Can-Am / Bercomac snowblower combo - Montana winter? Big deal! 

I've attempted to start the Honda a couple of times with the kill switch activated, this is the only time it was documented though... :) I think I'm used to it now and haven't done it lately, but you never know. Snow blowing is definitely therapeutic! If you're "touched", then I am too!

Rural Montana Living Ha, ha, ha... Yep. BTW, I believe I am a neighbor to you (so to speak), way up north between Libby & Marion... You have got a beautiful place there...

I got lost in the conversation, who are we touching? 😯

Snow removal is my release

Glad you liked it!

I get it. The house we were in at the time of this video had very short overhangs on the porches. Didn't do much to keep the snow off of the porch. We didn't build the house and extending the roof would have been cost prohibitive. If we ever build, we'll have nice, deep porch overhangs, Thanks for watching and commenting.

That stinks. Seems par for the course these days with just about everything.

I had a choice of either a 22hp Honda or a 25hp Kohler. I opted for the Honda. It gets the job done just fine as long as you take it slow, which is true for snowblowers in general. I have not posted a full review. The winters of 19/20 and 20/21 resulted in very little snow here, and I only used it a couple of times. The Berco is now winterized for long term storage because we sold the house and are looking for a new place. I don't need it at our rental. Hope to need it again next season.

@@RuralMontanaLiving have you identified any drawbacks with anything?

A common complaint is how the blower is secured to the front of the UTV via chains and turnbuckles. It is clunky, but seems to work OK. My biggest concern is the robustness of the gearbox that turn the auger. My blower failed in its first season. The auger would turn freely by hand, but not while running. The shear bolts were fine. My local dealer picked it up and repaired it under warranty for no charge. They said the gear was totally destroyed. I never hit anything, so I have no clue what caused it. Even the dealer said the unit still looked brand new. The service experience was awesome, but I worry that the gearbox MAY lack robustness for the size of the unit. Maybe mine was defective from the factory since I had less than 10 hours on the unit at the time of failure. No problems since. Only time will tell. I'm sure it is not nearly as powerful as a PTO-driven unit on a tractor, etc., but it comes off of the UTV in minutes and then you can have fun with the UTV.

I've had no issues on hills up to 10% grade. The wheels turn well and I've never had an issue with them getting stuck sideways. One of the wheel arms is slightly bent, but that was my mistake when I got too close to the edge of the packed road and it sunk. The amount of force needed to get it out of the deep stuff bent it slightly. There have been no performance repercussions and that happened a few years ago. The other wheel arm is fine, so I think they can handle the weight of the blower.

Yes, it has skid shoes. I have to start with it high until there is enough packed snow so that I don't throw gravel. If you're clearing asphalt or concrete, you can scrape down to the pavement.

The dealer installed it for me, so I don't know the exact route. It goes in through the grill and comes up from under the dash, runs up across the front of it, and is mounted near the windshield.

The hitch receiver works really well. The part I don't like, but don't see a better solution, are the chains/turnbuckles that keep the blower from moving side to side. They attach to the front of the SxS and need to be tightened periodically.

@@RuralMontanaLiving put a bungee cord between the two turnbuckles and they won't loosen

I would definitely recommend both, depending on your application. It can cover a large area relatively quickly (for a snow blower), but can be cumbersome in smaller areas. The rig is 15'-16' long when the blower is on the SxS. Just be sure to adjust the skid shoes so that you're not scraping the road base until you get a couple of inches of hard packed snow. Then you can adjust the blower down when clearing new snowfall. Thanks for checking out the channel.

It does a great job. Unfortunately it has been so warm here lately that our snow is dwindling. Hopefully we'll get more soon. When we do, I'll put together a detailed feature & review video.

That has not been my experience after 2 seasons. The auger and chute are forward of the frame, so the snow is cleared before the frame reaches it. For the frame to get stuck you would have to be traveling through deep snow while not running the blower. Not sure why you would do that. If you want to have fun in the snow with just the SxS, take 2 minutes to remove the snow blower first.

@@RuralMontanaLiving there are alot of hills and rough terrain that i have to plow, its not just nice flat paved driveway. i also have to turn around in the snow in a couple spots. i actually doubt itd work on my steepest hill as the aproch is pretty sudden and im guessing it eould get hung up

Gotcha. Rough terrain could be a problem, although any snow blower may not be best for that. We have about a 6% grade on our road and this setup handles it easily, although it is a gravel road, not rough terrain. Sounds like a plow is your only option. Thanks for checking out the video and commenting.

@@RuralMontanaLiving yeah its been an issue since i bought the place, its also mostly gravel but also over some grass and dirt to get back to the outbuildings. i miss the ability to throw snow where i want it, because i have some dead end areas that need plowing and i have to drag alot back with the plow, but i think your right ultimately a plow is probably the best bet

@@shonuffisthemaster there’s another video of this same brand set up on a Polaris by a guy in BC Canada. He has the same terrain you’re describing. You should go look at that

I can't drive the snowblower onto steps to clear them, so I used a shovel. I can clear the snow in front the garage with a snowblower, so that is what I did. The driveway is 100% gravel and if I raised the skid shoes, I would be throwing gravel everywhere. The windshield wiper kit is over $1000, so I'll continue to use it as-is. The shakiness is due to the plastic window vibration and can't be helped. Check out my newer videos (this video is a few years old). I've since added a GoPro to my arsenal and can mount it outside the cab so that I'm not filming through a plastic window. Thanks for watching.

Bercomac. Check their website to find your closest dealer.

I would start on Bercomac's website and look for a dealer close to you. Talk to them about options for whatever UTV/ATV/tractor you have in mind.

Mine did fine in those very conditions. I only got rid of it because it wasn’t well suited for the amount of area I need to clear. Just make sure you pack down a few inches of snow by driving on it, or you end up throwing gravel.

Thanks for the idea! Now if winter would actually get here, I might try it. It has been unseasonably warm and not much snow. I've only used the blower twice this season, and only for a few inches of snow.

@@RuralMontanaLiving we just got 30+inches in Northern NJ Some retail stores were closed for Monday & Tuesday. My 9hp Craftsman broke auger shear pin & then twice broke the impeller shear pins. I just bought a Professional Series Ariens Rapidtrak 32" hydrostatic drive. I got tired of repairing & muscling the old Craftsman. You need some "manly"😄snow in big sky land. Instead we get what most guys here can't handle, don't want, & pay someone else to "please remove" A big snowblower needs Alot of snow to show its real capabilities. Otherwise, it will look 'wimpy' in a video that doesn't do it justice.

Bercs usually rip in the snow. Pretty weak snow action for Montana

Yup, you caught me. I hired a Hollywood special effects crew to put together a quick RU-vid snowblower video. Waiting patiently for my Academy award.

Fake snow, fake trees, fake animals, fake SxS…yup, just like the moon landing and the spherical Earth! It’s all a hoax propagated by…who’s the latest flavour? Oh yes…Biden.