I just recently had to make the same decision that you are trying to make. IMO, it comes down to whether or not you have the space to keep the tractor/snowblower in the garage so it is easily accessible when it snows. I also took into account that the tractor mounted unit would have to be removed and stored during the summer.

Like you said, the money for a tractor mounted unit vs a good quality walk behind is about the same.

In my situation, I did not have the room for the cars and the tractor to stay in the garage at the same time so I opted for a walk behind.

Had I had the room, my decision might have been different.

You certainly have an advantage over many people in your shoes. I always felt if either unit was capable to do the job- it comes down to personal preference. Really the main factors come down to liking the operation of one over the other and whether or not changing the tractor over in fall and spring is a big deal for you or not. Weights and chains are certainly not my favorite things to install- but a necessary evil. For me advantages that a walk behind can have is the extra maneuverabilty it has to keep you blowing snow with the wind, better on inclines and not increasing the maintenance/wear on your new tractor. They can also have performance advantages that may help in your situation. You are fortunate enough to have a wide drive to give your tractor enough room to maneuver. A nice tractor/cab/thrower is sure a nice way to get things done in the right environment.

Congrats on the purchase of your Conquest. I have an 06 Conquest and it is a beast.

I have a 42" single stage blower on the Conquest. With the wheel weights and chains it takes me about an hour to drop the mower deck and install the blower. I find it's worth it and I do have room in my garage. My drive is 1200" long so the blower on the tractor is my best option.

I also have a Toro 826 from our previous home. I use it to clear out the garage area so I can get the car out and then the tractor. I also use the Toro for my walk ways when I get a lot of snow.

Before I purchased the blower, it took me about 1 1/2 hours to clear the drive. With the tractor it takes me about 45 minutes.

Best on your choice.

Enjoy the journey.

eal51 in western CT

I have a snowblower on my Husqvarna and I'm happy with it. To me, the only possible disadvantage would be what I usually go through....... changing over too early,so I don't pick up all the leaves with the 3 bin bagger. It's no big deal though. Now I just use the leaf blower every other day and blow them into the woods. Oh - 150' of double width driveway here.

Up until 10 years ago I did my 300' long driveway and then the 1500 sq. ft. macadam parking area with a walk behind Gilson. I bought a Wheelhorse and an old snowblower and thought I would sell the walk-behind. Big mistake.

I was always putting on the blower as the storm was approaching. I was always taking off the blower when the grass was 12" high. It's not the blower that's the problem. It's the chains, wheel weights, etc.

I went back and forth with another Ariens that I bought and the WH. This year I've decided to use a gigantic Bolens walk behind that I bought for $75.

Maybe next year I'll be back to the WH. Who knows?

One thing though. There is nothing like sitting on the tractor and letting it do the work.

Walked behind a snowblower for one winter.

Been sitting behind a snow blower for the 11 years since.

I'll never walk behind a snowblower again.

eal51, Do you think that chains are necessary with the Conquest? I would like to avoid chains this time around if possible due to the marks left on the asphalt with them. With my Murray, the chains were a must (and I never took the wheel weights off), but I was hoping that the weight of the Conquest with some rear mounted 'suitcase' weights, newer and bigger wheels, plus the locking diff would be enough. (My driveway has a slight slope toward the road.) Thoughts?

Right now, I am thinking a walk behind mainly because of the lack of changeover (plus the associated timing), greater maneuverability, and possible use without chains. The only real downside for me is the larger garage footprint occupied by a walk behind, and smaller pass, which could double my time blowing.

Keep your comments coming!

ONe thing to consider is that SNow Blowers have a reputation for being unreliable. This is because you have an engine thats sits most of the years.

So, if you go the walk-behind route be sure to use Stabil or something similar (sea foam?) to make sure it will work when you need it.

Walk-behinds are also presumable better for narrow and curving walkways, if any.

daschtick -

I have the wheel weights, which I prefer. Since my drive is not flat - that's what I get for living in the woods - and it's not totally flat, I need the chains.

The Conquest is heavy, and you have the differential lock pedal, but I would still use the chains. I have a couple of chain marks on the drive where I spun the wheels last winter. Damn ice storms. But I don't care about a couple of marks.

