[Trapbob]

Howdy all. Considering a 1025r for mowing, general tractor stuff, snow removal, leaf mulching and collection, and such.
I live in Pennsylvania, so we usually get heavy, wet snows with occasional ice storms and the occasional Nor'easter that dumps 2-+ inches on us.
In the snow removal role, I have heard people on both sides of the snowblower vs. FEL issue, but few have used a subcompact tractor.
For those who have a 1025r or 1023e, and have used the snowblower and/or FEL on heavy,
wet snows in the 4-8 inch range, what are your thoughts on this?

Bob McClure

 

[Hiwire]

I bought tje front blower for my 1025r and it works perfect. Blows a ton of snow and it got a good workout here in central NY last winter. Tjat being said, I wish I had the $4000 back. I bought a set of skids for the bucket in case we got a late snow, and pullednoff the blower in March. I wishI did that to begin with. Its not as neat and pretty as the blower makes it ut I could have easily gotten through without the blower and still had the loader for pallet work. Unless you have the money to play with I would save it ro use dor other attachments. Thats a good down payment on a back hoe

 

[wrb129]

How long is your driveway? I actually bought a front blade (54") that is amazing. I have a rubber edge which cleans the surface nicely (asphalt) and then with the hydraulic control makes the entire process a breeze. 8" wet snow is my max limit though...I usually plow several times if we are expected to get a foot or more.

Good luck!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[JimR]

There are dozens (if not hundreds) of threads on this very topic right here on GTT. I'd suggest reading through them instead of rehashing the same hings over again. There are pros/cons to every possible snow removal setup.

 

[MacCool]

I have an old LX277 with 42 inch snowblower for snow removal here in middle-Minnesota. I’m going to keep my new 1023E handy in the front garage with FEL attached for managing the big piles and re-establishing the cul-de-sac where I live. That cul-de-sac get’s smaller with each successive snow that the township plows. I can say, however, that if I didn’t already have a snowblower for my lawn tractor, I would sure as heck have one for my SCUT.

 

[DanW]

Howdy neighbor. :wgtt:

Might want to review this thread I started not long ago> snow removal decisions.

I used just the FEL bucket for some of the nuisance snows we had toward the end of last winter and found it less than optimal for my driveway. For a parking area I think it would work okay as a snow pusher, but frequently having to angle off and dump made it less than ideal on the driveway. This year I"ll have a Quick Hitch mounted 60" blade for the plowing. Hopefully next year there will be a snowblower in the arsenal for the deep stuff we get occasionally.

 

[scooterman]

I’ve got a 1025r with a loader, 54” QH blower and I got a great deal on the QH blade too. I’ve used all three for snow removal in western NY (12+ inches).

54” blower: My favorite. I live on a cul-de-sac and take care of 9 driveways that are 120’ or longer, all asphalt, all with a slope.
With the 54” blower and 400lbs of ballast box off the 3ph, I can do this pretty quickly and almost completely in 2wd (R4 tires). I like the blower because I’m not making piles anywhere. On a circle like ours, the county plow makes enough piles. The blower eliminates that mess and keeps visibility good in the neighborhood.

QH plow (with angle): using the same ballast box and 4wd, this is the fastest option. When the county plow doesn’t show up for a day, I’ll drop the blower and clear out the half-mile road. It takes a few passes, but I can do it in high gear with the pedal to the floor. Sure, I get snow banks, but we expect those on the roads. The blower would take far too long to accomplish this.

Loader: I hate loader w/ standard bucket for snow. I think if I had the QH plow mounted to the loader, I would love it, but this takes way too long for the type of snow I have. The only time need it is when I need to pile stuff up for some reason. I avoid it for snow as much as possible.

Now, Ive seen good stuff about snow pushers and loader-mounted plows but haven’t tried them (I’m saving my $$$ for other stuff, so I probably won’t try them).

I’ve also seen other people not like the throwing distance with the stock impeller, but I’ve never had enough of a complaint to swap it out. I’ve found that if you are feeding the blower with 3 or more inches, it’s pretty good.

I do wish it were easier to swap the QH and the loader. The QH AND front PTO need to come off for the loader parking stand to fit. The angle in the center of the stand bumps the PTO. I think that JD could have easily engineered around this, but.... I’m assuming that they did it to avoid one of us gear heads from trying to mount the snow blower to the loader arms (2000 rpm PTO might not agree with a slight dump/curl here).

