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The 1025R didn't fail you Courtney. You were using the wrong implements for the job. A rear or front snowblower would have handled that much snow. I have a rear mount Frontier SB1154 snowblower on my 1025R and it does well in the deep snow we get here in northern Vermont.
@@winkdinkerson7190 the 1025 can handle that amount of snow with no issue. i've been doing it with the same machine for the last 2 winters with up to 14" of snow at a time.
@@stevencross8937 understood. That wasn’t the question I posed. When you have a stable of tractors that possess more power, weight, ground clearance, and traction - with bigger implements - why choose to use the smallest tool in your carpenters bag?
Experimenting is always good. It’s good for people to know that you may not want to go with the smallest tractor if you’re fighting lots of snow every winter.
Courtney remember this. You may be struggling with what you thought would work, and it doesn’t go quite as well as you expected. But, your struggle helps so many people. You show all the issues, uncut videos. And because of that everyone else can try something different. Your efforts and your channel is a tremendous asset for so many folks! Never get discouraged! In the end you are a blessing to someone else!
Courtney, I am a retired farmer and have experienced BIG SNOW a time or two. When you take subcompack or compack tractor you are giving up ground clearance and weight!!! I know the last blizzard I spent six or seven hours in the cab of my tractor to open up the farm! And when that was done I still had to feed cattle, hogs and chickens. Then I got too feed myself. WELCOME TO THE CLUB OF FRUSTRATION!!! :-() MOTHER NATURE WILL HAVE HER WAY!!!!!!!!!!!
If you want to use a back blade on gravel get a 4 inch pipe the same length as the blade, cut a slit the width of the blade and cutting edge, the length of the blade. Slide it onto the blade above the cutting edge bolts. Use a couple tie down straps from the ends of the pipe to the Lock pin holes to keep the pipe from sliding off the blade. Works great on gravel and grass. Use steel pipe, PVC ware's out sooner.
Thanks for your patience and doing this , as it was clear that the snow blower would of been a better choice all along but you did took the time to froze on the tractor to show how these implement cans somewhat get the job done . I got the front snowblower and back blade (reversed) and that is the perfect combination for my need :-)
Hey being a person that's not faced their first snow with their newer tractor being able to push snow. I really appreciate you videoing this even if it wasn't a total success. Because I get to witness someone that knows their tractor and has the equipment get out there and allows me to watch. you don't know how much I appreciate that. Thank you!
A plow or bucket on the front and a rear facing blower on the back has always worked well on a tractor. I use the back blade to scrape snow off the driveway that has been driven over and is packed down. One of the reasons I purchased a 2025R over the 1025R was for the ground clearance.
I am in southern mi I have a 2305 jd forerunner to 1025 it has never failed me I use the bucket and I have made a 6ft rear blade mount on my fork bracket turned around with plow shoes put on due to using on dirt angled blade over box
This is why my family ( they live in Canada) use a traditional snow blower. Had you have a snow blower and went in reverse you would’ve been successful with the 1025r or any sub compact for that matter. That’s why the majority of snow removal companies use that set up over there. You can tackle 4 or 5 feet of snow easily. 😊. Nothing is ever perfect. But I enjoy the struggle….. as always you videos are great, because they are real….
I live in the Okanogan and that is what I have here. Snow plow for light snow, rear facing snow thrower for deep snow and drifts. Snow berms are so high already that I now have to plow both sides to the center and blow it away with the blower. With the snow moved away from the edges like that, I can drive backward with the mirrors, much easier on my lower back that way. I'm 72 and my body doesn't like to twist around that much.
Great video showing what not to do. I guarantee some of your newer viewers learned something here. You might think of these as failures, but actually, you`ve helped others out by seeing what works and what doesn`t. As for myself, i`m in my 60`s, i`ve tried everything there is to try out there, blowers, buckets, pushers, blades, you name it, i`ve probably done it. I live in snow country, so i`ve had many a decades trying all kinds of things and methods, tools and equipment. It ain`t never easy. I`ve gone back to a front bucket, and a 6ft rear blade every time after trying all kinds of stuff. I never empty the bucket either. I just use it like a snow pusher to push the snow until i can`t no longer move it forward, then i back up, turn to the side of the driveway, dump the bucket, then move in for the next run down the driveway. So far, this method has worked the best, for me. Everything has its limitations. My bucket & rear blade, loaded tires, wastes the least amount of time out there, again, for me. No chains either. I have run chains many times thru the years, i simply just found them to be more of a pain in thee ass than it was worth. Blizzard`s or not, we gitter done. Some days faster than others. Its winter, and its unpredictable. Choose the winter weapons carefully, lol. Most of all, dress properly for the cold, and BE safe!
Loved watching this 😂😂😂 I’m 60 now and only live 45 miles nw of you, today you lost a battle with snow next week you kick butt, the R4 tires are a good idea but just not for everything like regular tractor tires are for mowing lawns 😂 it’s the outdoor r experience you had that was fun😅. The big kabota in the back of the shop would have probably worked better and left you with more of a mess in the spring, frost in the ground is our friend around here , keep the good work
Your comment is spot on. I had a 1025R with a frame mounted angling plow with turf tires, never once got stuck. I purchased the tire chains but never used them. It was quick, nimble and very effective. The drawback was the blade didn't lift that high, so if I needed to stack or relocate snow I had to put the bucket back on and use it. Not being a loader mounted plow it was not quick attach and it took a few minutes to make the change over. I live in New England and we get a good amount of snow.
I too have a gravel drive and I have found that when it comes to snow, there just isn’t much that you can do to keep from picking up the gravel. As good as I do, I will always find a small pile sitting in the grass after the snow melts. Honestly, my loader bucket and a grader blade, turned the right way, or a plow on my UTV, do the best. Just keeping the blade of the bucket just off of the gravel so as to not dig in. But NO perfect means! It just is what it is when plowing a gravel drive. LOL! Or moving way south! LOL!
My 1025R just handled a 10” dump here in Alberta yesterday. Used a combo of the 5’ plow and the bucket. That 1025R just never seems to disappoint, but you have to have the right tires. It’s critical
I’m a 74yo first time tractor owner. Live in west MI, lots of snow. Did a fair amount of research before dropping the bucks. Duplicated Gordon Potters (GP Outdoors) rig, minus chains, and never looked back! Oh…I do it in shirt sleeves!
I know this situation very well, I've got a 1962 3010 with a loader w/ rear wheel drive, a 2320 with a small front blower, and the Deere 320g skid steer. The only one capable of moving snow we've seen is the Skid steer, running the Ag tires (too small to ballast) with clearance less than half of a tractor. Its been a real bear to clear the drive, I've gotten stuck 2x already this year with it sliding off the road surface into the hard pack on the side and high centering (the ditch is angled up). Unfortunately with the Deere you can't open the door with the snow plow on and raised up at all, so you are stuck AND stuck in the cab. Only way I have found to get out is to raise the blower to the limit of your hydro hoses and try to use it as a counterweight to rock yourself out, if you fail to pay mind to the tension on the hydro hoses they will tear and you are really dead in the water. Gets very difficult when you have slid up against the gate or fence. I only saw one board knocked off the top of your fence in the video so you didn't do too bad! Key I have found is not to leave more than a couple inches of snow, or the tires will break traction. Running a blower on the front is great, but you can't use it to push yourself out without chancing damage to the blower. I have been using the 82 HLA snow bucket on the skid.. Keeping it in float mode and the front tipped up just enough not to pick up gravel. It clears enough snow that your wheels won't break traction behind it. Drawback with the snow bucket is it will leave higher ridges on the sides so you get more drifting next snowfall, where the blower doesn't. Thanks again for the video!
Gravel driveways here. If we got a lot of snow several times per winter, I would want a front mount blower on my 1025R. Since we only get a rare storm that dumps on us like that, then I have a front mounted blower on my nearly antique 1978 simplicity 12HP lawn tractor that gets pressed into service as little as possible. :) Less invested in that dedicated tractor than even the cheapest rear blade and it just plain works. If you have a lot of snow like that, you have to get it completely off the driveway (with a blower). IMHO, if you want to push huge piles of snow, then you need a lot more mass to move it with. 1025/bucket works just fine for my needs with a more typical 4" snowfall.
Great video, I love how you show the real struggles to every job you do! That way everybody knows things don't always work out the way they are supposed too!
You need to look into carrying a 3pt V-blade. I made my own because an angle blade just forces the tractor to veer sideways. A V-blade keeps the tractor running true, while running at a higher speed, it really throws the snow. Speed is necessary for a lighter tractor to break through those snow drifts. Great video, love the fact you try anything and everything. A V-blade also works great in reverse as a v shaped box blade. Thanks again for sharing your "so called failures" whenever you learned something it's not a failure. Keep em coming!
They exist, but not for small tractors that I can find. Plus, the bigger ones I have found are incredibly expensive, no one would buy them. Random interesting note along the lines of snow equipment. A customer wanted me to quote him a hydraulic loader mounted blower that runs off of a hydraulic 3 point/PTO driven power pack. $28,000! Lol, some items are available, but I just won't bother advertising them. Outrageous.
I agree, I made mine from a "too light-duty" 6' scraper blade that got bent, very easy to make, cut in half, splayed out to 5'. Can be converted back in less than 5 minutes. I just bought a heavy landscape blade though, when a flat blade is needed. A light duty V-blade is very handy to have. It looks like the companies that make your implements are high quality, maybe run the idea by them, can't hurt. Good luck and stay safe.
After 40 years of snow removal, this is what I currently believe is the way to go depending on what you are clearing. Long road or driveway, say 500’ or longer - Snow plow with power angle. If you get many really deep snows, say 2’ or more, then consider a V-plow. Short driveway - Plow works well here also, but if you get lots of deep snows or heavy drifting, a blower can be more effective, but much more expensive to buy and maintain. Small parking lot - Snow pusher works well here for 6” of snow or less. For deeper snow, I will take a plow or blower. Large parking lot - Plow is my first choice, but a pusher can be nice for final clean-up. Blower is generally not effective as it can’t blow to the perimeter of a large lot and you end up blowing the same now twice. Personally, I consider pushers, unless you are talking a huge pusher on a large CAT front-end loader, to be basically clean-up tools or for 6” snowfalls or less. Anything more than 6”, and I will take a plow all day long. You can push straight ahead with a plow, but also move snow to either side. Just don’t have that versatility with a pusher. Now, if you have a 40,000 lb CAT front-end loader with a pusher that is 4’ tall and 12’ wide, well that is a different story. 😂
What about a 800' lane with fences on both sides? I'd say blower to clear it over the sides or pusher to send it to the end of the lane. Otherwise, you'll just build up banks and quickly run out of space to plow it.
@@GoodWorksTractors Yes, a blower is best for that if you get a lot of snow. If you get less snow with some melting times in between, as is now typical here in northern PA, then a plow works fine as long as you plow fast to move the snow through the fence and not make high windrows to pack and freeze. The biggest mistake I see people make plowing is running too slow. I realize compact tractors are limited in speed, about 9 MPH for the 1025R if greentractortalk is correct. Funny, I could not find speeds listed on the Deere web site which is a major fail. However, if you can go 9 MPH and the surface isn’t full of frozen rocks, then plow as fast as you can go. I see way too many people plowing at 2-3 MPH and that almost turns an angled plow into a snow pusher. The difference between plowing at 5 MPH with my pickup and plowing at 20 MPH is absolute night and day.
