Snow Removal Recommendations - Western NY

[bagsanthony]

I finally need to make the decision on what to purchase for snow removal equipment. I'm in Western, NY about a half hour West of Rochester. This year we have experienced our share of snow! For the past 10 years prior to last year, it was not really an issue at all. I'm faced with what to buy for snow removal equipment...
- Main house driveway is gravel approximately 10 ft wide x 450 ft long and shop driveway (gravel as well) is about 200 ft long and wider. I keep going back and forth - old beater plow, sub compact tractor, tractor with snowblower, etc. Any insight appreciated. thank you

 

[Buckgnarly]

Plow, Fisher XV2 to be specific. That thing can STACK and bust open deep snow.

My snow moving equipment consists of..
1. FIisher XV2 8.5' on 89 F250
2. Fisher 8' straight blade for 06 Duramax
3. Skid steer with 84" blower, 9' blade, 84" bucket
4. Open tractor with rear blower.

The plows are used 98% of the time, the skid is used to open things up periodically.

 

[Beauregard]

I had a heavy duty walk behind snow blower with 6 forward speeds. I liked it because you didn't have huge snow piles; the snow just sort of vaporized as it came out of the chute. But my driveway (like yours) was really too long for it to be an effective option. Also, the blower didn't handle the slushy type of snow. It would clog about every 10'.
I ended up with an F250 with an 8' Meyers blade. It would move any amount of snow, including drifts, that we had. If the snow gets deep, you only take half a bite with the blade.
The problem with a blade is that you need a strategy for where and how to place the piles. The piles never had a chance to melt between storms, so you just keep adding to them. As the piles melt, they form a thick crust of ice, making them like immovable glaciers. Plan your spots for storing the snow piles.

 

[PCustoms]

I finally need to make the decision on what to purchase for snow removal equipment. I'm in Western, NY about a half hour West of Rochester. This year we have experienced our share of snow! For the past 10 years prior to last year, it was not really an issue at all. I'm faced with what to buy for snow removal equipment...
- Main house driveway is gravel approximately 10 ft wide x 450 ft long and shop driveway (gravel as well) is about 200 ft long and wider. I keep going back and forth - old beater plow, sub compact tractor, tractor with snowblower, etc. Any insight appreciated. thank you

How many acres overall?

 

[driftpin]

Brockport?

i recall living there that if we had less than 10 ft of snow it was considered to be a mild winter.

I am glad I no longer have to put up with the considerations you are facing. It sounds to me like having a dedicated piece of equipment like a 4x4 and a good plow blade you should be able to clear a path anywhere on your property. Planning for the accumulations of snow as suggested sounds like a good thing to do.

I don't mind putting up with the crowds in Florida metropolitan areas as long as I don't ever have to deal with snow again. We visit family in the snow belt during winter and I am perfectly content to return to the Sunbelt.

 

[NYBODYMAN]

I went ot college in Western, NY at SUNY Alfred State College and my wife went to SUNY Brockport. Being from southern NY, I learned that I had no idea what a NY winter was until I got there. Lake effect snow is the real deal. Beautiful area though and I still have a lot of good friends in Buffalo and Rochester areas.

 

[Dodgeboy2020]

I'm sort of in the same situation but have a fleet of trucks that I could pull from work to address the driveway. I'm not sure how much drifting is a concern for you. In my case drifting can be a huge issue, we had a storm about 3 years ago that no matter what truck I would have brought home (largest at my disposal is F550 with V plow and a salter in the back for extra weight) I'm confident I would not have gotten thru the drifts due to how tall and how densely packed the snow was ( think 4 feet plus and able to support my weight walking on top of it). In that case I was very thankful that I had my 'backup to my backup' of a 45 HP tractor with a rear mounted PTO driven snow blower that I own and stays on site. In this situation it was ideal as I was able to literally throw the snow another 30 feet or so away from my driveway. In an ideal world I would have a front mounted blower but those along with finding a used tractor of that size that is set up with provisions for such a blower are not all that easy to find. I always plow 'with the wind' in that I push as much of my snow downwind (east as the prevailing winds come from the west) so that any snow fence effect of the snow banks do not add to the snow in the driveway. As others have said make sure if you do use a plow that you push further back initially so you have room as the season goes on. As far as the 'old beater plow' goes yes it can make sense but in my experience those usually end up being more of a time/financial drain if they are not used regularly year round. Things rust up, age and just fail from lack of use. (been there done that). If a tractor is not your thing then if you do own a pick up truck then consider putting a plow on that. There are plows that are light weight enough for even most 1/2 ton trucks to be able to handle and if you plow with the storm instead of letting it all accumulate you should have no problem with that kind of set up. All plow manufacturers have the mounts so pretty much everything comes off the truck when not using the plow and they are all pretty simple to hook up once you get the truck aligned with the mount (some are easier than others but still a couple minutes without a spotter and its not a big deal) I know I said a lot and maybe didn't answer your question but wanted to give my insight on this topic

