advice on tractor for snow removal

[ihuntgsps]

Looking for advice on what kind of tractor to get for my needs.

primary use:

moving snow (I get 3' to 4' drifts often during the winters)

move round bales of hay

grade gravel drives

fence post auger

Budget is under $3000

do i need a loader tractor or will a 3pt blade or 3pt bucket do what i need it to do?

[simi-steading]

4 foot drifts need a bucket, not a blade...

You're going to be real hard pressed to get a tractor and bucket loader for $3000... we won't even think about a post hole digger for that price... A bucket attachment alone used can run you three grand..

[Studhauler]

Start with a tractor with a FEL , 3pt & PTO. Save more money, then buy a snowblower for the 3pt.

[coolrunnin]

30 bales are easily doable 7 in the floor of the bed with tailgate down and 12 in each layer after.

[rambler]

Need and want can barely get by with are different things. You will get lots of advice in all directions.

Moving round bales needs a heavy tractor, you will be near 50 hp to make this safe. Not so much for hp, but for a safe heavy tractor that can handle the load.

Moving drifted snow, a loader works kinda, you will want a snow blower some day, so live pto and several reverse gears (slow) is needed.

I think you will be around $5000 to get something you will enjoy using and will give you good service and be safe. Tractor with loader, good gear selection, good hydraulics, big enough.

We've all gotten by with less, or made do, but you'll regret it in the long run.

Paul

[simi-steading]

Originally Posted by coolrunnin

30 bales are easily doable 7 in the floor of the bed with tailgate down and 12 in each layer after.

Wrong thread

[coolrunnin]

Yup I noticed

[coolrunnin]

While a FEL is certainly easier you can move drifts that high with just a blade but you need a trator tall enough to not drag thru the snow drive up and down to pack and then start lowering the blade to drag it away.

[ronbre]

i'd shop for a good used regular tractor..tractors tend to be easy to repair and seldom break down..a front end loader with a back blade and a 3 pt hitch

[highlands]

Originally Posted by ihuntgsps

Budget is under $3000

Budget is not nearly enough.

Go ahead and get a small tractor that fits that budget but you'll find you're frustrated and you'll break the tractor.

I would suggest checking out John Deere. Last I knew they were having a 0% down, 0% interest for three years and I think they were the one with no payments until 7/2013. You're budget is about four payments.

Get a tractor big enough to do real work. A compact utility tractor in the 40 hp to 70 hp range is what I would suggest. I have the 47xx series (e.g., 4700, 4720, etc).


I do the same work with ours that you're wanting to do with yours. We:

- move round bales of hay out to the livestock in the fields and sheds;
- drag logs out of the forest;
- dig water lines and ditches;
- plant trees;
- dig foundations;
- grade the driveway;
- plow the driveway;
- sand the driveway;
- dig out bedding;
- flip the compost piles;
- haul big things;
- unload trucks;
- other stuff - there's always other stuff...


Over the years we've accumulated the following attachments:

- Bucket loader
- Backhoe
- Pallet Fork's
- Sander/Seeder
- Box Scraper
- Rake

I find that the last two are not used nearly as much as the other things.

I'm contemplating getting an auger too. I have an upcoming project next summer where it will be needed.

Get a real set of forks for the front loader. Do not get the kind of forks that go on a bucket - great way to bend a bucket and they don't have the capacity to move large loads.


I have three buckets that go on the front:

- original half cubic yard bucket that came with the tractor;

- 4-in-1 jaws bucket which is fabulous for picking up stuff including big rocks;

- bulk bucket which is 7' wide for snow plowing.

Each bucket is very good at what it does.


We also have logging chains on the rear wheels, a must have for snow plowing on icy mountain roads. The chains save wear and tear on the tires and since tires are more expensive than chains I leave the chains on all year which also gives me extra traction year round. Never know when you might get an ice storm in July (It has happened here ).

Because we live on the side of a mountain we have the wheels set out to the full 8' width. Makes the tractor look kind of funny, big assed, but it helps prevent roll overs. Oh, and be sure to keep that ROPS up (Roll Over Protection System) and wear your seat belt.

Once you have the tractor there are a lot of things you will find you can do that you didn't consider previously and things will go faster.

See:

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:...rm.com+tractor

In terms of breed, er, I mean brand, I matters less than most advocates will tell you. I've used IH, Kubota, JD and others. Once you buy one kind though you'll want to stick with that if you buy a second tractor since the attachments are not universal. Bit of a bother there.

