Snow Removal Advice for a Long Driveway in Vermont... Tractors, Snowblowers ect

[tyfalk]

Hey everyone... looking for some snow removal advice for northern Vermont. Looks like I am going to need to take care of my driveway in Huntington, Vermont at 1,000 feet in elevation. Its 1/3 of a mile long dirt driveway that is uphill but not excessively steep. I have been kicking around the idea of getting some sort of tractor with snowblower attachment but do not know a ton about tractors. I would rather not spend a ton of money but am open to spending more If needed. I was thinking of getting a old truck with a plow but I think a tractor might be more useful around the property for other things. A few questions...

Will I need a 4x4 tractor or will a 2wd work with weights and chains?

How much snow does that area tend to see at 1k in elevation? (Burlington only averages 75" and Bolton averages 312" so maybe somewhere in the middle?

Any opinions on this cheap tractor?
https://vermont.craigslist.org/grd/d...740764025.html

Alot more expensive but new? Anyone have experience with something like this...
https://www.toro.com/en/professional...on-mower-74527

[SB]

You should hold snow blower death matches. Maybe even have washed up celebrities go at it. Sell tickets.

Eventually your drive way will get cleaned. There might be sum blood too.

[ctsmith]

I would recommend a used plow truck. Totally agree that tractors are useful, but a used plow truck will likely be less than a 35+ hp 4wd tractor with snowblower. I did one winter with a tractor with snowblower then switched to a plow truck. I think both of those options you linked to will be less than ideal.

[tyfalk]

^ya that makes sense...maybe I need to just sack up and spend some money on a truck with a plow as much as I do not really want another vehicle around.
Anyone have anything floating around that might work...

[Vt-Freeheel]

First one is a garden "tractor" and the second is shit for a long drive.
Ask the previous owners what their snow removal method was and adopt or adapt. If they paid for a service, this could be a good way to go for year one. Get the recent year['s] $ for service if they used one and go from there. Old [reliable] trucks and plows are spendy and a hassle to maintain.
I have been shoveling 150' of drive by hand for 6 years and enjoy the workout until around March. I can shovel quicker than my neighbor does his drive with a snowblower. Weekend neighbors think I'm crazy.

Welcome to VT! We'll have to get the C-county Mags together for a welcome wagon.

[Peruvian]

I have a 1/4 mile long drive at 1600’ elevation in So VT. That garden tractor isn’t even close to what you need.

You will need a 4wd 35-50hp tractor at a minimum. You will also want a front end blower which is rare and very expensive. I think Deere is a better option than Kubota for front mounted blowers. Probably $35k.

You need a truck and likely a 3/4 or 1 ton. Another consideration is that a melt-refreeze means you will need to deal with icy conditions so a sander is important. Also consider a rear hitch mounted winch so when you get stuck, you can get your ass out by yourself.

I guess what I am saying is you should see who the local plow guy is and ask him about your driveway, if he is taking new customers, what his plan is, and what he would charge.

I don’t plow my driveway and my friends that do have short driveways.

[tyfalk]

This is what the prior owner used. I would have liked to buy it from her but she wanted two times more than what I saw other similar models sell for online in the same condition...

Anyone have a opinion on how much this one is worth below with unknown hours. Found some online from 10-13k...

Lets definitely get a welcome wagon party together with My Pet Powder Goat!

[Vt-Freeheel]

Like Peruvian said, Look for a local plow guy this winter. Do you have a place to store a tractor under cover?

[Peruvian]

Looks like a quick attach bucket on that NH. A plow would work on that but you are outside while plowing and additional hydraulics for tilt. I’d guess $25k used with bucket plus another $2500 for the plow.

That’s a lot of years of plow service so you can put another log in the wood stove while watching the plow guy push snow.

[Cruiser]

My neighbor runs a similar Deere to that first one you listed and it rocks and rolls here in Colorado with our relatively light snow. I bet you could do your driveway in 30m with that thing and for relatively small money.

That said, my buddy rontele is a manufacturer rep for a Toro in New England and I bet he could hook you up with a slick pro deal on a lightly used demo unit. He was just saying the other day that he still had some of last year's stuff kicking around in the warehouse and didn't know what to do with it because he had a bunch of this year's models rolling in. Shoot him a pm here on the forum and see what he's got going!

[Vt-Freeheel]

Looks like a quick attach bucket on that NH. A plow would work on that but you are outside while plowing and additional hydraulics for tilt. I’d guess $25k used with bucket plus another $2500 for the plow.

That’s a lot of years of plow service so you can put another log in the wood stove while watching the plow guy push snow.

I know Peruvians drive and his words are wise. Pull another homebrew and watch the plow guy. And don't forget that plow guys have sanders for the usual VT warm up > water ice overnight BS.

[Harry]

[m2711c]

https://www.ariens.com/en-us/snow-products


walk behinds > tractors. Much, much cheaper and better power to weight ratio. throws a good 40 ft.

