I've seen a few posts about cutting a pipe and putting it on the front of a FEL. Does anyone have any pictures and is the supposed to make it less likely you'll dig up blacktop or concrete when you plow with it. THanks.
Another interesting option that someone posted some pictures of in the past was bolting on a pair of wood runners, made from 2x6 or something similar, to the bucket sides.
These held the bucket off the FLAT, or slightly crowned, pavement a bit, and seemed like they might be a good option and easy to replace or lower (by drilling new hole in the wood) as they wore away.
Sorry, don't have any pictures of either idea though... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Think it was on the Gravely forum that a Gravely guy put some PVC pipe along the bottom of his snow plow.
I have some plain heater hose around the top edges of the hopper on my Troy Bilt (got tired of getting my arms bruised from stuff being jerked towards the hopper with my arm attached). All I did was cut down one side of the heater hose with some scissor type tin snips and slipped it over the edges. Used some silicone (Goop) sealant to keep it in place.
Wonder if this would work on the edge of the bucket? Guess main question would be how long will it last? Think the PVC pipe lasted the guy through 7 plowings of driveways.
I have seen the pics but do not remember who posted them. Try a search for snow & pipe or something similar. I also use wood under the front of the FEL bucket. I was concerned with scuffing and marking the concrete and asphalt during plowing and scraping packed snow. I beveled the edge of a 2x6 at about 30 deg. and mounted it under the bucket cutting edge. It has worked well and is wearing OK. If I get a winter with just turning it around I will be satisfied.
As far as the PVC pipe I also tried this (I though it was an original idea). I slit a 4" PVC pipe and slid it over the bottom of my rear blade. It lasted 4 passes on my 950' gravel portion of my drive. It shattered in the middle while plowing at 10 deg. F. Not very good wear.
Before I added the wood on the FEL I had angle iron in the same location on the FEL as the wood. It scrated the pavement up pretty good. I would think pipe would do the same.
Doesn't the wood self destruct on the driveway? I thought the round pipe would make it less likely to catch but I never thought it would still scratch the blacktop too.
I wonder is a chunk of industrial plastic would work and last longer than wood.