Best way to remove snow? (Eureka: to buy, upkeep, live)

[cominghome68]

Seems like I spend most days trying to trouble shoot my upcoming MT move. I know I will have a lot of snow in Eureka and I know I will have a long, sloped uphill grade on my driveway. I'm wondering what might be the best option for snow removal? I do plan on putting a parking pad at the top of my hill, next to the road to park my truck but how to get through the snow berms that form if the road gets plowed and best method for keeping my driveway clear other than hiring it out? I see my 3 options are: 1) ATV w/plow 2) Old truck w/plow 3) Snow blower. Cost is defiantly part of the equation as is ease of operation since I'm a single, 51 year old woman.

[MTSilvertip]

Originally Posted by cominghome68

Seems like I spend most days trying to trouble shoot my upcoming MT move. I know I will have a lot of snow in Eureka and I know I will have a long, sloped uphill grade on my driveway. I'm wondering what might be the best option for snow removal? I do plan on putting a parking pad at the top of my hill, next to the road to park my truck but how to get through the snow berms that form if the road gets plowed and best method for keeping my driveway clear other than hiring it out? I see my 3 options are: 1) ATV w/plow 2) Old truck w/plow 3) Snow blower. Cost is defiantly part of the equation as is ease of operation since I'm a single, 51 year old woman.

Snow blower is definitely the best option. It gets the snow back away from the road and doesn't build up ice berms on the sides of your road that gets narrower each time you plow.

Snow blowers have more moving parts, but take less power to move snow and don't wear on the truck as bad so fewer repairs if you do your upkeep.
Plows on trucks can burn out a transmission, tear up a front end, bend frames or even tear out your 4 wheel drive.

Not letting the berms build and freeze is the best way to handle them. Every time there is snow, go down and remove the berm before it freezes or it may be pick and crowbar work to get rid of it.

Goid luck.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by MTSilvertip

Snow blower is definitely the best option. It gets the snow back away from the road and doesn't build up ice berms on the sides of your road that gets narrower each time you plow.

Snow blowers have more moving parts, but take less power to move snow and don't wear on the truck as bad so fewer repairs if you do your upkeep.
Plows on trucks can burn out a transmission, tear up a front end, bend frames or even tear out your 4 wheel drive.

Not letting the berms build and freeze is the best way to handle them. Every time there is snow, go down and remove the berm before it freezes or it may be pick and crowbar work to get rid of it.

Goid luck.

What is cost of snow blower?

[Shuffler]

Compact tractor/loader + rear blower is the ticket for us ... we get a lot of wind-packed drifts that are 2-3' and there's no driving through them. The blower makes short work of it, despite having to go backwards. Upside is I can keep the loader on the machine to push/drag snow in other spots if I need to.


Basic little Toro walk-behind blower for doing sidewalks, aprons, porches, etc. Then a snow shovel and a roof rake to round out the collection.


ATV and a blade isn't enough power/weight for deep snow ... okay for light duty, cleanup, etc.


Truck and a plow is okay, but you'll run out of places to push the snow during a big year, and it's hard on the vehicle, as others have said.



Check these guys out ... I've gotten a lot of equipment from them: powerequipmentdirect dot com

[MTSilvertip]

Depends on size.

A small self propelled that you drive by hand while you walk behind can run from a few hundred to over a thousand.
One large enough to go on a tractor or truck can run several thousand depending on style and size and if you need modifications to your vehicle to mount it.

A large self propelled with tracks can move a lot of snow without a huge expenditure of money. We have one that mounts on a tractor that cost $2500 back in the 70s, but that thing has gone through packed drifts up to 5 feet deep with no problem.

Sometimes you can pick up a used one from the big snow blowers used to clear really bad snow by the highway department or park service at a surplus auction fairly reasonably.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by MTSilvertip

Depends on size.

A small self propelled that you drive by hand while you walk behind can run from a few hundred to over a thousand.
One large enough to go on a tractor or truck can run several thousand depending on style and size and if you need modifications to your vehicle to mount it.

A large self propelled with tracks can move a lot of snow without a huge expenditure of money. We have one that mounts on a tractor that cost $2500 back in the 70s, but that thing has gone through packed drifts up to 5 feet deep with no problem.

Sometimes you can pick up a used one from the big snow blowers used to clear really bad snow by the highway department or park service at a surplus auction fairly reasonably.

[historyfan]

I'd ask your new neighbors how they handle snow.

We have a heavy equipment operator neighbor who lives only 5 miles down the highway. We have an ongoing deal with him for snow removal. He uses a bobcat around all the ranch buildings, driveway, parking, etc. If it's ridiculously deep, he uses his road grader. We get a very fair bill in the mail & he does a very nice job.

[Redraven]

There are snow "throwers", and then there are snow "blowers".
Snow "throwers" have rubber paddles that throw the snow away. They work great on almost any surface. Larger ones can cost nearly $1000. They will usually clean fight down to the surface, and will often clear packed snow if you aren't in a hurry.
Snow "blowers" are usually 2 stage; an auger and an impeller. I have found that they are only good on paved surfaces. On gravel, the augur will pickup up rocks, jam them between the augur vanes and the housing, resulting in broken shear pins. If the scraper is set high enough to avoid rocks, it will not clean down to the surface. After replacing 4 or 5 shear pins to get my driveway clear, I sold the snow "blower".
I have two Kawasaki Brute Force 750 ATVs. One has a Warn 52 inch straight blade on it, the other has a Warn 60 inch DOT-style tapered blade. The lane I live on is one tenth of a mile long, plus a 60 foot (more or less) driveway. The straight blade works great on the driveway, and the DOT-style tapered blade is great for the lane, being as it is designed to move the snow to the right instead of just pushing it in front of the blade. Yes, the straight blade will move it to the right or left also, but the tapered blade has less spill over.
My neighbor has a skid-steer loader that he uses to clear extra-heavy snow falls. It works, but a good used one will cost well over $10K! It is great for moving snowbanks when I don't plow wide enough.

Another neighbor has a side-by-side UTV with a 60 inch straight blade that he uses in his driveway and in the lane if I don't get out there soon enough.
I am over 75 years old, and I find that the ATVs work well for me. However, I do want to get a small snow THROWER for the front walk where the ATVs just don't fit.

[cominghome68]

Thanks for the insight and suggestions so far. Seems like many people have their own "favorite" way or what works for them and I guess that is where my hesitation lies. I can't afford to buy several different methods and I can't shovel it other than maybe just a short walkway so looking for a cost effective, long term solution that won't break the bank. I'm leaning towards an ATV with a snowblower attachment since I can use the ATV for lots of other things as well.

[Parnassia]

Don't overestimate what it might cost to have a service do it. Ask neighbors if they use a service and get a quote. If a service already comes to plow an adjacent property and you don't need to clear much other than the drive, it might be less than you think. Don't forget to consider whether you'll have the time; daylight or nighttime hours before or after work; to do it yourself. It could take hours every few days in all weather. An ATV with a plow may not be able to handle a deep dump...then where are you? You may need to pay someone to clear it out anyway.