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Heading East! Ya Mule Ya!
- Thread starter Brent H
- Start date
darrin1200
Darrin
I wanted to make a smart ass remark, but I’m getting ready to go out and shovel our most recent foot of snow, here in Eastern Ontario.
Dan Dubeau
Ultra Member
We got a good dumping last night too. I've done the one more coffee and I'll go out and do something about it 3 times now..........
Brent H
Ultra Member
@Dan Dubeau : haha! I finally have the driveway plowed!!
Would anyone out there be interested in some 1000 watt grow lights?
Would anyone out there be interested in some 1000 watt grow lights?
You found those in the driveway?!
1: House is looking great! Wow.
2: 24 x 40 shop. Double WOW!
3: Moving east - going well, good to hear.
4: As you know, my tractor is a twin for yours (except for the orange paint and age) but my accessories are different. I have 2 buckets. One regular bucket (to which i added teeth) and a second light duty bucket which is considerably larger and is great for pushing snow around. Now the big difference- i have a snow blower. The combination of large bucket and a blower is awesome. I also added a flashing beacon and LOTS of LED lights. I look forward to cleaning up after a snow storm. Especially at night!!
Aside #1: If a snow blower is in your future maybe it should go with you like the insulation (same reason $$$). I’ve had mine for 25+ years with zero issues. It’s Ontario made by the Mennonites at Lucknow Industries - which i highly recommended. The shoot has tilt and rotate hydraulics - IMO a must have option.
Aside #2: Why the beacon? 30+ years ago i lived across from a dairy farmer. He was clearly snow at the end of his lane and a pickup hit him. He had some lights but no flashing blue beacon. He was changed for causing the accident- not the pickup driver who was driving way to fast for blizzard conditions.
2: 24 x 40 shop. Double WOW!
3: Moving east - going well, good to hear.
4: As you know, my tractor is a twin for yours (except for the orange paint and age) but my accessories are different. I have 2 buckets. One regular bucket (to which i added teeth) and a second light duty bucket which is considerably larger and is great for pushing snow around. Now the big difference- i have a snow blower. The combination of large bucket and a blower is awesome. I also added a flashing beacon and LOTS of LED lights. I look forward to cleaning up after a snow storm. Especially at night!!
Aside #1: If a snow blower is in your future maybe it should go with you like the insulation (same reason $$$). I’ve had mine for 25+ years with zero issues. It’s Ontario made by the Mennonites at Lucknow Industries - which i highly recommended. The shoot has tilt and rotate hydraulics - IMO a must have option.
Aside #2: Why the beacon? 30+ years ago i lived across from a dairy farmer. He was clearly snow at the end of his lane and a pickup hit him. He had some lights but no flashing blue beacon. He was changed for causing the accident- not the pickup driver who was driving way to fast for blizzard conditions.
Cannot overstate this.
Dunno what costs are for stuff like that in the Maritimes. Might even be cheaper! Maybe check with @Tecnico. Be worth hauling if it's cheaper here. It's supposed to be spring on the 21st. Prices should come down.
Can't speak for the mennonites. I have some of their stuff I really like. Mine is a Woods. I've only ever had to replace a shear pin once.
My loader tractor has closed center hydraulics (boo hoo) so my options are limited. I have 3 scvs and the loader takes 2 of them. So I only have one left for hydraulic rotate. It hasn't been an issue here. I just shoot as high as possible and the wind looks after it. I've never needed to change the height.
Holy Crap. I can't see myself ever getting into an AH tangle with another vehicle. It's hard to imagine someone not noticing a tractor on the road. But I would have thought my farm license would look after that if it ever came down to it.
Did the charges stick?
I think you're talking about a tractor mounted blower so it's a bit out of scale for my 288cc walk behind. I'm guessing the place to find a tractor blower would be somewhere where they're more common like Ont or Que or maybe NB. We do sometimes get big ones, like the one where I rolled up the garage door & found chest high snow but if this winter is any indication we have about 6" on the ground right now and that's from the last few weeks. I'm looking forward to the 21st
D
trlvn
Ultra Member
There might possibly be some Mennonites working there but it was not a Mennonite business. The company was originally Art Helm Welding and they evolved into making grain buggies and pto-driven snow blowers, etc. Art's other passion was tractor pulling. He sank a fortune into the various iterations of "The Noisy Lady". Not really something to endear him to the Mennonite community!