One of the reasons I watch your channel is BECAUSE you show failures, what works, versus what doesn't. Its all HONEST information and it definitely helps people see what different attachments can and can not do. Thank you so much for sharing this video.....even with the limitations of what y0ou tried, it was still a fun video to watch.
I have a sturdy Homestead hydraulic plow on my 1025r with a backhoe in back with my rear R4s bumped out 1.5 in with wheel spacers and I was able to plow 500 foot gravel drive with similar amount of snow as on this video. It took some time but plowing the snow off to one side then backing up a few feet then plowing it off the other side worked for me.
I only live on a 1/4 acre here in Northern Cal. I'm getting to old to clean the berm from in front of the driveway. Sometimes it can be 5' tall by 8' at the bottom when the county plow comes through clearing the road. Takes hours to clear with my snowblower. R4 tires seem to work quite well for me. Doesn't matter what tires or chains you have even big CAT loaders w/chains have problems on ice. I bought a Branson 2515H, Rim Guard in the rear, 400 lbs. worth. All combined with loader, it weighs in at just over 4400lbs. It's amazing what 25 little horses can do. Keep up the great videos.
My experience with New England snow storms taught me this: - Snow removal with the FEL bucket is a lost cause. Have no experience with a snow pusher and really feel it's not worth the expense for my situation. - Snow removal with a rear blade driving forward is also lost cause UNLESS the snow is a loose powder that the blade will easily kick off to the side. If it's more of a sticky wet snow, forget it - it'll all build up in front of the blade until it reaches the undercarriage of the tractor - then you're screwed. The best use of a rear blade is in reverse - IF your neck muscles can handle the position your head needs to be in. - I've found that with my truck or with my BX-2380 the front blade works best for early season snow as long as the skids are set so the blade edge barely skims the high spot in any ruts. - Once the the gravel drive has frozen solid the front-mount 55" blower is best for 3-4"+ snow falls. I set the skids so that I'm leaving an inch or so of snow and I'll clean that up after with the blade. - As far as chains go, I've learned that they are a PITA to install on the tractor. It's often easier to remove the wheels, install the chains, and remount the wheels. Which is okay for the BX but I wouldn't want to attempt that on my L2850. For most snow falls the chains aren't necessary UNLESS it's a substantial amount of sticky, heavy, wet snow. - Just sharing my experience for the benefit of others.
East coast Canadian here. I have the HLA1500 on the front and a rear facing snow blower on the back. If I can't push it, it's gonna need to be blown out of the way, and the front facing snow blower won't work on a sub compact (you couldn't drive over the snow if you tried, even with chains on it). We regularly get 12" + come down with two foot drifts at parts.. no way you could get a sub compact over the snow to blow it with a front facing blower. Interesting to see the blade / rake though. Would be good for small snowfalls I suppose if that's all you had. Thanks for testing these types of things out.
I don’t think anything would have worked on the 1025r in that lane. The muddy frozen ruts you couldn’t see where a huge factor. The tractor fell into those ruts and couldn’t do anything. Not steer and it had much more resistance trying to move in general.
@@GoodWorksTractors true but with a snowblower there is no real pushing like a plow since the blower just throws it away without much actually "pushing". I have r4 tires but I got diamond pattern rear chains which I find puts more chain to the ground since they can't fall between the tire lugs. Anyways thanks for the video
@@GoodWorksTractors I was curious about a front mounted snowblower as well but if your getting stuck in ruts not sure that would have worked out anyway. I do agree overall from a personal preference that I would use a front mount but they are extremely expensive. Love the videos man! I live in Cadillac and will be looking for a used 1025r in the spring so I will be reaching out! Happy New Year
I like that you try different attachments and give honest feedback to your followers. I will say while watching this video I just kept thinking about that big warm orange cab tractor sitting there waiting to clear the snow.
Ground clearance matters when clearing snow. The 1025R has less than 8 inches. I don't have a lot of nice things to say about my dad's Ford Jubilee, mostly because it took an hour of maintenance for even ten it worked, but it was a great snow clearer with a rear blade. 13 inches of GC and AG tires meant it never got stuck
Thank you for experimenting! I have a front blower on my BX and a rear blower on my MX in S.W. Ontario 🇨🇦. Snowblowers are my primary snow remover and im getting a snow pusher for the MX. My BX can blow 3-4 ft drifts but it is hard on the machine. I like what Outdoors with the Morgan's said, "snow pushers are for parking lot types, front plows are for laneways."
Lanes with fences on both sides doesn't really seem like a good long term solution for a plow...front or back. You'll just pinch yourself in. Need to throw it over the side or push it down the to the end.
I used to use an old Ford farm tractor to clear subdivision streets when I worked as a laborer. I always used a blade that was spun around and pushed it with the tractor in reverse. The tires were on plowed road that way. With a two wheel drive machine it worked well. Of course, it sucked working backwards. I still use a straight blade on my 3043D on my gravel roads but I pull it forward. The road is well packed and it does a good job.
I have a 1025R. My attachments are my belly mower, forks and a loader bucket. I use my loader as a plow. If I get too much where I can’t push anymore, I just lift it up and dump it somewhere. You have a huge lane that would take forever doing it that way but it is an option. If I were you, I would’ve used the blower but raised it up so that it wouldn’t have torn into the gravel and dirt to have gotten rid of it. You could then always go back over what you left with tue other attachments.
I used to live in Billings, Montana. We got some pretty healthy snow storms over the years. I used to plow out my pasture so that I could get around in my pickup without getting stuck.. I had an old Ford 8N which at first didn't have a bucket on it just a blade on the same order as the one you are using. Got stuck quite often but learned how to get out of it. Worst part of having a blade on the back was sometimes the snow would compact and get pushed under the tractor to the front of the nose. God was that fun. Well I finally got smarter and added a hydraulic bucket to it and that made it a tractor. If I would get stuck all I had to do was push the bucket down on its lip and roll myself out of the deeper snow. My wife convinced me that a better way to not get stuck in snow was to move to the south and that's what we did. Haven't been stuck in snow for going on 8 years now. Been real nice...
One issue in deeper snow with your "pulling a reversed rear blade" methodology is that you do not get any "rolling" of the snow along the blade as it delivers it sideways. If you look at a genuine snow plow blade, they are much taller, and have significantly more curve in the blade's body. This gives them a much more efficient way to move snow.
Late thought here, wasn't sure why you were commenting on being cold on this experiment, then I remembered, when you cleared snow in the past in the old neighborhood, you were in a cab, not open station. I am open station exclusively here in Northern NM and found the best solution to being warm during the 3 or so hours of plowing was insulated coveralls - Carhart's or Walls are my choice. Warm Sorrel's and a hooded sweatshirt or at least a scarf around the neck to keep the blowing stuff out of collar area works well - keep warm and chive on Cortney!
the lane looks made for the snow blower...ride over the top and blow the snow away....that was your best solution you showed this week and you could back down the lane if you had to
I have a 1 series with a snow pusher and its not the setup for a long run like that. No matter the size of machine, you can only push so much so far. For that stretch you need a front mounted plow. Or a bigger blade with a better angle and back your way thru it so the tires stay planted and the frame is out of the snow. You can always use the MX!
Thanks for experimenting and trying. That’s how you learn. Thanks for being honest and passing the good and bad results. We learn so much from you. Especially us who are new to this. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the video! These tests are great examples to others who are trying to find the best solution for snow removal. From my experience, long driveways can be troublesome for snow pushers as the snow just keeps piling up in front of the pusher, creating more and more resistance. I installed UHMW on my bucket in combination with a snow pusher to clear off my concrete driveway/parking area. This has been my 2nd year using this setup, and it's been great. I couldn't agree with you more on your thoughts regarding snow pushers. The simplicity of it is great! No maintenance, no moving parts, and reliable. Hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Good video. Glad you demoed these implements to show. My lane is half blacktop half gravel. In snow under 5 inches I don't even bother doing the gravel but I had problems with a blade in 3 foot of snow. I have a garden tractor (gx345) with 260 pounds on the back. It took me over 7 hours total to clean up. I need to upgrade to a bigger machine of course but sometimes a 2 stage blower is much less effort and even on stone I've floated the blower above the gravel just to get the worst of it off so that I could drive a car over it and not get hung up. I keep looking at a bx2380 and 1025r or John Deere x700 series for 2 acres. I need something bigger than my gx345 or 318 that I currently use in case we get the big snow. Even if you don't use it often a snowblower on you're tractor is just good insurance.👍
Best thing for gravel driveways is to not plow right away. Try to pack in a few inches and get a solid base before plowing. This does not work though if you get dumped on first thing. Then you have to go out and dig up the gravel. It sucks. I know. Constant battle and you’re right the freeze thaw cycle seems to be nonstop!!! Just can’t be winter.
My experience with a 1023e, 54" blower, rear wheel weights and chains, box blade on the back. Big storms, deep accumulation, the blower is the queen of battle. The box blade compliments the blower really well by being better at brute force in scraping, pulling accumulation and pushing plow berms back into and up where it needs to go. If you have a subcompact on a aggregate surface, and your nemesis is a plow truck or grader, you need a box blade. I had my local welding shop cut one of the box blade edges into a sawtooth, does a phenomenal job ripping up hardpack and roughing up slippery ice on the driveway and hill on the approach. I can flip the sawtooth edge around in a couple minutes with a battery impact tool when needed and it still fixes my road in the spring. Chains and rear axle weight make the tractor "the little engine that could" in low gear while running the blower. Those ruts were ugly but other than that, I'm confident JD's smallest tractor "properly equipped", would have handled that pasture road in two passes. But a bigger tractor is always nice too.
Unfortunately the visual image of the deep muddy ruts didn’t stick in people’s mind. The 1025r was buried to the axles in frozen mud ruts. I couldn’t steer, could barely get out. A front blower would have only helped the machine get stuck.
Happy New Year, Courtney. I live in Canada, so I've grown up with snow. The long, fence-lined driveway is your first challenge. When moving snow, it needs to go somewhere. A snow-blower would be the right tool. When you push snow, you are clearing a path to improve the traction for your wheels. If you try to pull snow with a rear-mount blade, your wheels are driving on packed snow, reducing traction. Plus, if the snow is deep or drifted, you can bury the tractor, as you learned. My lane is about 80 yards long. I clear the snow with the bucket on my 2025R. I can't push snow more than 20 yards, so I dump the snow in piles, which I start building about 10 yards from the side of the lane. As winter progresses, the snow piles grow too high to dump more snow onto, so the piles gradually grow toward the laneway. Thanks for the great videos you and Chris create. He does a good job of recording all of your adventures.
I appreciate your honesty. Thanks . Front snowblower in deep snow seems to beat everything. Snowpusher on a short distance or if h ave have big equipment is great. Yes you lose the loader function with the front blower but you don't need as much traction because you don't drive over a foot of snow. I we have over a foot of snow I use Mt little Cub Cadet with the 42 inch snowblower. My 1025r with the 60 hydraulic snow blade is fun but kind of a pain if I have a lot of driveways to do. The JD bucket almost the same as a pusher. Have to dump it all the time. All fun just the same!
