Kutupembe: You've gotten a lot of good suggestions since my earlier post. I'm thinking the most important advice you have been given is a Cab from what I've heard about MN temperatures and wind chill. In my lifetime I've plowed snow with Farmalls H, SA, 130, 300, 560 and 656, Case skid loaders, John Deere 540A forestry skidder, Champion road grader along with and assortment of pickups. Plowing heavy snow falls in wind will beat the crap out of equipment. This is particularly true with farm tractors and pickups. Skid loaders will actually do less damage to themselves than most vehicles, basically because you are closer to your work, thus you see obstacles quicker. While the road grader is a fast machine to plow lots of snow, they can also get in trouble, getting bogged in snow you have pushed, especially if you get off roadway and are not on level footing. The forestry skidder will come out of any situation short of being on it's roof. They will out push any tractor, pickup or skid steer. I have seen my Deere with chains on all 4 wheels, encounter 8' drifts and never even slow it down. Believe me a 1/2 mile is a lot of road to keep clear. If you get the kind of snow falls I think you get, cheap aint going to cut it. Cab is number 1, 4x4 is number 2 and number 3 is blower or 100+hp. That is unless you have a week to dig out after the storm. If that be the case go with the skid steer.
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