First time I used it in snow last year, I was spinning the rear wheels. Put the chains on and no problem.

I can appreciate the "change over" problem. Just finished the leaves yesterday. I don't bag. Chop them up and blow them back in the woods. Next weekend I'll spend the time dropping the deck and putting on the blower.

Enjoy the journey.

eal51 in western CT

that sounds like an aweful lot of driveway to walk behind a blower for. i would say either get the biggest baddest walk behind u can find(32"+) or get a blower for the tractor.

do you need a blower, plows are easier to attach and can do more then just plow snow. the plow for my jd is a butthole the first time i put it on(about an hour with deck drop+chains), but its 15 minutes or less once the deck is off for good and the chains are on.

report back on what you do

cody

two things that i did not like when i owned a walk behind snowblower.the first thing was the noise of the engine running...my tractor mounted blower is much quieter because the engine is enclosed under the hood.second was that exhuast smell that would cling to my clothes which my wife would point out to me as soon as i would re-enter the house.consider these things when deciding..good luck

I find, the '78 Jeep CJ5 with blade, heater and radio work good. If the sidewalk isn't wide enough, I make it wider.

Funny, tmajor.

I actually have a car radio mounted to the rear of my Wheelhorse seat, complete with headphones and antennae for my snowblowing pleasure.

It's still not worth the trouble of switching every year.

You'll never be sorry with a one or two stage snowblower. Should last about 20 yrs. Chains are a must with weights in deep snow. The Conquest is a monster but the little John Deeery across street is one heck of a little snowblower. The changeover from grass to snow takes some hard work, but, nothing for a young guy to hook up. Forget the walk behinds. Nothing but repair bills. My CubCadet lasted 22 years. good luck

My drive is 70' long two cars wide, asphalt. Yours is 30' longer and one car wider, but still not a large driveway. I find the agility of the walk behinds to be superior to the hassle of a tractor mounted snowblower.

I sold a single stage 10 yr old honda to the neighbor 10 years ago and he is still using it. The toro I replaced it with is still running strong. I have not had repair/longevity issues with the walk behinds. I also acquired an 8 yr old Simplicity two stage last year and it appears this one will easily last two decades if not more. I don't think the reliability of the better manufacters will be an issue.

I also think that with a three car drive you'll have plenty of room to maneuver if you decide to go this route.

Great responses so far, but I'd like to add one more factor for consideration - Which one would you feel better letting the wife use? My wife has never cleared snow in our 15 years, but it would be nice if she could clear the drive when I travel, or become laid up for some reason.

Do you have a 3 car garage or just a wide driveway? Footprint of Tractor w/ blower is larger than a walk behind, unless you are considering the space of the tractor plus the walk behind.
Electric start on the walkbehind, and your equal. Unless you can store the tractor where it is accessible for use without moving cars, truck or etc.
My wife would want the tractor - until it came to cleaning narrow walks (30") and step up patio. Not to mention getting tractor to drive from shed (200+ft away).
She then would probably want another shed closer to the drive or a 3 car garage with wider walks and a ramp to the stepup patio. I just can't win - So, I clean the drive, walks and patio.(with a walk behind) If I'm gone I'll pay the neighbor to clean it (if it snows). Years ago, I used a blade on the tractor, was fun until time became more important and fun went to other things.

Guess that depends on how comfortable your wife is with power equipment. Some women grow up on farms and operate tractors as second nature. For the average woman though, I would recommend a walk behind. I know in my case, my wife will operate the tractor in the summer occasionally, but she is not that comfortable with it. As long as I am around to get it started and handle any problems, she is ok, but if I am not there, she doesn't want to use it.

Starting a tractor when it's 20 degrees below zero can be challenging sometimes. Also, if she gets the tractor stuck when you're not around, that could be a problem.

My wife has no problem with the walk behind though. I would recommend getting a walk behind with the "easy turn" feature for your wife. Personally, I just bought a Simplicity Signature Pro to replace my 25 year old Toro. Wife loves it, it has heated hand grips, easy turn, electric chute rotation. They also have Briggs OHV motors that start easy and run quieter.

"Also, if she gets the tractor stuck when you're not around, that could be a problem."

