Snow Plows Versus Snowblowers,What You Really Need To Know

Snow plow or snowblower? It's a question on the mind of every skid-steer owning landscaper asks himself.Making a list of all the invaluable skid steer attachments available is a big task to undertake.

Condensing that list, however, down to two essentials for clearing snow and ice and making a safe environment for neighbors and clients, it is imperative to consider snow plows and snowblowers. Some people let the winter months bring their skid steer activities to a halt, but others make the most of the cold and snow, finding many ways to stay productive through the winter months. Some say that a skid steer operator just needs one or the other, but these two attachments — snow plows and snowblowers — serve distinct purposes.

SNOW PLOWS
When it comes to serving customers, the first priority is to simply move snow out of the way. To do that work, the most obvious skid steer attachment to use is the snow plow. In order to do a good job. The overall construction of a good plow needs to be first-rate. Scratches and wear on regular steel mold boards lead to rust and weaken the plow, but the mold boards on a heavy duty skid steer attachment will be made from heavy, rust-proof stainless steel. The cutting edge on a heavy duty skid steer attachment should be a two-in-one, reversible, bolt-on design. Eight inches of 3/4-inch hardened steel across the entire width of the plow will give it strength and rigidity.

A heavy duty skid steer snow plow can come in anywhere from seven to 10 foot widths. It is excellent for clearing large, wide and expansive surfaces: parking lots and streets and other wide-open paved areas. A good-quality skid steer snow plow is a truly effective skid steer attachment for snow removal.

But it is not necessarily the right tool for tight quarters. It can be cumbersome, especially near buildings and parked or stranded vehicles, and "tripping" the blade of a snow plow is always a concern. Every time there is a decent snow fall, many obstacles, like curbs, concrete lips, and other fixed objects are obscured by the blanket of snow. The best snow plow attachments include a trip feature, basically a spring-loaded dampening system. But not all have it.

SNOWBLOWERS
Snow plows offer a lot of snow-moving power in wide-open spaces, but good quality snowblowers will provide more versatility in smaller, tighter spaces. The more compact snowblowers can throw the snow in any direction that the operator chooses. This feature allows snowblowers to work with more precision. Anticipating the clearing of small walkways, or removing snow that has drifted close to a building, snowblowers are the tool to choose. The snowblowers are also perfect for situations where it is important to avoid hidden obstacles, not to mention things that are easily broken, such as cars and windows.

It is generally thought that a smaller machine, with a lower hydraulic flow-rate and fewer options would be less effective in heavy weather conditions, but even the normal-flow snowblowers have the potential to overcome the heaviest weather, ejecting the snow up to 45 feet in any direction. The smallest among them is a 48-inch wide unit, and it will cycle between 8 and 13 gallons of hydraulic fluid per minute to tackle a formidable amount of snow. To cut a wider path with each pass, consider normal-flow snowblowers in every width: 48-, 60-, 72-, 78-, and 84 inches.

For wide open spaces, the conventional plow is a simple, proven work-horse. But for walkways, smaller driveways and the tight spaces around businesses and homes, the skid steer-mounted snowblowers will not disappoint.


------

Skid Steer Solutions such as the snowblower and  other attachments for use in winter weather can be found at http://www.skidsteersoluntions.com