Minnesota snowplow guy here. Been plowing for 52 years. Have worked with trucks, tractors and big Bobcats. Once you spin the wheels, you've got ice beneath them and then any machine not fitted with chains is stuck or totally unpredictable where it might go. Our best "big rig" for deep snow is a 170 PTO HP 4 wheel assist tractor with heavy duty 8 ft blower on the back and a 9 ft power angle front blade. We do not run chains because of the road miles going from one job to the next. Chains are hard on tires, and the rear tires are now about $2500 each (radials). A radial puts more tread bars on the flat road surface and gives better pull. A tractor also has the option to lock both rear tires together (diff lock) or ability to use the wheel brake on one side or the other. We usually follow the blower tractor with a pickup w/ blade to do cleanup because a blower does not usually leave a clean road or driveway. Working the blower, I have taken out drifts maybe 16 ft deep (certainly not in a continuous pass). Disadvantage of a blower is you might get a big chunk of hard wood or a big rock into the impeller and it bends up the impeller, but the gear box is protected with shear pins and so is the auger. When the snow is deep and drifted, you just can't tell what is down deep in that drift, but we have probably seen it all, from totally buried cars to kids having built snow huts within the drift. When in doubt, I get out of the tractor and begin kicking into the deep snow and poking around with the handle end of a long shovel. Plowing is very hard on equipment and equipment operators, and is usually time critical so we have backup equipment to put into service whenever something goes down. P.S. You couldn't get me into that grader for snow removal. If that sucker gets sucked into a deep slope at the edge of the road, you are totally screwed. It is too big to pull out with anything else, and probably completely blocks the road to thru traffic. Plan on a big $$$$ towing bill, as not likely that a single semitruck size wrecker will be able to get enough traction to pull it out. Plan ahead.... every snow removal vehicle or piece of equipment is going to get stuck at some time. Best of Luck to You!
You need a bucket over the exhaust while the grader sits, that puff of snow at 4:40 made me laugh : ] Maybe you could get by with just two chains for the grader, one on each side ? A set on the pickup would eventually pay for themselves just by the gas saved from wheelspin. Always enjoy your videos Josh, hope your family is all good, Great days hoped for you all ! Spring is coming, snowdrops all up here now !
I put tire chains on my '86 4wd C10, that made a huge difference. I was warned about breaking the driveline, but I just took it easy. We had three Nor' Easters in two weeks in Northern Maine last year, it handled it well.
Persistence plus a healthy dose of patience pays off. And kudos to your camera person and/or vid producer for nice camera shots and clips. Send some of that snow south for me.
Why do you need to access the property? Is there any work going on there? I guess I could see getting bored and wanting to do something. I enjoy snow, but it is gone in a couple of days here. Overnight temps have been above freezing most days this January in central NC. We haven't seen a flake of snow yet.
I'm in the same situation. I have about 8km of bush road for my driveway in the winter. Truck can only push so far, speed helps but eventually the bank is twice as high as the plow. V Plow makes a huge difference as well. But it still gets to the point where I pay our local logging company nearby a couple hundred bucks to come through with a big grader with wings and a bull blade to push everything into the trees. I've had to do it twice this year already and its been pretty mild in northern Ontario winter wise. Chains/ballast are a must have on anything that pushes snow. It makes it easier on the equipment so you don't have to carry so much momentum to move snow. Once I no longer have the grader option though, its gotta be a big snow blower. Good luck with the rest of the season sir.
Wow Josh. Just watched Heath have the same problem. These vids have me 1000% convinced that I WILL have a snow blower for the FRONT of my tractor. I know its slower but I wont have to work 3x as hard to get that stuff up and over! 1 pass!!!
Agree on the snow equipment for the grader, also speed is your friend, you want to throw the snow off the road instead of push it off the end of the blade. 12-15 mph works about the best . As for chains there are a couple places on ebay that sell chains, cheapest I found. Especially if they cover the freight. Have fun.
When I was a young lad the highway department I worked for in my town had an all wheel drive Austin Western grader. That thing never got stuck. Don't get me wrong, I am a CAT guy but the grader we had was unstoppable.
The grader is the ticket for those high drifts on sides. Just keep plowed area around the grader with pickup. The operator, yourself, you know your equipment and limitations.
Can I ask you how many leaf springs do you have on the front end?I have a 97 f250 with just 2 leafs but I'd like to add a plow setup but don't want the nose to hit the ground when you lift the plow like some trucks do.yours looks pretty level when you lift the plow!nice video!
