My snow blower died, so while shopping for a new one I struck up a conversation with another customer who suggested I look into lightweight front receiver type snowplows for my F150. I looked at them online and am skeptical about their claims and how well they would hold up. The cost is $1200 - $2k. I was wondering if anyone here has experience with one of these. I would only be using it for my driveway which is about 150 ft long and paved.

Right now I'm leaning toward another snow blower, but it would be nice to be out of the weather.

 

I don't have one myself ..... yet ...... but I too have entertained the idea. Seen them that use an adapter that fits a front receiver ....
.... and I've seen one that has a fork like on each rearward leg that fits to the tow hooks and a pin is put through each which then secures it to the tow hooks.
It had a wide thick rubber cutter bar that would ride up over obstrucions..

Love my snow blower when needed but it wouldn't hurt my feelings to just use it for trimming out the plowed driveway.

Color me "lurking" here!

 

150 inch driveway? That's pretty short. I'd go buy a new shovel.

 

I guess I should read what I type before I hit submit.

 

Haha. I've done the same thing many times.

 

I think I've read that you shouldn't put a plow on a truck with electric power steering unless it has a factory plow prep package.

 

I think you will just be doing a lot of pushing snow, not plowing. I have looked at many of the offerings. They all look great for light fluffy snow. You will be screwing around wasting time with a toy. Get a nice new snow blower and save yourself aggravation. If you want to be warmer buy a plastic cover shield.

 

I've tried all kinds of things for my driveway.. the best option is a snowblower!

Reason: Plowing or using excavation equipment tears the heck up out of the driveway and the lawn. It also leaves you with gigantic piles that are a nuisance come spring, because they are the last things that melt.

I've tried a hydraulic angled plow blade on my Kubota, a snow pusher, and finally got rid of the the plow blade settled up for a PTO driven snow blower and kept the snow pusher attached to the bucket for extra weight for the front axle.

I've also got a Snapper 11 hp snow blower that I use when there is only trivial amount of snow and it's too much of a hassle to get the big machinery out.

The only issue is that most don't have the luxury of a tractor at their disposal nor anyplace to keep it for that matter.

 

Yeah .... that seems to be where I usually wind up in my deliberations .... and I've considered it every year ..... and so far my 2006 era two stage has done the job without protest. Some couple of winters it was never needed and in fact ..... first use was a blizzard in Dec 2009. It was just before I retired, this was a storm that hit Friday just as I marked off and so I was called back out .... worked till 2am and just did manage to get car in end of driveway. Short sleep, clean some, and back out for 16 more hors ..... it was deaper Sunday morning.





I used to have one of those folding "VEES" using wood, a big hinge, some chain, and weight and a piece of pipe .... drug behind my '77 when I had gravel driveway, didn't tear it up and knocked it down to where I could get out with police car easy enough. When I got to top of hill, either U-turn at intersection and come back down or pull 2x4 spreader, foldup, set up in bed.

 

My dad lives in Idaho, in the country, on a hill. He used to use an F250 with a plow for many years. It was a lot of work, fuel and maintenance. Now he uses a 48" blower for his quad. His driveway is 3/8 of a mile with a couple hundred feet of elevation gain, therefore a couple switch backs. Now, in a down, back, down pass he has the thing cleaned out and the last return trip he can clean out the neighbor driveways and make the switchbacks wider. In very short order he can have the driveway driveable and the snow was only touched once. The plow required pushing further into the fields, ditches, and over the bank to make room for whatever snowfall we might get later in the winter.

I have since set him up with heated grips, lights and a good helmet to keep him warm. I also set up a motor to turn the discharge chute so his hands never have to leave the grips. It is virtually hands off for an old guy to clean his driveway.

 

I talked with one of my son's friends who plows for a landscape company in the winter and he recommended the snow blower. He told me that my configuration of a garage and retaining wall would require lots of back dragging to clear, and that would be difficult and time consuming with one of these plows. I agree, so snow blower it is.

 

Not to mention the back dragging doesn't get as well as a snowblower ever would. It just compacts it into something that is a pain in the butt to shovel, especially if it hardens. When you do get to shoveling it, it comes up in those giant icebergs.

Plowing works very well if you've got a straightaway, like a road style driveway where you don't have a garage/structure in front of you and you can angle the plow like it's supposed to be. Or any place where you don't have to do back dragging for that matter.

Any other way using a plow just wastes so much time, and it can be aggravating.

 

I like that front hitch like mounted 48" snow blower on the ATV in Post 10 above. I really like that, might investigate for my Wheel Horse. I can adapt that well.

I know, old thread ... but it's timely still. I have a Wheel Horse tractor, I have a snow plow for it, extra rear tires with chains & liquid and weights, I have more chains that also fit the steer tires, It works great but it is a job pulling the mower deck off and then put the plow on to see snow miss us. It has been used but haven't since I bought the snow blower shown above. I did add rubber extensions on the impeller blade tips in early '16, it'll sling snow or sleet, even slush way over yonder into the woods now, the rubber better seals to the housing than a 1/2" air gap.

I park it inside my shop with fresh oil and a dry tank until I need it. It's there with my tractor and generators. I keep the vehicles full or near full, I have about 30 gallons gas in cans stored out in the shed.

I ran into some health issues in summer of '16 that took a long recovery that I'm on the tail end of now, we haven't had a snow like the one pictured above since then either, so I stopped thinking about any plows involving a truck. Last year the snow blower would have to drag me still I think, but I'm motivatin' good now.
Using a truck, turning around in tight places, just didn't appeal to me I guess. I still think about ways to remove snow, it's the tinkerer side of me I guess, but the snow blower pictured will do, it's been used maybe three big storms (Dec '09, Feb '14, and looks like Feb. '16), the first is as pictured, it cuts a fine trail I think.

Was back abut 2005 or 6 maybe, big blizzard hit mostly up north, I walked into local Lowe's, this 26" blower was on sale $399, I saw it was a "steal deal" ... so I bought it. It was the only one left, then as we waited for the guy to help load it, a guy come from the back room with a cart. I told him I was just gonna wheel it out as he took the sign down and that I was waiting for a guy that was gonna help load it into my PU, he told me he had come to get it to put on the TT going to NY. I told him not this one, that I had already paid for it, that it was mine now. So he followed me out and he helped load it. It kept snow away for several years just parked in my shed with no gas in it. They'd a sold it for $600 up there. Electric (110Vac) or pull start.

 

Nice! I just got some snow, about 8" or so yesterday. I used the walk behind because I felt like getting some more exercise.

 

Adding those rubber extensions on the impeller made a huge improvement. It used to just throw some snow out of the drive way, but slush would sometimes just dribble out of the exit shoot. After the addition of the rubber cut from old tire sidewalls it blasts snow way down in the woods It was impressive. Got to be careful how it's aimed. I added another picture might show the mod better, I installed so the rubber was just maybe 1/16" or even touching the housing. I cut the shiney plates from mending strips, used 1/4" ss bolts & screws.


I also should say a full face motorcycle helmet or 3/4 with face shield is good to have. I wrapped the microphone in plastic.