That reminds me of when we had a 24" snow and I wanted to go down to the neighbor with my Wheelhorse after the street was plowed. Tried to make a right into the driveway with the auger going so I could get through the plowed snow on the edge of the road and immediately broke the auger belt and got stuck halfway into the road.

After some thought, I completely retract my comment regarding which is easier for the wife to use...her and power equipment are never a good combination. If I cannot clear the drive, I'm sure that one of the neighbors would do it.

Now let's get back to talking about which toy I should get!

Allow me to clarify a few details. All of my equipment is stored in my garage, which is 3 cars wide and 32' deep on 1 of the stalls, and I currently do not have shed. The blower attachment for my current tractor fits beneath and in back my boat, so off season storage is not an issue. Conversely, this is where I store my mower deck in winter.

Also in winter, my tractor is parked face out, next to the garage door, so that I can blow my way out onto the drive.

I don't understand the question yet - you already own the conquest. You say the price is similar between the blower for the conquest and dedicated walk behind. overkill???????????
Still seems equal to me........... What's your preference? You are the one that will operate it and/or change it over.

Like Steve said, you apparently have the storage space, so if you take your wife out of the picture, it comes down to which one you prefer. We can't help you with that.

I would absolutely recommend the tractor mounted snowblower. Like Steve and Tall Dog said, you have the tractor, you have the space, and you have the necessity. Why in the world would you choose to walk? Sure you might have a little trouble with the walkways, compared to a walk-behind, but it won't kill you to get a shovel out (or have your wife shovel the nooks and crannies while you're on the tractor). I don't think a woman would have a good time with a walk behind. It takes a lot of shoulder strength to turn them around and to work those tricky areas like where the city plow blocked in your driveway.

On the issue of chains, one thing my Dad's 2nd-hand JD 265 came with is a set of rubber chains. When we had it set up for mowing, he was having a little trouble mowing his extremely sloped and rolling terrain at his property in the Poconos, so we put the chains on. The traction problem was instantly solved, and unlike bar tires, they don't tear up your yard. So now they stay on year round. Of course they don't cause any more harm to asphalt than unchained tires. Definitely a good purchase for anyone who's concerned about tearing up their driveway. They're $125 a set for a 23" tire. See link.

On the subject of rear wheel weights, are you guys talking about using 45 lb cast iron weights or the typical 25 lb plastic weights? I don't really see what an extra 50 lbs is going to do for me (unless my size 4 wife is the operator--which is not going to happen). I'm 200 lbs and my Dad is about 250. Add that to the weight of the rear end of the tractor and you're talking about less than a 10% increase on the rear wheels by adding those little plastic weights. Suitcase or iron wheel weights are a bit too expensive for me. How about just wearing a backpack with a bag of rock salt?

One thing John Deere does right is make it easy to swap implements. It took us a whole 10 minutes to swap the 48" deck for the 42" blower. The thing that took the longest was bolting on the stay bar for the chute control. We probably jumped the gun a bit here in PA, since the heavy snow doesn't usually come until after Christmas. But since I was home for Thanksgiving, four hands are better than two. He still has his little Snapper RER for picking up those last stubborn leaves.

Messing around with his tractor reaffirmed that my next GT will definitely have a hydraulic lift. Even with the assist spring on full tension, I thought I was going to bend that fender-mounted lever on his 265, as I lifted that blower to the transport position. No woman in my world would even have the bicep strength to do that without straddling the fender and lifting with both arms.

Here is a link that might be useful: rubber chains

The reason that I originally posted this topic is to discuss the pros and cons of using a walk-behind type blower, as compared to a tractor mounted unit. I have absolutely no experience with a walk-behind blower, as I have used a tractor mount unit exclusively, thus I am particularly interested in this feedback, prior to purchasing a blower.

In the end, I fully understand that it is a personal preference between the two types, and I do not expect anyone to make that decision for me. My primary goal is to be sure that I don't overlook any benefits to using one type over the other before I make a purchase.

marineguy,

Thanks for the tip on the rubber chains - I saved that link! This was one of my main issues with the tractor mounted blower that can now be crossed off.

so rubber chains huh??!! if they last and work as good as metal ones im gonna have to "get me some". so do they last and work as good as metal?

