Tractor/Snowblower/Snow Pusher

[ThunderJack49]

Just thought I'd throw this out there, as I'm trying to wrap my mind around some life choices I've made. I am building a home for my wife and I on a sweet piece of land in SW Montana. The house is going to be about two miles from a maintained road and there are considerable snow drifts that happen along the road. I'm looking to get a utility sized tractor and snowblower and was wondering if anyone has experience maintaining their roads, or is in a similar situation.

I work in the trades so if it's really blowing snow, I can stay home and move snow but most days we'll need to get to town.

Currently my only full time neighbor just snowmobiles up and down, or takes a tracked jeep. I do have a snowmobile for emergencies but I want to avoid the shuttling if I can. My other neighbor is calling it quits after one winter. My wife and I dug him out once and he had said he hadn't been to town in a week.

Drifts can be over 8' at times which is why I'm leaning towards a tractor and a blower.

Thanks guys and I'll try and dig up some photos from last winter for reference.

 

[wyosteve]

If you can find a reasonably price used skid steer, I’d suggest that with a snowblower over the tractor. Much faster in my experience. Any type of plow won’t work well when it drifts that much. I use a Bobcat S 300 with snowblower and can fling snow as high as the power poles.

 

[Pony Soldier]

I have a 95hp tractor with a 9 ft blade. (1st attack) .my backup is Cat D-7 to widen the road a couple times a winter. Preventative is wooden drift fences where needed. Moved the road where needed to diminish the problems. (Three times in 35 years)

If you go snow blower , go big or go home. A 6 ft face would be a good start. I build stacks of snow up to 10 ft by May. Plan for enough room to put it all.

My first snow has been in August. First all winter snow - 21 sept. Last snow - early June. Record - 9ft in two days.

Welcome to your new life.

 

[49ereric]

Used Cat 966 loader D or E model for 8’ drifts unless you don’t care how long it takes to clear. Set of chains as well.

 

[PNWGATOR]

I had a 45hp four wheel drive tractor with chains and a pto driven Meteor 72” single auger snow blower.

Based on my experience of using it for seven years in N Idaho, I’d do a few things differently. More horsepower. Fully enclosed climate controlled cab. FRONT mounted snow thrower. Also, plan on adding as much aftermarket LED lighting as you can to illuminate everything in all directions as you’re working.

Skid steer recommendation that was made above is certainly worth investigating further as it may be ideal if you don’t have any other use for a tractor. The utility of a good skid steer and the numerous attachments can’t be argued. If I hadn’t needed the tractor for agricultural work, I’d have put a skid steer in the barn and never looked back. Again, highly recommend fully enclosed climate controlled cab…trust me on this.

 

[3forks]

If you can find a reasonably price used skid steer, I’d suggest that with a snowblower over the tractor. Much faster in my experience. Any type of plow won’t work well when it drifts that much. I use a Bobcat S 300 with snowblower and can fling snow as high as the power poles.

I agree with this.

I‘ve got a buddy who has a family ranch in eastern Montana, and a skid steer with blower was what they have finally settled on as the best option for moving snow.

They‘ve been there since their family homesteaded out there and have seen a lot of winters. They own many different tractors, UTVs, trucks with plows, etc. and say the skid steer is all they use now.

Last year I was look into snow removal options fr our place and found this video. This guy has tried a lot of different options and ended up with the skid steer and blower, too.

 

[3forks]

Also, to the OP… The look into placing snow fences to help mitigate drifting.

*I didn’t see that Pony Soldier recommended snow fences before I posted. Sorry about that.

 

[Pony Soldier]

It just helps drive the point home.

 

[PNWGATOR]

Dig into the skid steer recommendation!

 

[ThunderJack49]

The neighbor who is leaving, his plan was to use this ATV for a mile or so of road.
I'm not a massive fan of skid steers but I'll be taking a second look since they come so highly recommended. I've used them at work a bit but never really took to them. They are nimble though.
100% going with a heated cab, I did the no cab thing when I lived in a cabin with my wife and were in a similiar situation, but the road wasn't as long.
The LED lights is also a solid idea.
I'm going to be asking for easements where wind fences would be helpful.
I'll have some road grading and hay to move, fencing etc as the years go on which is why I was leaning towards a tractor.
Thanks for the help guys, would love to see some setups if anyone is interested.

 

[wrexstex]

If you would rather avoid the use of a gas-powered engine and all of its noise, exhaust, and maintenance, I recommend the Ego Power+SNT2405 24-inch Self-Propelled 2-Stage Snow Blower although it’s not strong enough for every situation, it should be sufficient for anyone who deals with lighter snowfalls and doesn’t have an extensive amount of clearing to do.

 

[Dust Rider]

What about a dedicated Plow truck? Throw a sander unit in the back for weight. A tracked skid steer from your pictures being up in the hills looks solid. The bucket will move any drifts you get and with a thrower you can move a lot of snow fast.
Plus you can use it to help build your house, landscape, box scraper for snow and dirt road grading.
Or a Cat front end loader/ backhoe. Also duel purpose for building house and removing snow. We have a tractor, four wheeler with plow and walk behind thrower. I’m getting a new front mount two stage thrower for tractor after last winter.
Neighbor has a Cat front end loader for when the big storms hit. None of its cheap, but necessary to get out.