Craig
Lucknow is my home town. My cousin worked for years in the paint shop there.
Brent H
Ultra Member
Departed at about 2:30 am. And arrived home in Ontario about 6:20 pm. Drive was pretty straight forward, just one guy in Riviere du Loup with a death wish. I think Yield signs in Quebec have a different meaning than other places - not sure?
Anyway, basement is insulated, out electrical boxes in the desired locations, re- plumbed the water system for better access, installed some exterior lights, disposed of most of the crap left in the shop an stripped it down to where I can hatch a plan. Took a bunch of measurements, plowed a few tons of snow and got stung with a 60% increase in property taxes!! Grrrr - evidently we don’t qualify for “spike” protection. So NB welcomes you with a nice bill. Thieves!! Argh!
My son at the house will go around and fluff things and get set up for vapour barrier. Basement now sits at 18°C instead of about 8 to 10.
Back to painting tomorrow….
Anyway, basement is insulated, out electrical boxes in the desired locations, re- plumbed the water system for better access, installed some exterior lights, disposed of most of the crap left in the shop an stripped it down to where I can hatch a plan. Took a bunch of measurements, plowed a few tons of snow and got stung with a 60% increase in property taxes!! Grrrr - evidently we don’t qualify for “spike” protection. So NB welcomes you with a nice bill. Thieves!! Argh!
My son at the house will go around and fluff things and get set up for vapour barrier. Basement now sits at 18°C instead of about 8 to 10.
Back to painting tomorrow….
Yep
Tractor rear mounted blowers are quite common around here, at least in the Woodstock NB area.
There is a company in Hartland NB, Craig Manufacturing. They make a lot of heavy stuff, but one I saw that was cool was a snow blade that basically chain mounts to a wheel loader bucket. I am not sure if they make a smaller version to mount to a farm tractor size bucket. That said, considering the skill level around here, I'm sure it could be home built and scaled accordingly.
There is a company in Hartland NB, Craig Manufacturing. They make a lot of heavy stuff, but one I saw that was cool was a snow blade that basically chain mounts to a wheel loader bucket. I am not sure if they make a smaller version to mount to a farm tractor size bucket. That said, considering the skill level around here, I'm sure it could be home built and scaled accordingly.
Chicken lights
Forum Pony Express Driver
The only downside to having them mount to a bucket is you can’t angle the blade (usually). If the angle is built in to the attachment then you’re constantly thinking how to push snow with it.Tractor rear mounted blowers are quite common around here, at least in the Woodstock NB area.
There is a company in Hartland NB, Craig Manufacturing. They make a lot of heavy stuff, but one I saw that was cool was a snow blade that basically chain mounts to a wheel loader bucket. I am not sure if they make a smaller version to mount to a farm tractor size bucket. That said, considering the skill level around here, I'm sure it could be home built and scaled accordingly.
My version of that is simple. Who needs a blade if you have a blower and a bucket? A bucket is a darn good blade and doesn't tilt either. Don't need to push snow you can blow a mile downwind.
FWIW, my woods blower has a pseudo blade on it too. It only takes cleaning up after 1 snow storm to learn how to clean up effectively.
But.... The best advantage of buying a big blower is...... You won't get big storms anymore....... Mother nature seems to know that you are prepared and leaves you alone cuz she gets no joy. It's like buying snow insurance.
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Chicken lights
Forum Pony Express Driver
I haven’t tried to cut trail with a blower, I’m “guessing” with a snowpack they won’t do well?
Buckets don’t really cut trail well either, as they fill up and you need to dump them somewhere
I also am not impressed with how much blowers leave behind/don’t scrape, but that could be how it’s setup too
I think this is one of those “you have a good system in place” that works well for you, but doesn’t work in “all snow removal” situations
The most annoying thing to plow is an old orchard with the stumps buried, it looks like an empty field until you start hitting stumps
I think blowers on tractors work great at moving fresh snow, they can sure throw it far and fast
Nope. They are crappy Trail cutters.