In your budget figure in insurance for fire, theft, damage, etc.

[foxtrapper]

Agree, you're not going to get anything worth having at under $3k. Not saying you can't find something for less, but it's going to take a good bit of work and money to fix and maintain it. Btdt, more times than I care to recall.

Get a snow blower for the snow. Few hundred dollars will buy you a lot of two stage snow blower. Darn usefull to have since they will throw the snow up and over those 4' drifts you mention. It will also let you carve handy trails up to the doors and such.

Consider switching to square bales. They are a lot easier to handle by hand, and you're not spending time playing with a tractor to handle them. Personally, I laugh up my sleeve at my inlaws on this one. They work round bales, taking 3 times as long to do the job as they would with square bales. They do seem to be learning though, last time I was there, they were actually using the square bales.

You can grade a driveway with a stout garden tractor and a blade. Think Gravely or such. Something with some weight and mass for traction. You can also do it with a blade in the hitch on your truck, if you've got a truck.

Post hole auger; well, there is rental, or switching to t-posts, or even buying a used one. They do show up fairly regularly at auctions for not much money.

[haypoint]

You might find a 50 horse Belarus in your price range. I like mine, some say they are junk.

[Studhauler]

If you are working in the snow you have to have tire chains and/ or four wheel drive.
If you are thinking garden tractor like someone mentioned, make sure it has left and right independent brakes, you'll need them in the snow.

[fantasymaker]

You want a BIG old tractor AND shed space.
Like a old 1070 or 1370 case.
Keep it where you can get it out of the shed.Start it in the shed and then work your way out from that. plowing a bit at a time. For what your wanting to do a old style Dozer blade would work well, a dozer blade is under slung with arms that run straight from the rear axle to the blade....a LOT stronger. Don't use it to doze though just snow.!
push right then left in a chevron pattern.

[Jim-mi]

You need to blow the snow away from those "drift" areas.
Just pushing with a blade will build up "piles" that even a big old tractor will not move.


I speak from years of snow grooming on trails.
A machine I really like is a John Deere 8100 series . . . . . price tag around $130,000..

As has been said , $3000 is woefully short for the bare minimum equipment you need for your intended tasks.

[Chucknbob]

Another option for moving round bails is a winch and a low trailer. We've winched round bails up on a trailer and rolled them off where we wanted them for years. A truck or small tractor could pull the trailer around. This could help reduce the cost until you save up for a loader.

[fordson major]

Originally Posted by haypoint

You might find a 50 horse Belarus in your price range. I like mine, some say they are junk.

is yours the air cooled Haypoint? always loved our little air cooled!!

[ihuntgsps]

thank you for all the ideas. it is nice to hear form people that have been there and done that.

My thinking now is to use my Bolens h14 with 42" single stage snow blower and put a plow on my 4wheeler to try to move as much as possible until I can afford to buy a new or newer 30+ hp tractor with loader. seen some kubotas around $20k....just need to find a away to make some more $ so I dont have to borrow to buy it!

[fantasymaker]

LOL I hope your not on that 14Hp Bolens all the way to the end of a three mile drive!

[rambler]

Farm sale a couple years ago, I bought a Ford 5000 tractor, 16 forward speeds, 4 reverse, 2 hyd remotes, independent pto, 60hp. Was $5400.

Think I've put a battery cable into it andoil changes, it smokes a little, but I do a lot, lot of work with it. No loader, but it works good with the 7 foot snow blower I have, and carries 5x6 round bales on the 3pt hitch. Runs the round baler as well.

If I didn't like it, I could sell it for around $5500 today.

There are Deere, IHC, Ford, White/Oliver tractors of similar capibilities for similar prices out there. Solid older machines, simpler design, hold their value. Something from the mid 1960's until 1980s. You will find these from $3000 to $10,000, depending on condition. I'd stay away from the $3000 stuff unless you are a mechanic, you are buying something with a problem mostly at that price. Lot of very good machines around that $5000 level tho.

You are investing money in these, will always get it back again. It's not going to be thrown away. I would not spend too much money, like new, for your smaller needs.

You do need a beefy machine for moving round bales, and someday you would like a snow blower with those drifts so live/independent pto is a needed option for snow blowers.....

--->Paul