 

[cnelk]

Look at Bercomac for snow removal stuff

Bercomac

us.bercomac.com

 

[WTFJohn]

Two miles of road, with possibilities for drifting like that? You're firmly into the "real snow moving equipment" category if you don't want to hate life all winter.

Minimums regardless of machine: Enclosed & heated cab (heated seat or seat cover as well), tons of LEDs in all directions, chains if it has tires, block heater to keep things from freezing up.

On to the machine choices - a tractor is great, if you have lots of other tractor things to do. 75 hp would be my minimum, with the option for switching the loader out for a snow blower. I would also still want a plow for this setup, as there will be light snow days where a single pass down and back will be much faster. The downside with this setup will be changing the blower out for the plow/loader arms when needed, and tractors aren't always the easiest to drive for other people (like if your wife or a house guest needs to help keep things open).

A skid steer/compact track loader will do a lot on a remote property, again 75 hp would be my minimum for a stretch like you're talking about. High flow machine, with a high flow 72"+ wide snow blower + a 8-9' plow. This is our primary setup, and the track loader is very useful (in some ways more so) than our tractor around the property.

The 'right' way to maintain a stretch that long would be a wheel loader (with plow and blower setup) or AWD road grader with V-plow and side wing. These may seem like overkill, but you'll be able to put them to use maintaining that road in the summer/maybe make some $ back off neighbors for their roads as well.

I would caution you to go bigger than you think you need, if you have the $ and the room. Large scale snow removal is fun when done right, and a soul-sucking misery fest if done wrong.

Another thought - don't forget to budget for driveway markers (lots and lots), nothing like losing sight of the road in a blizzard at 6AM and ending up off the side. It's a fun way to ruin a day.

 

[BadDogPSD]

I did some work for a couple that had recently bought a house in the mountains with a 3 mile paved driveway. They purchased this in anticipation of winter.

 

[Whisky]

Man, after just going through the worst winter I've ever experienced, I don't know what the answer is. I have a JD 4066r with a loader and 3pt 74' blower. Up until last winter it did Ok., but there were still times I was undergunned. I bought the tractor, vs skidsteer, because I also do about 5 acres of food plots. If food plots weren't a consideration, I might have gone with a Bobcat Toolcat. For what you describe, and based on my experiences, they are both too small for what you describe. For my main/shortest route, I have about 4 miles to get me to a good road. There were multiple times this winter where my tractor was too small for the primary route. I would have to work up to my neighbors place, and then we would tag team the rest of the way to a county road, where the plows usually have it cleaned out by then. That added 12 miles to my commute.

JD did just come out with a 4075r sub compact. It's the biggest SCUT on the market. If money is not a factor for you, I would look into one of those, with a front mounted snow blower setup. You're probably talking $80+k for that crap though, and it's probably borderline for your needs. You, and I, would be better served with the 5 series. Google Deere 5105m. That would be the minimum if I were looking to size up.

You can forget plow pickups and snow pushers as a main tool. I do think a plow pickup would be nice for the smaller snow events or as a quicker way to move some snow before it piles up too deep. But if the wind is blowing bad, as is usually the case, it will drift in before you get back to the house.

If I was a farmer, or had farmer money, I'd have a 200-300hp tractor with a 12-14ft blade on the front, and a rear blower that could chew up a small car.

 

[wytx]

We use a Ford 7740, 4wd, with a front bucket to clear the ranch road, we feed the horses over winter.
It is a pain.
Snow fences go up every Fall and really help with the drifting.
Had to walk in 2 miles in 2021 with the big blizzard, then plow our way back to the truck.

Best of luck, the guy just down from he ranch had a blower for his tractor, didn't work well on gravel roads for him but he was a dufus anyway. Smooth road may have worked better for him and his snow blower.

 

[Whisky]

Another thing, when you say 8ft drifts. Is that an occasional 8ft drift and is 5-15ft long, or is that an 8ft drift that is 100yds long? Also, besides the bad drifting spots, how's the rest of the road during a snow event? Does it blow off enough to drive a 4wd vehicle through, or do you have to clear 2 solid miles?

 

[WiscoHoundsman]

I like the skid loader idea. Lots of other uses for your needs moving hay and fencing ect. If you have much for hills a track loader may not work well. Mine slides around a lot but a wheeled one you could get chains for. The big drifts a v plow on a grader would work great or the loaders mentioned. 2 miles is a lot to plow so get nice equipment if you can.

 

[Pony Soldier]

You folks have come up with some great points but I have another. It becomes critical that the road is prepared in the fall. Not only smooth and crowned but cleared of rocks, stumps and other problems for 20-25 ft on either side of the road to facilitate equipment. Things that can't be moved, need to be marked with things that can't be buried. Especially things that will damage equipment. Winter prep is almost as entertaining as spring repairs. A stockpile of gravel or rock for spring repairs is much easier to have on hand in the fall than trying to do during spring breakup.