The snow pusher has the advantage of being able to pile the snow higher than a plow. As long as you can always end the push and leave the snow piled there, then the pusher will work fine. If you have 90 degree turns or parking areas or hills which limit piling snow in that area, you will have to put more snow in less places. Also, once you begin to pile the snow, it will likely go through freeze and thaw cycles, which will mean the snow pile will turn to ice and short of using your FEL bucket, its not going to be moved until it melts.
Plan your snow clearing carefully, thinking where you can push the snow into a pile at the end of each push. For those with a lot of open space, you can pile the snow everywhere. For those with landscape beds or other areas where they can't pile snow, it can mean pushing snow much further, to find a place to stack it.
A 54" snow pusher is too small for the 2320 series tractor in my opinion. 60" is fine, and 72" is about as wide as you want to go. With light fluffy snow, you would be thinking "I wish I had a much bigger pusher". But then, the first wet heavy snow and the 54" snow pusher is going to really test the tractor, its ballast and your traction aids (chains, ballast, etc). You have to plan for a variety of snow conditions as they will change through the winter season.
You need more 3ph ballast with the larger snow pusher. Honestly, you will find the tractor pushes snow better with 500+ pounds of rear ballast and if you are trying to use a rear blade as well as a snow pusher, most rear blades on the SCUTS and CUTS series aren't as heavy as they need to be for ideal snow clearing results.
Often, you can hang weight on the rear implement. Don't be afraid to try different amounts of rear ballast. And expect the needs for ballast to change with the snow conditions. The colder it is, the less rear ballast you will need as the snow is lighter and the traction conditions better. The closer the temp is to freezing, the worse the traction and the more rear ballast is needed to achieve an effective amount of traction. My 3ph ballast amounts vary between 500 and 850 pounds, depending upon the snow conditions and the temps.
Ballast is about machine balance. The wetter and heavier the snow you are pushing, the more rear ballast you will need to maintain traction and keep the machine turning when pushing snow. Too much rear ballast and the snow pusher will be harder to control. Too little rear ballast and traction will suffer and the snow pusher will actually push the tractor around. That's why having a ballast amount you can adjust is critical, even if its just adding suitcase weights or bags of snow melt or sand being added.
Make sure you report back on your selection and then also your experiences using the pusher you purchase. Photo's are also encouraged........