How long distance do you have to go between properties you plow? What works here for plowing locally is four wheel drive tractors with chains, a plow on the front or rear, and using a pull behind snow blower when there is big snowfalls and tall banks. Pull behind blowers where the tractor drives through the snow works great even at 20-25" of snow.
I'm all over the country, 10-15 miles of travel to get to different properties. I do love the idea of having a tractor as a all purpose snow remover. 👍
@@EssentialMountainHomesteading I have only seen tractor snowblowers that you have to back up with in the US. A common solution here: ua-cam.com/video/-n7wBTZKuNc/v-deo.html
Does your grader articulate? If so Mount a fixed dozer blade on the front of the grader angled to the right and leave it about 6” above the ground. When you plow the road articulate the grader to the right and drive into the snow bank. It will creat a shelf and heel your snow back creating a shelf and use your belly blade to sweep all the excess snow onto the shelf you just created.
Keep your blade rolled all the way back and carry more speed. It will roll the snow and throw it. Especially if you've already broke it up like that. I run blade 12 moths a year and get about 5 feet in my area north central idaho.
Does the Cat have a yoke over the mow board? If so it can be adjusted at the pin and slid up sideways. It's a feature built into a grader specifically for "benching" of snow windows
It would be great , but its VERY long to snowplow with a dozer and also the ownership cost is very high ( not just the purchase the cost of keeping it running ) When a dozer breaks it can break the bank. He would be much better with a tractor in opinion , bucket in the front , blower it the back , he'd get things done very efficiently and then use it around the property in summer.
I remember getting snow like that here in NY, always had a couple of 2-3 foot blizzards coming off the Atlantic. But now I see grass and it's looking like it will be the norm for are area.
Find chains and old wing at the junkyard. Grader makes the best plow. Cover your exhaust and clean grader off. If you can't find a wing make one. Plow with the storm Like eating an elephant, One bite at a time
Perhaps going forward, the long term solution is to plow the road with the grader as wide as you can with each snow fall. Granted using the truck is faster, but with the amount of snow you receive in winter, space to windrow the snow quickly runs out. Of course if money was no object a good size farm tractor with a 7' - 8' front mount snow blower would be best. It really throws the snow far off the road. Not the fastest method, but you only have to clear that snow once.
Not sure how much u use the grader in Summer but for those old girls, I would pick up a wing for the Grader and if u r not using the Grader to much u can leave it on all summer as this would cut your work load in half, save your truck, time and fuel plus a good set of chains would really pay off !
Id trade the grader for an old loader with an angle plow. Just a thought. Chains on both truck and grader is a must in 8 inches or better snow. Learned that from experience. Love plowing snow.
Spend some of your $$$$ and hire a good welder to build an additional steel blade for the top of the existing blade , as well as purchasing some chains for 2 of the grader drive wheels ! What's the holdup ?
Picture didn't work. I have a 60" blower on the front of my Kubota l2900. Works great! and will clear what you are moving. Blows the stuff 60 feet away. Yippee. Good luck and have a great live in the mountains.
I WATCHED A CREW IN TRUCKEE CALIF WORK MANY YEARS AGO. THE MOUNTED AN UPPER BLADE AT THE FRONT OF THE GRADER TO KNOCKDOWN THE BERM TO THE OUTSIDE AND THE MOLD BOARD ON THE GRADER DID THE REST. AND I HAD A TECHNICAL GLICH WITH MY PHONE AND ACCIDENTALLY DELETED ALL MY CONTACTS. TEXT YOURS WHEN YOU HAVE A MINUTE. THNX PW
Sell the truck and grader. By largest tractor you can with front mount snowblower. You will kill like 20 birds with one stone. Large tractor with blower = much better than old truck +old grader
Keep your eyes open for a good used highway plow truck. Huge, dumb, simple, and cheap. 4x4 transfer case: Must be cast iron like in 1979. Aluminum transfer cases cannot handle this.
