to my skidsteers HF hydros. 
My only questions are this. 
1. How do you prevent throwing snow onto other peoples property?

2. How close can you get to a garage door before you have to shovel it away?


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## blowerman (Dec 24, 2007)

1. we drive at the garage and can throw the snow almost behind the machine. (a good distance to the side and back of the machine. 
2. the machines will leave a pile in front of the blower (that's why I added a pxpl), so we stop about 2 feet short of the garage and if they are three pass driveways, on our last pass we turn as if scooping the snow away. While turning the machine you need to be continually turning the shoot. This is why anyone that uses a blower and skidloader needs to have the controls in their finger tips, not a seperate control box. Also, just because guys say they can run a skiddy like a pro, I found most suck and using the blowers. If you are good at the skid, get a little practice with a blower and you'll never regret it. I have a 128 unit all their own driveways, project and it gets completed in under 3 hours for most snows under 3-4 inches. We use a Bobcat S185 with a 66" bobcat blower. Nothing fancy, but the time it saves us over any other machine or truck is unreal.


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## sidthss (Oct 23, 2009)

Ya, if your going in and taking one bucket load of snow off a driveway at a time and traveling any distance with it you are wasting time, like it was said, get a blower, they are very functional and with a good operator you can put snow nearly any where you want. I would say you could get withing 1-2ft or less of a garage door, but again depends on the skill of the operator. Quality of the blower will also help you be efficient, if you have to get out to dink around with the shoot then you are wasting time, so it is nice to have one that is fully controlable from the cab.


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## bashbro1 (Oct 30, 2009)

Thanks for the help. I think that plow may have to move down the road if I can find a blower to retrofit. 
thanks again.


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