How To Snow-Plow Driveway

[71_Bronco 1,072]

I know this is a bit early for this type of topic, but please bear with me.

 

I have my Commando 8 that i'd like to try to plow my driveway with this winter. It is about 75 feet long, paved, and a slight downhill towards the road. Driveway is straight too from the front of the garage to the road.

 

Do you guys plow down the middle, then do the sides pushing the show out? Or do you do the sides first, then the center? Or work from one side to the other?

 

Thanks!

[ebinmaine 63,145]

3 minutes ago, 71_Bronco said:

Do you guys plow down the middle, then do the sides pushing the show out? Or do you do the sides first, then the center? Or work from one side to the other?

Probably not the answer you were really looking for but, D. All of the above.

 

 

Your biggest issue is going to be Traction. You'll have plenty of power.

You're going to want to get weights, fluid or steel or both. Chains made of either steel or rubber depending on how you feel about your driveway.

 

This past winter was the first one I've ever used a garden tractor to remove snow and I learned a lot. Some from success. Some from failure.

Biggest thing that I did not plan correctly is having a place to put the snow. I definitely get more here in Maine than you do in Connecticut but you need to have a place to put your snow piles.

 

 

[pfrederi 17,147]

If you have clear space on each side of the driveway plow down the middle then out.  Push way off the driveway so you have room for subsequent snowfalls.  Frozen plow piles are not easy to move.

[Achto 26,565]

20 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

you need to have a place to put your snow piles.

 

Your first plowing is probably your most critical. You'll want to get the snow pushed back far enough so that you have room for the next snow falls.

[WHNJ701 4,164]

from my experience a decent 2 stage self propelled snow blower is faster and cleaner than messing around with a garden tractor for plowing a 75 drive

my garden tractors are quietly sleeping during the winter.  

 

chains and weight, lots of weight are a must 

[71_Bronco 1,072]

Yes, I'm looking into weights and such, as I know the Commando is on the light side. Being patient and waiting for deals.

 

Both sides of the driveway are flat grass, so no issue.

 

I do have a 2-stage blower, but it's a smaller one (22 inches I think). It doesnt do slush very well, so that's why I was thinking the plow.

[ebinmaine 63,145]

I'll try to remember to take a video for you in the next few days showing the size of what I have and where I put the snow. Trina and do a combo platter using the snowblower first and then scraping down with the plows.

 

[Eric Friedrichsen 111]

I am successful with the following.  First pass is in the middle downhill where you have the most traction and are plowing full blade width. 2nd pass is uphill

1/2 blade then next pass downhill 1/2 blade. Push the snow as far off of the drive as possible (as Pferdi says). I then use my snowblower on each edge to get

the snow out of the way. Wheel weights and chains are a must for a hilly drive. I use rubber chains (so I don't scratch the asphalt on a 450' driveway).

 

Eric 

[Rfp55 33]

Amount and weight of snow and also wind matter. I like to blade slush & under 5-6" snow. At 6-12" a single stage blower works on dry snow for me. Any over a foot or real heavy is best handled by 2 stage machine. As far as where to start: if I have a 20 mph cross wind you want to blow downwind always, if no wind my paved area is two lanes wide so I start in middle and blade or blow toward outer edges. Often I push from the garage out to street leaving big 4' high pile near the street yet in the drive. Then sideswipe that in small bites till it's all off my drive. In Iowa it is not allowed to push it across the road, and due to the amount of people wiped out doing that by milk trucks or county plows, I wouldn't do it anywhere. Rambled but it is something worth thinking about ahead of time. Happy plowing.

Edited July 18, 2019 by Rfp55
Clear up

[eddiebunyan 24]

I have a 300' driveway.I start in the middle and push to the sides then get out my walk behind and run up the sides leaving the same width driveway every storm.

[Tractor boy 238]

 but i start really wide at the beginning of the season and it narrows after every storm 

[wh500special 2,053]

When I lived in snow country and had a 300' driveway I would do like many of the other guys; run down the middle first then make successive lengthwise passes widening the cleared path with each stroke.  If it was a really deep or wet snow I might have to plow across the driveway to both sides to move it, but that was pretty unusual.

 

And I pushed the snow as far off as was practical to make room for more snow - and drifting - the rest of the winter.

 

It only happened once, but it was enough to have me change my pattern though...

 

About half way through one winter we had a monster snowstorm and it was cold and windy.  Like -15 F and 50 mph winds.  My driveway ran largely East to West and the NW wind deposited 10 acre's worth of snowfall in my driveway due to the previously plowed snow on the north side of the driveway making a perfect wind break for catching drifts.  It was a mess.

 

After that big one, I started pushing the whole driveway's worth of snow to the south side of the driveway to avoid creating a snow fence on the (prevailing) upwind side.

 

Granted, this was Indiana prairie where the wind really howls with very little to interrupt it so you may not have the same problems.

 

Don't go bigger than a 42" blade on that tractor.  You'll probably find the front end doesn't weigh enough on its own to keep from skidding sideways with a heavy angled blade full of snow.

 

It's 94 here with 65% humidity today...hard to think about snow.

 

Steve

[ebinmaine 63,145]

Steve just reminded me that it would be a good idea to figure out how to install roller chains on your front tires.

 

[eddiebunyan 24]

Perhaps I didn't make myself clear.I widen as far as my driveway allows,then I use my walk behind to throw the plowed snow off to either side every storm,leaving me with the same width every storm.I use an older 8hp "snowflite" that has a big diameter barrel ,with drift bars,and nothing stops it from throwing snow!