I live in Valdez, Alaska, where we average about 300 to 350 inches of snow a year. I have a small farm; I clear snow from a large driveway; I clear out to the barn and around the chicken coops. I also have to keep the snow cleared from alongside a greenhouse and a high tunnel. I have a John Deere 3320; the best setup for me is a PTO-driven three-point snow blower and a loader bucket up front. I also have a large snow push to dress up the driveway. The snow blower is critical to get the snow up and off the side because the small tractors don't have enough weight to push much snow. Using a bucket to shuttle is fine for tight areas but is much too cumbersome for larger areas. Plus, you quickly run out of room to stack the snow. Watching you struggle with that drive was painful; it would have been so easy for that little tractor with a snow blower. I use the PTO mount on the three-point because it is nearly 10 times cheaper than a front mount hydraulic. Also, the rear mount snow blower where you drive forward only works in snow your tractor can drive through. I regularly clear snow that is several feet deeper than the top of the blower. Also, here we run the blower a few inches high at the start of the season, and then once we get a nice frozen base, we can drop the blower right down and get a nice smooth surface.
We plowed driveways for years around here (eastern Canada) with a scraper behind a 135 massey Ferguson. Pushed most of it in reverse, but in light snows we faced the blade forwards and you could windrow it easily, but a full size tractor has a lot more ground clearance than a 1025. Try playing with your top link length to get a better result. It really helps with the digging effect and can really help get the snow rolling better
If you are going to use a rear blade (which I do), turning backwards to prevent it from digging in also reduces the efficiency of it windrowing the snow. The snow will just build up on the blade and you have to use a steeper angle on the blade to get it to roll off. As you mentioned on the end, skid shoes will work better with the blade forward. Snow lube on the blade helps but doesn’t last forever. Speed helps. As someone else said, the snow has to go somewhere. If you need to clear right up to the fence on the sides I also think a blower will work better.
Hi Courtney, The back blade or even the rake should only be used for pulling the snow when you only have a couple of inches to deal with due to the buildup it causes behind the tractor. Normally you would use them to clear by pushing backwards which is a pain as you know. As far as your gravel, I would say to set the shoes on your snowblower or pusher so that your scraping edges are about an inch or more above the surface. This will leave your gravel intact and let the surface freeze so you can drop the cutting edges back down to clear the surface from then on. Also, if you don't want to leave the inch or more you left after your first clearing, then go back over it with your back blade or rake canted to the right (or left) and if they don't have shoes or wheels you can control them with your rear hydraulics and leave your gravel pretty much intact. It's a little more work but I think you'll be more satisfied with the finished product.
When using your rake in the snow it’s very important to have it leveled out. When you use the rake to fix your driveway you want a very small tilt. I have found the rake handy to break up crust but not so much plowing snow. My box blade on the other hand is an animal for snow removal..
I live in MN. I have a 1/4 mile end drive. I bought a used 2022 JD 1025r with a heated cab, loader and 47" snow blower. I am really hoping the 47" is not too small. Anxious to see how it works for me. I still will be keeping my blade for my 2021 RAM 1500. That worked great as well but I am anxious to use blower to blow the snow away further.
I live in central Maine and we get sometimes over a foot in a storm and sometimes quite wet snow, and the combo that hasn't let me down is my 55 HP 5500+ pound tractor and rear snowblower. I chuck some gravel before the ground freezes but the setup is pretty foolproof for me.
I have a front mount snowblower on my 1025, works like a charm, although wet snow is difficult. Run the chains on the front tires, helps your steering.
100% agree with you on R4s. They last along time is about the only plus. I had the short R4s on my 3046R last year and they are now Galaxy Garden Pro XTDs which are a massive improvement, but still no substitute for clearance. This winter is reminding me why I’m putting the Nokian’s on the 4520 as soon as they arrive…an extra 1.5-2” in clearance over those crappy R4s too. Clearance, weight, and displacement are still generally king.
I have had a JD 955 for 20 years I have turf tires for mowing 7 acres all summer. I live in the lake effect mountains of Pa. I put 5/16 cross chains on with the heavy steel plow that came with it I put a 25 gal grease drum full of concrete on the 3 pt. I do the drive ways and also plow a path up to my woods and back to the house it's about 1/2 a mi. for a walking path and it works great.
Experimentation and adaptation are the keys to solving problems.. Look at all that was learned and look how you shared that learning with others. That is worth the time to watch. Oh some are going to come along and make you feel bad that you tried to use the tools you had to do a job when they "knew" you would struggle. One has to asked, how is it other "know" of the struggles? Could it be that they struggled once upon a time before they became the experts they claim to be? For me, I am still learning how to use a compact tractor to do lots of chores. I have more hours in the seat than I did 3 years ago when I started but I still consider myself a noob. I too experiment because I cannot go running out to buy a different tool or supply to accomplish every job. Sometimes, we have to adapt the tools we have to the problem at hand. That takes experimentation, adaptability, trial and error. We learn as we go. Keep up the good videos. They are appreciated.
Versa tires made a huge difference on my 2320 with 48” front blower, loaded rears and full ballast box. Stone driveway that we pack first snow makes front steering traction troublesome in the past w r4 fronts. This year w versa fronts made a huge improvement so far! Thanks for advise. Located in Old Forge, NY so we get snow!
Added chains to my R4 tires and it worked great. Just need those chains in the winter. If you get the non-tooth type, they don't seem to dig up the asphalt or concrete. I am not sure why you had issues on your garage floor, unless the concrete wasn't a high enough strength, or it was topped with something to smooth it out.
Courtney I’ve moved snow with a 4020 JD a 4030 JD a 4835 GEHL skid loader a 2020 JD with loader and back blade, and now a Kubota B 2650 with front mounted snow blower and back blade and it works the best no chains, it has a cab and I overlooked my M farmall and our D 7 cat I feel your pain and frustration. Have a great new year
Not so much a failure of the 1025, but the wrong implements for this particular situation. My 1025 with a loader and rear facing blower works just fine in deep snow. I know I have to turn around and drive backwards but it works. For smaller snowfalls I use my GX345 with a forward facing front mount blower. I know you don't like rear facing blowers, but no implement works for all situations. Its always fun in the snow. Love your videos. Keep it up. Showing what doesn't work is just as helpful as what does work.
Thanks Paul. The failure was really that I could hardly move in that lane with the 1025r. Nearly got stuck multiple times. Frozen deep muddy ruts, not enough ground clearance. Simply more than the 1025r could handle.
Winter is over in SW Michigan, lol, high of 59 degrees forecast for this coming Tuesday. My 1025R and loaded turf tires with no chains has excellent traction with front 2 stage snow blower on my 900 foot gravel driveway.
Seems like the long lane with fences on the side was the primary issue. You needed to occasionally move snow off to the side and you were fenced in. I don't have a pusher on my 1025r, but I do use my bucket to move snow off to the side when it gets too deep. The blower ultimately did the same thing for you.
With my many yrs of plowing snow with anything you can think of, in those condition, nothing will beat weight or a snowblower. I have found a backblade backwards riders up om the snow. Good video on different strategies. Much snow makes chains a must just so you can get unstruck.
I live in the Rocks District, needless to say one of the reason I bought the Yanmar SA424 because it has huge tires and awesome ground clearance, 1199 pound lifting capacity and best warranty in the industry. I bought European tire chains for my front tires because there is so little weight on them and almost impossible to make it turn on a snowy bank. Happy New Year everyone!
had a couple storms so far this winter on a gravel driveway. I have learned that having all three FEL attachments, bucket, plow and snow pusher all have their different uses and benefits depending on the depth of snow. I'm sure if i had the muddy ruts you have I'd have more issues. only thing I wish I had is maybe a snow blower.
I got over 16" of heavy snow few weeks ago my KIOTI cs2520 did great. I have a steep driveway as long or longer than yours. I have a plow on the front and rear blade on the back. As I said in a comment in another video snow pusher was junk to me like you see in the video in deep long snow your up the creek. A pusher needs a place to dump snow on a long narrow driveway. Great video
You could push the snow down this lane, but in reality you could not plow it to the side all winter long. There’s fences on both sides, nowhere for it to go
@@GoodWorksTractors I have fence on both sides also I remove every 5th rail section during the winter so I have a place to push snow if needed. When I had large animals I used 3 electric wires as a gate not electric but they always stayed clear.
This video 💯 described the single incapability of the 1025 with its size. That size tractor ONLY wants implements that get the snow out of its way. Even limited to box blade size. Front blade/blower, rear blower is all they will move in for big snow
Great video...In Northern Ontario we get a lot of snow at times and like most in North America we are seeing larger weather swings. My 1025r using the front snow pusher is fine for short lengths. The rear box blade also is great in cleaning up. Your application with long drives with fencing on both sides and the depth of snow would be suited for a blower. Like you indicated there is to much snow for the clearance of the 1025r. Its not the tractor but the circumstances it was applied to. With your beautiful property I would be investing in a 3 series cab version with a front or back reverse snow blower. Love your videos and the effort you put into making the informative sessions so we can all learn. In your case having such a large property is indicative on using the right tool for your situation. Andre..Viewing from Sudbury Ontario Canada 🇨🇦 Keep does videos coming.
Nice video. This is a great video on so many levels to understand the limitations of a sub-compact. It’s also good to see what a bucket and grader “can and can’t” handle. My opinion is the secret with snow is to blow it. Otherwise, it’s like trying to move around sand. It doesn’t have anywhere to go except in front or behind you- getting bigger and bigger with every inch of travel. I understand the dilemma with uneven grade on your driveway. I think if you could get the height correct, a blower would have powered through anything Mother Nature dumped on your drive. It was great to see the capability of a bucket or grader option. Thanks. I loved the video.
I just got my first tractor a 1025R. Partly due to your videos. I considered several snow tools but the front blower was always the strongest contender. I got the 47" front blower with a Heavy Hitch rear blade. I've always used snowblowers. I'd consider a pusher or blade for short driveways with someplace to push the snow. For your situation a front blower would have allowed a 1025r to do it. You need that snow removed and shot out and away. I have concrete and gravel. I float the blower on concrete but on gravel i adjust the height manually. It's not so hard. I bet 10 bucks my 1025 setup woulda done that drive without issue just slower than a bigger tractor, using manual blower height adjustment. I'm in Sun Prairie WI. Love this channel.
Gravel driveway wasn't my concern. Frozen mud rut lane was definitely my concern. No gravel there, just muddy soup that froze. No ground clearance. Buried to the axles, so tires could hardly get traction. Used my loader a couple different times to nudge me out. A front mount blower only raises a few inches and likely would have required another machine to dig it out. 3 point blower on the heavier, bigger traction worked incredibly well. Shown at the end of the video.
@Good Works Tractors Sounds like a situation for sure. The 1025R is so much more machine than I have ever owned in my life. A splurge. I've always done things the cheap and hard way. Now in my mid 50s I'm starting to change on some fronts after watching channels like yours.
Same storm in the Dakotas, I had 18" of snow, more in some places, my 1025R rocked with just a bucket and tiller on the back for ballast. I pushed snow and piled it up with zero problems! Great video, thanks!!!
@@GoodWorksTractors those I didn't have! I like watching your videos to see what attachments I may need down the road and general tractor stuff. I also used my old Farmall H with farmhand loader which worked really well but the 1025 is so easy and fun to use. Thanks again for all your content!!!