The truth is that I have actually used mine to cut a few trails out in the field. I'll NEVER do that again. If you think those things throw snow, you should see what they do to frozen dirt!
You can actually do it, but you have to lift the blower off the ground. That leaves a medium deep layer of snow, but it's still better than leaving the whole thing.
I also think it helps to remember that we are talking 3pt hitch blowers here, not truck mounted.
Yup, I would guess a blade is prolly best for cutting trails. But even that is prolly not great. Best might just be to pack it down and drive over it..... But I really don't know. I did trails the first few years we lived here and then quit. The most I do now is cut a walkway to the barn with my small push blower.
Anyway, the subject here was driveways not trails.
That's definitely the case. A good blower setup is done just like a blade. You adjust the shoes to just skim the pavement or concrete. My blower actually has two blades built into the bottom - one for going forward when you are blowing and one for going backward when you plow with it. Both can be set using the shoes to scrape just like a blade would if you are brave enough. I prefer to set it for a 1/4 inch of clearance which is enough to stop the blade from catching or shaving off asphalt. Although I could, I don't try to do a shovel clean job with my blade or my blower. Just get the GD snow 100 ft away.
Brent H
Ultra Member
My set up will be a back (3 point) blower with the front bucket.
Blow the fresh and ready snow off as far as possible and scrape it down with the bucket.
Biggest problem this year : boy is alone and has 4x4 with good snow tires - starts work early. Packed snow down. Then it rained and froze, snowed and rained and was 4x4’d as tractor had 2 shite back tires. Add on about 1/4 km of snow to move a put some place.
Next year will be different- shorter driveway and relocated!!
Blow the fresh and ready snow off as far as possible and scrape it down with the bucket.
Biggest problem this year : boy is alone and has 4x4 with good snow tires - starts work early. Packed snow down. Then it rained and froze, snowed and rained and was 4x4’d as tractor had 2 shite back tires. Add on about 1/4 km of snow to move a put some place.
Next year will be different- shorter driveway and relocated!!
Here at home, I have an above average area to clear after a snow storm. More than I’d like to tackle with a walk-behind blower. It’s also not large enough to justify equipment you’d expect to see clearing snow at Costco. At the cottage a local contractor does the cleaning with a 4x4 pickup and plow. Perfect - since I’m seldom there.
Now that I’m retired, I don’t break trail or have tree stumps to worry about anymore. I sold my backhoe and a dozer awhile ago.
Point is - for me a compact tractor with a front bucket and a pto blower is perfect.
As Chicken lights said “you have a good system in place and it works well for you”.
Now that I’m retired, I don’t break trail or have tree stumps to worry about anymore. I sold my backhoe and a dozer awhile ago.
Point is - for me a compact tractor with a front bucket and a pto blower is perfect.
As Chicken lights said “you have a good system in place and it works well for you”.
This is a huge problem!
I am a snow cleaning nazi. NOBODY drives on that Shite (or even walks on it) till I clear a path for them to drive/walk on! Even if I have to get up at 3am to do it!
My big blower and my bucket are both big enough to handle the packed down snow but I still don't like it. Invariably some stays and then becomes a bigger problem later on.
My brand new problem this year is the new Amazon carrier who delivers in the wee hours of the night!
I put calcium in my rear tires but it isn't magic. The frozen rain and ice are a disaster no matter what you use to clean it with. It's a delicate balance between ripping the ice off and ripping the Asphalt with it. The three point hitch helps because you can change the lifted weight. A floating front bucket positioned vertical like a blade helps too.
Ours is 1/2 km. I feel your pain.
There are many advantages to a long driveway...... Thieves and door-to-door salesmen don't like it. Once you are blowing snow, the longer driveway is just a longer run. It's all the corners up by the house and the mess the municipal snowplows leave at the end of the driveway that are a problem. The extra length is not really a big deal unless you are shovelling by hand or with a walk behind.