[PeacemakerJack 10,671]

It is really funny to be talking about this topic on what is likely to be the hottest day so far this year in East Central WI! I echo the sentiments above.  I am fortunate to have to snow machine for my 250’ of driveway.  I use my Cub with a 60” Haban blade for anything under 6” or the wet heavy slop.  It is imperative to push back about 20’ further than you think if you live in an area where you could get a lot of snow over the winter without a warm up melting period in between snowfalls. 

In this particular video, I didn’t have my suitcase weights on the back which add about 200# of ballast.  I am running 2-link v-bar chains because I have a gravel drive.  You will notice as I get deep into the push that I am picking up some wheel spin. We were on our way into town and I wanted to get things cleared out.  It was a balmy 30 degrees when the video was taken and I’m not even wearing a hat—what’s the deal? That Cub weights about 1250# with the plow but without additional weight.  It handles the snow good to a point. When it gets deep, this is my go to machine...

 

You’ll notice that the drift behind my truck is as tall as the 24” blower and it does a great job of getting the snow out of the area as it will toss it an easy 60-70’ working with the wind.

 

If you have a place to push the snow back to, the blade will be fine.  I always go down the center of my drive first with a straight blade orientation, then I angle it to a side and widen out to the appropriate width—usually about three times the width of the drive for the first snow.  Up by the garage, I take a back and forth approach because it is 60’x40’.  No real good way to do that other than push it out one blade at a time. 

 

Good luck!

[Pullstart 59,730]

You know, I thought it would be fun to put a plow or blower on and play with the tractors, but I might just stick to the trucks.  I have one truck with a 16’ swing wing back and Boss 9.2 V plow... one with an 8’ Boss straight plow and 7-1/2’ back blade and another with a 7-1/2’ Fisher straight plow.  I seem to break them quite often, but I push commercially and sometimes cover 300+ miles of driving in a day and never leave the county.

[Tractorhead 8,611]

 

that simple 👍

[wh500special 2,053]

5 hours ago, Tractorhead said:

 

that simple 👍

 

A 200-series with a front end loader?!

 

Take THAT, all of us who say the vertIcal shafts are lesser machines!

 

 

 

Steve

[Pullstart 59,730]

6 minutes ago, wh500special said:

 

A 200-series with a front end loader?!

 

Take THAT, all of us who say the vertIcal shafts are lesser machines!

 

 

 

Steve

 

Oh yeah, Stefan’s WH is a beast!  It even survived a fire and had become an engine swapped engineering marvel!

 

here’s a bit more on his tractor. I couldn’t find his other mods on it.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2019 by pullstart
Link

[lynnmor 6,780]

Where would I plow this snow?

 

[Tractorhead 8,611]

8 hours ago, wh500special said:

 

A 200-series with a front end loader?!

 

Take THAT, all of us who say the vertIcal shafts are lesser machines!

 

 

 

Steve

 

They are maybe, but mine works Better as expected.

 

Off topic

 

Didn‘t wanna capture this thread, sorry

@wh500special

 

if you like, you can follow my „technical experiments“ here

 

 

Here i make a little diary mixed

/ Off topic

 

[cschannuth 3,795]

On 7/18/2019 at 6:46 PM, wh500special said:

When I lived in snow country and had a 300' driveway I would do like many of the other guys; run down the middle first then make successive lengthwise passes widening the cleared path with each stroke.  If it was a really deep or wet snow I might have to plow across the driveway to both sides to move it, but that was pretty unusual.

 

And I pushed the snow as far off as was practical to make room for more snow - and drifting - the rest of the winter.

 

It only happened once, but it was enough to have me change my pattern though...

 

About half way through one winter we had a monster snowstorm and it was cold and windy.  Like -15 F and 50 mph winds.  My driveway ran largely East to West and the NW wind deposited 10 acre's worth of snowfall in my driveway due to the previously plowed snow on the north side of the driveway making a perfect wind break for catching drifts.  It was a mess.

 

After that big one, I started pushing the whole driveway's worth of snow to the south side of the driveway to avoid creating a snow fence on the (prevailing) upwind side.

 

Granted, this was Indiana prairie where the wind really howls with very little to interrupt it so you may not have the same problems.

 

Don't go bigger than a 42" blade on that tractor.  You'll probably find the front end doesn't weigh enough on its own to keep from skidding sideways with a heavy angled blade full of snow.

 

It's 94 here with 65% humidity today...hard to think about snow.

 

Steve

 

 I’ve done all the methods mentioned above but I’ve had the best luck doing what Steve mentions by pushing all of the snow to the south side of my driveway. It all but eliminates any drifting occurring later from wind. In regard as to what I use, I have a very heavily weighted C 161 with a 54 inch blade and fairly heavily weighted 606 with a 42 inch blade  and both push an amazing amount of snow. I’ve had better luck on my concrete driveway without chains. I have inside weight with fluid in the rear tires on the 606 and the 161 plus front and rear wheel weights on the 161.

[Herder 2,354]

On ‎7‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 10:22 AM, ebinmaine said:

Probably not the answer you were really looking for but, D. All of the above.

 

 

Your biggest issue is going to be Traction. You'll have plenty of power.

You're going to want to get weights, fluid or steel or both. Chains made of either steel or rubber depending on how you feel about your driveway.

 

 

 

As mentioned by EB - fluid, weights and chains.  Two link chains give better traction but may cause damage to your blacktop driveway.  This Raider has all the above and will push practically anything.  It's great for snow removal.  The difference is my driveway is capped with stone dust and when frozen helps to improve traction.  I found that this type of front tire helped a lot in the snow.       

Edited July 20, 2019 by Herder