I care take a house at 8300ft in the mountains above Santa Fe, New Mexico. The National Weather Service state that there is anywhere between 40 and 160 inches of snow a year with an average year having 80 inches. It is hard to gauge how much snow in the on average 6 or so "big events" but I would put it around 9 to 18 inches each. The many smaller events are not an issue. This past winter the main snow fell in December where there was 38 inches over the course of 2 weeks. The road up the side of the hill is 1.6 miles long with the first 1.2 miles mainly south facing and usually cleaned by the neighbor. The last 0.4 miles or about 2100ft is my responsibility and is the north facing part of the road. The road is as narrow as 8.5ft in places and a little wider in others with sharp curves. 2 years ago, I cleaned the road with a Honda Foreman ATV 450ES with a Cycle Country plow with a WARN winch kit. In a few storms the Honda could not push the snow which required plowing a few feet and then digging the snow off the road with a shovel and then continuing clearing the road that way. On average even if the Honda could push the snow, it would require at least 5 hours of work with the Honda sometimes in 16 degrees as my job entailed that a lot of the plowing was done at night. This past winter the road was cleaned by someone who does snow clearing as a side job. He used a Chevy 1500 4x4 double cab truck with a basic plow. The truck had dedicated snow tires with heavy duty chains. Certain storms would require plowing a few feet and then digging the snow of the road with a shovel etc. His comment is that it is very dangerous to plow the road with a truck as the road is narrow and the truck tends to slide. The drop on the side of the road is considerable. The Honda was stolen this past year requiring me to purchase new equipment for this winter. I was considering something like a 2nd hand Toyota Tundra V8 with 282hp motor. The truck would then have other uses as well. I am not sure what plow to purchase and would appreciate any advice. I also thought that a snow blower in addition for when the snow is too deep for the truck and considered the Honda HS1132TA is an option. I was concerned that it may take considerable time with the HS1132TA for a 2100ft driveway. All of the snow blowers that are truck mounted seemed to be too problematic based on reviews that I read as well as too expensive to be considered. A few other things to be considered. The neighbor may not be there which would require the full 1.6 miles to be plowed although there is less snow on this section and it is south facing. If I am not staying at the house, it means cleaning on the weekends which means a week between plowings. If I am staying at the house, I need to get to work without too much fuss as I am a school teacher. The problem with the commercial guys in Santa Fe is that you can be snowed in while you wait for them to get there.
Any advise would be appreciated on the whether the truck / HS1132TA snow blower would be a good combination and if so what sort of plow should I mount on the truck. Or are there any other suggestions of what sort of equipment to purchase or am I asking too much from any equipment given the circumstances and options that I referred to above.
Any advise would be appreciated on the whether the truck / HS1132TA snow blower would be a good combination and if so what sort of plow should I mount on the truck. Or are there any other suggestions of what sort of equipment to purchase or am I asking too much from any equipment given the circumstances and options that I referred to above.