Recommend a good used tractor for plowing

[JUNK-MAN]

Its that time again to start plowing and I'm sick of shoveling snow by hand, what is a good tractor I can get used for under 300 bucks? I'd like to find one with a plow and chains already on it but if I can find one in my budget without I can buy them separate. Would buying a truck plow be cheaper? I'd also like it to be something that can haul wood in a trailer as well. Thanks

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[gungatim]

any no-name rider would work, but you'll need chains and wheel weights, then try to find/fab a blade. the easiest to find is an old John Deere, as attachments are fairly plentiful and easy to figure out which models they fit. unfortunately, in that price range JD's are probably out of reach, especially this time of year.

what I usually see in terms of ready to plow setups, you are in the $800-$1k range. for a bit more, a quad with a cheap winch and plow is easier to find/set up.

 

[kmacht]

Around here you will be lucky to get a running tractor for $300. No way will you get something that is capable of moving the amount of snow you get in Pennsylvania. I would suggest getting a good 2 stage snowblower instead.

Keith

 

[JUNK-MAN]

I have a four wheeler that doesn't run, I also have a no name rider that would need the setup and a battery but the trans doesn't work right.

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[tdkkart]

If you're tired of shoveling and only have $300, your best bet would be to pay your closest neighbor with a plow to do it for you. Money very well spent.

$300 is going to get you someone else's pile of ****, and let me tell you, there's nothing more miserable than working on a cold icy wet floor in the middle of winter, hence the reason I gave up on snowmobiles years ago.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Around here $300 will get you a plow, weights and chains possibly with a tractor if you buy in the summer.

Winter rolls in and prices go up.

How much area and snow do you have to clear?

 

[wasfuzz]

Fix your your 4 wheeler and buy a used plow for it. I Have one and find I use it more than my truck plow, or ford 8n tractor.

 

[Buckgnarly]

How much/long of a driveway are you looking to plow? How much snow?...Erie snow is WAY different than Philly county snows...

 

[Showkey]

Lawn tractors make for marginal plow setups. Many are not rated for pushing anything, they do not go fast enough to curl the snow off the plow. A running driving suitable to plow will easily be well above your budget.
ATV Make much better snow plows, even a two wheel drive unit will work if you add rear weight.
Need to double or triple your budget..........to get something even half way decent.

Long driveway..........You very likely might find an old 1/2 or 3/4 ton 4x4 pickup with a plow ( might be a rust bucket) for $1000-$3000. Use it for two or three years and sell it for $1000-$4000. Craigslist is full of these POS.

 

[darwyn]

Where in PA are you? I have a 40 year old Jacobsen with a snow blower. It needs work, but I had it running a couple of years ago. The gas tank has a leak at the top, and battery is dead. I am not sure of the blower works or not, that I have not tried.

But, the price is right - free. If you don't mind tinkering it's yours. I'm about 40 miles east of Corning, send me a pm if interested.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Around here you will be lucky to get a running tractor for $300. No way will you get something that is capable of moving the amount of snow you get in Pennsylvania.

A nice "garden tractor" pre-1995 (?) with a big enough engine (> 12hp), wheel weight, chains an a blase could easily set you back $1,000 or more. With a blower, probably $1,500 or more.

Also remember, these are 20+ yo machines and they NEED their maintenance.

 

[mrrooG8]

After plowing/snowblowing with several different setups on lawn tractors, I can say it *****. A lawn tractor is just that. For the lawn. If you just do flat and nothing to deep a lawn tractor works ok with a blower. Blades are worthless in my opinion. A quad with a blade is much better. You can actually get the snow out of the way with some speed. The tractor is gonna stop dead in it's track as soon as you hit the pile. I bought a Troy built 26" 2 stage and it's been awesome since 2008. If all you have is $300, pay a plow guy or the neighbor kid.

 

[maxpower_hd]

Around here you would be lucky just to get a running lawn tractor for $300 without the plow, chains and weights. Actually and old running snow blower will fetch at least $300. I would guess that would be your best bet in that price range.

 

[John in OH]

I've never thought that small garden/lawn type tractors were very good at plowing any significant snowfall. They become particularly ineffective if repeated snowfalls result in mounds of snow along your drive or sidewalk.

A far better solution is to get a good two-stage walk behind snow blower. A significant advantage is its ability to toss the snow over the existing mounds.

Lawn/garden tractors are "compromise" machines; ie., one machine intended to do many tasks. The unfortunate result is they are not able to do any single task really well.

 

[TractorJeff]

Lot of Wisdom here!
First year we were in our current house, I put a plow on a "Lawn & Garden Tractor".
First 6 inches, I thought this is OK! Second 6 inches was wet and heavy. Thankfully the neighbor came over and cleaned me out.
Following Spring I brought my Farmall out from my parents house. Currently running a John Deere B with a plow. At times when it gets to drifting and snowing at the same time even that Tractor isn't big enough or heavy enough!
Just saying, I agree with these guys for $300 pay someone else to have a heart attack not yourself.

