I moved from sunny California to Northwest Montana 3 years ago. It seemed like a good idea at the time. The summers are amazing, but we get about 60 inches of fluffy white stuff each year, and most significant storms dump between 3 and 9 inches. We have a fairly long paved driveway that has a steep drop off on one side.
We bought a snow plow for our 4WD ATV, and since we bought chains it does a nice job pushing the snow around, but no matter what we do we end up with 4 foot berms on both sides of the driveway that ice up and become impossible to clear off. As a result our driveway becomes narrower and narrower over time, making driving in and out harder and harder.
I’ve started looking at alternative ways of dealing with the snow, and have narrowed it down to some kind of snow thrower or a small tractor what would allow me to pick up the snow and dump it somewhere convenient. Tractors, even small ones, are expensive, but can multi-task. Snow throwers are obviously uni-taskers, but are much less expensive.
If cost was no object, which would make more sense in my situation?
Since cost is always an object, what would work better in my situation and be cost efficient?
How long is your driveway? If it’s less then, say 50 or 60 feet you could just use the snowblower instead of the plow. That would throw the snow much further and you wouldn’t have it building up on the side of the driveway.
Another option is waiting until your driveway is really narrow the the berms are built up and then calling in a snow removal company or a landscaping company or just a friend with a bobcat that can come in and push the snow back or pick it up and put it somewhere else on the property.
Is your driveway wide enough to allow you to get the plow in there perpendicular and push the snowbanks back yourself? If it is you could do that but be careful, I speak from experience when I tell you that if you push too hard and the blade goes over the top you’ll have to have someone pull you back out.
Keep in mind that any of these options are likely to tear up your grass since people will be driving on it with heavy machinery.
Also, one last thing. Make sure that each time you plow, you’re plowing all the way to the edge or at the very least plowing as far as you can and then snowblowing the rest of the way. The driveway won’t get narrower each time if you make sure you get it completely clean every time it snows…
Go for a fairly powerful snow thrower. They are usually ranked by the swath (and also depth) they can handle. For you, I would go with at least a 24" swath with electric start. You’re smart to shop for one now, at the end of the season. Make sure you research them with Consumer Reports since obviously there are going to be differences in reliability and features.
I have a Compact Utility Tractor (CUT) that I mow with. I have a 60" finish mower driven by the tractors PTO. Don’t have a snow thrower though as we don’t get enough snow to justify. But one mounted on a CUT would do a fine job for you.
You don’t need a snowblower/thrower; you need someone who’s good at plowing to show you a better way to plow. You want to designate an area where you pile up the snow that you plow off the driveway, and make sure when you plow that you plow the snow to that area, not just leave it along the sides. You’ll end up with a snow mountain somewhere on your property, and a driveway that’s wider than 4’. You shouldn’t need a snowblower to do that.
Our driveway is pretty long - not sure exactly how long, but long enough that it’s 2-3 minute walk to the road - and we don’t snowblow anything but the walkways. Our snowplow guy comes when it snows, and our driveway is as wide as it is in the summer. But we do have a couple snow mountains along the way, easily 10’ tall at this time of year. We get anywhere from 150 to 250+ inches of snow in a year.
I think he means end of the selling season. Most folks buy their snow removal equipment in September. Check Craigslist or the local paper because one of your neighbors is probably wanting to upgrade as well; his too small of a devicemay be your humongous solution.
you don’t make 10’ tall snow mountains by plowing, you make them with a bucket loader. a plow might leave 4 to 6 feet tall piles; it depends on the snow type, surface and terrain, power and type of plow.
different methods, different techniques, different results.
plowing has limitations on where you can put the snow especially on long narrow runs. each situation needs to be customized based on type and amount of snow, the surface/terrain/geography, your equipment type and time to the task.
"First let’s clarify terminology. A snow thrower has one horizontally mounted auger to do all the work. A snowblower has two augers- one horizontally mounted to break up the snow and a second much faster-moving auger which blows the snow out of the discharge chute.
Five horsepower is the minimum engine size you should have. No snowthrower will work well in wet snow more then a few inches deep (they get clogged up easily), so if you get a snowthrower you must get out and deal with snow accumulation before it gets too deep if it is wet heavy snow. If you want a unit which will deal with any snow you might encounter, get an 8 or 10 HP snowblower.
Any snowblower made by MTD, the most commonly seen (cheaper) brand, is good. I like my 8HP KMart PowerPro (made by MTD) much better than my 8HP Toro. The MTD has a simpler and more reliable design. Husqvarna and Ariens have good reputations. I once had a Sears Craftsman snowblower and I’ll never have another. Craftsman is known as Crapsman in the lawn and snow industries. Parts are unobtainable for units which are only a few years old.
A snowthrower with a 5HP engine can be adequate. I have a 5HP Honda and a 6HP Honda which get used sometimes. DO NOT get a 2-stroke engine. Four stroke engines have much more power at low to medium RPMs. The wheels on these units are not power driven, but the rubber auger paddles pull the unit along quite nicely.
My favorite tool is the snowblower I can mount on my 20HP Walker ZTR lawn tractor. Twelve thousand dollars would be too much for the average homeowner to pay, though.
Read and follow your owner’s manual. Pay particular attention to what it says regarding preparation for off-season storage.
Btw, a tire iron is the best tool for unclogging a discharge chute."
The summers are amazing, but we get about 60 inches of fluffy white stuff each year, and most significant storms dump between 3 and 9 inches. We have a fairly long paved driveway that has a steep drop off on one side.