My experience with a walk behind blower consists of pointing the chute to the left and having the snow blow in my face. I then turn the chute to the right and then the snow blows in my face. I'll stick to the plow.

Walk behinds unrealiable...bull crap
I have been following this post and thought I would fire up the blower before I posted.
This is my 5th year on my $700 MTD
I just brought it into the garage from the back shed where it sat since last March
It was a real bummer because I had to prime it twice and pull it three time before it would run on its own.
It has electric start which I tried right after I bought it and have never used it since.
In five years ,a clutch cable adjustment last year has been the only maintance.
I just looked up the price for a blower for a JD LA150...$1300 and that doesn't include chains or weights.
Also I would really like to see that 10 min deck drop and blower mount.
As it was stated "tractor blower owners like them...walk behind owners like them"...I'am just trying to cut through some of the bull crap.

I'll second what wheely_boy said. We have serious wind here. It swirls around on most days so that the snow is always in your face. So 95% of the time I'll plow. Some winters I'll blow 2 or 3 times at most, though I always do it a few times just to keep the walk behind blower working.

And some winters? Some years the 15 year old walk behind is a god-send, when I have no place left to push the blasted snow. To me this seems a compromise that works well.

As for dynamike59, 10 minutes for a deck drop and to mount anything would be ridiculous. With the right tractor, its more like 2 minutes. And that includes moving the car out of the way in our garage.

John

We do 2 driveways that are both about 24 X 70 and 40 feet of sidewalk with our 8hp Simplicity walk behind. In 15 years it has only taken more than one tank of gas once, about an hour of blowing. We looked at tractor mounts for the JD LX277, but it would be so long that the maneuverability would leave us way to much shovelling to do, or we would still need a small walk behind.

As far as the reliability goes, I know way more folks that have had trouble with the tractor and blower in the winter than have had trouble with good walk behinds. We have had zero repairs on the Simplicity in 15 years of Minnesota weather.

The other thing to remember is to make sure the tractor mount would be able to throw the snow as far as the walk behind. Most of them I have seen do only about half as far, which could be an issue depending on your layout.

"so rubber chains huh??!! if they last and work as good as metal ones im gonna have to "get me some". so do they last and work as good as metal?"

I use ag tires for snow blading and they work great on an asphalt driveway. However, they slip on ice and glazed, hard packed, snow. I think you would have the same problem with rubber chains. Metal chains "bite" into the hard stuff...rubber slips.

-Deerslayer

"Metal chains bite into the hard stuff".

I had standard 2-link chains on my Scotts and with wheels weights it worked great with the tractor mounted thrower on a gravel driveway.

Now I have a Toro Wheelhorse with 2-link v-bar chains and wheel weights. Granted the Toro weighs in at about 1000 lbs and the Scotts was only about 550 lbs but those chains bite like a grizzly. I'm amazed at the increase in bite over the standard chains.

Not sure how they'd be on a paved driveway.

I wonder how long the rubber chains will last.

yetty,
I'll post a follow-up after the first real snow. The tractor had 6 or 700 hours on it when we got it, and owner (who bought it from the same dealer who re-sold it) bought the whole setup when new (blower, mower, blade). I don't know how long it took him to buy the rubber chains, but I'm assuming he had them on a while, and they're still in very good shape. I wouldn't imagine they'd bite like steel chains, but that's the price you pay for saving your asphalt.

Dynamike. I suppose I could post a video, but it will be a while. Maybe at the end of the season I'll post the blower to mower swap. I've never really dealt with Craftsman tractors, but it's my understanding that swapping attachments is quite a bear. John Deeres (not LA series) cost more because they're designed and built better than box store mowers. Removing the deck involves pulling two J pins, pulling a lever to release the belt tension, unhooking the front hangar, and sliding it out. To install the blower, you roll it under the tractor (it has wheels just to make installation easier--so does my tiller) hook the rear mount to the frame, pin the two front implement lift arms, and loop the belt over the PTO. The only time-consuming part is bolting the auger control stay to the pedestal, which could actually stay there year-round, but it would probably get in the way at some point.
That's the kind of ease of operation you get with a $7,000 tractor-blower combination (bought used for $1,500).