 

[tdkkart]

I will agree with those that are saying that plowing with a lawn/garden tractor is a compromise at best. I've done it, not a good experience.

HOWEVER......I have a plow on my 20HP Gravely zero-turn that works awesome. I bought the mower and then picked up a plow as a temporary measure until I could get something else for snow plowing. That was in 2008, and I'm still using it, because it works very well.
The primary difference/advantage is that all the weight, including my fat ***, is directly over the drive wheels, which I have chains on. The plow is 50" wide and over a foot tall and I can pretty easily run the first pass through snow that is rolling over the top of the blade. A couple times I've had a bit of trouble with really wet/heavy snows, but only the first pass through, and then it does fine pushing the remainder back.

I adapted a 38" blower to the same machine, and while it worked well, it actually took considerably longer to clear the same area. I used it one winter and haven't used it again.

 

[Showkey]

Let it snow.........Friday-Saturday looking for another 6-12" the ATV actually makes it fun !

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[theoldwizard1]

Anyone who regularly gets 6+" at a time, there is nor substitute for a good 2 stage snow blower.

There is a difference between a "lawn" tractor and a "garden" tractor. To the un-initiated, it is hard to notice. Basically, they have bigger engines (>16hp) heavier frames with many cast iron components.

These started to become popular in the 60's and faded out in the 1990s. Deere and Cub Cadet are about the only ones left and many of their models are "lawn" tractors.

 

[adam728]

I'm on the side of everyone saying $300 for a tractor with a plow will get you a broken down project to work on after you hand shovel the driveway.


I sometimes use an International 234. Plenty heavy, but an ATV would be better. As said, you can't get enough speed to really throw any snow. So when the side banks get tall that's it, the drive is getting narrower. REALLY need to get my plow truck back together this weekend......


Stolen internet picture

 

[Vette10R]

Here's what I'm using, it worked great at my last house which was on a 1/4 acre lot. Now I'm on 2.5 acres with 2 garages and a lot of driveway. It's now way undersized so I'm currently looking for a bigger tractor like a JD 430 with a blower...

<a href="http://s901.photobucket.com/user/RDLYN13000/media/tractor/20160202_172842_zpsa1la2p5j.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac211/RDLYN13000/tractor/20160202_172842_zpsa1la2p5j.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20160202_172842_zpsa1la2p5j.jpg"></a>

 

[matt_i]

I see beaten-to-hell rusty plow trucks for sale quite a lot on local craigslist. Imo its another large project mostly of seize, rusted bolts, and metal decay probably with a few leaks and electrical issues thrown in. For sure not a project I'd want right at the onset of winter.

Garden tractors are not my idea of fun when it comes to the white stuff. I do have bigger tractors up to 40hp but again not my choice of tool as I feel like tire chains would wreck the asphalt driveway much faster and I don't have loaded tires, so if there is pavement traction I can move a mountain but if not there's the 1 wheel drive.

I am right along with the recommendations to get a 2 stager. My neighbor seems to have the right idea. He refuses to shovel or move snow, just drives over it until its packed down. We've only gotten 1 snow in the last 6 years which caused any difficulty with that plan and he seems to have a 4wd pickup truck now for backup.

 

[Jon_E]

Another vote for "find a decent used snowblower". Around here, you'd be lucky to find a set of tire chains for $300, never mind the whole tractor. I have a 450' driveway and could probably get by with a good ATV and plow, but I'd have to be out there almost continuously in a heavy snowstorm to stay ahead of it. I use a 35-hp 4wd tractor with loader bucket and rear chains, but I can stall the tractor if I push too much snow.

 

[ryan77]

my 1969 wheelhorse electro 12, I bought for $150 and grader blade I bought for $50 work great, the tractor is hydrostat and goes fast, I can ram a pile and push it where I want it with in reason, and forward and back is quick with the flick of a lever(hydrostat), its also heavy enough I have never used chains.

 

[duwem]

Get something from the 60-70's if your looking for a small tractor. Otherwise your going to be way over $300 for a good solid 80's plus one.

 

[turbodave]

For plowing with a small tractor you want something that has a lot of weight to it. I've got an early 90's JD 320 I use to plow the driveway. It's about 800lbs with a pair of wheel weights on it and a 46" blade on the front. For my 150' driveway it works fine, especially in the under 6" snows. It did handle a 16" wet snow last winter, but there was a lot of ramming involved to move that heavy snow.

Hydrostatic transmissions are the way to go, much easier to change direction at control speed if working in a tight space. Mine tops out around 7mph and that's enough that I do get some snow curling off the blade at speed. Neighbor plows with a 4 wheeler and for the smaller driveways in our neighborhood my tractor gets them done a lot faster, the hydraulic blade lift and ability to go from forward to reverse quickly are the main reasons. On a long driveway the ATV would leave me in the dust.

