Snow removal with a mini X?

[Natman]

We had a big storm and major wind over the last several days, and I had 5' deep very heavy, very wind compacted snow that my mid size Kubota tractor was struggling with. The rear blower would clog, no matter how slow I went, and the front bucket had to take small bites as the snow was so compacted it was almost like dirt. It got to the point where I had the thought of breaking the U-25S out of its winter storage, as the trench I was working in was making me back up with every loader full before I could dump it, and I was running out of room! With the mini I could at least put piled it out to the side as I went.

But, upon further thought, I realized the out building the mini was in, was one of my snowed in buildings, and by the time I got to it, the need for it would be over! It is on it's trailer, and backed in, so no way to get it out until I got to it with the tractor. But it got me thinking, next winter (or maybe this year still) I should get the mini out and up into my heated shop, not stored where it's so hard to get to. Anyone have an idea how a 30" cleanout bucket would handle heavy compacted snow like this? Would it just clog the bucket and not fall out, and be worthless? My thought was I could at least bust it up enough to let the tractor handle it easier. Anyone do something similar with a mini?

 

[PeterG]

I recently used my Takeuchi TB240 mini excavator to remove some snow off of a gravel parking area. This was only about six inches deep though. With the push blade I was able to knock off the first 4" easily, and then go back and remove another couple of inches leaving about 1" or so on the ground. Only took like ten minutes. I don't think I would use it for asphalt down to the asphalt/concrete. Using the bucket would work for deeper snow. I think it would be best to leave the excavator on site if you know a big storm is coming and continue to clear the snow with the push blade on the mini or your tractor every 6" of snow fall. Might work for the right job. Push to the side, then use the loader to lift it further back. The mini I was using has a heated cab. 5' of snow! Oh my gosh! That's a different story.

 

[Clguest]

Excavator will help greatly. Whether the bucket clogs will depend on snow type, temperature and bucket temperature. Still, if the Kubota is struggling the ex can reduce the struggle.

 

[Natman]

Yeah, it would have been nice to be able to bust it up a bit so the tractor bucket would just be picking and hauling it, not having to break it loose. Seems weird to be talking about snow that way, but it was that compacted! My plan is to re-position the mini in it's winter storage building, to make it more easily accessible if and when we get another kick butt storm like this last one. Up here, I need to put everything inside for the winter, or forget about it until spring, due to it getting buried. I already have a plan as to what goes where next time, that'll keep the mini front and center, and not buried in the back of the building, lesson learned.

 

[Ronsii]

Any time I need to use a bucket machine for moving snow I grab a weed burner and a rattle can of gloss paint! an hit the inside of the bucket While I found snow still sticks to places it sticks a lot less to gloss paint surfaces

 

[hvy 1ton]

It will work better if the bucket if the bucket is shallow. I know what you mean about the snow acting like dirt. 4-5 years ago I had 16" of wet snow drift up 2-4'. The first drift I hit stopped my 15,000 lb tractor dead. Hitting it harder almost threw me out of the seat. I had to dig out anywhere it drifted.

 

[seville009]

Why not use the loader to break up/fluff up the compacted drifts then use the blower to blow the chopped up snow? That’s what I do on old/iced up piles.

Takes time, but it works.

 

[Natman]

There wasn't any fluffing up of this stuff! Breaking up, yes. I do use that method on lesser storms though. Plus, with the banks 5+' high, the blower wouldn't clear the banks, not have the proper trajectory, but it would clog up anyway. Chopping/breaking it up with the loader then scooping it up worked, just slow and I ended up having to put it where I didn't want it, but again, I can drive around the piles, nothing keeping from making the garage anyway. They'll just be new and increased points for new drifting to start the next time it blows and snows, which is looking like Wednesday. I've been using 2 different tractors with blowers and blades for over 20 years now, been there done that....this storm got my attention! The amount and the consistency of it, plus the wind. Out flying the ski plane yesterday, noticed in places it was rock hard and rough, other areas were soft deep powder, on the lee sides of the wind.

 

[ITW]

Have a look I use my mini x a lot for snow removal here in northern Norway.
Where I live we get a lot of snow drifts with the wind and than it's not posible to remove it only with tractor an snowblower.

I paint my buckets before winter so the snow releases easyer, just an quick paint job because it goes away every summer

Also see my other videos with snow removal with mini x:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChG7_gjPRTJrbfEUoAYoquw/videos?view_as=subscriber

And subscribe if you find the videos interesting

 

[Batkom]

I use mine every winter.
When I run out of room to push it and the roads gets to narrow I then put my biggest bucket on and move the snow berms over the fence to create pull outs so 2 cars can pass.
Neighbors all felt the need to fence right up to the road, stupid. So I dump it over there fences into there yard n pastures.
All the neighbors have at least 2 acres, most have over 10, you would think that moving your fence back 5 feet would not be a big deal - it happens to snow every year, hello!

 

[ITW]

Here it's against the law to dump snow on others property, so I need to keep it for my self

The snowblowers are great in combination with the excavator, brake it up with the excavator and throw it away with the snowblower.

 

[Natman]

ITW, that's great! Tomorrow, my hangar is getting re arranged, so I can run the mini out the door when and if needed. This is my first winter with it, and it's trailer with other stuff in the way, but I make room and get it READY. I'll post a few pics of the process.

 

[ITW]

Hi
See the end of my latest video, here my son testes the bucket I painted, as the snow is no problem to get out now

 

[Natman]

The mini worked great for raking down the tall banks, to where the tractor's blower could get at it. The rubber tracks work about like I figured on ice and slopes , not so good, no surprise there. I now have a bright red clean out bucket, and I'm sure the paint has to help, though mostly I just raked and pushed with it, not scooped. Getting it out of the hangar was TIGHT, as I had no room for the stuff I was pulling out of the way, but nothing got dented or scratched, and it's now up in my shop where it can be my backup to the tractor, ready to go , NOT snowed in, in an outbuilding. The tractor and the mini make a great tag team, though sometimes their functions overlap, it nice using the best tool for the job. I've had Kubota tractors for 20 years, the mini for 1, and now I wouldn't give either one up.

 

[ITW]

Great it worked out
It's true I don't know what I would do if I didn't have an excavator anymore can do anything with them, almost.

 

[Natman]

We got a bit of a warm spell the last couple days, and for the first time in 12 years I noticed pooling water on the slab in front of my outbuilding, trapped by all the snow with ice underneath it. I didn't like it, and then I remembered the mini was off it's trailer and just feet away in that outbuilding! 10 minutes later I had dug a trench through the 8' high bank, and then after a few minutes of scraping the ice layer off, finally reached the point where the water drained off. The rest of the day it drained off as fast as it melted. As a newcomer to these machines, I am still amazed how handy they are. Even with also having a fully equipped tractor, the mini was the best tool for this job, by far.