Re: (ET) plow vs thrower

["steves" <ssawtelle fcc net>]

Good topic.

Here's my experience:

Last year I used the blower only and it worked great. But we had unusual,
light, powdery, deep snow for the most part. I also have a gravel road. I
experienced very little gravel being thrown ( but it does happen, so
beware!). I only had clogs when I tried to blow stuff that was melting and
very wet and heavy.

This year I brought out the blower again at first snow, which was about 8"
and on the wet side (good for snowmen and snowballs). It threw ok, but I 
was
kicking up a lot of gravel. I threw the chain twice - I think gravel got
caught between chain and sprocket - never happened last year.

I had used the blade once before to try to push some gravel around but I
only spun wheels (pre-chain and pre-weight) so I thought it was pretty
useless, but I decided with the chains and weights it would work better. It
did. I was pushing mounds of snow as big as the tractor at times. After the
snow left, and temperatures warmed up, I went back and pushed the errent
gravel back into the driveway (the blade had moved some gravel off to the
ditches).

Lessons learned:

1. I think the blower excels when the snow is deep and powdery. I don't 
know
what the blade would do.
2. The blower makes a nice clean path (small deal)
3. The blade is great at wet stuff.
4. I think last year my drive was graded better which is why I didn't throw
as much gravel then. You can't have much loose gravel and the blower must 
be
set on the highest skid setting. It's still a potentially dangerous thing.
5. The 2-link chains are much better than 4-link which are much much much
better than nothing.
6. Rear weight is a big help.
7. The tractor with blade manuevers much better than with blower.
8. The tractor with blade has a significantly longer run time than with
blower (duh)
9. I worry more with the blower (big rotating parts, current draw, gravel,
etc)
10. They are both fun!

- SteveS
E20

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Max Hall" <maxo iname com>
To: "Elec-trak" <>
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2004 4:23 PM
Subject: (ET) plow vs thrower


Hi, all,

man, what a great series of posts on batteries, charging, and temperature.
I'm sure a lot of you are typing or reading the same things over by now, 
but
I just keep on soaking up them good data. I'm humbled and happy to be on 
the
list, as ever.

I have worked hard to keep my snowthrower throwing over the last couple of
years, and am, by and large, very, very happy to have the thing. I doooo
wonder, though, about the simple efficacy of a plow blade. Up here near
Boston, we get light fluffy snow from time to time (more rare) and that is 
a
dream to throw. (Thanks to the cold weather we had about 3" of the lightest
stuff you've ever seen. It seemed like Utah, or fake snow from the movies. 
I
got to run the tractor at its highest speed while throwing snow without
taking the current draw gauge into the yellow. Unprecedented for me.) 
Mostly
we get wet heavy stuff, though, and I have worked hard on my dynamic
speed-tuning snowthrowing technique to avoid clogging. And it still clogs,
despite waxes, paints, Pam, lucky charms, etc.

Someone just posted about trying a plow and never going back... So how 
about
plows and heavy snow? Particularly, how deep a wet snow can you plow?

Mid-winter and grinnin'
-Max


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