Minnesota snowplow guy here. Been plowing for 52 years. Have worked with trucks, tractors and big Bobcats. Once you spin the wheels, you've got ice beneath them and then any machine not fitted with chains is stuck or totally unpredictable where it might go. Our best "big rig" for deep snow is a 170 PTO HP 4 wheel assist tractor with heavy duty 8 ft blower on the back and a 9 ft power angle front blade. We do not run chains because of the road miles going from one job to the next. Chains are hard on tires, and the rear tires are now about $2500 each (radials). A radial puts more tread bars on the flat road surface and gives better pull. A tractor also has the option to lock both rear tires together (diff lock) or ability to use the wheel brake on one side or the other. We usually follow the blower tractor with a pickup w/ blade to do cleanup because a blower does not usually leave a clean road or driveway. Working the blower, I have taken out drifts maybe 16 ft deep (certainly not in a continuous pass). Disadvantage of a blower is you might get a big chunk of hard wood or a big rock into the impeller and it bends up the impeller, but the gear box is protected with shear pins and so is the auger. When the snow is deep and drifted, you just can't tell what is down deep in that drift, but we have probably seen it all, from totally buried cars to kids having built snow huts within the drift. When in doubt, I get out of the tractor and begin kicking into the deep snow and poking around with the handle end of a long shovel. Plowing is very hard on equipment and equipment operators, and is usually time critical so we have backup equipment to put into service whenever something goes down.
P.S. You couldn't get me into that grader for snow removal. If that sucker gets sucked into a deep slope at the edge of the road, you are totally screwed. It is too big to pull out with anything else, and probably completely blocks the road to thru traffic. Plan on a big $$$$ towing bill, as not likely that a single semitruck size wrecker will be able to get enough traction to pull it out. Plan ahead.... every snow removal vehicle or piece of equipment is going to get stuck at some time.
Best of Luck to You!
You need a bucket over the exhaust while the grader sits, that puff of snow at 4:40 made me laugh : ] Maybe you could get by with just two chains for the grader, one on each side ? A set on the pickup would eventually pay for themselves just by the gas saved from wheelspin. Always enjoy your videos Josh, hope your family is all good, Great days hoped for you all ! Spring is coming, snowdrops all up here now !
This was a fun ride along snow plowing video. Stay safe out there, you don't want to get stuck in some isolated area. All the best!
Neat old Ford Bullnose plow truck 😎 Thanks for sharing this video .
I always love watching you work. I always learn so much. Stay safe. I cant wait till I get up there
Yes my favorite song “The Spirit Of Radio” by Rush! That’s awesome and I love the truck too. Definitely subscribing
You have excellent taste in music, I saw RUSH in concert 25 years ago and it was amazing. 2121 👍
Took Rush's "spirit of the radio" to start the old girl.....great intro!
Man that ford is one tuff truck
I put tire chains on my '86 4wd C10, that made a huge difference. I was warned about breaking the driveline, but I just took it easy. We had three Nor' Easters in two weeks in Northern Maine last year, it handled it well.
Persistence plus a healthy dose of patience pays off. And kudos to your camera person and/or vid producer for nice camera shots and clips. Send some of that snow south for me.
More power to ya..too much snow for a southern okie 🤓
Nothing beats a loader.
Where is this place? What state are you in. I just saw this. Thank You
Why do you need to access the property? Is there any work going on there? I guess I could see getting bored and wanting to do something.
I enjoy snow, but it is gone in a couple of days here. Overnight temps have been above freezing most days this January in central NC. We haven't seen a flake of snow yet.
We want to leave it open for people who are out looking for real estate, if its open maybe we can sell some lots.
Gives prospective buyers an idea of how reliable you are.
I'm in the same situation. I have about 8km of bush road for my driveway in the winter. Truck can only push so far, speed helps but eventually the bank is twice as high as the plow. V Plow makes a huge difference as well. But it still gets to the point where I pay our local logging company nearby a couple hundred bucks to come through with a big grader with wings and a bull blade to push everything into the trees. I've had to do it twice this year already and its been pretty mild in northern Ontario winter wise. Chains/ballast are a must have on anything that pushes snow. It makes it easier on the equipment so you don't have to carry so much momentum to move snow. Once I no longer have the grader option though, its gotta be a big snow blower. Good luck with the rest of the season sir.
This is some great information, thank you for sharing.
Wow Josh. Just watched Heath have the same problem. These vids have me 1000% convinced that I WILL have a snow blower for the FRONT of my tractor. I know its slower but I wont have to work 3x as hard to get that stuff up and over! 1 pass!!!
