Ok, this for those of us in the northern half of North America.
Does anyone use a snowblower on the front of a ZTR mower? I know such a combo is sold, but I've never met anyone that uses one.
I sometimes travel for work and so the wife has to clear the snow. I have a 2-stage snowblower but regardless of manufacturer, they take physical effort to operate. Since she has an AWD car, she doesn't always clear the snowplow berm at the end of the driveway. So when I get back, it's frozen solid and I get the joy of busting it up and out by hand. Sucks massive mammal appendage! Not mention kills my back.
I'm try to figure out a cost-viable option to have a piece of machinery do the work so she doesn't have to expend so much effort. But that costs money that could be used on a new Plasma. I could add a blower to the current lawn tractor, but it's a rwd hydrostat and the last thing I need is a phone call from her saying she has it stuck on an ice patch and now she can't even drive the car out since the lawn tractor is blocking the driveway. Past history indicates she is very capable of getting rwd equipment stuck.
What have others done for this scenario/issue? Or just pay the $40 per plow job? Which means that could be up to $80 per day ($40 for initial in morning and $40 again to come back and clear the plow berm again).
As reference, driveway is about 135 feet long, ranges from 2 to 3 cars wide, is flat, and makes about a 50 degree curve. It's a lot of area to cover. I take a minimum of 40 minutes to clear it with the 2-stage snowblower (2-3 inches of fluffy snow). Wife can take longer if she bothers to clear the whole driveway (usually doesn't so I get to, after it's frozen solid).
I have lived in the mid western snow belt for forty years. So I see your problem. For the first nine years I either shoveled or had one of the local implement dealers clear me out with a tractor.
Unfortunately when I built my house in Grand Forks ND, we built on a cul de sac circle facing into the prevailing snows and often me and my neighbor would have massive snow drifts.
My first mechanization was a Sears lawn tractor and blower attachment. This was useless, as are all lawn tractors that have the engine pulley under the tractor and drive the blower with a long belt from under the tractor.
So in 1981 I bought the first equipment that was effective and still have it.
It was a 1981 JD 214 (new) and a used snow blower attachment. This lawn tractor has an upright 14 HP single cylinder cast iron upright Kohler engine with the PTO pulley on the side. The engine drives the blower from a short belt on the side, and the blower is chain drive from the first pulley. The belt is well out of the snow. This system was highly effective, and allowed me quickly to get to the hospital at any time, even if I had to clear the circle and road. I paid $3500 for the new tractor and used blower in 1981.
I rebuilt and replaced all moving parts on the mower about 25 years ago. Unfortunately JD no longer support this series blower attachments with parts, but I did find a good used and refurbished a couple of years ago, and should be able to keep it going for many years. I use it now to clear snow from my lower forecourt that is too confined for my old JD Model A. Now since this type of lawnmower is rear wheel drive you certainly can get them stuck in snow, despite chains and wheel weights.
Unfortunately JD went to horizontal engines with the belt underneath after the 200 series tractors of the seventies and early eighties. So now the JD belt driven snow blower attachments are as useless as anybodies.
Now you have a much longer drive way than average. If you want a tractor/ blower to that will allow your wife to clear clear snow quickly and reliably, this is what you will need.
Preferably the tractor should be John Deere. You will need one that shaft couples to the blower, NOT belt.
The tractor should preferably be four wheel drive or at least front wheel assist. The tractor should be equipped with hydraulics to raise and lower implements. I would suggest the blower be at least 47".
This rig will cost you somewhere north of $10,000. If you care for it, it will last you the rest of your life.
Now I have moved to the lake I have a half mile road to clear and a lot of property as well as neighbors I plow out. So for most of it I use my 1948 JD model A.
She pushes up impressive snow banks.
So your first decision is to decide if you want to contract your snow clearance or own your own. If you own your own you need to learn how to maintain and service it, other wise it will have a short life. If you are not mechanically inclined I would contract it.
