Plowing 325 foot Driveway

[mbizzles322]

My husband and I are moving to the country! In a nutshell, we are “taking over” the family farm (not an operational farm anymore but my grandpa used to have dairy and then beef cattle…which maaaaaaay certainly be converted to horse facilities should everything work out!).

We are are trying to find the best way to plow our driveway come this winter. It’s 325 feet long (not exactly short), but thankfully it is completely straight and level. Where are are located we average about 50" of snow a year (upper Midwest).

As far as implements available on the farm already - we have a newer (2017?) small John Deere tractor - compact I think is the right terminology. And there are 2 riding lawnmower “tractors.” There are also 3 old old full size tractors but not sure those would be useful (my grandpa used these in the 50s/60s to crop farm).

I’ve been looking at a snow blower attachment for the riding lawnmower. But would that take too long for 300 foot of driveway?

I believe they also make a snow blower attachment for the John Deere compact but those are obviously a bit more expensive that the riding lawnmower attachment (and any money saved here can go to the “build a fence” fund!)

I could also attach a snowplow blade of some sort to the front of either of these. But I’m not sure the lawnmower tractor would have enough “umph” to plow.

At first glance, the snow blower on the lawn mower is most intriguing because I feel like I could (more) easily get along the garage/area in front of the garage/clear the small turnaround area and also cruise up/down the driveway itself. The compact tractor certainly isn’t huge but I feel like it would just be a bit more cumbersome to snow blow these areas…but then of course it would be a bit wider so the driveway would be quicker.

Using a plow would seeming be great for the driveway but gets a little more complicated around the garage (getting the right angles to push the snow where you want it).

I’d love to hear other’s thoughts! Thanks much!

[Christa_P]

Don’t discount those old tractors, if they have a run well, have 3-point hitch and live PTO (the PTO continues to run when the clutch is engaged - the 58 John Deere I grew up with didn’t have it, 58 International I currently have does) then you may be able to get a blower for one of them, or at least a good back blade for plowing. With a 6’ blower you could have the driveway done in 2 passes.

I had a Cub Cadet (actually have, but not currently running due to an engine problem) with a 44" inch front blower that worked well, but it needed chains and wheel weights as well.

I currently use a 6’ back blade on my International. I haven’t had the money for a blower and my driveway is much shorter than yours.

[clanter]

my son is in northern PA, he has a longer drive than OP might have that he first attempted to plow as the prior owner did with an ATV, then changed to compact tractor and then jumped to a real snow plow truck that he bought used and then had rebuilt.

The rebuilt snow plow truck is a 97 Ford F250 with a Powerstroke. He had a factory rebuilt 7.3 put in (that was about $6500) and everything else replace (all the brake system and what ever else) the total invested in the plow truck is just under $15k. Shop doing the work was get “offers” on his truck of $25,000 cash

In vestment in a real snow plow is less than the cost of compact tractor which was about $24k or a replacement ATV at $18k

[mbizzles322]

Thanks for the input thus far! Of the 3 older tractors - I guess only one is currently working well. But it’s my husbands goal to get them all working properly. The one that is working is a “Johnny Popper” John Deere and in the summer we use it to mow a couple of the grass areas between the crop fields (it has a large deck mower in the back). Then, there’s a Case and an International that need a little love:)

I’ll look into a blower for any other those older ones.

@Christa_P - Do you find the back blade hard to learn how to use? Having it in the back vs the front makes it a bit more complicated to maneuver I feel like… Maybe I’m thinking about it too much!

[GoodTimes]

My parents have a twisty turny 400ish foot driveway in the snowbelt of Ontario. They have an assortment of snow removal devices. The preferred daily method is a plow on the truck, easy and comfortable when there’s only a couple inches. When they get a dumping though they prefer the blower on the tractor, easier than trying to push snowbanks back.
When they get big drifts, or if wet snow freezes overnight they pull out the big guns, ie the big front end loader.