I would kill for a blower! The truth is you need one of every thing. 👍😎
Really good engine for cold weather 🚗💪
Wow you have sooo much more snow than we do in Upstate NY
Agree on the snow equipment for the grader, also speed is your friend, you want to throw the snow off the road instead of push it off the end of the blade. 12-15 mph works about the best . As for chains there are a couple places on ebay that sell chains, cheapest I found. Especially if they cover the freight. Have fun.
You definitely need chains for those back wheels on the grader.
I've been looking around at chains and they are not cheap but definitely a must this time of year.
Yeah I'm sure they are not cheap too considering the size of those wheels too & having to buy 4 chains for the 4 back wheels.
@@EssentialMountainHomesteading Got a welder? make your own and weld them up.
When I was a young lad the highway department I worked for in my town had an all wheel drive Austin Western grader. That thing never got stuck. Don't get me wrong, I am a CAT guy but the grader we had was unstoppable.
No he does not lyer
Shared to Facebook bull nose trucks
Thanks for sharing!
In the words of R.E.O. Speedwagon, "Keep pushin', keep pushin, keep pushin' onnnnnn . . ." :)
I feel like it's Groundhog Day.
Pretty cool that ole girl fires right up in the cold!
The grader is the ticket for those high drifts on sides. Just keep plowed area around the grader with pickup. The operator, yourself, you know your equipment and limitations.
Can I ask you how many leaf springs do you have on the front end?I have a 97 f250 with just 2 leafs but I'd like to add a plow setup but don't want the nose to hit the ground when you lift the plow like some trucks do.yours looks pretty level when you lift the plow!nice video!
How long distance do you have to go between properties you plow?
What works here for plowing locally is four wheel drive tractors with chains, a plow on the front or rear, and using a pull behind snow blower when there is big snowfalls and tall banks. Pull behind blowers where the tractor drives through the snow works great even at 20-25" of snow.
I'm all over the country, 10-15 miles of travel to get to different properties. I do love the idea of having a tractor as a all purpose snow remover. 👍
@@EssentialMountainHomesteading I have only seen tractor snowblowers that you have to back up with in the US. A common solution here: ua-cam.com/video/-n7wBTZKuNc/v-deo.html
Put Anything (600lbs-minimum) in the bed of the truck and it will be a tank, tires look good just needs more weight over axle
Does your grader articulate? If so Mount a fixed dozer blade on the front of the grader angled to the right and leave it about 6” above the ground.
When you plow the road articulate the grader to the right and drive into the snow bank. It will creat a shelf and heel your snow back creating a shelf and use your belly blade to sweep all the excess snow onto the shelf you just created.
That's a great idea, thanks
Keep your blade rolled all the way back and carry more speed. It will roll the snow and throw it. Especially if you've already broke it up like that. I run blade 12 moths a year and get about 5 feet in my area north central idaho.
Im waiting for the day you get a big ass snowblower on a tractor for that crazy deep snow.
i was thinking it would be better than a grader, but he probably uses the grader in the summer for his driveway maintenance.
You need chains and a V plow on the front of that grader, a side wing plow would be nice too. Minnesota experience here😁
Never give up! Never surrender!!
It's a never ending fight this time year
Does the Cat have a yoke over the mow board? If so it can be adjusted at the pin and slid up sideways. It's a feature built into a grader specifically for "benching" of snow windows
Glad to see you getting things done But I have a Question wouldn't a D 9 or a D10 Dozer be good for pushing snow ?
It would be great , but its VERY long to snowplow with a dozer and also the ownership cost is very high ( not just the purchase the cost of keeping it running ) When a dozer breaks it can break the bank. He would be much better with a tractor in opinion , bucket in the front , blower it the back , he'd get things done very efficiently and then use it around the property in summer.
I remember getting snow like that here in NY, always had a couple of 2-3 foot blizzards coming off the Atlantic. But now I see grass and it's looking like it will be the norm for are area.
I would be investing in a set of good tire chains for that grader.
I asked Santa 🎅 We will see what happens this year
music during the coldstart? come'on dude, very nice quality video though
Find chains and old wing at the junkyard. Grader makes the best plow. Cover your exhaust and clean grader off. If you can't find a wing make one. Plow with the storm Like eating an elephant, One bite at a time
Words of wisdom
Perhaps going forward, the long term solution is to plow the road with the grader as wide as you can with each snow fall. Granted using the truck is faster, but with the amount of snow you receive in winter, space to windrow the snow quickly runs out. Of course if money was no object a good size farm tractor with a 7' - 8' front mount snow blower would be best. It really throws the snow far off the road. Not the fastest method, but you only have to clear that snow once.