Either way, if you get consistent deep snow and don’t want the hassle of snow banks, get the blower. If you don’t deal with paved driveways or don’t mind some snow piles, you may want to go the QH or loader-mounted plow option.

 

[SulleyBear]

My least favorite methods of snow removal, in order of strong dislike;

1. Anything mounted on the 3ph as the primary snow removal method. Even with a cab, excellent rear view mirrors and a very good rear video camera and monitor system, I simply don't like turning around, sitting sideways on the seat and removing snow behind me. Period. I don't care if it is a rear 3 ph blade, a rear blower, I just don't like it. In fact, if I had no other choice, I would hire someone else to plow my snow.

2. FEL snow removal. FEL's have no means to prevent severe damage or destruction when using the bucket to plow snow. Whether you catch the edge of a concrete pad, tear out sprinkler heads., the loader doesn't have any way to "trip" like a snow plow blade and a good snow pusher does. Not having a safety mechanism to deal with the loaders inflexibility is not something I am willing to do.

I do use the loader to stack some snow piles, usually the ones placed by those plowing who can't seem to plan ahead and pile the snow accordingly. But that is very different than plowing snow with the FEL because 98% of the pile is above grade and only the very last few buckets involve scraping the surface.

These tractors are able to push a lot of wet snow when correctly ballasted. Most don't correctly ballast them. Personally, I prefer to avoid using tire chains and with the proper ballast, it isn't an issue. Usually between 450 lbs and 650 lbs hanging on the 3ph does the trick. I have gone as high as 850 pounds on sheet ice during an ice storm which was so bad, I couldn't stand up on any hard surface. But with enough weight and planning ahead for ice, snow melt can help you keep going.

This topic has been covered so many times in other threads its worth reading those to get the insight. Many have responded to the topic so many times, they stop posting new posts on the same topic.

GO to the search tool in the upper right. Select Advanced search, type in snow removal, blade verses blower or any version of the topic and there are likely dozens if not more threads on the topic. Its been widely chewed upon by many.........

 

[BWV]

I do wish it were easier to swap the QH and the loader. The QH AND front PTO need to come off for the loader parking stand to fit. The angle in the center of the stand bumps the PTO.

I am guessing (haven't done it yet) that with the D120 Loader, this is going to be very easy for me. (no parking stand in the way or to bump into the QH)

I can't wait to try the blower vs. the 60" blade... or.. maybe not "Vs"...maybe figure out which I need when.

 

[Melikes]

2 years ago I wanted to try never plowing at all. Live in the snow belt of north western pa. Me and the miss both own jeeps. A few times I had to break trail for her in my Rubicon. Never had a visitor after the first few snows. Sometimes it's not such a bad thing not having the snow cleared nice.:bigthumb:

 

[ejb69]

Depends on a lot of things. Like how far you need to push the snow, how much drifting you get, if you have room to pile it , how much time you have.

I prefer a snowblower because if I make any kind of bank or pile a long my driveway it will drift in when the wind picks up or changes directions. Doesn’t even need to snow. The blower spreads out the snow, helps eliminate banks. Up at the cabin the driveway is narrow and line with trees. The blower throws the snow into the woods where a plow or loader can’t.

I have never seen a need to use my loader for snow removal. My 54” blower as handled every type of snow I have gotten since I bought my tractor in 2011. Wet snow doesn’t go as far as dry snow, but it handles it. I have only plugged the blower a couple of time. And that was because the snow drift was taller than the discharge and had nowhere to go.

The loader would be far better than a shovel, but the blower is far better for me.

 

[coaltrain]

2 years ago I wanted to try never plowing at all. Live in the snow belt of north western pa. Me and the miss both own jeeps. A few times I had to break trail for her in my Rubicon. Never had a visitor after the first few snows. Sometimes it's not such a bad thing not having the snow cleared nice.:bigthumb:

Also in NW Penna -

I routinely leave my driveway unplowed. My 4WD pickup with winter tires will go. We only go somewhere once a week at most. My driveway is pretty steep where it meets the road - keeps the riff-raff out....

 

[Cutty72]

I’ve got a 1025r with a loader, 54” QH blower and I got a great deal on the QH blade too. I’ve used all three for snow removal in western NY (12+ inches).

