Nice boots! Looks like you are ready for old man winter!
One question about using a loader on a garden tractor? Do you need to add ballast at the rear to help compensate for the weight of the load in the bucket. On second thought, perhaps snow isn't heavy enough to require it, so maybe not...
The reason I ask is that I also have a tractor with a loader. The manual states that ballast must be used to balance the load and take weight off the front axle to prevent damage to it. Have you experimented using ballast when lifting stone or other heaver loads to compensate for the weight imbalance and to keep the rear wheels on the ground?
Like you, I have my rear tires loaded to help with the balance issue. The R4's have good traction in the snow due to the tires being filled. Because I clear snow with a blade in the winter, the ballast is not needed, however, when lifting stone or moving my boom lift around, I always use the ballast box.