2025R ( better ground clearance) front mounted snow blower and heated cab is the way to go and still stay small. For 12 years I had a Boomer 25 New Holland which is very similar to the R2025 with front snow blower and that is the way to go. Throws snow away from edges of driveway and I have never gotten stuck. Only went to the 2 025 R to get heated cab and easier implement change over.
I have a 3039r with a cab. I have turf tires on it, and I don’t have any ballast ( don’t hate on me). I use just the bucket and a rear blade and in the last storm we had 8”-12” of snow and I had zero issues. My driveway is easy, but my neighbors drive is long and blows in. Just been my experience and I guess I’m lucky. I live in Minnesota about an hour north of St. Paul.
I did the backwards blade trick on my driveway and it seemed to work fairly well. Once the gravel froze, I flipped it around and used it the normal way. I also had the most angle set to unload the blade faster, and set my top link as short as it could go to reduce the "scooping" angle of the blade as much as possible to keep from digging into the gravel.
I'm in MN and I think after seeing this, im going to stick with my front mount blower. I may get a rear blade for "fine" work so I can shovel less. Im still running "old school" a 420 with a cab. MAN that cab is worth every penny! Now to figure out heat with an air cooled motor and 15amp charging system (low amps takes out electric type heaters)
great video. that snow looked a little deep for the little JD. i have a 1026R i use here in southern Maryland but we dont normally get the snow you do. I love it and it does pretty much everything i need it to do. In snow i've tried the landscape rake, a rear blade and a box blade. I normally just use the bucket with edge tamers on it. push it as far as i can then pick up a bucket or two and dump it. i have a gravel drive too. appreciate you showing the struggles of snow removal. It was 66 here yesterday and will be 55 and rainy today after last weeks 2 above. Gotta love mother nature.
Yeah I wouldn’t normally wait for it all to come down and this just highlights the reason why. If you can stay on top of it, then it’ll handle it fine.
With the two huge storms we just had in NY a pusher box was pretty useless after a while. The loader bucket to break down drifts and piles let me then PTO blow the snow and get it away from my gravel drive. Pushers are fine for smaller amounts of snow, but eventually they too can get overwhelmed on long run drives unless your tractor is pretty large and you have relief areas to deposit the snow. I run a BX2670 with Edge Tamers and 48” blower unloaded R4 tires (yep they suck).
Thanks for all the effort. Good lessons learned. Rake not much good for snow. Too much gravel, too little snow. Pusher really good but only for solid surfaces. I think the backwards blade has potential but would have worked better with more angle. Would have moved snow off to the side better instead of turning into an anchor. I still think blowers are the magic ticket. Especially for smaller tractors. Other methods require more from the tractor itself, including better combinations of speed, clearance, weight, and power. Speed can overcome some other shortcomings, including traction, but can’t be used everywhere. And while all methods require a place for the snow to end up, blowers have extra reach and can clear some obstacles. I know your dislike of front-mounted blowers displacing the loader during snow season but they work SO well. And unlike most people you have more than one tractor, which nullifies this issue.
As a former Wisconsin resident of 15 years and a 1025R owner I couldn’t fathom taking on a storm like that. I remember as a kid having to go out every few hours to snowblow or shovel the driveway to keep up with some of the snow dumps we got. I worked at an airport and we had to do some minor snow removal and we had a 20 series John Deere that was barely sufficient.
The best set up I have seen and used for gravel is a thick rubber bar on a regular snow blade. The rubber just rolls the gravel and is a lot better on concrete and black top. You could probably put a rubber scraper bar on a snow pusher too instead of the metal one. You need an inch or more thickness on the rubber scraper blade.
Hi Courtney! I run a regualr aluminum snow plow on my 1025r and coming straight out of the garage or barn with it has worked _really_ well. I wonder if those pushers are just too darn efficient and don't let enough snow out of the sides. Before you know it it's just way too much weight for a small tractor. I stay in my plowed areas when I back up, then take another run. Never been stuck or overwhelmed yet with the regular snow plow blade and backing into your plowed-area method. When I get on the gravel I like to leave about a 1/4" of powder so I don't dig up the gravel. With that long lane of yours I could see it being more of a problem though - the 1025r likes you to dump the snow off to the side every 30 yards or so when it's that deep. Tougher to do on a really long lane. Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!
A front mount snowblower with the rear blade for cleanup would have worked perfectly. I've been using this combo for 20 years with a x585 and now a 2038. Works flawlessly in the UP of Michigan. Try it you'll love it.
Got the fence I see. This is the reason I went to a plow out in front of me. Fast & furious, skid height sets the depth. The important step is to prep the gravel drive long before it starts snowing to fill holes, and flatten it. BTW: Strap a 2 x 10 in front of the rake teeth to make it a drag plow. As you say, gauge wheels benefit a gravel year 'round. Use a chain for a top link so it can self level. Otherwise the tractor pitching produces a roller coaster for a roadway.
@@GoodWorksTractors If it has gravel there already, rototil it when the driveway surface is soft. Works really well. Go slowly. I back the tiller thru the 'stone'. Otherwise it just jumps over the surface. Any mud that comes up will wash away after the first rain. Tends to be a bit noisy, but saves the day. Then comb it with your rake at high angle in each direction and a straight pass right down the center. Leave some speed bumps in it because visitors tend to race up the driveway & you have a nice, friendly dog.
Definitely recommend a front mount blower. I live up in the Keweenaw and have a 1023e with a 54 inch front mount blower and had no problems clearing our drive and a large dog run that is a mix of gravel and grass. We got 36 inches with this same blizzard. On gravel just lower the shoes on the blower and clear like that until the gravel freezes. I clear about 75 x 200 feet and it takes about 30 minutes with a large snowfall
Turn the rear blade back around on the 1025 and then shorten the top link a long ways so the top of the moldboard is really leaning forward (by at least a few inches compared to the bottom edge when viewed from straight above it). It'll still move snow out to the side when angled fairly well, but won't dig into a gravel surface unless the ground is dead soft. The chains mainly pay off bigger when there's ice on a paved surface or even on dirt that has a layer of ice on it under the snow. If I owned a machine that size I would remove al the snow in two layers- about half on the first pass and then a second pass to clean it all up.
The tractor wouldn't move even if both attachments were in the air. The 1025r was not the right tool for that job. As I stated in the video, I saved up all the snowfall on purpose. I would normally just go out every 3-5 inches and clear the snow and wouldn't be a big deal.
The rear blade trick definitely works better for finishing up after plowing. It smooths your tire tracks and ruts and packs the last bit of snow down into the gravel to freeze up.
As always great video. I think the number one thing you did wrong when trying out the rear blade was trying to pull through the snow rather than push it. The other disadvantage was trying to use the blade backwards which only gives you one angle position. Most makes are like this but I've seen some that give you as many options angling in reverse as forwards which means getting the snow out of the way quicker. However the one item you didn't try yet have in your arsenal is the snowplow that mounts on the loader. In my opinion that's the best option for plowing the drive. If the snow gets too deep a rear facing snow blower would be your best option considering you have fences on both sides limiting your ability to push the snow out of your way.
Watching you get stuck with the 1025 makes me happy I didn't get a snow pushers for my b2601 because I like to push my snow down in the ditch then push myself back out with the bucket. And yes I use diff lock and aggressive tire chains.
Each implement has its purpose. You should look into trying a VPlow in the front and do your plowing with that first if you have a small tractor. The Vplow will allow you to make a clear path down the middle of the road and keeps even pressure on the drive line. When using a bucket or a straight blade you always get pushed to one side. This causes you to get stuck. once the first pass is made you can just angle the plow to one side and keep pushing back. Cleaning the parking area you can inverter the V and use it as a scoop. Good video and content.
I have been unable to locate a V-plow that will fit my lx2610. They claim these smaller machines won’t have the power to handle anything over 6 inches, especially with the wet north-east type snow we receive.
@@lordchaa1598 Keep searching I am sure you will find one. When plowing slow and steady will always get the job done. Watch someone who has been plowing for years. They go slow and move a lot of snow. Then you get the Yahoo drivers who go fast and the snow is rolling off both ends of the plow and they need to keep coming back to clean up what is flying all over the place. As for how much snow you can plow its all about the setup and the weight. Sure a small tractor cannot move a lot of snow with a plow or bucket because the snow is to heavy. The other option is to look into using a wider plow blade as it will push the snow further away and not let snow build up under the tires allowing for better traction. I use VPlows and can say from 40 years of experience I don't think you can beat them. I am also in the northeast and plow a lot of private access roads in the mountain and go out after storms are over.
@@stevebonczyk3795 , thank you for all the useful tips. This is the first year I’m in charge of keeping the farm lanes clear. So I’m going to have a bunch of practice by the end of winter. We have a bunch of equipment on the farm, but I like using the tractor I actually own, rather then pieces of equipment driven by way to many people with no knowledge of how they ride and upkeep them. I’ve been on the wrong end of major repairs due to others negligence and I could only afford the small LX. Just doing my best to keep the family farm operational after losing my grandparents and 2 aunts and uncles this past year. To say it’s overwhelming, would be the understatement of the year.
Actually for doing a gravel drive I liked the rock disturbance, it would definitely help traction! Those R4 must have ballast in them and that would help then use the chains on that setup and you'd be good 2 go! Thanks for showing the rest of us that because we won't have to suffer through you did it for us!! THANKS!!
The snow appeared to be deep and heavy; which isn't easy to push or to blade with a small tractor. The only way for the 1025 to work that I've found in that situation is to put your bucket on and scoop the snow up and dump it out of the way one bucket-full at a time. Pushing or blading will bury you, as you found out.
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The 1025R didn't fail you Courtney. You were using the wrong implements for the job. A rear or front snowblower would have handled that much snow. I have a rear mount Frontier SB1154 snowblower on my 1025R and it does well in the deep snow we get here in northern Vermont.
my FEL plow worked fine for moving snow after a 14" snow dump. rear ballast was helpfull.
Don’t quite understand with all the tractors at his disposal, why choose a boy to do a mans job.
@@winkdinkerson7190 the 1025 can handle that amount of snow with no issue. i've been doing it with the same machine for the last 2 winters with up to 14" of snow at a time.
@@stevencross8937 understood. That wasn’t the question I posed. When you have a stable of tractors that possess more power, weight, ground clearance, and traction - with bigger implements - why choose to use the smallest tool in your carpenters bag?
Experimenting is always good. It’s good for people to know that you may not want to go with the smallest tractor if you’re fighting lots of snow every winter.
Courtney remember this. You may be struggling with what you thought would work, and it doesn’t go quite as well as you expected. But, your struggle helps so many people. You show all the issues, uncut videos. And because of that everyone else can try something different. Your efforts and your channel is a tremendous asset for so many folks! Never get discouraged! In the end you are a blessing to someone else!
Courtney,
I am a retired farmer and have experienced BIG SNOW a time or two. When you take subcompack or compack tractor you are giving up ground clearance and weight!!! I know the last blizzard I spent six or seven hours in the cab of my tractor to open up the farm! And when that was done I still had to feed cattle, hogs and chickens. Then I got too feed myself.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB OF FRUSTRATION!!! :-()
MOTHER NATURE WILL HAVE HER WAY!!!!!!!!!!!
