[QUOTE="f350ca, post: 543090, member: 25609"]John Deere makes a snow blower for this tractor but its of course priced green. The pto speed on this is 2400 rpm so they use either a gear reducer or some have a chain drive, we'll go chain, needed a donor for the box that drives the auger. Mentioned it to a buddy who had a Gravely Snow Cannon. What a beast, Im sure OHAS would love it.
Greg[/QUOTE]
Green pricing isn't cheap, but in the long run I think you get what you pay for. Nearly 18 years ago I was looking for a new garden tractor. My wife said that whatever I bought would be a once in a lifetime purchase, so I should look carefully and make a wise decision. When I started looking Green wasn't even on my list.
I started with Wheelhorse, Toro, Simplicity, Ariens, Lawnboy Cub Cadet, and a few others. By the time I looked at all the brands available locally the list had expanded to nearly 20 possibilities. JD was now on the list, but only as a courtesy, mostly because of the price. A little more research revealed that most brands have several different models, so now the number of machines had expanded to nearly 40. At that point I needed to create a spread sheet to keep all the models, accessories, and prices straight.
As time went on and the search got more detailed JD started rising through the ranks. It seems that most brands were advertising "base models" with few if any accessories. By the time the necessary accessories were added the prices went up dramatically. In several cases the base machines were 1/3 the price of a comparable JD, but a "well equipped" machine was actually more expensive.
In the end it came down to 3 different brands. The final question was "how long are the machines supported, and how long would parts be available? As it turned out JD was the only brand that supported machines over the 15 year mark. I was a bit surprised when I found parts were still available for the first models they built in 1966. The other brands still had some things available, but by in large they felt the machines had gone beyond their expected service life.
In the end I purchased a JD 445 equipped with a 22 hp fuel injected engine, all wheel power steering, full hydraulics, limited slip differential, front, mid, and rear pto, hydraulic 3 point hitch, cruise control and a number of other features that were expensive options on other brands. It wasn't cheap, but believe it or not it wasn't the most expensive on the list.
I've had the machine nearly 18 years, and in that time maintenance has amounted to annual oil changes, one tune up, one new battery, and a few transmission and gear oil changes. The initial cost was well worth the quality and durability. I believe my wife was right in that this may be the only tractor I'll ever buy.
.
, stay warm. Our high temp today is 77ºF with a low of 46ºF. 
