RTV vs BX snow plowing

ccmdvl1960

Active member
We moved to our property in November and are now there full-time, so this is my first winter maintaining the driveway on a regular basis. Last fall, we got a BX 2370-1 with loader/forks, mower, and frame-mounted 60" hydraulic plow to replace our old Cub LoBoy and JD 425. Our driveway is about 1/3 mile long with some open spaces in front of the garage, barn and turn-around. It takes four passes on the drive with the blade angled. To plow everything it takes between 1:15 and 2 hrs depending on how deep the snow is. On a nice weekend day this is OK, but not at 6 AM when its still coming down and is 10 degrees out. A truck plow would be the way to go, but is not an option.

We have been thinking about getting one of these Original Tractor Cab enclosures for our RTV1140
http://www.wiedmannbros.com/Soft-Top-Cab-Enclosure-for-Kubota-RTV1140_p_3776.html

And, with this enclosure, I am wondering if I should get a plow for the RTV and sell the BX plow. I like the looks of the BOSS 6' poly straight blade. The enclosure would definitely keep the weather off of me and the RTV can travel faster than the BX, which tops out at 8 MPH. Of course, I'm not going to be plowing at 25 MPH with the RTV, but with an extra foot of blade width and 10-15 MPH in the straight aways, I would think that I could shave some time off of the chore.

Any thoughts?
 

avantiguy

Super Site Supporter
SUPER Site Supporter
I plow about 1400 ft of driveway with my 900, a curtis 72" blade and a curtis enclosed cab. I can do that much faster than your quote wearing a light jacket. I don't have a heater but use a propane heater designed to fit in the cup holder. I love the setup.

Several thoughts, if you can swing the Boss V-plow, that's what I would buy. The straight blade curtis works fine but I'd like it to lift a little higher although that may not be a problem with the straight blade Boss. Secondly, the V setup will let you bust through deep, wet snow easier than a flat blade eventhough my 900 has handled the worst snows we had last year, a record, with no problem. My plow is power up and down but manual side to side. Not a problem as 90+% of the plowing has the blade in the same position but power side to side would be nice like the Boss units.

I use 15 cinder blocks in the bed and seldom use 4 wheel drive.

Lastly, if you don't have a wiper, you will find one handy if one can be installed. With light snow at faster speeds, I get a fair bit on the windscreen and the wiper keeps my vision clear.

Bob
 

Mark.Sibole

Well-known member
Seems like a lot of time to me to plow out a driveway
IMO.My driveway is 1/4 mile long and i plow it out to 30 feet wide to make sure i have room for snow in the future.I can plow the driveway garage area and up to the wood burner in about 45 minutes to an hour.Thats with an open cab 900 and a curtis plow and in first gear.It will all depend on several factors I think.The more you do it the easier and faster it goes.NOw im not going to try to tell you NOT to get a plow for your RTV by any means. Both machines are nice.But I can not see any reason with your BX you cant get the job done .Especially if you have a plow attachment on it.Personally Id trade my RTV for the BX any day at this time.For me at least it would be more functional for all projects especially plowing in tight places and pileing up snow when you wun out of room.NOw like I said I have a RTV 900 with plow and aftermarket dump and I do like it.The roof is nice to keep you dry and the windshield keeps the wind off of you and I han haul a butt load of wood with it and do some joy rideing.But when I run out of room for pushing snow I fire up my old david brown 990 with a front loader to move piles around and do some of the things the RTV cant do. Having 2 machines is a win win situation. But like I said its basically what you want to do.Im still at a loss as to why it takes you so long with the BX. With a plow on the RTV should take the same amount of time to plow out your driveway.Even with Both the RTV and Front loader I have here finally ID love to be in your situation of having the BX.With even just the front bucket and a back scraper blade you should be done in no time.
Just my thoughts on it.But then ive been plowing my driveway for 11 years and i know the easiest way to do it.

Regards

Mark
 

Mark.Sibole

Well-known member
This is the first quarter of my driveway so you can basically see what kind of snow i get here and how its pushed
alittlesnow.JPG
 

ccmdvl1960

Active member
I have been plowing the driveway for about 8 years total, but this is the first year with the BX. Previously, I used the Cub LoBoy, 54" hyd lift, manual angle and a JD425, 54" hyd 4-way blade. I can definitely plow the drive faster with the BX than with the Cub and JD425. When I was using the two old machines, I wasn't necessarily in a hurry because it was just an occasional weekend thing a few times per winter.

The plowing pattern that I used then and use now is start in the middle with blade angled, and go up and down the drive, working to the edges until its clear, which is 4-6 passes depending on snow depth -- how much of a bite I can take. This leaves the driveway between 12 and 16 feet wide in most areas to allow for additional snow pile up.

In the non-driveway areas, I keep the blade angled and plow in the forward direction to one side, back up and repeat until the area is clear.