If you can’t get one of the bigger tractors going by winter than I would go with a blower for the compact tractor.

[LCDR]

Did I overlook the mention of the type of driveway material?

[mbizzles322]

Nope - no overlook I didn’t include in my original post. It will be asphalt. Good question!

[NaturallyHappy]

I plow our 500 foot driveway (gravel) w a rear blade and JD compact tractor. I angle the blade diagonally off to the side and do the drive in two passes. I plow paths to the fields for turnout. I don’t drop the blade to the ground so I don’t pull off the gravel.

[NancyM]

If you will be living where it actually gets COLD in winter, a tractor with a fully enclosed cab is almost a necessity. With a heater that works.
Is the driveway asphalt NOW? Or is this the plan? Because with gravel, if you get heaves with freezing and thawing, your tractor can level that out for you if it’s gravel. If it’s paved, heaving ground under the asphalt will be a problem.
Our driveway is 1/2 a mile long. We get cold winters, not usually a ton of snow, but sometimes a foot or so at a time. The open station JD 90 horse tractor was just too dam cold to bare. We needed a second big tractor anyway, so made sure to get one with an enclosed cab. Our driveway is ploughed with a back blade only, but use of the bucket in front as well at time. The trick is to have somewhere to put the snow, and push it OFF the driveway. Because otherwise, your driveway gets narrower and narrower throughout the winter. And when spring thaw comes, you want that snow AWAY from the driveway if possible. Rapid thawing can cause erosion. Thawing and refreezing can result in a solid skating rink… ours did this once, on a downhill slope. We parked the truck, and walked the rest of the way to the house that day.

A front mounted snow blower on the bucket of a tractor is lovely… we don’t have one. A hydrolic front mounted blade on a snow plough 4 wheel drive truck would be a luxury. If you want to spend money on this project, that can help to solve the problem. Otherwise, you use what you have, or what is available, and do the best you can. You will learn as you go.

[Christa_P]

@mbizzles322

Thanks for the input thus far! Of the 3 older tractors - I guess only one is currently working well. But it’s my husbands goal to get them all working properly. The one that is working is a “Johnny Popper” John Deere and in the summer we use it to mow a couple of the grass areas between the crop fields (it has a large deck mower in the back). Then, there’s a Case and an International that need a little love:)

I’ll look into a blower for any other those older ones.

@Christa_P - Do you find the back blade hard to learn how to use? Having it in the back vs the front makes it a bit more complicated to maneuver I feel like… Maybe I’m thinking about it too much!

I grew up using one so I can’t really say how hard it is to learn. I do find the I can maneuver better with the back blade, but that could be just because it’s what I’m used to. Using the back blade to push the snow is hard on your back and neck due to the constant twisting to see where you’re going.

[mbizzles322]

It’s a new driveway. It was put in last fall so it only has one winter. It’s going to be asphalt in the next month or so. Yes - we do live where it gets cold and an enclosed cab is also a wish list item. For now, I think we’ll just have to bundle up:)

Good to know people have positive experiences with the back blade as they are a couple grand cheaper than getting front snow blower. We thankfully do have some open space at the end of the driveway for putting the snow.

Yes - we’ll certainly learn as we go. But we’re young and hearty so I’m sure we’ll figure it out (famous last words). We’re lucky there are already several tractors on the farm so we aren’t starting at square zero!

[LCDR]

Go to:

www.greentractortalk.com

Register and post your same question there. First find out which Deere compact tractor you have so you can post in the right tractor model forum.

It is a wonderful site for learning and getting advice. Folks are really helpful and experienced, and there are so many participants that you can basically be walked through many tractor repairs should you need any help later almost in real time. I replaced my tractor’s hydraulicc pump as a novice in one evening and each time I had a question during the process I’d get a response back within minutes. These people live and breathe John Deere tractors.

[mbizzles322]

Wonderful. Thanks! I’ll do that.

