snow - tires vs chains vs tracks

[switzforge]

I am waiting for my first skid steer to arrive, shortly after christmas. It will be a Cat 236B. Since snow removal will be a primary use for this machine, during the winter months anyway, I was wondering what the best traction device might be. And while we are on the subject of snow, what about bucket vs plow vs blower. We get everything here from a few inches of powder to 3+ feet of heavy wet stuff. Thanks for the help John

 

[nirias]

I use chains and they work fine on snow and ice. I got the 2-link style for better traction. Chains are cheaper than tracks so unless you need tracks for something else you probably want chains. The only attachment that will be reasonable for the full range of conditions you describe is a bucket. You will never push a plow through 3 ft of wet stuff. And even if you are able to get out and clear things up every few inches with a plow, with that much snow you may well run out of places to push the snow to. A blower will eat 3 ft of wet snow, but will probably be a disappointment if you dont have a high flow machine.

 

[LIMaint]

I use chains and they work fine on snow and ice. I got the 2-link style for better traction. Chains are cheaper than tracks so unless you need tracks for something else you probably want chains. The only attachment that will be reasonable for the full range of conditions you describe is a bucket. You will never push a plow through 3 ft of wet stuff. And even if you are able to get out and clear things up every few inches with a plow, with that much snow you may well run out of places to push the snow to. A blower will eat 3 ft of wet snow, but will probably be a disappointment if you dont have a high flow machine.

I have a 236b with cab and heat I think that machine is more than capable of pushing a 10ft box blade, and that is the way I would go. I am in New York and use a 8ft box blade without any problems. I do have a set of Mclaren rubber tracks but haven't used them with snow removal yet, they are great for mud and sand. That machine has so much power and weight that you should not have a problem any which way that you go.

 

[switzforge]

I use chains and they work fine on snow and ice. I got the 2-link style for better traction. Chains are cheaper than tracks so unless you need tracks for something else you probably want chains. The only attachment that will be reasonable for the full range of conditions you describe is a bucket. You will never push a plow through 3 ft of wet stuff. And even if you are able to get out and clear things up every few inches with a plow, with that much snow you may well run out of places to push the snow to. A blower will eat 3 ft of wet snow, but will probably be a disappointment if you dont have a high flow machine.

Thanks, chains sound like the simple solution, so I'm glad they are a good option. The heavy three foot storms are only once or twice per year, with the normal being 6 - 8 every other week. Of course last year it snowed a foot or two every week for about 6 weeks. Thanks again john

 

[Idoitall]

Thanks, chains sound like the simple solution, so I'm glad they are a good option. The heavy three foot storms are only once or twice per year, with the normal being 6 - 8 every other week. Of course last year it snowed a foot or two every week for about 6 weeks. Thanks again john

I live in the South, so snow is not an issue for us. For me, it would be mud, not snow, so either rubber or steel tracks would likely work OK. Very few chains seen around here any more, as most folks would not even know what they are and what they look like. But reading the forum, I would think about this and which traction aid you might choose.

Consider the cost, the difficulty to install/remove, maintenance, and for sure the surface(s) that you will be working on, especially if you will be working for others. Both steel tracks and chains will chip both concrete and asphalt drives and lots, especially with repeated use. You would not want to have to repair these for someone else.

Just something to think about. There are many members here with lots of experience with all this, so check back.

 

[pelpel]

I use HD chains on my 751 which have the V pattern welded to the links for extra traction (rear tires only). I find this works very well pushing snow with a bucket, in particular if you encounter ice below the snow. The only drawback is that when you turn, you scratch the pavement very badly. I advise my customers of that beforehand, most are ok with it as it saves them from having to shovel it. Have a Merry Christmas

 

[skidsteer.ca]