 

[PCustoms]

@Dodgeboy2020 a paragraph or three would make that readable

 

[finn]

We typically get around 300 inches of snow per year. They claimed 176 inches so far thei season last friday.

My arsenal includes a 26” walk behind snowblower, a k1500 short bed single cab pickup with a 7’6” Boss plow, an F450 dump truck with an 8’ Boss Super Duty plow, a 74 hp CTL with a bucket, and a 40 hp compact tractor with a cab, heat, and 66” front mounted snowblower.

The trucks are fine until I run out of room to stack snow. That typically happens in late January. The skid steer can move the piles quite effectively. My previous skid was wheeled, but didn’t have a cab, so snow would often dump in and disable the foot controls. The newer CTL has a cab.

The most useful and versatile tool is the tractor with the front blower. Not as fast as the F450/8’ blade setup, but it’s more maneuverable, has better visibility, can snuggle up against the house, mailbox, and deck, and throw snow 50’ out onto the lake. It also doesn’t plow gravel onto the lawn like the truck does.

I leave the box blade on the tractor to remove the built up snow mat in the spring.

The tractor doesn’t require you to plow such a wide area early in the season so you have room to stack later. It’s overall a better tool if you live in the lake effect snow belt, where you don’t get frequent thaws until spring, so the snow just accumulates day after day.

I wouldn’t recommend a subcompact though, or a garden tractor. The blowers aren’t wide enough or tall enough to handle lake effect snow, in my opinion. They’ll work for small city driveways, and maybe even at the bottom of the Great Lakes. Same with an atv or utv with a plow. They’re toys, although that does’t mean some don’t still use them. ( My BIL went from a Deere 7xx series with blower to an ATV with a plow and then to a front blower on a CUT. He agrees that the should have started with the front blower CUT.)

That said, I’m typing this from my balcony at the Hilton in Pismo Beach Ca, where we’re taking a break from our winter house in Tucson. I gave up clearing snow a few years ago, and didn’t bother setting up the tractor snowblower for the second year in a row. We’ll be back in Mi after the grass starts showing…. Enough of that snow ****.

 

[rct]

Grew up in Macedon east of Roc, currently live north of Buffalo in Niagara County so I get the snow you deal with. Problem with a beat up plow truck is will it run reliably? I own a Kubota sub-compact Bx2200 with a front snowblower. (I also use the mower and a front end loader.) We always have wind where I am so the snowblower avoids plow piles that drift. So my vote is a compact or sub-compact tractor for you with a front snowblower. The Kubota front quick-hitches can take a plow or blower. A plow can be faster, but when we get 10-12" overnight, the blower clears it easily. Looks like you can find year-round work for it on that piece of land. Good luck! Next best choice would be a plow contract to have someone else do it I suppose. Gravel isn't bad with the blower, raise the skids for the early season, once it's a packed base let'er scrape, no problem.

 

[bagsanthony]

How many acres overall?

4 acres total

 

[bagsanthony]

Brockport?

i recall living there that if we had less than 10 ft of snow it was considered to be a mild winter.

I am glad I no longer have to put up with the considerations you are facing. It sounds to me like having a dedicated piece of equipment like a 4x4 and a good plow blade you should be able to clear a path anywhere on your property. Planning for the accumulations of snow as suggested sounds like a good thing to do.