I can't think of any way to really decrease my time with the BX. When there is only 2 or 3 inches of snow, I can get away with less passes, so the time is closer to 1 hr. 6-8 inches of snow takes closer to 2 hrs because I can only use about 1/2 to 1/3 of the blade width.

Measuring what I plow on google earth, I am just shy of .4 mile, not .33.

It is possible that I could add wings to the BX plow, but I still am limited on travel speed and have no enclosure/cab.

If I sold the BX plow attachment, I would then be able to leave the loader on, and I also have a back blade, so I could use that as a backup to the RTV or to move banks back, etc.
 

Mark.Sibole

Well-known member
Ah ok that explains a bit more then.Im not sure how wide your plow is on the BX and that could make a difference.Im not sure what you paid for the BX plow neither .You could sell the plow blade for the BX and pick up a curtis or boss for the RTV and it may help.Another option im even looking at for future storms here is picking up an old used plow blade from a truck and welding brackets on it to install on the tractor front loader.You could either make brackets to install right on the front bucket of the BX or remove the bucket pins and remove the bucket and add the plow to that..Im loking into something like that myself.By adding a 72 inch or widr plow to the loader would give me some serious options.Making a bracket angled of corse to push the snow and having the ability to hit the end raise the boom and really pile it high as where the kubots will only allow you so much lift.But we are in different circumstances as yours is 4 wd and mine is only 2 wd but with chains on it.Good luck on what you do .In the end it will work out for ya im sure.Let us all know what you decide as we all like to be nosy and see who is doing what lol.
Have a great week.Im still in slow motion here as im getting over a major MS attack and still have a plate full to catch up on.I still need to rebuild the PSP pump on the 990 as I have a bad seal and psp oil is leaking into the crank case and i have to fill the res non stop.Its no biggie right now as both the psp and engine oil are the same but it can be a pain to fill one and drain the other.Then i need to repack the front croud rams but its been just to damn cold out there to do a lot on it.This is the first tractor ive owned and picked it up cheap and knew it needed some loving and im slowly getting it right.I worked heavy construction all my life so there isnt anything I cant run in construction equipt. from a little ditch witch to a d8 dozer to a backhoe to a cleveland trencher.They are all a blast to play on and damn i miss it but with my MS im medically retired and can only go as fast as my old broken body lets me go.I really need some good friends close to me like BCZOOM or Bordercollie and a lot of other great people on this forum.If I had any or all of them close to me i know they would help me and life would truely be grand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Kanook

Active member
Curious as to why you don't consider hanging a blower off the front (or back) of that little BX..???
 

ccmdvl1960

Active member
Curious as to why you don't consider hanging a blower off the front (or back) of that little BX..???

Never really dealt with blowers other than the walk-behind type. Just seems like a slow method for most snow events. Might be nice for 1' falls, but those are rare, and if they occur, I try to plow during the storm to ease the process. If used as the primary tool, I'd definitely go front-mount because I can't imagine looking backwards for that long.
 

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Wild Bill

Member
It is great getting out of the wind. You experience much less numbness!
For the last few years I used the cheap shrink film window trick. That worked great vs. nothing at all. This year I got a cab and that is obviously even better. With the cab you posted, how would that work with your poly roof?

Also for the plow. The Curtis plow is a bit small. The moldboard is rather low and It could be wider than 6'. The Kubota can handle more than that. I modified mine to add another 6" to the moldboard, and added 10" wings to each side of the plow. Now it is a beast but with all the extra steel it has the lift mechanism maxed right out. Moves snow like a mother :smile:

I recently saw someone with a pic of a Sno-Way plow. It's still 6' but looks to have a higher moldboard and has hydraulic lift and angle. Nice!

That said the Boss V-Plow would still be the ultimate.
 

Fitch

Active member
We moved to our property in November and are now there full-time, so this is my first winter maintaining the driveway on a regular basis. Last fall, we got a BX 2370-1 with loader/forks, mower, and frame-mounted 60" hydraulic plow to replace our old Cub LoBoy and JD 425. Our driveway is about 1/3 mile long with some open spaces in front of the garage, barn and turn-around. It takes four passes on the drive with the blade angled. To plow everything it takes between 1:15 and 2 hrs depending on how deep the snow is. On a nice weekend day this is OK, but not at 6 AM when its still coming down and is 10 degrees out. A truck plow would be the way to go, but is not an option.

We have been thinking about getting one of these Original Tractor Cab enclosures for our RTV1140
http://www.wiedmannbros.com/Soft-Top-Cab-Enclosure-for-Kubota-RTV1140_p_3776.html

And, with this enclosure, I am wondering if I should get a plow for the RTV and sell the BX plow. I like the looks of the BOSS 6' poly straight blade. The enclosure would definitely keep the weather off of me and the RTV can travel faster than the BX, which tops out at 8 MPH. Of course, I'm not going to be plowing at 25 MPH with the RTV, but with an extra foot of blade width and 10-15 MPH in the straight aways, I would think that I could shave some time off of the chore.

Any thoughts?