I don’t know 🤷♂️ what’s older the F-250 or the grader ? 😳
Definitely the grader, by about ten years😁👍
Great vid🎥👍
Not sure how much u use the grader in Summer but for those old girls, I would pick up a wing for the Grader and if u r not using the Grader to much u can leave it on all summer as this would cut your work load in half, save your truck, time and fuel plus a good set of chains would really pay off !
Id trade the grader for an old loader with an angle plow. Just a thought. Chains on both truck and grader is a must in 8 inches or better snow. Learned that from experience. Love plowing snow.
Or get a side wing for the grader. Helps a lot moving snow off the side.
Few passes with grader. Help out alot. Need a wing on grader.
Got a heater in that thing???🤣🤣🤣
I wish I got snow like that
Oh my gosh.. I cant believe that thing with all that weight and big tread wouldnt bite
That grader is just about useless with out chains
@@EssentialMountainHomesteading I am looking at 40hp+ tractors... I will have a front blower and come help you next winter!
Is this a repost vid? Good video tho.
Sorry we had some technical difficulty
You did this already man ? just post it @ 5 pm n everyone will see it ! when they r off work
The last one had some issues
@@EssentialMountainHomesteading Thats a lot of snow bro no dought ! but the vid was good man ?
Chains for truck and grader.
1:27 you didnt raise the plow until you started to back up if you raise the plow while going into the hill it should be easier to back up
Can't decide here if it's going to snow or rain .he'll of a mess it's in layers
Please give the name of the music information. I want to hear more of them.
The music was 1:00-1:45 minutes into the vid. The jazz tune
Let me second that request for the music info.
Slap a set of chains on that grader , those smooth tires aint doing nothing .
second is your snow plowing like a turtle , going too slow .
@@bogiewheelman71 theres no speed limit for plowing dude lol
Should have cleared the snow away from the air intake on the grader before you started it.
Yes, I got in a hurry and didn't check all the boxes
Tractor with front mounted snow blower.
Played this on Shazam app and came up as “Welcome to Hitsville” by Gabriel Lucas
Gave up with a truck plow . Bought a dozer,problem solved. You can crowd that nasty stuff way off road. Good luck.
Spend some of your $$$$ and hire a good welder to build an additional steel blade for the top of the existing blade , as well as purchasing some chains for 2 of the grader drive wheels ! What's the holdup ?
That's a great idea
Picture didn't work. I have a 60" blower on the front of my Kubota l2900. Works great! and will clear what you are moving. Blows the stuff 60 feet away. Yippee. Good luck and have a great live in the mountains.
Tractor and blower more efficient in deep snow like that
I think your right, I could definitely use a blower for this deep snow
bulldozer
we was getting dumped on in cda bad to then a few days off rain helped
I WATCHED A CREW IN TRUCKEE CALIF WORK MANY YEARS AGO. THE MOUNTED AN UPPER BLADE AT THE FRONT OF THE GRADER TO KNOCKDOWN THE BERM TO THE OUTSIDE AND THE MOLD BOARD ON THE GRADER DID THE REST. AND I HAD A TECHNICAL GLICH WITH MY PHONE AND ACCIDENTALLY DELETED ALL MY CONTACTS. TEXT YOURS WHEN YOU HAVE A MINUTE. THNX PW
Sell the truck and grader. By largest tractor you can with front mount snowblower. You will kill like 20 birds with one stone. Large tractor with blower = much better than old truck +old grader
Wyd with the music
Tree decorator in for a bulldozer
Your mistake the first plow, next time push the first plow back as far as you can.
Keep your eyes open for a good used highway plow truck. Huge, dumb, simple, and cheap.
4x4 transfer case: Must be cast iron like in 1979. Aluminum transfer cases cannot handle this.
A grader without a front plow is worthless.
I would agree with that if we are talking about snow
suggestion -- P1010005.JPG
I will get a horse to plow snow instead of all those machines
I would love to see that, let me know when your out plowing and I'll bring my camera.
Essential Mountain Homesteading
In a few years when I buy my land and a horse
Ps ya should clean off your intake .
37 lol
Could do with out music.
Greater trade it in junk
need chains,v plow n wing
A proper 4 wheel drive tractor with a snowblower... not this nonsense...