I don't mind putting up with the crowds in Florida metropolitan areas as long as I don't ever have to deal with snow again. We visit family in the snow belt during winter and I am perfectly content to return to the Sunbelt.

Correct! Brockport is right! And yes, leaning towards a truck with plow

 

[bagsanthony]

I went ot college in Western, NY at SUNY Alfred State College and my wife went to SUNY Brockport. Being from southern NY, I learned that I had no idea what a NY winter was until I got there. Lake effect snow is the real deal. Beautiful area though and I still have a lot of good friends in Buffalo and Rochester areas.

Yes, beautiful area been here my whole life. The snow and gray days do get you feeling a little down at times. Winter depression is a thing here. I personally like the cold but I really need to step up my equipment.... we have had winters recently with minimal snow, not this year!

 

[PCustoms]

4 acres total

I'd say tractor, assuming you have other ongoing yard related tasks

 

[jimbee]

 

[jimbee]

 

[WildBill]

You might consider a gravel area off the side of the driveway somewhere to pile snow if you end up with a plow. We always made a dedicated spot somewhere for long driveways in AK. Not really an issue with a snowblower. Personally I would go with a small tractor and a snowblower attachment, then you can also use the tractor for other stuff. Like maintaining your long **** driveway.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'd say tractor, assuming you have other ongoing yard related tasks

I would agree. No need to go huge but a JD 1025 with a FEL to start. You can add other options such as a belly mower, pallets forks and whatever works for you.

JD does run specials for cash purchases or 0% finance.

 

[PCustoms]

JD does run specials for cash purchases or 0% finance.

I think all the paint colors do at this point

 

[NUTTSGT]

I think all the paint colors do at this point

Possibly quite true but there's also dealer support, parts availability and resell value that should be taken into consideration when purchasing.

However, to each their own and they can spend their green on any color, I'll spend my green on green.

 

[ATC]

If in the past 10 years you haven't needed anything, then I wouldn't go all out for a once-every-10-year event.
I'd look at a SXS with plow. Maybe a beater truck (one more thing to register/insure though). Both will be much faster than a tractor/blower.
But, you are in lake-effect area...so there may be a time you wish you had a blower. You'll just have to plow more often to keep up with the storm.

 

[johninct]

Payloader.

 

[WillyBoy]

I'm not too far away from you but our situations are different.
I have less than 1/4 of the driveway that you have. 30 years ago when I had a smaller, 18 horse garden tractor with a front mount, two stage blower, it was great for blowing snow over the house into the back yard if the wind was right. The driveway was still gravel at that point and I went through 3 or more shear pins on the auger each winter. What a pain!!
What I use now is a JD 755 with a 5 foot wide bucket. It could mount a blower but I would need a place to store it for 9 months each year and I use the bucket for stuff all year.
The bucket shoves snow pretty well and I push it out 10 feet into the yard so there's room to keep pushing if the snow keeps coming.
Of course, not the solution for everyone.

 

[bassJAM]

If you have the budget I'd probably go for the subcompact tractor with a blower. 5 acres is enough for that to be useful for other tasks. I'm using an old 80's Wheel Horse garden tractor for my 3 acres and 250ft driveway with a plow attachment. We don't get enough snow in southern ohio to really need a blower, both blower attachments are available too. An old GT like mine is a low budget option and might be a tad small for you (but do-able), but if you have the funds I'd go with a SCUT from Kubota or Deere.

I have about $400 in this setup. Blowers pop up on marketplace that would fit this in the $300 range.

 

[Jackfre]

Brockport! In ‘66 a freshman at Ithaca College we played there. Arrived for the game and a storm was coming in. No snow on the ground. Went in to suit up and when we came out there was 6” of snow and it was flying absolutly horizontally. You begin to understand the term “Lake effect.” We played the game. At kick-off we were told to be quiet. I was receiving and had to listen for where the ball fell. I could not see our guys let alone the State guys. Comical really. On defense you tackled anyone you saw.
For the size of your property I’d go with a B model Kubota or like from other manuf. The truck and plow are great but once the season passes you have an expensive insured vehicle with the plow. Yes, it may be ideal for 450’ but the tractor works year-round. As to the choice of implements,The ease of attachment is key in choice of tractor manuf. I had an Areins tractor with the front snow blower and it was a giant pita on and off. I went with a walk behind blower and it was a major improvement in all regards, but I didn’t have miles of driveway.