Hehe yeah got to show folks the reality of those limitations today! Thanks for watching!
Last year (2022) we took one snow fall with 48 inches and another with 82 inches in Buffalo, New York's snow belt.
Did your "BIG SNOW" beat that?
Some times you learn more when things go wrong, than when they go right. This time you have shown what does not work. A true learning experience.
I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying - Michael Jordan
Exactly and learn from others is this video's great poiint!!
If you want to use a back blade on gravel get a 4 inch pipe the same length as the blade, cut a slit the width of the blade and cutting edge, the length of the blade. Slide it onto the blade above the cutting edge bolts. Use a couple tie down straps from the ends of the pipe to the Lock pin holes to keep the pipe from sliding off the blade. Works great on gravel and grass. Use steel pipe, PVC ware's out sooner.
Thanks for your patience and doing this , as it was clear that the snow blower would of been a better choice all along but you did took the time to froze on the tractor to show how these implement cans somewhat get the job done . I got the front snowblower and back blade (reversed) and that is the perfect combination for my need :-)
I like to have fun, thanks!
Hey being a person that's not faced their first snow with their newer tractor being able to push snow. I really appreciate you videoing this even if it wasn't a total success. Because I get to witness someone that knows their tractor and has the equipment get out there and allows me to watch. you don't know how much I appreciate that. Thank you!
A plow or bucket on the front and a rear facing blower on the back has always worked well on a tractor. I use the back blade to scrape snow off the driveway that has been driven over and is packed down. One of the reasons I purchased a 2025R over the 1025R was for the ground clearance.
I am in southern mi I have a 2305 jd forerunner to 1025 it has never failed me I use the bucket and I have made a 6ft rear blade mount on my fork bracket turned around with plow shoes put on due to using on dirt angled blade over box
This is why my family ( they live in Canada) use a traditional snow blower. Had you have a snow blower and went in reverse you would’ve been successful with the 1025r or any sub compact for that matter. That’s why the majority of snow removal companies use that set up over there. You can tackle 4 or 5 feet of snow easily. 😊. Nothing is ever perfect. But I enjoy the struggle….. as always you videos are great, because they are real….
I live in the Okanogan and that is what I have here. Snow plow for light snow, rear facing snow thrower for deep snow and drifts. Snow berms are so high already that I now have to plow both sides to the center and blow it away with the blower. With the snow moved away from the edges like that, I can drive backward with the mirrors, much easier on my lower back that way. I'm 72 and my body doesn't like to twist around that much.
Great video showing what not to do. I guarantee some of your newer viewers learned something here. You might think of these as failures, but actually, you`ve helped others out by seeing what works and what doesn`t. As for myself, i`m in my 60`s, i`ve tried everything there is to try out there, blowers, buckets, pushers, blades, you name it, i`ve probably done it. I live in snow country, so i`ve had many a decades trying all kinds of things and methods, tools and equipment. It ain`t never easy. I`ve gone back to a front bucket, and a 6ft rear blade every time after trying all kinds of stuff. I never empty the bucket either. I just use it like a snow pusher to push the snow until i can`t no longer move it forward, then i back up, turn to the side of the driveway, dump the bucket, then move in for the next run down the driveway. So far, this method has worked the best, for me. Everything has its limitations. My bucket & rear blade, loaded tires, wastes the least amount of time out there, again, for me. No chains either. I have run chains many times thru the years, i simply just found them to be more of a pain in thee ass than it was worth. Blizzard`s or not, we gitter done. Some days faster than others. Its winter, and its unpredictable. Choose the winter weapons carefully, lol. Most of all, dress properly for the cold, and BE safe!
Loved watching this 😂😂😂 I’m 60 now and only live 45 miles nw of you, today you lost a battle with snow next week you kick butt, the R4 tires are a good idea but just not for everything like regular tractor tires are for mowing lawns 😂 it’s the outdoor r experience you had that was fun😅. The big kabota in the back of the shop would have probably worked better and left you with more of a mess in the spring, frost in the ground is our friend around here , keep the good work
Snow pushers are not meant for long drives on these little machines, you need a plow setup where you can roll it off the side of the drive.
Your comment is spot on. I had a 1025R with a frame mounted angling plow with turf tires, never once got stuck. I purchased the tire chains but never used them. It was quick, nimble and very effective. The drawback was the blade didn't lift that high, so if I needed to stack or relocate snow I had to put the bucket back on and use it. Not being a loader mounted plow it was not quick attach and it took a few minutes to make the change over. I live in New England and we get a good amount of snow.
I too have a gravel drive and I have found that when it comes to snow, there just isn’t much that you can do to keep from picking up the gravel. As good as I do, I will always find a small pile sitting in the grass after the snow melts. Honestly, my loader bucket and a grader blade, turned the right way, or a plow on my UTV, do the best. Just keeping the blade of the bucket just off of the gravel so as to not dig in. But NO perfect means! It just is what it is when plowing a gravel drive. LOL! Or moving way south! LOL!
My 1025R just handled a 10” dump here in Alberta yesterday. Used a combo of the 5’ plow and the bucket. That 1025R just never seems to disappoint, but you have to have the right tires. It’s critical
I’m a 74yo first time tractor owner. Live in west MI, lots of snow. Did a fair amount of research before dropping the bucks. Duplicated Gordon Potters (GP Outdoors) rig, minus chains, and never looked back! Oh…I do it in shirt sleeves!
I know this situation very well, I've got a 1962 3010 with a loader w/ rear wheel drive, a 2320 with a small front blower, and the Deere 320g skid steer. The only one capable of moving snow we've seen is the Skid steer, running the Ag tires (too small to ballast) with clearance less than half of a tractor.
Its been a real bear to clear the drive, I've gotten stuck 2x already this year with it sliding off the road surface into the hard pack on the side and high centering (the ditch is angled up). Unfortunately with the Deere you can't open the door with the snow plow on and raised up at all, so you are stuck AND stuck in the cab. Only way I have found to get out is to raise the blower to the limit of your hydro hoses and try to use it as a counterweight to rock yourself out, if you fail to pay mind to the tension on the hydro hoses they will tear and you are really dead in the water. Gets very difficult when you have slid up against the gate or fence. I only saw one board knocked off the top of your fence in the video so you didn't do too bad!
Key I have found is not to leave more than a couple inches of snow, or the tires will break traction. Running a blower on the front is great, but you can't use it to push yourself out without chancing damage to the blower. I have been using the 82 HLA snow bucket on the skid.. Keeping it in float mode and the front tipped up just enough not to pick up gravel. It clears enough snow that your wheels won't break traction behind it. Drawback with the snow bucket is it will leave higher ridges on the sides so you get more drifting next snowfall, where the blower doesn't.
Thanks again for the video!
Gravel driveways here. If we got a lot of snow several times per winter, I would want a front mount blower on my 1025R. Since we only get a rare storm that dumps on us like that, then I have a front mounted blower on my nearly antique 1978 simplicity 12HP lawn tractor that gets pressed into service as little as possible. :) Less invested in that dedicated tractor than even the cheapest rear blade and it just plain works. If you have a lot of snow like that, you have to get it completely off the driveway (with a blower). IMHO, if you want to push huge piles of snow, then you need a lot more mass to move it with. 1025/bucket works just fine for my needs with a more typical 4" snowfall.
Great video, I love how you show the real struggles to every job you do! That way everybody knows things don't always work out the way they are supposed too!
ditto
You need to look into carrying a 3pt V-blade. I made my own because an angle blade just forces the tractor to veer sideways. A V-blade keeps the tractor running true, while running at a higher speed, it really throws the snow. Speed is necessary for a lighter tractor to break through those snow drifts. Great video, love the fact you try anything and everything. A V-blade also works great in reverse as a v shaped box blade. Thanks again for sharing your "so called failures" whenever you learned something it's not a failure. Keep em coming!
They exist, but not for small tractors that I can find. Plus, the bigger ones I have found are incredibly expensive, no one would buy them. Random interesting note along the lines of snow equipment. A customer wanted me to quote him a hydraulic loader mounted blower that runs off of a hydraulic 3 point/PTO driven power pack. $28,000! Lol, some items are available, but I just won't bother advertising them. Outrageous.
I agree, I made mine from a "too light-duty" 6' scraper blade that got bent, very easy to make, cut in half, splayed out to 5'. Can be converted back in less than 5 minutes. I just bought a heavy landscape blade though, when a flat blade is needed. A light duty V-blade is very handy to have. It looks like the companies that make your implements are high quality, maybe run the idea by them, can't hurt. Good luck and stay safe.
After 40 years of snow removal, this is what I currently believe is the way to go depending on what you are clearing.
Long road or driveway, say 500’ or longer - Snow plow with power angle. If you get many really deep snows, say 2’ or more, then consider a V-plow.
Short driveway - Plow works well here also, but if you get lots of deep snows or heavy drifting, a blower can be more effective, but much more expensive to buy and maintain.
Small parking lot - Snow pusher works well here for 6” of snow or less. For deeper snow, I will take a plow or blower.
Large parking lot - Plow is my first choice, but a pusher can be nice for final clean-up. Blower is generally not effective as it can’t blow to the perimeter of a large lot and you end up blowing the same now twice.
Personally, I consider pushers, unless you are talking a huge pusher on a large CAT front-end loader, to be basically clean-up tools or for 6” snowfalls or less. Anything more than 6”, and I will take a plow all day long. You can push straight ahead with a plow, but also move snow to either side. Just don’t have that versatility with a pusher. Now, if you have a 40,000 lb CAT front-end loader with a pusher that is 4’ tall and 12’ wide, well that is a different story. 😂
What about a 800' lane with fences on both sides? I'd say blower to clear it over the sides or pusher to send it to the end of the lane. Otherwise, you'll just build up banks and quickly run out of space to plow it.
@@GoodWorksTractors Yes, a blower is best for that if you get a lot of snow. If you get less snow with some melting times in between, as is now typical here in northern PA, then a plow works fine as long as you plow fast to move the snow through the fence and not make high windrows to pack and freeze. The biggest mistake I see people make plowing is running too slow. I realize compact tractors are limited in speed, about 9 MPH for the 1025R if greentractortalk is correct. Funny, I could not find speeds listed on the Deere web site which is a major fail. However, if you can go 9 MPH and the surface isn’t full of frozen rocks, then plow as fast as you can go. I see way too many people plowing at 2-3 MPH and that almost turns an angled plow into a snow pusher. The difference between plowing at 5 MPH with my pickup and plowing at 20 MPH is absolute night and day.
@@LTVoyager Exactly. Get the snow rolling off the plow. That is why the plow is also curved.
One of the reasons I watch your channel is BECAUSE you show failures, what works, versus what doesn't. Its all HONEST information and it definitely helps people see what different attachments can and can not do. Thank you so much for sharing this video.....even with the limitations of what y0ou tried, it was still a fun video to watch.
The snow pusher is fine up to a certain amount of snow and then a plow has to take over in my experience!
That is my experience as well, I like a power angled plow best, but I suppose a blower would work well too.
I have a sturdy Homestead hydraulic plow on my 1025r with a backhoe in back with my rear R4s bumped out 1.5 in with wheel spacers and I was able to plow 500 foot gravel drive with similar amount of snow as on this video. It took some time but plowing the snow off to one side then backing up a few feet then plowing it off the other side worked for me.