Booster,
As far as "problems" go, I think you're better off using a tractor because it allows you to use the machine year-round. Not having that season of dormancy increases the reliability, in my mind. Walk-behind blowers are no less complex than tractor-blower combinations. Both have engines, transmissions, and either a single or two stage auger. If you're afraid of your tractor breaking down while blowing snow, how can you rely on it to cut grass? But you are definitely right about the maneuverability. Unlike a big mower for a small lawn, you really have to have a large, wide driveway to justify a tractor-mounted blower, otherwise you'll waste more time trying to do K-turns than removing snow.

I don't recall seeing any recommendations for going from an electric boom up to a 42" tractor mounted and beyond, they way the compare acreage to deck size. I'd say to get a tractor mounted blower you'd need a minimum of 2,000 sq feet to make it worthwhile. With a 42" blower, going 3 mph in a straight line, you would clear about 1,000 sq ft per minute. Assuming you'll probably back up over the area you just cleared at 1 mph, then spend another 30 seconds messing with the auger, in actuality it would probably take 5 mins per 1,000 sq ft. Making a 2,000 ft driveway a 10 minute job. Sound reasonable? I can't judge that based on my experience since I always end up going over the same places three times as I accidentally push/blow snow over areas I already cleared. And then those ice mounds along the road always take a little longer.

No idiot should blow snow without a ski mask. I wear one everytime. Long as the cops don't mistake you for a bank robber making his get away it works fine.

Walk behinds can be nice but larger drives make a case for a tractor. As for same price I don't know. A 42" for my JD345 was $1400 with a set of chains for the tires. With 400' of drive in Michigan I'm happy with a tractor. Lots of trucks around with a blade but they tear up the drive and the lawn.

As a kid I ran a walk behind for the local banker. It was pretty much a walk behind tractor with forward and reverse gears. A local fool bought an electric blower and promptly sucked the extension cord into it. That was 30 years ago and it still gets snickered about.

As for storage issues.... after my gf left the tractor fit nicely on her side of the garage.

This idiot is fresh out of ski masks.

LMAO....marineguy you just had to throw in (not LA series)didn't you ?

anyone have a blower on a jd lt series? ive got a plow that works fine for central ohio snow. plowed 9 inches of snow/ice last year...it was pushing the limits and i f-ed 3rd gear.....blower prolly wouldnt have happened.

also anyone here have any thoughts about wat the max amount of weight i could safely put on the weight bracket in the back. jd's weights are 84 total. i use about 115lbs in a custom bracket.

thanks and good luck this winter all

Thanks for the tip on rubber tire chains. I'd never heard of them before. Definate bookmark.

As to the walk behinds. I have 3 of them. All of them are Sears units. Two have track drives. I have to say track drive is the way to go. They are unstickable. I know how that sounds. But honestly I've tried to get mine stuck and I can't. The traction is that good!

One thing I don't like on the newer models is the handles that stick straight back. I hate them! Most uncomfortable way to snow blow I've ever seen. My old 5 HP has the old style wrap around handle and it's very comfortable to use. The other 2 make my hands tired almost imeadately. Part of the reason I keep the old one around I'm seriously considering swaping the engine and chute from the 9 HP unit just because of that.

The 9 HP Sears has wheel drive and it is definately inferior to the track drive units. I've used the 5 HP to plow snow because it wouldn't throw it and still never gets stuck.

I plow most of the winter with my 4WD truck and that is by far the best way to move snow. But in the early part of the winter you can do a lot of damage with a plow. So I usually use the blowers until the ground freezes.

Bill

Hi guys. Interesting thread, its been a while since I logged on . The ski mask is a good idea but I got sick of putting on a balaclava, goggles & ear muffs ,I looked like a cross between a bank robber , mickey mouse & rolling bag of laundry while snowblowing on the tractor (250'long x 20 ft wide driveway with 2 parking lots & a 48" tractor mounted snow blower, can you say fun!!!). So last week I went & bought myself a snowmobile suit & one of those helmets that the snowmobilers use it has a full face shield and is fully enclosed, now I am nice & warm, its quieter and no worries of the snow blowing in my face at any angle. It just doesn't get any better, I actually look forward to cleaning the driveway now ! no boring old walk behind for this fella . Cheers & merry xmas, now I have to look outside & see if there's a snowstorm a brewin'

just my .02 here, but i have to say i wish i had a blower sometimes... i park in a wood shed and have to travel about 30' from the driveway, and if i keep a path cleared im good, but if we get alot of wind then the path gets filled with drift.