 

[CV428]

I lived in CT for many years and we managed with a heavy walk-behind self-propelled snowblower. There were a few blizzards that dumped more snow than the Toro could throw, so it took multiple passes knocking down the wall manually.

Since moving to SC, snow is less of a threat than the awful drivers in this area, but that's a different topic. I have used our subcompact tractor's FEL to plow our driveway and part of the road during the rare snow events. The problem with the tractor is, if you exceed the bucket capacity, it starts trying to plow and loses traction quickly. It's rarely an issue of power but almost always traction. If I still lived up north, I'd be running a subcompact with a hydraulic-driven snowthrower attachment instead of FEL. Slap a cab cover on it, put in a 12v heater and have a blast.

The nice thing about the tractor is that you'll use it year round as opposed to a single item that you use one season only... Just pull the attachment and swap it out for something else.

 

[stingry]

I live in western Nebraska and have about as much driveway as you. I have a John Deere 2640 tractor (75hp) with a front end loader, a six foot blade and a box scraper. None did a decent job of removing snow. I bought a Polaris side by side and put a snow blade on it. It does a fantastic job of snow removal. An electric blade tilt is a plus.

I would not recommend a snow blower for gravel. Hard on the snowblower and makes projectiles out of the rocks!

 

[PoorUB]

I would look at one of the "hobby farmer" sized tractors that can do a decent job of mowing in the summer and run a snow blower in the winter. Then a beater 4x4 pickup with a plow. Plow with the pickup when you can, and roll out the snow blower when the pick up can not do it.

 

[finn]

Another thing to consider if looking for a beater plow truck: my neighbor now has three Chevy trucks with severed frames. They rust and break just behind the cab mounts and at the kick up behind the front wheel.

Pretty common failure.

 

[finn]

I live in western Nebraska and have about as much driveway as you. I have a John Deere 2640 tractor (75hp) with a front end loader, a six foot blade and a box scraper. None did a decent job of removing snow. I bought a Polaris side by side and put a snow blade on it. It does a fantastic job of snow removal. An electric blade tilt is a plus.

I would not recommend a snow blower for gravel. Hard on the snowblower and makes projectiles out of the rocks!

Gravel is a non issue in the Lake Effect Snow belt if you let the mat build up. It snows almost every day, so it doesn’t take long to build the mat, and the blower glides over it. Not much goes through the blower impeller.

A truck, on the other hand, scrapes the mat off in areas(unless you weld a pipe to the cutting edge) and your lawn ends up more gravel than grass in the spring.

I use the box blade in the spring to scrape the mat off the gravel

If you live farther south, where there are regular mid season thaws, and more sun, the results might be different.

 

[AC-WC]

My drives not quite as long as yours maybe 300 ft? Initially bought a 2 stage walk behind (still have), it would take several hours to do just the parking area and house to road drive section.
Yes, rocks are projectiles. Must have plenty of shear bolts on hand.

Bought 2nd tractor (WD-45) with hydraulics and back blade. Takes maybe 30-45 minutes to do entire drive and parking area.
I've had 1 snow where I could not plow with this setup, it was over 14" deep and drifts 2-3'. I had to do small sections to get through.
The one time I could have really used a 3pt blower. Those are not cheap new or used and I still can't justify the cost. Back blades can be found reasonably priced new or used.
My guess for $ you will spend min $3-5k used for something not a POS and will start. New will be min $15k, deluxe setup will be $25-35+k depending on HP and brand.
I honestly spend more time plowing A) it's just fun with bigger toys! B) county doesn't plow my road for at least a day sometimes 2 after any snow so I end up plowing 1/2 mile or more to get to the main rd.