Any tire chain on the rear wheels would be my first choice , studded snow tires are available to. Plows or snowpushers are good for moderate and lighter snow for the 12 to 16" range. Your bucket will deal with heavy snows if the the blade can't at a slower pace of course.
Blowers have a relatively slow travel speed because all the snow must travel through the shute. But you handle it once and its gone 30 to 40 ft away and the volume is greatly reduced.
I disagree about needing a hi flow machine for blowing snow. If you are going to be doing alot yes it is a benifit, because you can put more of your engines hp to the blower and therfore travel faster. My 773 has 16.9 gpm at 3000 psi which = 27 hp to the blower. Your Cat is very near this (slightly higher I think) I would hazard a guess that a 40 hp tractor would have a hard time keeping up, because what the skid lacks in hp it will make up in agility. But if you want to blow snow like a 60 hp tractor you should be looking at a high flow unit.
I push a 10' blade with my 773 for our dry snowfalls, usually less then a foot and have never had to put the bucket on instead.
I had a blower last season but sold it again, I don't have a problem with drifting, we almost never get over 18" and I have lots of room to put the snow. That coupled with the fact my yard is largely pit run gravel with 4 to 10" stones that trip the edge on the plow and would force a blower or bucket equiped machine to travel vary slow, not to mention the projectile potential. The blower was a used Erskine 66" set up for a 12 gpm machine so I run my loader at a lower throttle. It would hurl snow 25 or so feet and in 6" dry snow I could travel 4 to 5 mph. But with a blade I coud run flat out.
If I can get you a figure on any snow equipment let me know.
Regards
Ken

 

[switzforge]

Any tire chain on the rear wheels would be my first choice , studded snow tires are available to. Plows or snowpushers are good for moderate and lighter snow for the 12 to 16" range. Your bucket will deal with heavy snows if the the blade can't at a slower pace of course.
Blowers have a relatively slow travel speed because all the snow must travel through the shute. But you handle it once and its gone 30 to 40 ft away and the volume is greatly reduced.
I disagree about needing a hi flow machine for blowing snow. If you are going to be doing alot yes it is a benifit, because you can put more of your engines hp to the blower and therfore travel faster. My 773 has 16.9 gpm at 3000 psi which = 27 hp to the blower. Your Cat is very near this (slightly higher I think) I would hazard a guess that a 40 hp tractor would have a hard time keeping up, because what the skid lacks in hp it will make up in agility. But if you want to blow snow like a 60 hp tractor you should be looking at a high flow unit.
I push a 10' blade with my 773 for our dry snowfalls, usually less then a foot and have never had to put the bucket on instead.
I had a blower last season but sold it again, I don't have a problem with drifting, we almost never get over 18" and I have lots of room to put the snow. That coupled with the fact my yard is largely pit run gravel with 4 to 10" stones that trip the edge on the plow and would force a blower or bucket equiped machine to travel vary slow, not to mention the projectile potential. The blower was a used Erskine 66" set up for a 12 gpm machine so I run my loader at a lower throttle. It would hurl snow 25 or so feet and in 6" dry snow I could travel 4 to 5 mph. But with a blade I coud run flat out.
If I can get you a figure on any snow equipment let me know.
Regards
Ken

Thanks for al of the help. Sounds like for now chains will be the answer. As far as implements, we may end up with both the blower and the plow since on excels where the other falls short. The blower we are thinking of is a CAT that is apearantley an old model but still sold as new that has been taking up space in the dealers yard since the new models came out. They said they would sell it at cost, about $4,000. The plows they sell are the Snow Wolf plows. They will bring the blower out wioth the skid steer next week so we can demo it and see what we think.

 

[sterlclan]

Thanks for al of the help. Sounds like for now chains will be the answer. As far as implements, we may end up with both the blower and the plow since on excels where the other falls short. The blower we are thinking of is a CAT that is apearantley an old model but still sold as new that has been taking up space in the dealers yard since the new models came out. They said they would sell it at cost, about $4,000. The plows they sell are the Snow Wolf plows. They will bring the blower out wioth the skid steer next week so we can demo it and see what we think.

at my "real" job we have a 246 cat with a 9 foot snow wolf no chains and dont have much trouble.....we get snow from 6" to 3' most times havent really needed chains..........at home I have a 630 bobcat with a homemade 7.5' fisher plow my drive is 450' long with a hill at each end kinda like a bowl I havent had any trouble.....yet....Jeff

 

[mclarenusa.com]

Hi switzforge,
Be sure to check out our Protrac over-the-tire tracks. Our Protrac Diamond would be ideal for snow. It provides great traction and it wouldn't collect snow in between the track and the tires because of the spacing it provides. You can check it out on our website here: http://www.mclarenusa.com/protrac/protrac-diamond.html. Feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions.
www.mclarenusa.com