Hi New Englander, and welcome to MLMF. Glad you joined us. Congratulations on your new home and John Deere. Sounds like you got yourself a very good deal, especially if the blade has not been used. John Deere has a very good reputation, and a strong dealer network in place for service and parts, should you ever need them.
You've already taken giant steps toward learning about your 170 by changing the oil and filters. I'd just recommend reading over the owner's manual and looking over the tractor with the manual in hand to familiarize yourself with all the features.
I can not speak about the John Deere 170, but I have both a blade and snow blower attachments for my old Sears Suburban, and have used them both. What you choose to use may depend on the material your driveway is made of. Concrete is less apt to be damaged by a blade than black top, and certainly less apt to be disturbed than gravel, but I wouldn't recommend using a snow blower on gravel. I do prefer the snow blower attachment myself, mainly because the blade makes a lot of racket scraping on the concrete. Also, unless the snow is very wet and heavy, I can generally move the snow further away from the area I'm clearing with the snow blower.
Enjoy your John Deere, and keep us posted on your experiences with it. Don't hesitate to ask questions if you have any.
You've already taken giant steps toward learning about your 170 by changing the oil and filters. I'd just recommend reading over the owner's manual and looking over the tractor with the manual in hand to familiarize yourself with all the features.
I can not speak about the John Deere 170, but I have both a blade and snow blower attachments for my old Sears Suburban, and have used them both. What you choose to use may depend on the material your driveway is made of. Concrete is less apt to be damaged by a blade than black top, and certainly less apt to be disturbed than gravel, but I wouldn't recommend using a snow blower on gravel. I do prefer the snow blower attachment myself, mainly because the blade makes a lot of racket scraping on the concrete. Also, unless the snow is very wet and heavy, I can generally move the snow further away from the area I'm clearing with the snow blower.
Enjoy your John Deere, and keep us posted on your experiences with it. Don't hesitate to ask questions if you have any.