[Frogmore]

I am definitely not an expert on ice particle management and have no desire to become one, but it seems climate change is going to make me rethink that or move.

I say ice particle because snow is not a very descriptive word. When you say snow, people get a picture in their mind, but it likely isn't the same one. 2 feet of Rocky Mountain powder is easy to move with a blade or pusher. 6 inches of Cascade Concrete not so much.

The first time I used the 54 blade on my X749 it was the 2 feet of powder. It was easy and fun and I almost believed the people who say the AWD X700 series machines are unstoppable. The next time was 6" of Cascade Concrete. It took every bit of my (admittedly limited) driving skill to keep from getting stuck. I have over a 1/4 mile of gravel driveway, with parts having no space for a shoulder of any kind and edges that rise up with significant slope. The main driveway has about 10° of slope, so quite challenging for traction.

I have a CUT with a loader. One year, I used it, but it was very hard, took a long time, wasn't fun, and wrecked the driveway some. The next year I got Edge Tamers. The definitely help with not messing up the driveway, bit the rest of the problems are the same.

This is one of the reasons I got the X749 and 54 blade. I was concerned about snowblowing rocks and figured the plow would be better. It is much better than using a loader, but it looks like a blower is in my future. I think the blower will work better to remove the bulk of large drops and I plan on putting the skids down low to keep the rocks out. The plow works well for smaller amounts and other uses, so I am glad I have it.

If you get a 1 series machine, it uses the same blower so it won't work better or worse. It doesn't have AWS or even AWD so it definitely isn't as agile as my X749. For my property that matters a lot, maybe not for yours.

Physically the 1 series and X700 are very close, but the 1 series is bulkier and you sit up higher. That has advantages, but definitely much more pucker factor on a side slope. I notice the difference between my X300, X534, and X749. My CUT is even taller than the 1 series. I definitely felt unsafe on a side slope of even 10°, so I got wheel spacers. They helped, but when I took one wheel off it felt really light. Turns out the dealer never filled it. Once I got it filled, it helped a lot, but there are still significant differences in feel (at least) between it and the other machines. It also does a lot of damage to grass after just about 4 passes. It does grow back and I don't have fine lawn so it works well enough for me.

 

[Frogmore]

I just don't understand how everyone thinks the 1 series is "tippy" compared to the X7xx. IMHO they are about the same.

Everyone has their own pucker factor. The seat on the 1 series is a few inches higher up. I notice that the same slope feels steeper the higher up you are. I notice a difference between my X300, X534, and X749 on the exact same slope. I don't have a 1 series, but did sit on one at the dealer. My CUT's seat is even higher. I definitely notice the slope more and have to put in a correctional factor for pucker or I would have to stick to the driveway on my property.

 

[Frogmore]

The X739 is about $8500 more expensive but I get four wheel drive. Do you think it is worth it?

It isn't worth it if you don't need/want it. Only you know what $8500 is worth to you. For many people that is a lot of money. For many people a 2WD machine is more than adequate.

On the other hand, I have only heard of one person who was sorry they got an AWD X700 series machine with a blower. That person ended up getting a UTV with a plow instead.

The X700 series machines are expensive, no way around that (even used they are expensive and parts are too). For your needs and just comparing the X500 and X700 series machines, the only downside for the X700 is the cost. There are some people that say the blower on the X500 series throws farther, but that might be an advantage for the X500 series, instead of a downside of the X700 series.

If I needed to blow snow more than once or twice a year, I would either move or get a cab. That is going to add extra expense.

I also agree that a "real" tractor is great. People's definition of real varies. I have heard some people consider the 3 series machines to be lawn mowers. Other people think the 425 sized machines are great tractors. It all depends on the jobs you need doing. Machinery can help make many jobs easier/possible.

 

[Frogmore]

$14,700 for X739 (no deck, bare tractor) 1044lbs $14/lb
$18,030 for 1025R (no deck, no loader) 1556lbs = $11.60/lb

So, yeah, I agree the 1025R is a better deal.
1023e is $15,149 and 1446lb for $10.50/lb, a slightly better deal.

There is a difference between the 2305 and the 1 series. The 1 series is almost as big as my CUT. It just doesn't have the extra ground clearance from the larger tires I have. That puts my CUT's up about 6 inches higher.

I don't think we really know enough about what the OP really needs. Where is the machine stored? How easy will it be to get to where it is if the driveway is full of snow and ice?

Ultimately many choices can work okay or better. Some would probably be bad ones. Waiting for Spring/Summer might be adequate for some.

 

[Frogmore]

I angle my blade and push it off to the side not flat pushing it in front of me when going down a driveway.

I am not an expert, but I always thought what you are doing is technically called "plowing". Technically, "pushing" is when the blade or "box pusher" moves the snow straight ahead.

Plowing works great if there is room to move the snow to the side. I have parts of my driveway that are in a depression that makes it like a valley. There is no extra space on either side. That means I need to actually push it forward to a spot that has some room. There is a limit to how much snow anything that is actually pushing (as opposed to plowing) it can do.

 

[Frogmore]

This is a snow pusher and why you might want one and why there is confusion about people saying they push snow with a plow. You can do that of course. But there is an actual thing called a snow pusher that can NOT be used as a plow.

https://www.goodworkstractors.com/product/hla-1500-snow-pusher-jdqa/

 

[Frogmore]

think you are still getting stuck on semantics

Not really, you said push. I assumed that meant going straight, which is what "pushing snow" means to me. You meant it as what I understand "plowing snow to the side by angling the blade". I can do that for a mile without any issues. Pushing straight for more than about 40' will stop many machines. That was what I took the question of how long to mean.

I now understand what you meant by what you said.

It's like when someone is using the Boston vernacular and says "my starter runs but my engine won't crank". People in many other parts of the country/world would have little idea of what that statement means.

 

[Frogmore]

How did all the suburban cowboys know what tractors and implements to buy before he came along?

They didn't.
What do you have against GWT? Do you feel the same about Tractor Time with Tim?
What about all the people who post videos on YouTube?
What about all the people who post here?

I remember a time before all this information was readily available. I do agree there is lots more "information" out there that is worthless or even worse than there used to be. But, it is also possible to get more good information now then it ever was.

I definitely don't need a snow pusher, but I have watched a few videos about them. I don't want to live in a world where I would think a snow pusher is a good idea. But, I also never really wanted to live in an area where even a snow shovel would be a good idea. I now have two snow shovels, two snow blowers and a plow (that can be used for snow, both pushing and plowing 😉).