How do you handle your snow removal? (Albany: buy, contractor)
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I have always been a city/suburb resident, but now we live in a rural area and have a long(180'),gravel driveway to clear.
I currently have a MTD 5hp-24", two stage snow-thrower which worked well when I had a shorter, concrete driveway to deal with. And it seemed to work okay with the snowfall we got on Friday. But maybe a larger snow thrower would be better? I was looking at John Deere machines online, and like the 928....hope to check out a local dealer this week.
So, how do all you folks with long, gravel drives deal with snow removal? I really don't want to depend on someone else to come and plow it for me. I drive an old Jeep Grand Cherokee, so getting my own plow is not an option right now. And finally, our lot is mostly wooded(not a whole lot of grass to mow), so I'm not so sure I need a garden tractor....but if I did get one, I could always get a plow or snow thrower for it.
Will a bigger snow thrower...say 9 HP and 28" width be a good purchase?
I thhink you'll find that your 5HP snowblower won't cut it when you need to get wet snow further out of your driveway. As winter Marches on (No -pun-in-10-did], you will be steadily hemmed in from failure of a smaller snowblower, failing to throw it far enough away. That wet stuff will surround you in frozen crust + leave you with a one car width driveway. Perhaps if you take an extra swath, than you normally would.
Once you find you have to blow the snow ahead of yourself + then re-throw it added to whatever snow depth there is in each storm, you begin to achieve diminishing returns from that only taking a half a bite in each pass. The short throw distance was my reason replacing my last machine. When it's really cold + blowing out there, a larger machine is very much appreciated.
Last edited by Yankeehombre; 12-21-2008 at 10:55 AM..
I have always been a city/suburb resident, but now we live in a rural area and have a long(180'),gravel driveway to clear.
I currently have a MTD 5hp-24", two stage snow-thrower which worked well when I had a shorter, concrete driveway to deal with. And it seemed to work okay with the snowfall we got on Friday. But maybe a larger snow thrower would be better? I was looking at John Deere machines online, and like the 928....hope to check out a local dealer this week.
So, how do all you folks with long, gravel drives deal with snow removal? I really don't want to depend on someone else to come and plow it for me. I drive an old Jeep Grand Cherokee, so getting my own plow is not an option right now. And finally, our lot is mostly wooded(not a whole lot of grass to mow), so I'm not so sure I need a garden tractor....but if I did get one, I could always get a plow or snow thrower for it.
Will a bigger snow thrower...say 9 HP and 28" width be a good purchase?
Thanks for any advice!
The tractor mounted plow probably won't cut it for a drive that long.
9HP/28" should be ok, but it will take a while to cut that 180' drive.
For a bit more than the cost of a new John Deer thrower in that size, you could maybe pick up and old F150 with plow....
Or you could go Craftsman pro 45" with dualies!!
I know you said you didn't want to go this way... but you also asked what others do...
Plow contract. $30/plow and they plow every time we get 6". Our driveway is about 200 feet and we, too, are former suburban dwellers...figuring out how to plow things ourselves just wasn't at the top of the priority list this year. Next year or the year after...
Obviously we deal with the walkways and decks and steps ourselves. For now we shovel those but we're getting a snow blower "soon".
I agree with the plow contract - my drive is about 300+ feet of gravel with the "tree island" in front of the house. For $25.00 per run, one of my neighbors plows me out when there is 6" of snow or more. Having to deal with my front walk, side door and walk, path to the back basement, and woodshed is more than enough for me with the snowblower... and yes, the woodshed is always my first stop!
Sorry I have no advice on the tractor issue, but having an adjustable thrower that can handle the heavy snow that has a very far reach is definitely a necessity. I got a Craftsman with "power steering" last winter, and it was great... I did my driveway once... just to see how long it took... and those are hours off my life I'll never get back!
Funny thing about snow removal. I seem to need/use all the tools. With a 500 ft. driveway I'll require the use of the old "yota" plow, the 8 horse blower, the shovel, as well as a broom.
For your driveway and other needs, consider a larger 8 hp snow blower to prevent having to move it twice. The only draw back is the time it takes to clear your driveway (as compared to plowing) and the shear pins you'll break picking up stones with the auger. Have a few spares on hand just in case.
This recent snow storm was pretty easy to deal with, even though we received a foot. As Yankee mentioned, the wet variety can make things much more difficult for you, especially after freezing solid. Plan ahead.....
ok...so this morning I had to go at it again with the 5hp. And it definitely wont make the cut...so to speak! It just wont throw the snow far enough(as mentioned by Yankeehombre and jthibodeau).
I went out in search of a new machine today and have it narrowed down to a 9 HP Ariens, or an 8HP Toro.
Have a contractor plow the drive. It will actually cost less over the long haul (snow blowres wear out fast unless you find and rebuild an older unit that was made to last) than the 3 grand or so an adaquate snow blower with tractor. Use your 5 hp on the walks or get a "power shovel" type gadget. Don't buy a new toy just because yiou want a new toy. Clearing driveways is work not fun.
I grew up outside Albany, NY with a similar size drive and the only snow removal device was me with a shovel once I got big enough.
Last edited by GregW; 12-22-2008 at 12:36 PM..
Reason: added line of text
The tractor idea is out...just too much money for sure.
Having lived many years in WNY....I am fully aware of the fact that clearing snow is work, not fun. But I enjoy the work(most of the time), and I really don't like being dependent on someone else to come and clear my drive. My wife, on the other hand...would have no problem having some one plow the drive for her And she may end up doing just that when I have to travel out of town.
We have no walkways to clear...and I should have mentioned that my 5hp machine is almost 11 years old....and shows it every bit of that age. It's time for a new machine whether or not we have somebody plow for us.
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8Hp will be required for wet snow
And she may end up doing just that when I have to travel out of town. 