I've got another smaller tractor with a single stage blower on the front. The blade is quicker and you don't get snow blown back on you, but the blower is easier on the tractor and can get through pretty much anything. Also the blower lets me pile snow much higher than I can with the little plow. I often plow for a few storms and then pull the the blower out to push the piles back.

In the end a good walk behind blower is probably less expensive and just as effective as a tractor mounted setup, but I can guarantee I'm having more fun on a tractor.

 

[jfitz]

$300 will just get you someone else's headaches!. A blower alone new for any lawn/garden tractor will set you back a minimum of $2,000. Take it from a guy who lives in the great White North. Pay someone the $300 to clean your laneway. You will never get anything of any substance to clean saw dust away let alone snow for $300

 

[jives]

A true garden tractor with a plow will do the job, but $300 ain't gonna get you much. In PA there are lots of Wheel Horses and they would be your best bet. Look for "C" series (older) or 300 series or 4/500 series. By the rig as a whole package for a cheaper deal.

Bolens, Simplicity are good. JDs out of the price range.

But. . .for $300, get a snow blower.

WH 310-8. Measly 10hp, running double set of rear chains, moves a surprising amount of snow.

 

[ms fowler]

For those who say that only a 2 stage blower will work, here is a video of a single stage on a 12 HP Cub Cadet.

Now $300 will not get you a similar garden tractor and blower. I bought my QA42 blower last summer for nearly $300, and that was off season. Don't forget the chains and weights. Old (International ) Cubs are not the same as the Big Box Store Cubs you can buy today. The older ones were true garden tractors--built for ground contact- and commercial work. True garden tractor Cubs are available, but you need to find a Cub dealer. Hydrostatic drive allows you to keep the engine revs high for effective snow throwing and the ground speed very slow.

 

[skidozer670]

I have lived in the snow belt south of buffalo all my life we have over 36" right now.

$300 would get you a decent walk behind ariens snowblower those work. Your wasting your time with anything $300 for a mower and plow. If you could get the wheeler going those plow more snow than a lawn tractor.

I snowblow with a garden tractor and 4 foot 2 stage blower that goes through anything but it was 8k 16 years ago and would still be around $2600.

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

I know it's a long way off for me (shops not even built) but here is the best set up for snow removal on the farm.

http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/331027178043-0-1/s-l1000.jpg

Might as well dream big, snow gets too deep for blade put the bucket back on and move it


I have a 1960's broadmoore w/ blade & chains moved to the country 9 years ago with a big drive have not even had it running to plow snow with.

Sweet talked the neighbors, yes they are a bull in a china shop type of outfit but cheap.

 

[Rickenbackerman]

For those who say that only a 2 stage blower will work, here is a video of a single stage on a 12 HP Cub Cadet.

Now $300 will not get you a similar garden tractor and blower. I bought my QA42 blower last summer for nearly $300, and that was off season. Don't forget the chains and weights. Old (International ) Cubs are not the same as the Big Box Store Cubs you can buy today. The older ones were true garden tractors--built for ground contact- and commercial work. True garden tractor Cubs are available, but you need to find a Cub dealer. Hydrostatic drive allows you to keep the engine revs high for effective snow throwing and the ground speed very slow.

This. I have a 125 with hydraulic lift and a QA-36. Plus a set of winter tires (tri ribs for the front and fluid filled/weighted ags for the back). I also put on a slightly smaller pulley to speed the thrower up a little bit. The thing will throw snow like nobody's business.

 

[Crusarius]

I have used plenty of GARDEN tractors. not lawn tractor. They work very well if you have a good one. Your best bet is the older ones. Don't be fooled by the horsepower rating. a 10 hp from the 60's was 10 Clydesdales. a 10 hp of today is 10 my little ponies.

I have 2 1960's vintage cub cadets for sale that would work great for what you want. you are going to have a very hard time finding something to do what you want in your price range.

edit. **** the picture does not have all the details. if you are interested PM me. If the price is right I may be able to arrange delivery or meet half way.

 

[rburke65]

You can get a blower for $300 but you won't get a tractor for 300. I bought a used 2006 Polaris 500 UTV with a 6' blade. Has one, two and four wheel drive and I was pleased at how well it did last Tuesday with the slushy yet snow we had here in NE Ohio.

 

[Cobra5150]

I have a four wheeler that doesn't run, I also have a no name rider that would need the setup and a battery but the trans doesn't work right.

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For $300 you can add a broken down tractor that doesn't run to this list

 

[JUNK-MAN]

Even though I'm not feeling well I took a look at the wheeler today, the battery, master cylinder, choke, tires and all the rubber under it is shot, also the carb leaks and needs rebuilt. I may tinker on it this summer but I don't think I will.

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[bob15]

Farmall Cub (NOT the Cub Cadet), Farmall Super A and the Case Vac are all nice snow plow tractors and can still be found for several hundred dollars. Deere 2 cylinders bring too much money and are a PIA with a handle clutch (and yes, I do own one). These tractors will out plow and push any garden tractor.