We got hit with 8" Monday. I have a little BS single stage blower. And a shovel. And a 120-foot driveway. My back hurts!
Is the answer:
2-stage thrower?
Put a plow on the John Deere mower and cut it's life in half?
Buy a used ATV with a plow? If so, recommendations from those with experience.
Hire a plow guy?
Other options I haven't thought of?
What do you all do?
We just leave it alone till it melts! Don't create a job that doesn't need to be done!! LOL
Originally Posted by ToBo
Plow on mower, it's better it's life than your back.
It snows in Michigan? This must be a first
2019 RT 198P
2018 Mercury Pro XS 150 HP 4 Stroke #2B610068
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Riptide Instinct Quest
hire the plow guy. It s the best $40 I sepnd.....outside of the $40 I pay him to mow
For that length of driveway I’d look into a 3 stage snow blower. Ariens is my favorite brand, they last forever. I just sold a 1973 Ariens last year to buy a newer/bigger one.
The 2 stage is good for smaller driveways, the 3 stage has a central auger that rotated faster than the rest and eats the snow a lot faster than a 2 stage
1995 Ranger 481v
1995 Johnson Fast Strike 175hp
2-stage is what I have. I’m closer to the lake than you so I get a ton more snow than you. By the end of winter especially if we have a snowy winter like last the snow from a plow really piles up fast and the huge piles last for weeks after the last snow melts. A snow blower just throws it in the yard and is a nice clean way of clearing your driveway. Plus using a snow blower is good exercise in the winter.
If you can swing the plow bill, why not. Only drawbacks would be it isn't done when you want it, they have 50 other driveways to clean as well. A plow truck can come many many times for the cost of a new bigger blower.
I have a Simplicity 38" 2 stage blower, which helps a ton, but damn they are expensive. My driveway is about 230' long with a little access to my pole barn. It's a ton of work and I regret buying it over a plow for my truck or atv quite often.
ATV with a plow. I have a Honda Rancher, great machine. Also have an Ariens snowblower. Good machine but the atv is faster.
I switched from a snowblower to an ATV. The blower worked but the ATV with the plow is just so much better. Get a Honda Rancher. Mines only a 400 but it has balls.
Don’t know what kind of lawn mower you have, and that would make a difference. I’ve plowed approximately 1/4 mile of driveway for 25 years with a John Deere and a 54” blade. 8 inches is a lot, but I’ve done up to 10 inches at one go. Just takes a little longer; little bites at a time. Important to have a blade with hydraulics and weights on the back to keep traction. Otherwise, tire chains might work. Living where you do, $40 at a time would really add up in the typical winter. 120 feet of driveway is nothing for a good snow blade on a decent 18-22 h.p. tractor. Blade is way faster than a snow blower, and you don’t have another piece of power equipment to keep maintained that way.
John Clark — Findlay, Ohio
Just a Florida guy. Not really born in Grand Rapids Mich. How about instead of a plow which puts more strain on everything. Get a snow blower for the tractor or an atv?
1996 Stratos 201 pro xl
1996 Johnson Faststrike J150GLEDB
About ten years ago I bought a 15 year old atv with a plow, I paid 1300.00 for it and it's still going strong. Had a plow on a riding mower before that and it worked fine up to about 7 inches of snow, the atv runs circles around it. Atv also works great for ice fishing.
ATV
So, do you have to do this snow blowing routine daily? If you pay somebody to do it, does he come daily, weekly, etc.?
Ariens 26-30" snow blower with a cab.Lowe's has them for around $1,000 -- $1200
I would think that someone from Michigan would know all about clearing snow, having snow tires, etc. I'm posting a pic of what I use to clear my driveway, dedicated for winter use. Simplicity Legacy XL 4WD with a 47" 2 stage snowblower. I only put the rear blade on as needed.
Someone from Florida will say that they don't care about my tractor and I don't care about hurricanes in Florida!!
2006 Triton TR-21 XD, Mercury 225 Pro XS, S/N 1B287870
Typically the snow get removed after an inch or two of snow has fallen or it’s been so windy drifts have formed.
got any neighbors close by that you can ask what they do? maybe they have some advice for the best option.
When I li ved in CT I had a 120' drive also. I had a two stage Simplicity, 42" with chains. Did the job for ten years and was still going strong when I sold it.
Lake Norman, N.C./New Britain, CT.
An Khe 66-67
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