"Now I have a Toro Wheelhorse with 2-link v-bar chains and wheel weights"
i have v-bar chains as well, and would never use anything else. not really concerned about tearing up the driveway... 2nd year with the plow and no markings yet.

i push with the smallest JD avilible - '05 L100 and it does the job no problem.

but back to the blower, i would go with one over the blade if i had the chance, as i often run out of room to put the snow, and like i mentioned earlier the treck from the shed to the drive can get a bit hairy at times.

Regarding driveway marks from chains.

The only place I get marks is when I get (temporarily) stuck. Spinning wheels is when I get the marks.

I am fairly certain if I were to move up to v-bars, or add rear weights, I would do LESS damage not more.

That said, I don't spin the wheels often enough to care!

I have about 150' of moderately sloped asphalt drive in Wisconsin.

Been here for 35 years, During that time I have had four tractors, one with a blade and two with blowers. For two years I had a high end Toro walk behind.

I regard the blade as a bad call for me. One 15" snowstorm with drifting and I had to pay to have the drive cleared. Just not enough oomph even going downhill (tractor was a big wheeled heavy Case)..

The negative about the tractors with snow blowers is that they are a bit clumsy and the season switchover. Other than that they are fast and comfortable (I wear mad bomber hat and ski goggles). That two years with a walk behind left me wanting a tractor mounted snowblower again.

Currently I have a JD GX345 with a 42 blower. I love it. First the swapover takes me about 45 minutes including hosing, greasing, and putting away the deck or blower. Working out wheels to move the deck and blower for swapping was a burst of genius for some engineer. Makes what used to be a pain easy, and takes away a big advantage of the walk behind.

I have liquid filled tires and 3 - iron suitcase weights. With that and the, ahem, substantial weight of the operator I don't need the chains anymore..

We just had a 5" snowfall here. Some neighbors couldn't do their drives for various reasons--heart surgery, broken equipment, etc..

A neighbor with a walk behind and I did a total of 5 drives , most about the size of mine. I could do three in the time it took him to do one, so we quickly ended up with me doing the drives and him doing the tighter places. Good combo.

With my new found ease of equipment changeover, I don't have any doubts anymore as to what works best for me.

Just want to add a note of thanks. I bought a JD X304 this fall and have been pondering the add-ons. This thread has been educational.

johnml,

I'm from Wisconsin also, and I know where your coming from. We've had a lot of snow recently, and I come to the realization that the ol' beater Murray does a brilliant job blowing. In fact, my neighbors recently commented on how much faster I was able to blow my driveway versus their high power walk behinds. Also, the single stage blower (non-clogging) really cleaned up that rain soaked snow without a complaint, especially the EOD.

This gave me an idea - Why not just keep the Murray simply as a blower permanently, and use the Conquest for cutting and yard duties? The Murray at 7' long is only 2' longer than most walk behinds, but the 40" single-stage blower and 16 Hp (okay, maybe 14 left) destroy the walk behinds.

The Murray is a beater, but it still runs very well, and has not given much trouble in 14 years. If it dies, then I can make a decision then, but right now, it still works very well, and is worth nothing to anyone else. The only real hassle is off season storage, which gives me the perfect excuse to build that additional storage building I wanted, and I would probably want for a walk behind anyway.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:356284}}

Brilliant!!

Yes, many people on this board have multiple tractor for different uses.

Glad you came to an optimal solution!

"The only real hassle is off season storage, which gives me the perfect excuse to build that additional storage building I wanted, and I would probably want for a walk behind anyway."

I hope you have better non-junk accumulation discipline than I. Note the tractor shed. Note the location of the tractor. Yep, won't fit in the shed anymore. Have a woodworking bench in there.

Here is a link that might be useful:

johnml and daschtick-Where in Wisconsin are you located?