Snow Attachments rear blade questions (for snow removal)

   / rear blade questions (for snow removal) #1  

peterc38

Platinum Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2006
Messages
712
Location
Maine
So I have a Kubota B7610 that I purchased in August and I am pondering the purchase of a rear blade to use primarily for snow removal. My driveway is not huge, about 140 long, it is about 12 ft wide where it meets the road and widens out to about 24 ft near the garage. There is also an area to back out when pulling out of the garage on one side. The driveway material is asphalt. The location is southwestern Maine. Typically we get a fair amount of snow and a lot of cold. Yes , sometimes we can get whacked with 3 ft+, but a lot of the snow falls into what I would consider the nuisance category 5-8 or so at a time. This year for the deeper snow I also purchased a Honda track drive snowblower that is very powerful and works quite well (although it does not seem to get right down to the pavement, so I think I need to adjust the skid shoes). I think a rear blade would be a better and faster option for the lesser snowfalls. I have a Woods box scraper that I used to plow some snow with (in reverse) and it actually worked great, but since it is so heavy, I was afraid it might cause excess wear on the boxblade. It did not seem to affect the asphalt as long as it was set at the right angle.

I did a search and it seems some people have used box scrapers for snow removal but there was limited discussion on it. Should I continue to use this or go with the rear blade? I could get a rear blade @ TSC for under $300 or I could go with a Woods rear blade (model # RB60) from my tractor dealer that is more heavy duty and also has the tilting feature (which I like) for $475. I would appreciate any input, thanks.
 
   / rear blade questions (for snow removal) #2  
In my area a 1/2 inch snow is a nuisance snow 5-8 inches is a blizzard, I have used both a box and a blade to do my driveway about 12 foot wide area in front of garage is probably 30 x 24. I currently use a box blade, but for snow I prefer the grader blade. I turn the blade backwards and angle the moldboard and push the snow off to the sides of my driveway. The box blade seems to take longer, but a 2-3 inch snow is what we get the most of and it has usually melted off in a couple of days.
 
   / rear blade questions (for snow removal) #3  
I would actually try to get a regular snow plow fitted to your tractor. Either on the rear, or on the front. The main reason for that, is for the "trip" ability of a snow plow.

I once added trip springs to a scraper blade that was turned into a front mount blade. But, I'll never do that again. Next time, I'm going to get an older snow blade & make it fit the tractor (I have my eye on one 1/2 mile up the road right now - just waiting on it to get lower in price). They can be found for in the $200.00 range (well used of course).
 
   / rear blade questions (for snow removal) #4  
I'm just going to ask if there's much of a chance of tearing up your asphalt removing snow with a rear blade? Then the thought comes to mind whether it would make sense to sandwich a heavy piece of plastic or rubber between the cutting blade and the rear blade to actually be the piece that contacts the asphalt.

If you haven't read this discussion, it's a good one. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/112009-snowplow-test-1-a.html
 
   / rear blade questions (for snow removal) #5  
If you are just doing snow removal, you probably don't need to spend big bucks on extra heavy duty/tilt. Get the rear blade with the tallest blade for the cheapest price.
 
   / rear blade questions (for snow removal) #6  
I've used a rear blade to plow my drive (and neighbor's) for 6 years now.
My drive is gravel.
A blade works quite well...just lower it to the ground then raise it about a half inch. For me, that reduces the gravel pushed into the grassy area. For an asphalt drive, keeping the blade slightly off the ground reduces damage to the asphalt.
The convex side works quite well. You can either plow in reverse or, if your blade rotates 180 degrees, you can drive forward. Using the convex side also reduces damage to the drive...less likely to dig in as the concave side would do.
For heavy snows (8" plus), I drive forward with the blade an inch or two above the driveway surface. That way, I can use the loader bucket as well as the blade. Less then 8", I just drive in reverse and push the snow off the drive and parking area.

There have been a few TBNers who added a non-metallic strip at the bottom of the blade. From what I read here, they work well too.

So, if you're going to plow with a rear blade, use the convex side of the blade. Raise the blade slghtly off the asphalt to reduce any damage. The blade should be on a 20 to 30 degree angle relative to the direction of travel.

I do suggest a 6' blade to ensure you clear a path wider then your tractor (even when the blade is angled).
 
   / rear blade questions (for snow removal) #7  
I have the woods RB72 I think its a pretty nice back blade.
 
   / rear blade questions (for snow removal) #8  
I have used a rear blade on asphalt for 20+ years to plow snow.
2 in. deep to 3 ft. deep and all depths in between.

If your pavement is smooth, you won't damage it. If it has cracks, and uneven edges that the blade can get caught on, that's a different story.

For the big events, I try to clear it several times during the storm, rather than be faced with "feet" of snow all at once.

On the pavement , very similar to what Roy suggested, lower your blade, then raise up slightly until the blade is just about to lift off the surface, but, I say makes sure it is still touching. This accomplishes two things,
1. it shifts some of the weight of your blade to your tractor, for traction.
2. unless your pivot point on your blade is super tight, it will kind of float on the surface. My grader blade is a little loose, so it can teeter end to end, maybe an inch. if you have the model that uses a Bolt/KingPin, you can actaully dial in a little looseness.

Also using your toplink experiment with the angle-of-attack. Sometimes a steep angle works better, other times a shallower angle works better. Just like snowflakes, each snow event is a different consistancy.

My prior asphalt drive was about 400 feet long, so when comparing, if yours is 140 feet, you should be able to clear it pretty quickly in all but the worst conditions. When it snows those monster depths, just concede that you will be going forward and backward a lot, pushing the snow at a 45 dgree angle off one side of the drive, takes longer, but it might be tough trying to push 30" of snow up/dwn the driveway, it piles up fast! And this is why I prefer to go out and clean it off every 6 to 8 inches or so.

If your pavement is choppy, uneven, with exposed cracks/edges, then you can add the rubber strip, the flexible rubber should float over those spots that the steel edge may otherwise catch.

good luck, post pics!
 
   / rear blade questions (for snow removal) #9  
Peter,

Check out the many Posts on Gauge wheels on RB's. I Use an RB to plow snow and the wheels keep the edge off of the surface. I set mine about 1/4 inch off of the surface. Like Skunk says a little slop in the blade helps the blade flex a bit over uneven areas. I sometimes pull the pin on the horizontal adjustment of mine and really let it float.

Does your 7610 have a FEL? With that much snow, you're gonna need to actually lift and move piles. I would say that a six footer would cover your tracks even in the angled position.

Good luck and have fun!

BD
 
   / rear blade questions (for snow removal) #10  
I use a light weight (Frontier 5') rear blade in combo with my FEL to move snow here near Charlottesville, Va. We don't get anywhere near the snow you get, typically 4"/fall and about 5 falls.

The Frontier blade I have has a manual swing and blade angle. The tilt is achieved by adjusting the 3ph lower arm that's adjustable. Usually, I only use the manual swing. Usually swing it straight and go down the middle and then swing it one way and do one side, u turn and do the other side. For any buildup, I use the FEL to move that, or to get in spots I can't get to with the back blade.

My driveway is paved and about 300' long. The back blade scrapes it pretty clean. My Gravely snow plow never did cuz it ran on skids that kept it a tad off the surface. Unless you use it on pavement that is less than one year cured, running it right on the surface won't hurt it.

Ralph
 
 
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