54” blower: My favorite. I live on a cul-de-sac and take care of 9 driveways that are 120’ or longer, all asphalt, all with a slope.
With the 54” blower and 400lbs of ballast box off the 3ph, I can do this pretty quickly and almost completely in 2wd (R4 tires). I like the blower because I’m not making piles anywhere. On a circle like ours, the county plow makes enough piles. The blower eliminates that mess and keeps visibility good in the neighborhood.

QH plow (with angle): using the same ballast box and 4wd, this is the fastest option. When the county plow doesn’t show up for a day, I’ll drop the blower and clear out the half-mile road. It takes a few passes, but I can do it in high gear with the pedal to the floor. Sure, I get snow banks, but we expect those on the roads. The blower would take far too long to accomplish this.

Loader: I hate loader w/ standard bucket for snow. I think if I had the QH plow mounted to the loader, I would love it, but this takes way too long for the type of snow I have. The only time need it is when I need to pile stuff up for some reason. I avoid it for snow as much as possible.

Now, Ive seen good stuff about snow pushers and loader-mounted plows but haven’t tried them (I’m saving my $$$ for other stuff, so I probably won’t try them).

I’ve also seen other people not like the throwing distance with the stock impeller, but I’ve never had enough of a complaint to swap it out. I’ve found that if you are feeding the blower with 3 or more inches, it’s pretty good.

I do wish it were easier to swap the QH and the loader. The QH AND front PTO need to come off for the loader parking stand to fit. The angle in the center of the stand bumps the PTO. I think that JD could have easily engineered around this, but.... I’m assuming that they did it to avoid one of us gear heads from trying to mount the snow blower to the loader arms (2000 rpm PTO might not agree with a slight dump/curl here).

Either way, if you get consistent deep snow and don’t want the hassle of snow banks, get the blower. If you don’t deal with paved driveways or don’t mind some snow piles, you may want to go the QH or loader-mounted plow option.

I use the QH 54" blower and a rear blade. Blade for the light snows and quick clean up on the development streets. When on the streets I usually kill the bank left by the blade with the blower at the end. 3 passes and done.

 

[X758]

View attachment 706482 On my X758 here in WNY I love my 54 QH blower. I’ve considered getting a 54 inch blade for light snow. But I can’t compare to a loader because I don’t have that option. Definitely would not like it on my long driveway.

 

[X758]

Try this again I also made a bracket to hang 4 100lb IH suitcase weights on the back

 

[WilliamT.]

Howdy all. Considering a 1025r for mowing, general tractor stuff, snow removal, leaf mulching and collection, and such.
I live in Pennsylvania, so we usually get heavy, wet snows with occasional ice storms and the occasional Nor'easter that dumps 2-+ inches on us.
In the snow removal role, I have heard people on both sides of the snowblower vs. FEL issue, but few have used a subcompact tractor.
For those who have a 1025r or 1023e, and have used the snowblower and/or FEL on heavy,
wet snows in the 4-8 inch range, what are your thoughts on this?

Bob McClure

Bob, I’m almost a neighbor, just west of the Lehigh Valley. My first machine was a 1975 John Deere 400 that came with a loader. It did okay, but while I have lots of room, I don’t really have any place to push the snow because of the way things are laid out. Really wet stuff would bog it down, too.

Since 2012 I’ve had a 47” snowblower on an X534. It does a fantastic job 90% of the time or more. When we get the real slushy stuff, it bogs down. I’ve used it as a plow just to push stuff out of the way, but it’s not a great way to do it.

If I were in your spot, I’d carefully consider how much room you have to push vs throw the snow as well as the predominant type of precipitation in your area. If you decide to go with a loader, Ratchet Rake in Carlisle makes a shoe to protect paved surfaces. I didn’t look at it real close since I don’t really have a need for it, but I’m really liking their rake. And they’re local. You can go there and lay eyes on the stuff.

 

[PikeCoGreenTractorMan]

It's easy on this thread to misread FEL as FL (Florida), where the winter ice is found in the freezer, and the accumulating snow on the internet!

Brian

Howdy all. Considering a 1025r for mowing, general tractor stuff, snow removal, leaf mulching and collection, and such.
I live in Pennsylvania, so we usually get heavy, wet snows with occasional ice storms and the occasional Nor'easter that dumps 2-+ inches on us.
In the snow removal role, I have heard people on both sides of the snowblower vs. FEL issue, but few have used a subcompact tractor.
For those who have a 1025r or 1023e, and have used the snowblower and/or FEL on heavy,
wet snows in the 4-8 inch range, what are your thoughts on this?

Bob McClure