Truck is nice for the cab heat but like others said different expenses. My handicapped BIL has this and his truck is a POS that he keeps unlicensed on 100ft dr. He bought a new plow $1500 on a $200 4X

 

[finn]

My drives not quite as long as yours maybe 300 ft? Initially bought a 2 stage walk behind (still have), it would take several hours to do just the parking area and house to road drive section.
Yes, rocks are projectiles. Must have plenty of shear bolts on hand.

Bought 2nd tractor (WD-45) with hydraulics and back blade. Takes maybe 30-45 minutes to do entire drive and parking area.
I've had 1 snow where I could not plow with this setup, it was over 14" deep and drifts 2-3'. I had to do small sections to get through.
The one time I could have really used a 3pt blower. Those are not cheap new or used and I still can't justify the cost. Back blades can be found reasonably priced new or used.
My guess for $ you will spend min $3-5k used for something not a POS and will start. New will be min $15k, deluxe setup will be $25-35+k depending on HP and brand.
I honestly spend more time plowing A) it's just fun with bigger toys! B) county doesn't plow my road for at least a day sometimes 2 after any snow so I end up plowing 1/2 mile or more to get to the main rd.

Truck is nice for the cab heat but like others said different expenses. My handicapped BIL has this and his truck is a POS that he keeps unlicensed on 100ft dr. He bought a new plow $1500 on a $200 4X

Where did he find a new plow for $1500.

The last 7.5’ Boss standard duty 7’ 6” plow bought was $3600, and that was at least eighteen or twenty years ago.

 

[AC-WC]

Where did he find a new plow for $1500.

The last 7.5’ Boss standard duty 7’ 6” plow bought was $3600, and that was at least eighteen or twenty years ago.

Yes, at least 15-20 yrs ago and it was a cheaper brand. No frills straight blade, I forget which because he repainted it purple and covered up the name. Truck is Chevy square body late 70's early 80's.

 

[CV428]

I would look at one of the "hobby farmer" sized tractors that can do a decent job of mowing in the summer and run a snow blower in the winter. Then a beater 4x4 pickup with a plow. Plow with the pickup when you can, and roll out the snow blower when the pick up can not do it.

Exactly. Find a BX2380 that was repo'd. I got mine with 44 hours on it, essentially brand new, for 40% off the price of new. I did all of the maintenance on it and it has been running beautifully. The amount of work it has done since I bought it 7 years ago is insane. I did tornado and hurricane cleanup with it on local roads and affected communities, graded and moved boulders for a 90' and 75' retaining wall, logs, hundreds of tons of dirt, #57, rip-rap, logs, you name it. The thing is a workhorse and I don't know how I lived without it.

 

[regguy1]

Blower is the way to go, My 48" blower on Case Tractor:

 

[bagsanthony]

Thanks so far for the great feedback, gents! Looks like I'll be dipping into the wallet somehow.... which is a rare site BTW!!!!

 

[65ranchero]

SxS and front mounted 60" snow blower
Heated cab with wiper never needed chains fairly flat driveway.
had a hyd lift and turn plow on it and after a good couple of snows the banks would freeze and couldn't push them back any more.

 

[njk4o5]

I'm in southern maine, sebago area with a 700' long driveway. And i dont live there full time. I started with a rear mount 60" blower for my massey ferguson gc2300 sub compact tractor, and it did the job but it was cold and had to drive backwards so i could still use my front bucket to move piles. I sold that and bought a old chevy 2500hd gasser with a 8' fisher MM2 for $5k. I leave it up there on trickle charge and that has been much better and easier.

 

[Mezz2006]

My drive is ~250ft long and asphalt/concrete except in front of the new shop.
I plowed the drive for a few years after a first moved in, I enjoyed it, but it was a pain to maneuver the truck and took longer than it should have. Then I bought a new truck and sold the old, so no more plow. I ended up buying a used John Deere X720 lawn mower with 47" front mount snow blower. Best decision ever! I don't have to worry about where to push the snow or am i going to tear up the yard if the ground is still soft.
I also have a John Deere 770 compact tractor with back blade that I use to scrape the driveway if we get a couple dustings that don't need the blower.

 

[Mike65]

15 years ago, my wife & I lived about 1/2 hour south of Rochester, NY we would usually get approx 120-125" of snow each year. If you have a tractor get a plow for it.