I only live on a 1/4 acre here in Northern Cal. I'm getting to old to clean the berm from in front of the driveway. Sometimes it can be 5' tall by 8' at the bottom when the county plow comes through clearing the road. Takes hours to clear with my snowblower. R4 tires seem to work quite well for me. Doesn't matter what tires or chains you have even big CAT loaders w/chains have problems on ice. I bought a Branson 2515H, Rim Guard in the rear, 400 lbs. worth. All combined with loader, it weighs in at just over 4400lbs. It's amazing what 25 little horses can do. Keep up the great videos.
My experience with New England snow storms taught me this:
- Snow removal with the FEL bucket is a lost cause. Have no experience with a snow pusher and really feel it's not worth the expense for my situation.
- Snow removal with a rear blade driving forward is also lost cause UNLESS the snow is a loose powder that the blade will easily kick off to the side. If it's more of a sticky wet snow, forget it - it'll all build up in front of the blade until it reaches the undercarriage of the tractor - then you're screwed. The best use of a rear blade is in reverse - IF your neck muscles can handle the position your head needs to be in.
- I've found that with my truck or with my BX-2380 the front blade works best for early season snow as long as the skids are set so the blade edge barely skims the high spot in any ruts.
- Once the the gravel drive has frozen solid the front-mount 55" blower is best for 3-4"+ snow falls. I set the skids so that I'm leaving an inch or so of snow and I'll clean that up after with the blade.
- As far as chains go, I've learned that they are a PITA to install on the tractor. It's often easier to remove the wheels, install the chains, and remount the wheels. Which is okay for the BX but I wouldn't want to attempt that on my L2850. For most snow falls the chains aren't necessary UNLESS it's a substantial amount of sticky, heavy, wet snow.
- Just sharing my experience for the benefit of others.
East coast Canadian here. I have the HLA1500 on the front and a rear facing snow blower on the back. If I can't push it, it's gonna need to be blown out of the way, and the front facing snow blower won't work on a sub compact (you couldn't drive over the snow if you tried, even with chains on it). We regularly get 12" + come down with two foot drifts at parts.. no way you could get a sub compact over the snow to blow it with a front facing blower.
Interesting to see the blade / rake though. Would be good for small snowfalls I suppose if that's all you had. Thanks for testing these types of things out.
Thanks Adam, I do love that setup!
Front mount snow blower I have found to be the best solution over all the other options by far.
I don’t think anything would have worked on the 1025r in that lane. The muddy frozen ruts you couldn’t see where a huge factor. The tractor fell into those ruts and couldn’t do anything. Not steer and it had much more resistance trying to move in general.
@@GoodWorksTractors true but with a snowblower there is no real pushing like a plow since the blower just throws it away without much actually "pushing". I have r4 tires but I got diamond pattern rear chains which I find puts more chain to the ground since they can't fall between the tire lugs. Anyways thanks for the video
@@GoodWorksTractors I was curious about a front mounted snowblower as well but if your getting stuck in ruts not sure that would have worked out anyway. I do agree overall from a personal preference that I would use a front mount but they are extremely expensive. Love the videos man! I live in Cadillac and will be looking for a used 1025r in the spring so I will be reaching out! Happy New Year
I like that you try different attachments and give honest feedback to your followers. I will say while watching this video I just kept thinking about that big warm orange cab tractor sitting there waiting to clear the snow.
Ground clearance matters when clearing snow. The 1025R has less than 8 inches. I don't have a lot of nice things to say about my dad's Ford Jubilee, mostly because it took an hour of maintenance for even ten it worked, but it was a great snow clearer with a rear blade. 13 inches of GC and AG tires meant it never got stuck
I agree Noah, lack of ground clearance was a huge factor.
Thank you for experimenting! I have a front blower on my BX and a rear blower on my MX in S.W. Ontario 🇨🇦. Snowblowers are my primary snow remover and im getting a snow pusher for the MX. My BX can blow 3-4 ft drifts but it is hard on the machine.
I like what Outdoors with the Morgan's said, "snow pushers are for parking lot types, front plows are for laneways."
Lanes with fences on both sides doesn't really seem like a good long term solution for a plow...front or back. You'll just pinch yourself in. Need to throw it over the side or push it down the to the end.
I used to use an old Ford farm tractor to clear subdivision streets when I worked as a laborer. I always used a blade that was spun around and pushed it with the tractor in reverse. The tires were on plowed road that way. With a two wheel drive machine it worked well. Of course, it sucked working backwards. I still use a straight blade on my 3043D on my gravel roads but I pull it forward. The road is well packed and it does a good job.
I have a 1025R. My attachments are my belly mower, forks and a loader bucket. I use my loader as a plow. If I get too much where I can’t push anymore, I just lift it up and dump it somewhere. You have a huge lane that would take forever doing it that way but it is an option. If I were you, I would’ve used the blower but raised it up so that it wouldn’t have torn into the gravel and dirt to have gotten rid of it. You could then always go back over what you left with tue other attachments.
I used to live in Billings, Montana. We got some pretty healthy snow storms over the years. I used to plow out my pasture so that I could get around in my pickup without getting stuck.. I had an old Ford 8N which at first didn't have a bucket on it just a blade on the same order as the one you are using. Got stuck quite often but learned how to get out of it. Worst part of having a blade on the back was sometimes the snow would compact and get pushed under the tractor to the front of the nose. God was that fun. Well I finally got smarter and added a hydraulic bucket to it and that made it a tractor. If I would get stuck all I had to do was push the bucket down on its lip and roll myself out of the deeper snow.
My wife convinced me that a better way to not get stuck in snow was to move to the south and that's what we did. Haven't been stuck in snow for going on 8 years now.
Been real nice...
One issue in deeper snow with your "pulling a reversed rear blade" methodology is that you do not get any "rolling" of the snow along the blade as it delivers it sideways. If you look at a genuine snow plow blade, they are much taller, and have significantly more curve in the blade's body. This gives them a much more efficient way to move snow.
Late thought here, wasn't sure why you were commenting on being cold on this experiment, then I remembered, when you cleared snow in the past in the old neighborhood, you were in a cab, not open station. I am open station exclusively here in Northern NM and found the best solution to being warm during the 3 or so hours of plowing was insulated coveralls - Carhart's or Walls are my choice. Warm Sorrel's and a hooded sweatshirt or at least a scarf around the neck to keep the blowing stuff out of collar area works well - keep warm and chive on Cortney!
the lane looks made for the snow blower...ride over the top and blow the snow away....that was your best solution you showed this week and you could back down the lane if you had to
More than that though was weight, tread pattern, and ground clearance. That’s what I learned.
I have a 1 series with a snow pusher and its not the setup for a long run like that. No matter the size of machine, you can only push so much so far. For that stretch you need a front mounted plow. Or a bigger blade with a better angle and back your way thru it so the tires stay planted and the frame is out of the snow. You can always use the MX!
Yep, pushers are for parking lots. Plows are for roads.
That lane with the fence on both sides is a tough spot
@@GoodWorksTractors It would not be so tough with a plow.
I agree with the snowblower option. 400’ gravel driveway here in Maine. Love the channel. Born and raised in Saginaw Mi.
Thanks for experimenting and trying. That’s how you learn. Thanks for being honest and passing the good and bad results. We learn so much from you. Especially us who are new to this. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the video! These tests are great examples to others who are trying to find the best solution for snow removal. From my experience, long driveways can be troublesome for snow pushers as the snow just keeps piling up in front of the pusher, creating more and more resistance. I installed UHMW on my bucket in combination with a snow pusher to clear off my concrete driveway/parking area. This has been my 2nd year using this setup, and it's been great. I couldn't agree with you more on your thoughts regarding snow pushers. The simplicity of it is great! No maintenance, no moving parts, and reliable. Hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Good video. Glad you demoed these implements to show. My lane is half blacktop half gravel. In snow under 5 inches I don't even bother doing the gravel but I had problems with a blade in 3 foot of snow. I have a garden tractor (gx345) with 260 pounds on the back. It took me over 7 hours total to clean up. I need to upgrade to a bigger machine of course but sometimes a 2 stage blower is much less effort and even on stone I've floated the blower above the gravel just to get the worst of it off so that I could drive a car over it and not get hung up. I keep looking at a bx2380 and 1025r or John Deere x700 series for 2 acres. I need something bigger than my gx345 or 318 that I currently use in case we get the big snow. Even if you don't use it often a snowblower on you're tractor is just good insurance.👍
Best thing for gravel driveways is to not plow right away. Try to pack in a few inches and get a solid base before plowing. This does not work though if you get dumped on first thing. Then you have to go out and dig up the gravel. It sucks. I know. Constant battle and you’re right the freeze thaw cycle seems to be nonstop!!! Just can’t be winter.
My experience with a 1023e, 54" blower, rear wheel weights and chains, box blade on the back. Big storms, deep accumulation, the blower is the queen of battle. The box blade compliments the blower really well by being better at brute force in scraping, pulling accumulation and pushing plow berms back into and up where it needs to go. If you have a subcompact on a aggregate surface, and your nemesis is a plow truck or grader, you need a box blade. I had my local welding shop cut one of the box blade edges into a sawtooth, does a phenomenal job ripping up hardpack and roughing up slippery ice on the driveway and hill on the approach. I can flip the sawtooth edge around in a couple minutes with a battery impact tool when needed and it still fixes my road in the spring. Chains and rear axle weight make the tractor "the little engine that could" in low gear while running the blower. Those ruts were ugly but other than that, I'm confident JD's smallest tractor "properly equipped", would have handled that pasture road in two passes. But a bigger tractor is always nice too.
Unfortunately the visual image of the deep muddy ruts didn’t stick in people’s mind. The 1025r was buried to the axles in frozen mud ruts. I couldn’t steer, could barely get out. A front blower would have only helped the machine get stuck.
Happy New Year, Courtney.
I live in Canada, so I've grown up with snow.
The long, fence-lined driveway is your first challenge. When moving snow, it needs to go somewhere. A snow-blower would be the right tool.
When you push snow, you are clearing a path to improve the traction for your wheels.
If you try to pull snow with a rear-mount blade, your wheels are driving on packed snow, reducing traction. Plus, if the snow is deep or drifted, you can bury the tractor, as you learned.
My lane is about 80 yards long. I clear the snow with the bucket on my 2025R. I can't push snow more than 20 yards, so I dump the snow in piles, which I start building about 10 yards from the side of the lane. As winter progresses, the snow piles grow too high to dump more snow onto, so the piles gradually grow toward the laneway.
Thanks for the great videos you and Chris create. He does a good job of recording all of your adventures.
I appreciate your honesty. Thanks . Front snowblower in deep snow seems to beat everything. Snowpusher on a short distance or if h ave have big equipment is great. Yes you lose the loader function with the front blower but you don't need as much traction because you don't drive over a foot of snow. I we have over a foot of snow I use Mt little Cub Cadet with the 42 inch snowblower. My 1025r with the 60 hydraulic snow blade is fun but kind of a pain if I have a lot of driveways to do. The JD bucket almost the same as a pusher. Have to dump it all the time. All fun just the same!