[RShea]

You probably do not want any garden lawn mower with a snow blower attached. Besides the fact that the drive is dirt and the snow blower is going to throw rocks and stuff unless the drive is well packed. So plow blades can be an advantage with a dirt surface.

If you have a place to park an old beater vehicle- then maybe a route to go. Pick up truck or 4 wheel drive vehicle of some sort with a good frame still and still decent and working heat (does not need license even if all you ever use it for is the snow plowing on the private property. Still have to keep it running though so a bit of a trade off.

The small tractors like the previous owner had would be another option with a blade. If it has a bucket attachment also- all the better if the snow builds up and you can use the vehicle to haul the snow elsewhere that around the garage or at the end of the drive by the street.

Other options could be a quad runner with a blade, but you could spend a bit of time and not be able to push the snow far enough as the winter continues on and need the snow blower attachment to get the snow away from the drive area too.

Storage is best for the vehicles as mentioned too- garage or barn at least.

Budget also can enter into the decision of course too...

[iceman]

I'd either get it plowed or buy a cheap truck with a plow on it, plenty of them for sale: https://vermont.craigslist.org/searc...4x4+plow+truck

[mtngirl79]

My dad plowed our driveway in northeastern washington with an old 1940s john deere tractor and a blade. No scooping bucket. No blower. He did this for approx 20 years. The tractor came with the property and sold with the property. The driveway was approx 1/4 mile and the elevation 2500 ft.


It looked kinda like this..

[AK47bp]

[ill-advised strategy]

I think the big thing with having your own inexpensive plow rig is whether or not you’re mechanically inclined and can (or want to) stay on top of a lot of little mechanical systems. It can be nice to have a big mean plow truck if you have to haul trash or lumber or whatever, and plowing is kind of fun if you like slower precise 4 wheeling type of driving.

[Sutter]

My neighbor runs a similar Deere to that first one you listed and it rocks and rolls here in Colorado with our relatively light snow. I bet you could do your driveway in 30m with that thing and for relatively small money.

That said, my buddy rontele is a manufacturer rep for a Toro in New England and I bet he could hook you up with a slick pro deal on a lightly used demo unit. He was just saying the other day that he still had some of last year's stuff kicking around in the warehouse and didn't know what to do with it because he had a bunch of this year's models rolling in. Shoot him a pm here on the forum and see what he's got going!

Rontele cooks grits in jean-shorts

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

All I will really add to this thread is that people who don't grow up around tractors are always blown away at how expensive they are used. Good tractors like that NH hold their value. They are not like cars that dramatically lose value every year. When maintained they last for a very very long time.

[tyfalk]

Thanks for all the responses. To answer a few questions. ^ Yes I will have a barn to store a diesel tractor. I am somewhat mechanically inclined so I wouldn't mind trying to deal with small problems.

Is there a way site to find a accurate value on used tractors?

Thanks for mentioning rontele I will reach out to him soon...Anyone know his contact info?

[ex-powderbroker]

i got you

[twodogs]

If you have money, tractor with snowblower. If you want to do it on the cheap, plow truck.

[RShea]

Is there a way site to find a accurate value on used tractors?

Yes, thanks to the Internet there are plenty of ways to research the value and some estimated costs for used tractors. tractorsbynet.com and a number of similar sites depending on the brand and size you can find by searching. There is also of course Ebay and specifically closed auctions search also. Of course as mentioned the value seems to be holding and farmers are not afraid of used ones. One of the Farm Shows (comes on at 6::00 or something on Sunday morning on one of our stations) had a segment about the fact that the low hours tractors are in fact maintaining their values and at auction they can fetch good money. Of course they also were talking about the bigger horsepower than what you may need for just plowing...

[ill-advised strategy]

I got my first plow rig this past year....by way of installing a $300 old used cable-control western on my 79 Ford.
Things I learned: you'll probably (or I don't know, you "may") get stuck, so you should have a game plan to be able to pull your plow truck out....
A few things have made my rig much better: I run dual batteries, not isolated, and I bought the biggest commercial truck batteries I could fit. I also installed a trickle charger right in the truck and ran the plug out the grill like you would a block heater. With limited budget, I chose to go with massive batteries and a charger instead of less battery and a big alternator....thing is you're idling a lot and using a ton of electric power, so even a very big alternator really wouldn't keep up that well. I have big fucking accessory lights front, rear, and side....which really help. When you're plowing you're running all these lights, and a huge electric plow motor, and the heater fan, and sometimes the wipers....and the brake lights.....it's a lot. So instead of drawing down a normal battery and having to rev the engine and shit to keep things going, just slap a big old bus battery or two and a charger in there and plug it in after you're done.

Small, narrow, knobby tires.

Low truck, low plow carriage....good blade angle.

I fuel mine with gas cans to keep it out of the salt. I save so much hassle when it's time to work on it....avoiding the insane corrosion of salted roads. I say keep it on your property and out of the salt and just fuel it with a can....if you can pull it off.