BX SnowPusher
- Thread starter Fatguyonalittletractor
- Start date
Too many variables to provide a simple answer, but I will say that a bucket is at the bottom of the list when it comes to moving snow. However, in order to use a snow pusher effectively you need to have enough traction which is related to the weight of the machine doing the pushing. Like I said, too many variables here, and snow removal is such a complex issue due to ground surface, layout, space, location, weight of snow, temperature and so on.
One thing for sure, no system works anywhere, any place, any time, any snow and under any conditions. It's all a compromise of one sort or another.
Gravel or asphalt driveway? I tried one a my gravel driveway with bad results. Scraped allot of my class II off. Sold it. One problem was the shoes were bottom mounted. If you get one, make sure the shoes are adjustable from the side. If on gravel, you will want very wide shoes.
I have a BX. I'm skeptical of it having the power and weight needed to move a lot of snow with a pusher.
About 15 years back we got a 40 incher. I didn't own my tractor at the time. I watched my neighbor with a 55 horse John Deere and my other neighbor with a 25 horse Massey get to work clearing our road.
The Massey did far better. He would push, then lift and dump. Mr. Deere tried just muscling with his big tractor.
Skill counts.
I have a gravel driveway, and found a pair of wide shoes that mount on the lip of the bucket have really helped. I don't try to scalp the gravel.
About 15 years back we got a 40 incher. I didn't own my tractor at the time. I watched my neighbor with a 55 horse John Deere and my other neighbor with a 25 horse Massey get to work clearing our road.
The Massey did far better. He would push, then lift and dump. Mr. Deere tried just muscling with his big tractor.
Skill counts.
I have a gravel driveway, and found a pair of wide shoes that mount on the lip of the bucket have really helped. I don't try to scalp the gravel.
I use a 6 foot back blade on my 3 point. I have it turned around, and adjust the pitch so it’s almost straight up and down. Been working good past 3 years. Leave my bucket on the FEL to scrape if needed.
With deep, wet snow that'll likely be hard on the transmission compared to other implements. My perspective is the tractor costs around 1/3 to 1/2 the total cost of the whole setup--the tractor is just the mobile power source for the tools to do the job, so pay for the right tool and use the tractor to drive it. As much as I could use an M-Series for the work I need to do, the implements, fuel, tires, etc. cost more than I'm willing to spend, so I stick with the BX because the all-up cost is more manageable.
I found a 8' Myers plow mounted on a skid steer quick hitch for my FEL. Hopefully the shoes will keep it out of the lawn sod. My driveway is concrete and asphalt so I can do a pretty good job with my hyd. back blade. When moving snow piles, the FEL bucket isn't wide enough and is hard to control. Hopefully the blade will work better. The blade is manual angle, but I think leaving it straight will work for my application.
That's what I ran on the front of my BX25 for five years, along with a rear blade which was mostly there for weight. That little blower was kind of awesome in most conditions and took care of around 400 yards of gravel driveway with little fuss at all.
If you have to clear snow heading up hill, as I did when I cleared my neighbor's 800 yards of driveway, a blower on the front of the BX is the only efficient way to do that with such a small tractor.
In many cases that's true, but not for everyone. Much of my snow removal is parking lots. After trying rear blades, loader buckets, rear blower and an 8' front blade on a QA (each for several snows / multiple seasons) I'm settled on the 8' Fisher on the QA.
On driveways the blower was great. When it came to wide areas it wasn't suitable due to re-blowing the snow as it became more dense. I'd lust after a front-mounted blower if it weren't for the parking lots.
This is why I made the point that snow removal is complicated and equipment very much depends on the need. Many of us aren't clearing parking lots, just our own properties and maybe a neighbors.
A blower on one end of the tractor and a pusher or blade on the other end has proven to be the best solution for me and that's what I have on the MX but the reverse of how the BX was set up. I also have a 3-way hydraulic rear blade on the M6060 which works well too. I need to be able to angle a blade from within the cab whether it's on the front or the rear. Some people are able to push snow in a straight line and move it out of the way but I'm not. I need to either push it over the edge of the driveway or blow it away.
If I were ever to buy a snow pusher for the M6060 it would need to be the hydraulic angling type. A fixed pusher simply wouldn't work for me.
make your own.... 14hp gas engine, 2 x 24" walkbehinds, lil bit o steel, some bodging involved, less than $600. BTDT then it didn't snow enough to justify it....