Lots of people need to remove snow without a snow blower attachment. So in this video, we’ll show you how to remove snow three different ways using your tractor and three different implements – a front blade, a rear blade, and a materials bucket.
We’ll also show you how a broadcast spreader can be the fast answer to fighting ice around your property.
And to top it off, these implements are on our Top 10 List of implements you should acquire first for your machine shed, because they’re so versatile, and can help with so many projects around your property.
Option #1 – Remove snow with a front blade.
We’re up in the mountains in Park City, Utah, where there’s plenty of snow to remove without a snow blower attachment. So, it’s a perfect place to put this equipment through their paces.
We’ll be using a Frontier 60-inch (152.4 cm) Front Blade (US CA) matched with a H120 Loader (US CA) and a John Deere 1025R Compact Utility Tractor (US CA). We’ve also added a Frontier Broadcast Spreader (US CA) on the rear.
Attaching the front blade to the loader is about as easy a hook-up as you’ll ever do. Just insert the loader carrier into the top hangers on the front blade, then lift and roll back the carrier and the front blade will fall into place. Then insert the locking pins and you’re ready to go.
This front blade offers five angled positions and is adjusted using a simple pin and clip system, so you can push snow in any direction. It also has a trip edge feature that protects the blade, the loader, and the tractor if the blade edge contacts an obstacle by allowing the blade to rotate forward and glide over the obstacle. The blade can also be locked into place using two simple lock pins.
We’ve also added plow guides so the operator always has a view of where the outside blade edges are, no matter how deep the snow.
Since we’re working on a gravel surface, we added skid shoes to protect the reversible cutting edge on the bottom of the blade, and to keep from pushing gravel off the road.
You change the skid shoe height by removing the lock pin from the skid shoe, then adjust the number of spacers to the desired height, and put any removed spacers under the lock pin for storage. Then reinstall the lock pin, and you’re ready to go.
As you can see, using a front blade to remove snow is a pretty simple task. But like any other project with your tractor, it’s important to stay focused and pay attention to what you’re doing.
Option #2 – Don’t have a front blade? How about a rear blade?
Here, we’ve matched a Frontier 72-inch (183 cm) Rear Blade (US CA) with another small tractor – a John Deere 3032E Compact Utility Tractor (US CA). We’ve also added a 300E loader (US CA) and a 61-inch (155 cm) bucket. And to top it off, we added an iMatchTM Quick Hitch that makes hooking and unhooking 3-point implements as easy as making snow angels.
With the iMatch quick hitch, all you have to do is focus on the top hook, and everything else falls into place. Then you close the locking levers to secure the implement, raise the parking stand, and once again, you’re ready to go.
The angle of this Frontier rear blade can be adjusted in two directions with another simple pin and clip system: tilted up and down from one end to the other – or angled, with the left or right end in a more forward position than the other. In fact, you can pivot this rear blade 360-degrees if you need to.
You can also offset the blade up to 12-inches (30.5 cm) to the left or right so it sits slightly outside the tractor’s path. That’s a handy feature if you want to remove snow from a soft shoulder, for example, while keeping the tractor on a firm road surface.
For this job, Caitlin has angled the rear blade, with the right end leading, which will guide the snow to the left. After she makes a pass, she’ll use the 3-point hitch to raise the rear blade and go back to her starting position to make another pass.
And because she can swing the blade 360 degrees, she could also use it to push snow into a pile, instead of pulling it.
Option #3 – Remove snow with a loader bucket.
Here’s another way to remove snow without a snow blower attachment. The loader and bucket we’ve added to this tractor are the tools she’ll use to widen the area she’s cleared by using the bucket to scoop up snow and pile it out of the way.
Add these three Top 10 implements to your machine shed and you’ve got a snow pushing, pulling and piling package that just won’t quit.
Fighting ice the easy way.
Now, if ice is your issue, the Frontier Broadcast Spreader attached to the 3-point hitch on your tractor is the perfect tool for spreading sand, salt or other chemical ice-melt product. The polyethylene hopper and stainless steel spreading components are resistant to sand, salt, and chemical corrosion. An internal agitator keeps material inside the hopper from clumping. An optional PVC cover keeps moisture out and your ice-melt in while in operation or transport. And, the feed rate lever is conveniently operated from inside the cab. Pretty handy on a long, cold workday.
A broadcast spreader like this is on our Top 10 List of implements because it’s a real 3-season tool. Fighting ice in the winter. Spreading fertilizer in the spring and spreading seed in the fall.
All four of these Frontier products, along with nearly 600 other implements, are available only from your John Deere dealer, the place to go for advice and equipment.
So remember, for implements that help turn your tractor into the workhorse it was built to be, think Frontier and your John Deere dealer.
And lastly, always read the Operator’s Manual before operating any piece of equipment and follow all operating and safety instructions.
Helpful Links
Frontier Landscape Equipment (US CA)
Frontier Broadcast Spreader (US CA)
How To Use A Tractor-Powered Snowblower
How To Remove Snow From A Gravel Drive
How To Get Driveway Gravel Out Of The Grass