As always Courtney, great video! It is important to show what doesn't work and why! Thanks!
Thank you Bob!
I live in Valdez, Alaska, where we average about 300 to 350 inches of snow a year. I have a small farm; I clear snow from a large driveway; I clear out to the barn and around the chicken coops. I also have to keep the snow cleared from alongside a greenhouse and a high tunnel. I have a John Deere 3320; the best setup for me is a PTO-driven three-point snow blower and a loader bucket up front. I also have a large snow push to dress up the driveway. The snow blower is critical to get the snow up and off the side because the small tractors don't have enough weight to push much snow. Using a bucket to shuttle is fine for tight areas but is much too cumbersome for larger areas. Plus, you quickly run out of room to stack the snow. Watching you struggle with that drive was painful; it would have been so easy for that little tractor with a snow blower. I use the PTO mount on the three-point because it is nearly 10 times cheaper than a front mount hydraulic. Also, the rear mount snow blower where you drive forward only works in snow your tractor can drive through. I regularly clear snow that is several feet deeper than the top of the blower. Also, here we run the blower a few inches high at the start of the season, and then once we get a nice frozen base, we can drop the blower right down and get a nice smooth surface.
We plowed driveways for years around here (eastern Canada) with a scraper behind a 135 massey Ferguson. Pushed most of it in reverse, but in light snows we faced the blade forwards and you could windrow it easily, but a full size tractor has a lot more ground clearance than a 1025. Try playing with your top link length to get a better result. It really helps with the digging effect and can really help get the snow rolling better
If you are going to use a rear blade (which I do), turning backwards to prevent it from digging in also reduces the efficiency of it windrowing the snow. The snow will just build up on the blade and you have to use a steeper angle on the blade to get it to roll off. As you mentioned on the end, skid shoes will work better with the blade forward. Snow lube on the blade helps but doesn’t last forever. Speed helps. As someone else said, the snow has to go somewhere. If you need to clear right up to the fence on the sides I also think a blower will work better.
Hi Courtney,
The back blade or even the rake should only be used for pulling the snow when you only have a couple of inches to deal with due to the buildup it causes behind the tractor. Normally you would use them to clear by pushing backwards which is a pain as you know. As far as your gravel, I would say to set the shoes on your snowblower or pusher so that your scraping edges are about an inch or more above the surface. This will leave your gravel intact and let the surface freeze so you can drop the cutting edges back down to clear the surface from then on. Also, if you don't want to leave the inch or more you left after your first clearing, then go back over it with your back blade or rake canted to the right (or left) and if they don't have shoes or wheels you can control them with your rear hydraulics and leave your gravel pretty much intact. It's a little more work but I think you'll be more satisfied with the finished product.
It pulled six inches of snow at the end of the video. Did really well with that!
When using your rake in the snow it’s very important to have it leveled out. When you use the rake to fix your driveway you want a very small tilt. I have found the rake handy to break up crust but not so much plowing snow. My box blade on the other hand is an animal for snow removal..
I live in MN. I have a 1/4 mile end drive. I bought a used 2022 JD 1025r with a heated cab, loader and 47" snow blower. I am really hoping the 47" is not too small. Anxious to see how it works for me. I still will be keeping my blade for my 2021 RAM 1500. That worked great as well but I am anxious to use blower to blow the snow away further.
I live in central Maine and we get sometimes over a foot in a storm and sometimes quite wet snow, and the combo that hasn't let me down is my 55 HP 5500+ pound tractor and rear snowblower. I chuck some gravel before the ground freezes but the setup is pretty foolproof for me.
I have a front mount snowblower on my 1025, works like a charm, although wet snow is difficult. Run the chains on the front tires, helps your steering.
100% agree with you on R4s. They last along time is about the only plus. I had the short R4s on my 3046R last year and they are now Galaxy Garden Pro XTDs which are a massive improvement, but still no substitute for clearance. This winter is reminding me why I’m putting the Nokian’s on the 4520 as soon as they arrive…an extra 1.5-2” in clearance over those crappy R4s too. Clearance, weight, and displacement are still generally king.
I have had a JD 955 for 20 years I have turf tires for mowing 7 acres all summer. I live in the lake effect mountains of Pa. I put 5/16 cross chains on with the heavy steel plow that came with it I put a 25 gal grease drum full of concrete on the 3 pt. I do the drive ways and also plow a path up to my woods and back to the house it's about 1/2 a mi. for a walking path and it works great.
Experimentation and adaptation are the keys to solving problems.. Look at all that was learned and look how you shared that learning with others. That is worth the time to watch. Oh some are going to come along and make you feel bad that you tried to use the tools you had to do a job when they "knew" you would struggle. One has to asked, how is it other "know" of the struggles? Could it be that they struggled once upon a time before they became the experts they claim to be?
For me, I am still learning how to use a compact tractor to do lots of chores. I have more hours in the seat than I did 3 years ago when I started but I still consider myself a noob. I too experiment because I cannot go running out to buy a different tool or supply to accomplish every job. Sometimes, we have to adapt the tools we have to the problem at hand. That takes experimentation, adaptability, trial and error. We learn as we go.
Keep up the good videos. They are appreciated.
Versa tires made a huge difference on my 2320 with 48” front blower, loaded rears and full ballast box. Stone driveway that we pack first snow makes front steering traction troublesome in the past w r4 fronts. This year w versa fronts made a huge improvement so far! Thanks for advise. Located in Old Forge, NY so we get snow!
Typically around the Great Lakes, the snow that falls is light and fluffy. However, the moisture content is a big factor when it comes to removal.
Added chains to my R4 tires and it worked great. Just need those chains in the winter. If you get the non-tooth type, they don't seem to dig up the asphalt or concrete. I am not sure why you had issues on your garage floor, unless the concrete wasn't a high enough strength, or it was topped with something to smooth it out.
Courtney I’ve moved snow with a 4020 JD a 4030 JD a 4835 GEHL skid loader a 2020 JD with loader and back blade, and now a Kubota B 2650 with front mounted snow blower and back blade and it works the best no chains, it has a cab and I overlooked my M farmall and our D 7 cat I feel your pain and frustration. Have a great new year
52” front mount blower. No chains. Weight in the ballast box. Will handle those conditions without fail. Turf tires get the best traction.
Not so much a failure of the 1025, but the wrong implements for this particular situation. My 1025 with a loader and rear facing blower works just fine in deep snow. I know I have to turn around and drive backwards but it works. For smaller snowfalls I use my GX345 with a forward facing front mount blower. I know you don't like rear facing blowers, but no implement works for all situations. Its always fun in the snow. Love your videos. Keep it up. Showing what doesn't work is just as helpful as what does work.
Thanks Paul. The failure was really that I could hardly move in that lane with the 1025r. Nearly got stuck multiple times. Frozen deep muddy ruts, not enough ground clearance. Simply more than the 1025r could handle.
Winter is over in SW Michigan, lol, high of 59 degrees forecast for this coming Tuesday. My 1025R and loaded turf tires with no chains has excellent traction with front 2 stage snow blower on my 900 foot gravel driveway.
Can't wait! Bring out the shorts! 🤣
Seems like the long lane with fences on the side was the primary issue. You needed to occasionally move snow off to the side and you were fenced in. I don't have a pusher on my 1025r, but I do use my bucket to move snow off to the side when it gets too deep. The blower ultimately did the same thing for you.
Yep - my 1025r wants to drop those huge piles off to the side about every 30 yards or so - then it's happy : )
With my many yrs of plowing snow with anything you can think of, in those condition, nothing will beat weight or a snowblower. I have found a backblade backwards riders up om the snow. Good video on different strategies. Much snow makes chains a must just so you can get unstruck.
this is where a front mount snowblower is KING. Slow and steady and blow the snow, and ground clearance doesnt matter
I have to say it again, siping your Ag tires has an amazing impact on traction. Thanks for that!
I live in the Rocks District, needless to say one of the reason I bought the Yanmar SA424 because it has huge tires and awesome ground clearance, 1199 pound lifting capacity and best warranty in the industry. I bought European tire chains for my front tires because there is so little weight on them and almost impossible to make it turn on a snowy bank. Happy New Year everyone!
had a couple storms so far this winter on a gravel driveway. I have learned that having all three FEL attachments, bucket, plow and snow pusher all have their different uses and benefits depending on the depth of snow. I'm sure if i had the muddy ruts you have I'd have more issues. only thing I wish I had is maybe a snow blower.
I got over 16" of heavy snow few weeks ago my KIOTI cs2520 did great. I have a steep driveway as long or longer than yours. I have a plow on the front and rear blade on the back. As I said in a comment in another video snow pusher was junk to me like you see in the video in deep long snow your up the creek. A pusher needs a place to dump snow on a long narrow driveway. Great video
You could push the snow down this lane, but in reality you could not plow it to the side all winter long. There’s fences on both sides, nowhere for it to go
@@GoodWorksTractors I have fence on both sides also I remove every 5th rail section during the winter so I have a place to push snow if needed. When I had large animals I used 3 electric wires as a gate not electric but they always stayed clear.
This video 💯 described the single incapability of the 1025 with its size. That size tractor ONLY wants implements that get the snow out of its way. Even limited to box blade size. Front blade/blower, rear blower is all they will move in for big snow
Great video...In Northern Ontario we get a lot of snow at times and like most in North America we are seeing larger weather swings. My 1025r using the front snow pusher is fine for short lengths. The rear box blade also is great in cleaning up. Your application with long drives with fencing on both sides and the depth of snow would be suited for a blower. Like you indicated there is to much snow for the clearance of the 1025r. Its not the tractor but the circumstances it was applied to. With your beautiful property I would be investing in a 3 series cab version with a front or back reverse snow blower. Love your videos and the effort you put into making the informative sessions so we can all learn. In your case having such a large property is indicative on using the right tool for your situation.
Andre..Viewing from Sudbury Ontario Canada 🇨🇦 Keep does videos coming.
Nice video. This is a great video on so many levels to understand the limitations of a sub-compact. It’s also good to see what a bucket and grader “can and can’t” handle. My opinion is the secret with snow is to blow it. Otherwise, it’s like trying to move around sand. It doesn’t have anywhere to go except in front or behind you- getting bigger and bigger with every inch of travel. I understand the dilemma with uneven grade on your driveway. I think if you could get the height correct, a blower would have powered through anything Mother Nature dumped on your drive. It was great to see the capability of a bucket or grader option. Thanks. I loved the video.
I just got my first tractor a 1025R. Partly due to your videos. I considered several snow tools but the front blower was always the strongest contender. I got the 47" front blower with a Heavy Hitch rear blade. I've always used snowblowers. I'd consider a pusher or blade for short driveways with someplace to push the snow. For your situation a front blower would have allowed a 1025r to do it. You need that snow removed and shot out and away. I have concrete and gravel. I float the blower on concrete but on gravel i adjust the height manually. It's not so hard. I bet 10 bucks my 1025 setup woulda done that drive without issue just slower than a bigger tractor, using manual blower height adjustment. I'm in Sun Prairie WI. Love this channel.
Gravel driveway wasn't my concern. Frozen mud rut lane was definitely my concern. No gravel there, just muddy soup that froze. No ground clearance. Buried to the axles, so tires could hardly get traction. Used my loader a couple different times to nudge me out. A front mount blower only raises a few inches and likely would have required another machine to dig it out. 3 point blower on the heavier, bigger traction worked incredibly well. Shown at the end of the video.