Yes. You asked, here they are:

After thinking about it for a few days, I think the BX is by far the best machine, of the two pictured, to plow the driveway. It was designed, and it's drive train was optimized, to push and pull heavy loads, loads not on wheels, as it's normal job. Pushing buckets into dirt, dragging logs or wood, pulling tillage implements, pushing a snow blade, running a loader, digging and stacking dirt, is what it's designed to do. That's normal for it. The drive train was designed to do that for thousands of hours as normal life with nothing more than routine maintainance. It's a "tractor" and that's what tractor's do.

The RTV was not designed that way. The drive train was optimized: cost, strength, longevity, to deal with loads that are on wheels. The hitch isn't designed for pulling agricultural tillage implements like the hitch on the BX. It's a truck, or dump truck, and does just fine pulling a trailer, but it's definitely not a tractor.

People who use it like a tractor pay a price for that. The price comes in the form of reduced reliability and higher maintenance cost. The most obvious price is reduced rear u-joint life. If you wear out a set of rear U-joints, unless you have the tools and skills to replace them, you are looking at a $1,000 to $1,200 bill. People on this forum who do a lot of plowing have been known to replace their U-joints in as little as 500 hours. People who don't plow, or drag heavy stuff like logs, or trees, have much better U-joint life.

Were it me in your position, I'd put a cab on the BX and not look back. If you want to spend more money to reduce the time, add wheel weights up to maximum so it will push harder, then consider adding extenders to the blade.

Those are my thoughts.

Fitch
 

Wild Bill

Member
Fitch has a very good point to make. The tractor would be a more sturdy and durable platform to plow with. Especially if you hit something at 10-15 MPH with the RTV. What is it about the tractor that makes it a slow process? Is it just the 8 MPH speed of the BX? The plow on the BX looks to be a 6 footer. You could add some wings onto that beast to make it nearly 8' wide. You could add a deflector if you needed to carry more snow.

In the end comfort does also play a part in this. Not sure how cab kits compare between the BX and the RTV but for the price you'd pay for a plow and cab for the RTV you might be able to get a decent cab on the tractor.

I do not know the extent of the U-Joint problems on the RTV as I only have 100 hours on mine but it seems as though the RTV is a pretty stout machine. It is not like most other side by sides. If you want to plow with it then plow with it.
 

Keifer

Senior Member
Gold Site Supporter
Fishinbill85

Yes but........ you never get to build a snow man, you never get to raise your face to the sky and catch snow flakes on your tongue, you never get to make a snow angel, you never get to dress up in 4 layers of clothes and 2 pairs of gloves, you never have your pant legs freeze solid and chaff your legs, you never get to fish on hard water, you never have your icicles on your beard, you never have to use glow plugs to start a motor, you never have to add kerosene to diesel fuel, you never have your nose hair freeze solid, you never get to scrape snow and ice from your windshield or put chains on your tires......!

Hey fishinbill, ya got a spare room for the winter? LOL

keifer
 

ccmdvl1960

Active member
Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts.

Fitch, what a great analysis. I think you make some excellent points and you may have pushed my snow pile back on the BX's side.

The BX plow, Kubota # 2763A is 60" wide. WildBill, those wings are an interesting thought. In fact, in the thread I started on this topic on TBN, someone mentioned those same wings from Northern Tool. Are they easily removable? They may be the ticket for snows about 6" or less. I do not know anyone who has added them to a 2763A plow on a BX yet.

Going from 60" to approx. 80", I think would make a big difference even if the ground travel speed remains the same. The OTC cab for the BX is about $875, if you add the glass windshield and electric wiper, it would be around $1250. So, for $1500, I could have a wider, enclosed snow removal machine.

As for weights - I did have the rear tires filled with RimGuard (beet juice/pulp) which I believe amounts to ~80 lbs per rear tire. I bought the chains used from a neighbor and what a difference they make. Of course I have used chains on my other 2wd tractors, but at first didn't think they would be necessary on a 4WD tractor. They are (at least a little one).

My concern with the wider front plow (via wings) on the relatively light BX (with the plow, I believe it is about 1600 lbs) is the front end getting pushed around. I think I might have to find a way to add some weights to the front. The way the plow hitch connects, it covers the front weight bracket, so I would have to fashion something.
 

Wild Bill

Member
The wings are quickly removable with 3 pins. If I could make the wings fit a small moldboard like the Curtis plow I would imagine that they would fit on anything.

Here is a thread on the installation of the wings. You can see what I had to do to get them to fit and how they pin on.

Last thought, 1600# is a lot lighter than the RTV would be. Before this year (I now have a 300# cab on the machine) I would put 600# of sand in the bed for plowing. With the sand it would ring in at 2900#.

I bet it would help a lot to find a way to get some weight into the front end of the BX.
 

ccmdvl1960

Active member
An update in July - I found a complete Curtis plow with hydraulic angle for sale and picked it up for $800. I'll give it a try this winter and see how it goes.
 
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