[LCDR]

Here is a thread from a few years ago on the site I recommended above. Someone asked about snow removal from asphalt using a Deere 1025R tractor, which is a subcompact tractor (I own one).

https://www.greentractortalk.com/threads/asphalt-and-snow-best-removal-implement.177322/?post_id=3110596#post-3110596

[FitToBeTied]

If the tractor is of a decent size, you could put a rear blade and plow with that. We have a half mile long driveway that averages about a 4% grade. I use a NH 35HP with a 7’ blade. On our previous farm that had a pretty flat driveway of about 600’, I had a 24 HP kubota with a 6’ rear blade.

[George_T_Mule]

I do our driveway with my older Ford 1620 (4X4, Hydrostatic) compact tractor using the scraper blade (“rear blade”), and loader bucket. Our driveway is considerably longer than yours, with some ups and downs, and gravel/dirt. No problems.
If you have a compact tractor, that will be your least expensive option. Look for a good used scraper blade on your local Craigslist; probably around $1K. You will want either a 4X4 tractor, or a close-fitting set of chains for it if RWD.
Adjust the blade and 3-point such that you are leaving a little snow in your track if your drive is gravel or dirt, otherwise you will wind up scraping up your road surface along with the snow. When the scraper is full, stop, raise the 3-point, drive past the pile, drop the attachment, and carry on. Use the loader or the scraper in reverse to push the piles off to the down-hill side of the driveway.
It doesn’t take very long, once you get a feel for it.
The scraper has multiple uses, you won’t regret having it. Ordinary gravel driveway maintenance for one, and it makes an awkward, but serviceable counterweight if you need to do any heavy lifting with the loader. (However, a dedicated counterweight will provide better service if you do it very often. I keep 500lbs of tractor weights mounted on a bar, ready to grab with the 3-point in times of need. That, at least on my tractor, makes a huge difference in the overall stability. Also, air up your tires.) (Edit, Warning) The loader on a compact tractor is a dangerous tool. It may lift something off of the ground, but as you raise it, the center of balance also raises, leading to the tractor wanting to tip sideways. This can be very abrupt, and the higher your load, the more abrupt the transition. Be careful, and wear the seatbelt. Just sayin’ . . .)
One thing I do, just 'cause I can, is to take the scraper out in the pasture after a snow, and drag a pathway along the fenceline so my critters will have a place to get out of the deep stuff. And around here, once the bulk of the snow is gone, the sun will have it down to bare ground/grass/weeds in no time, even in very cold weather, so a place to put their noses down and nibble, as well.

[clanter]

if OP is that far off the road a whole house backup generator might be a good idea

[LCDR]

Reading snow removal threads makes me appreciate living in the sunny south.

As for generators, I concur with @clanter. In my situation if I don’t have power from the grid, I don’t have water to keep the horses alive. Before I bought my 22KW Generac, I went with a portable Honda generator that I was able to connect directly to the electrical panel to run just my well pump and a few other things.

[paintedpony]

I suggest you position yourself for success by planning for the snow storm of the decade. Being undersized and underpowered means many, many partial pass trips. It could take hours to get out after a heavy drifted snow. Cold + wind + time = very unhappy operator who does the minimal possible, leaving you with a narrow drive that drifts in quickly, and diminished parking area. A quick check of my FB marketplace revealed a 6ft blower for $900.

Start shopping up the local buy pages, auctions and farm papers for a snowblower. It does not need to look pretty to do the job.

Since your tractor does not have a cab, I suggest you also purchase a full face helmet for the operator as well as snow/ski suit. I promise you, at some point it will be essential to clear the drive during very unpleasant weather. That is the day you will be happy to have these items at hand.

[mbizzles322]

Thank you all for the suggestions! We have a couple great ideas now. I like the idea of being over-prepared for normal snowfall so when it get’s bad, we’re in a good position. And yup - we do have a good bit of super cold weather gear. I’ve lived in the cold my whole life:)