@Good Works Tractors Sounds like a situation for sure. The 1025R is so much more machine than I have ever owned in my life. A splurge. I've always done things the cheap and hard way. Now in my mid 50s I'm starting to change on some fronts after watching channels like yours.
Same storm in the Dakotas, I had 18" of snow, more in some places, my 1025R rocked with just a bucket and tiller on the back for ballast. I pushed snow and piled it up with zero problems! Great video, thanks!!!
It works fine when not dealing with frozen deep mud ruts
@@GoodWorksTractors those I didn't have! I like watching your videos to see what attachments I may need down the road and general tractor stuff. I also used my old Farmall H with farmhand loader which worked really well but the 1025 is so easy and fun to use. Thanks again for all your content!!!
2025R ( better ground clearance) front mounted snow blower and heated cab is the way to go and still stay small. For 12 years I had a Boomer 25 New Holland which is very similar to the R2025 with front snow blower and that is the way to go. Throws snow away from edges of driveway and I have never gotten stuck. Only went to the 2
025 R to get heated cab and easier implement change over.
I have a 3039r with a cab. I have turf tires on it, and I don’t have any ballast ( don’t hate on me). I use just the bucket and a rear blade and in the last storm we had 8”-12” of snow and I had zero issues. My driveway is easy, but my neighbors drive is long and blows in. Just been my experience and I guess I’m lucky. I live in Minnesota about an hour north of St. Paul.
I did the backwards blade trick on my driveway and it seemed to work fairly well. Once the gravel froze, I flipped it around and used it the normal way. I also had the most angle set to unload the blade faster, and set my top link as short as it could go to reduce the "scooping" angle of the blade as much as possible to keep from digging into the gravel.
I'm in MN and I think after seeing this, im going to stick with my front mount blower. I may get a rear blade for "fine" work so I can shovel less. Im still running "old school" a 420 with a cab. MAN that cab is worth every penny! Now to figure out heat with an air cooled motor and 15amp charging system (low amps takes out electric type heaters)
great video. that snow looked a little deep for the little JD. i have a 1026R i use here in southern Maryland but we dont normally get the snow you do. I love it and it does pretty much everything i need it to do. In snow i've tried the landscape rake, a rear blade and a box blade. I normally just use the bucket with edge tamers on it. push it as far as i can then pick up a bucket or two and dump it. i have a gravel drive too. appreciate you showing the struggles of snow removal. It was 66 here yesterday and will be 55 and rainy today after last weeks 2 above. Gotta love mother nature.
Yeah I wouldn’t normally wait for it all to come down and this just highlights the reason why. If you can stay on top of it, then it’ll handle it fine.
I think the insight was provided. If you have heavy snow you need heavy equipment or you need to plow multiple times.
Agreed, just stay on top of it if you can
With the two huge storms we just had in NY a pusher box was pretty useless after a while. The loader bucket to break down drifts and piles let me then PTO blow the snow and get it away from my gravel drive. Pushers are fine for smaller amounts of snow, but eventually they too can get overwhelmed on long run drives unless your tractor is pretty large and you have relief areas to deposit the snow. I run a BX2670 with Edge Tamers and 48” blower unloaded R4 tires (yep they suck).
Pusher and rear blower is my favorite combo.
Snowblower on 3pt hitch and bucket on loader is my setup on my 2305. No issues in 10" of snow.
What about frozen muddy ruts that bury you up to your axles? 😂
Thanks for all the effort. Good lessons learned. Rake not much good for snow. Too much gravel, too little snow. Pusher really good but only for solid surfaces. I think the backwards blade has potential but would have worked better with more angle. Would have moved snow off to the side better instead of turning into an anchor. I still think blowers are the magic ticket. Especially for smaller tractors. Other methods require more from the tractor itself, including better combinations of speed, clearance, weight, and power. Speed can overcome some other shortcomings, including traction, but can’t be used everywhere. And while all methods require a place for the snow to end up, blowers have extra reach and can clear some obstacles. I know your dislike of front-mounted blowers displacing the loader during snow season but they work SO well. And unlike most people you have more than one tractor, which nullifies this issue.
As a former Wisconsin resident of 15 years and a 1025R owner I couldn’t fathom taking on a storm like that. I remember as a kid having to go out every few hours to snowblow or shovel the driveway to keep up with some of the snow dumps we got. I worked at an airport and we had to do some minor snow removal and we had a 20 series John Deere that was barely sufficient.
The best set up I have seen and used for gravel is a thick rubber bar on a regular snow blade. The rubber just rolls the gravel and is a lot better on concrete and black top. You could probably put a rubber scraper bar on a snow pusher too instead of the metal one. You need an inch or more thickness on the rubber scraper blade.
Hi Courtney! I run a regualr aluminum snow plow on my 1025r and coming straight out of the garage or barn with it has worked _really_ well. I wonder if those pushers are just too darn efficient and don't let enough snow out of the sides. Before you know it it's just way too much weight for a small tractor. I stay in my plowed areas when I back up, then take another run. Never been stuck or overwhelmed yet with the regular snow plow blade and backing into your plowed-area method. When I get on the gravel I like to leave about a 1/4" of powder so I don't dig up the gravel. With that long lane of yours I could see it being more of a problem though - the 1025r likes you to dump the snow off to the side every 30 yards or so when it's that deep. Tougher to do on a really long lane. Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!
A front mount snowblower with the rear blade for cleanup would have worked perfectly. I've been using this combo for 20 years with a x585 and now a 2038. Works flawlessly in the UP of Michigan. Try it you'll love it.
Got the fence I see. This is the reason I went to a plow out in front of me. Fast & furious, skid height sets the depth. The important step is to prep the gravel drive long before it starts snowing to fill holes, and flatten it. BTW: Strap a 2 x 10 in front of the rake teeth to make it a drag plow. As you say, gauge wheels benefit a gravel year 'round. Use a chain for a top link so it can self level. Otherwise the tractor pitching produces a roller coaster for a roadway.
Agreed, mud drive is no bueno. That lane will be gravel in the spring.
@@GoodWorksTractors If it has gravel there already, rototil it when the driveway surface is soft. Works really well. Go slowly. I back the tiller thru the 'stone'. Otherwise it just jumps over the surface. Any mud that comes up will wash away after the first rain. Tends to be a bit noisy, but saves the day. Then comb it with your rake at high angle in each direction and a straight pass right down the center. Leave some speed bumps in it because visitors tend to race up the driveway & you have a nice, friendly dog.
Definitely recommend a front mount blower. I live up in the Keweenaw and have a 1023e with a 54 inch front mount blower and had no problems clearing our drive and a large dog run that is a mix of gravel and grass. We got 36 inches with this same blizzard. On gravel just lower the shoes on the blower and clear like that until the gravel freezes. I clear about 75 x 200 feet and it takes about 30 minutes with a large snowfall
Turn the rear blade back around on the 1025 and then shorten the top link a long ways so the top of the moldboard is really leaning forward (by at least a few inches compared to the bottom edge when viewed from straight above it). It'll still move snow out to the side when angled fairly well, but won't dig into a gravel surface unless the ground is dead soft. The chains mainly pay off bigger when there's ice on a paved surface or even on dirt that has a layer of ice on it under the snow. If I owned a machine that size I would remove al the snow in two layers- about half on the first pass and then a second pass to clean it all up.
The tractor wouldn't move even if both attachments were in the air. The 1025r was not the right tool for that job. As I stated in the video, I saved up all the snowfall on purpose. I would normally just go out every 3-5 inches and clear the snow and wouldn't be a big deal.
@@GoodWorksTractors I got it. I'm just making an observation on things regarding that particular machine.
The rear blade trick definitely works better for finishing up after plowing. It smooths your tire tracks and ruts and packs the last bit of snow down into the gravel to freeze up.
As always great video. I think the number one thing you did wrong when trying out the rear blade was trying to pull through the snow rather than push it. The other disadvantage was trying to use the blade backwards which only gives you one angle position. Most makes are like this but I've seen some that give you as many options angling in reverse as forwards which means getting the snow out of the way quicker. However the one item you didn't try yet have in your arsenal is the snowplow that mounts on the loader. In my opinion that's the best option for plowing the drive. If the snow gets too deep a rear facing snow blower would be your best option considering you have fences on both sides limiting your ability to push the snow out of your way.
Watching you get stuck with the 1025 makes me happy I didn't get a snow pushers for my b2601 because I like to push my snow down in the ditch then push myself back out with the bucket. And yes I use diff lock and aggressive tire chains.
Each implement has its purpose. You should look into trying a VPlow in the front and do your plowing with that first if you have a small tractor. The Vplow will allow you to make a clear path down the middle of the road and keeps even pressure on the drive line. When using a bucket or a straight blade you always get pushed to one side. This causes you to get stuck. once the first pass is made you can just angle the plow to one side and keep pushing back. Cleaning the parking area you can inverter the V and use it as a scoop. Good video and content.
I have been unable to locate a V-plow that will fit my lx2610. They claim these smaller machines won’t have the power to handle anything over 6 inches, especially with the wet north-east type snow we receive.
@@lordchaa1598 Keep searching I am sure you will find one. When plowing slow and steady will always get the job done. Watch someone who has been plowing for years. They go slow and move a lot of snow. Then you get the Yahoo drivers who go fast and the snow is rolling off both ends of the plow and they need to keep coming back to clean up what is flying all over the place. As for how much snow you can plow its all about the setup and the weight. Sure a small tractor cannot move a lot of snow with a plow or bucket because the snow is to heavy. The other option is to look into using a wider plow blade as it will push the snow further away and not let snow build up under the tires allowing for better traction. I use VPlows and can say from 40 years of experience I don't think you can beat them. I am also in the northeast and plow a lot of private access roads in the mountain and go out after storms are over.
@@stevebonczyk3795 , thank you for all the useful tips. This is the first year I’m in charge of keeping the farm lanes clear. So I’m going to have a bunch of practice by the end of winter. We have a bunch of equipment on the farm, but I like using the tractor I actually own, rather then pieces of equipment driven by way to many people with no knowledge of how they ride and upkeep them. I’ve been on the wrong end of major repairs due to others negligence and I could only afford the small LX. Just doing my best to keep the family farm operational after losing my grandparents and 2 aunts and uncles this past year. To say it’s overwhelming, would be the understatement of the year.
Actually for doing a gravel drive I liked the rock disturbance, it would definitely help traction! Those R4 must have ballast in them and that would help then use the chains on that setup and you'd be good 2 go! Thanks for showing the rest of us that because we won't have to suffer through you did it for us!!
THANKS!!
frame mounted front snow plow did well on my 1025r here in central MI. I put 560lbs on my heavy hitch and let her eat.
In that amount of snow, and with the long straight lane, I think the snowblower is your friend. Wish you had a front mounted version to sell.
The snow appeared to be deep and heavy; which isn't easy to push or to blade with a small tractor. The only way for the 1025 to work that I've found in that situation is to put your bucket on and scoop the snow up and dump it out of the way one bucket-full at a time. Pushing or blading will bury you, as you found out.
I use my landscape rake for snow, but, as you said, I use the wheels. Makes a big difference.