How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

[bowman316]

For you folks up in the snow belt, who regularlly get a lot of snow, how do you handle plowing out your driveways? Usually you can do it with a pickup, with a plow on it, or an average sized farm tractor. But this last 2 ft, with 4 ft drifts was too much for most pickups, even state road plows.

So if you live in the rockies, down a long driveway, is a front end loader a must have? do you just pay someone to dig you out with a loader? that is what we had to do. the county road crews had to call in loaders and tractors with snow plowers hooked up the the pto to get the drifts. So do most farms in the snow belt have huge front end loaders for this stuff?

 

[Shamus O'toole]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

I used to shovel it....then I moved to Florida.....

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

Team shovel !!!

 

[bowman316]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

i mean some ski resorts in the rockies and the califoria mtns get 10 ft of snow in a week!
They must have figured out where to put all of the snow.
it is bad when you are shouveling snow and have to throw it above your head to get it out of the way.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

Easy...I moved from Toronto (Ont.) to Victoria (B.C). Today, it's an absolutely georgeous, blue sky day...my wife is out gardening..and I'm going to join her for an hour or so. Last weekend I cut the grass and the yard is starting to bloom everywhere. Tulips, daffodils, crocus's, snowdrops, cherry blossoms...lot's stuff happening outside.
It's ironic that the Olympics are going on just across the Strait in Vancouver..who have the same weather.
Anywhoooo, just sharing..but I do remember the snow!!! and it wasn't all bad for sure, but today I'm not going to trade straight across.
BP

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

The way to handle it is not to wait until it stops snowing and start trying to shovel or plow 4ft+ of snow. You notice that it is starting to accumulate and take care of as it arrives.

It's always easier to deal with if you do it when the snow is fresh rather than wait until it's been walked on or driven on and compressed, then turned to ice.

If you don't have a truck and blade then you spend time outdoors with your family

 

[gonefishie]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

They have giant snow thrower. like this

 

[JB]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

When I lived in Ste Bonifacius, MN I had a long, sunken drive that accumulated 4-6' of snow regularly.

Medium tractor with a 50" plow and 4WD handled it in 4 sweeps; 2' on the first and second sweeps and 2' more on sweeps 3 & 4. If there was any left the AWD Grand Wagoneer handled it pretty well.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

One shovel load at a time. And a lot of beer. Actually I have two snow blowers. One old one that I leave on my deck and a newer one for the drive way. And no, I don't use them and drink beer at the same time...lol.

 

[Bondo]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

Ayuh,... Why plow with Only 2ft,.... That's what 4 wheel drive is for.....

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

As a lifelong snow plow person and former supervisor of snow and ice removal............

rule #1 plow with the storm or you may not keep up with it.....

Snow and drifts are not as heavy as you think when they are fresh and rally do move easy. If you can't move something you just learn to take smaller bites out of it.

Here in the north country we are ready and equipped for snow....... we plow back EVERY storm the same way just in case there is a doozy of a follow-up storm.

I have had 8-10 foot drifts in my own driveway and have resorted to borrowing my neighbor's 2 1/2 yard loader.

My current 2500 4x4 is equipped with a 9 foot plow and will move an awful amount of snow.

 

[pecheux]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

For a 4 cars driveway and a walkway around the house I use a Toro 26" snowtrower. When it stop running I"ll move to Fla. ... LOL

 

[JRJ]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

Gotta love snow. Millions $$ are being spent removing it and if nothing was done, it would all be gone by June 1 anyway

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

We use to have a good snow blower and I got to spend a lot of time out side using it. As soon as I got home from work and before I went to work in the morning. That went on for 5 years. I also swore off of wood heat at the same time and move to the island. Winter lasts about two weeks here.

 

[bassman284]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

Something like this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29297284@N00/139908330/

 

[PW2]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

Here in Sault, Mi once every ten years or so, we'll get a huge snowfall---more than the the usual 6 to ten inches that is easily handled with the sno thrower.

If it gets sooo bad, I'd call an excavation company with a front end wheel loader. It may cost $100 or so, but it's a bargain compared to a hand shovel

 

[BWR1953]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

I used to shovel it....then I moved to Florida.....

Same here!

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

By leaving it to other people to suffer through!

(Aren't we southerners just too dang obnoxious about this subject? )


PS: Know what I'm really cranky about? Its that we have had a cold winter and the early crawfish crop is off. "Burled mudbugs" have been running about $4.79 a pound around here lately! Oh my!

Now, how the heck am I supposed to be an "honorary coonass" if I can't "get me" some bugs two,tree times a week?



???

 

[xxxflhrci]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

I've got lots of driveways to be done in my family. I have a Cub Cadet blower at my house. At my grandparents, we have a JD snowblower and a JD X535 4WD garden tractor with a plow. At our farm, we have a Ford 7000 tractor with a rear scraper blade.

 

[bowman316]

Re: How do you handle 2 ft of snow?

yea, but those tractors have a limit. they won't go thru a 4 ft drift.