How much snow until you plow?

prometheus · #21 12/12/09, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishhead

I try to drive down the first 12" at least. I drive back and forth until the entire surface is packed because if you don't the tires will drop off the tracks that you made later. It's counterintuitive but the packed snow stays higher than the unpacked snow.

After that if the next snowfalls are only a few inches I just continue to drive them down.

You must live in flat land. If we did this and then it glassed up, even chained up the rig would just dig.

sheepish · #22 12/13/09, 06:05 AM

Do any of you get freezing rain or mid winter thaws? The kind that makes a nice sloping ice rink out of any (or no) snow on your driveway and then stays under any new snow until a full thaw. How do you handle that?

littlebitfarm · #23 12/13/09, 08:21 AM

Depends! If there is nothing else coming for a bit I will let it go. If there is more coming, I'll clear it off. If there is ice coming I'll leave the snow, so I can take the ice off with it later.

The flat part of the drive, if I can keep the bulk of the snow off it, the least little bit of sun will melt the rest off. But part of the drive is a shaded hill. I try and keep it clear, even if I just shovel out the tracks by hand. If that manages to ice up I can't get into the garage. I used to just park at the bottom and walk in but that isn't safe anymore so I do a better job keeping it clear now. Even salt it if I think ice could be a problem.

On another note. I picked up a blade for my ATV. That is the berries for clearing snow. I can do my 500' drive and the neighbor's 100' drive in about 20 minutes. Beats the farm tractor with the 6' blade all to pieces!

Kathie

Jerry in MN · #24 12/13/09, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

If possible, you should always pack down a good base of snow before your first plowing. This will help "protect" the gravel on your driveway and make it easier the first time you plow.

That's what I did over at my mom & dad's, with the tractor and bucket...in reverse gear. The back of the bucket is sort of rounded so it worked good for packing the first snow.

prometheus · #25 12/13/09, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheepish

Do any of you get freezing rain or mid winter thaws? The kind that makes a nice sloping ice rink out of any (or no) snow on your driveway and then stays under any new snow until a full thaw. How do you handle that?

When it gets really really cold sometimes our creek jumps the bank and ices stretches of the road. When this happens we leave the town vehicle 2 miles down the road and shuffle everything with the chained up plow truck.

springvalley · #26 12/13/09, 03:30 PM

I`m with sheepish, we have rain and thawing and it only makes a nice mess of ice if you don`t plow. I plow as soon as it is done snowing and blowing and I just got my new cab cover for my skid loader so I like pushing that nasty four letter word white stuff. Thanks Marc.

RedneckPete · #27 12/13/09, 05:07 PM

Me too. I keep the driveway clear. Where there is only 2" of snow, it doesn't take much to plow it. The packed base everyone is talking about is real nice in January, but turns into a mine field with the first real thaw in March.

Pete

momtomany · #28 12/13/09, 09:12 PM

Ok.....first real thaw and freeze. Coming home after a little bit of a sloshy morning.....it was frozen. The county sand and salt truck in front of me was off the road down a ditch and way stuck. I slid down a huge hill with a curve (think rollercoaster like) as if my minivan were a sled.......NOT GOOD! I got in my driveway.......and up my last hill. But not sure what will happen tomorrow.......My drive is about 6 acres long.......twisting and then up a hill at the end. I have a come along in the car, but not sure how to use it and don't want to. Should I be doing anything to the drive? How the heck am I going to get out........Should I be looking into chains or a 4x4(we drive a minivan and were saving up for a 4x4 truck as our second car)....?????? Thanks!