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172 Posts
Hi Viking, I get a lot of snow and have tried different methods. Plowing isn't really an option, as we got something like 65 feet so far this year, with 4 more planned for this weekend. It has to be blown, not pushed.
My Honda walk-behind blower with tracks worked great. It was ~8 hp, cost $2500 new (I got it used, much cheaper), and could blow the snow 40 or more feet. It took 90 minutes to do my driveway and had ~26" stroke, but it could only handle half that in snow deeper than 18". I sold it.
My Kubota yard tractor can push it all away, but like I said, no where to go. I could put a 3 point blower on the back, but they are expensive, plus I would have to drive around backwards. Yuck. But performance would now doubt be exceptional.
I put a blower on my Deere lawnmower, the type that sits in front and runs on a belt. It works great, with some exceptions, and has 48" stroke, of which only 24" is useful in snow deeper than 18". I found it on CL for $600 and can do my driveway in 25 minutes. It is single stage and bogs down if the snow is really wet and heavy. I have some design improvements planned, based on advice from this forum.
I would seriously consider a blower on my quad. My 420 is such a better machine than my yard tractor. Maybe not as maneuverable, but probably not an issue. I haven't priced these, but the other options are expensive too. You can't have too much power rotating the blades, but that all depends on your average daily snowfall. The most negative thing I can think of regarding an ATV for this usage is the trouble to shift into reverse. I do a lot of back and forth moving snow and with the tractor hydraulic transmissions, having a reverse foot pedal is much more convenient than the quad red-lever option for reverse.
My Honda walk-behind blower with tracks worked great. It was ~8 hp, cost $2500 new (I got it used, much cheaper), and could blow the snow 40 or more feet. It took 90 minutes to do my driveway and had ~26" stroke, but it could only handle half that in snow deeper than 18". I sold it.
My Kubota yard tractor can push it all away, but like I said, no where to go. I could put a 3 point blower on the back, but they are expensive, plus I would have to drive around backwards. Yuck. But performance would now doubt be exceptional.
I put a blower on my Deere lawnmower, the type that sits in front and runs on a belt. It works great, with some exceptions, and has 48" stroke, of which only 24" is useful in snow deeper than 18". I found it on CL for $600 and can do my driveway in 25 minutes. It is single stage and bogs down if the snow is really wet and heavy. I have some design improvements planned, based on advice from this forum.
I would seriously consider a blower on my quad. My 420 is such a better machine than my yard tractor. Maybe not as maneuverable, but probably not an issue. I haven't priced these, but the other options are expensive too. You can't have too much power rotating the blades, but that all depends on your average daily snowfall. The most negative thing I can think of regarding an ATV for this usage is the trouble to shift into reverse. I do a lot of back and forth moving snow and with the tractor hydraulic transmissions, having a reverse foot pedal is much more convenient than the quad red-lever option for reverse.
