Snow Attachments Another FEL Attached Snow Plow Project
- Thread starter Kubota Tee
- Start date
4shorts
Elite Member
Thomas I'm glad it helped you out. That looks like a deep mark on that ram. I personally wouldn't use it. There's nothing worst than being out having fun plowing snow then notice fluid leaking out of you angle cylinder and then having to return home only to find out you can't get one or it's going to take the afternoon to replace it. I think these items are cheaper to replace as soon as you see the problem. Just my 2 cents with again. I just like spending your money
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OP
Kubota Tee
Gold Member
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- Hudsonville, MI
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- Kubota L5740 HSTC-3, Kubota L3540HST-3 (sold)
4shorts
Elite Member
Dead Horse
Platinum Member
As it appears, that scratch looks bad. However, only you can actually tell how deep it is. I would be tempted to takes some very fine emery cloth to it, and then polish it up with fine steel wool. You get it smooth enough and it won't leak much at all, maybe seep just a tad when that spot on the rod is sitting on the seal, under pressure. The ones on my plow rig are pretty pitted up on the top 25%. and they don't seem to leak at all, or at least enough so as to be even remotely noticable.
The rams don't experience a lot of pressure, especially if you change the plow angle with the plow off the ground. And when plowing, the ram which is all the way in (bottomed out) is on the end of the plow experiencing the vast majority of the pushing force.
Re the pivot pins, yeah, spend your $ there.
The rams don't experience a lot of pressure, especially if you change the plow angle with the plow off the ground. And when plowing, the ram which is all the way in (bottomed out) is on the end of the plow experiencing the vast majority of the pushing force.
Re the pivot pins, yeah, spend your $ there.
srs
Veteran Member
Kubota Tee, I used a rubber edge on both my pickup truck and my tractor plow bottom edges. When I plowed commercially with the pickup the owner of the company did not want me to use the rubber edge or shoes. He wanted metal down to the asphalt/concrete to remove as much snow as possible. Of course this was on on very large parking lots for large corporations. He liked it cleaned really good then spread salt. When I stopped working for him and then only did my asphalt driveways plus the neighbors I put a rubber edge on the bottoms of the truck and tractor. I've since sold the plow to the truck. The rubber edge definitely does not cut as good as the steel but it won't damage the driveway, especially the neighbors. I like the rubber edge for the fact that it will not do any damage and when the sun comes out the snow melts real fast with the dark asphalt surface.
Dead Horse
Platinum Member
How long do the rubber edges last? do they bolt on the same way as the steel ones?
Shoes do nothing for me, even if I have them set such that the cutting edge is juuuuuuuuust touching the pavement....... wear out the shoes in a matter of one season of plowing my own (1/2 mile) drive.
Shoes do nothing for me, even if I have them set such that the cutting edge is juuuuuuuuust touching the pavement....... wear out the shoes in a matter of one season of plowing my own (1/2 mile) drive.
OP
Kubota Tee
Gold Member
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2009
- Messages
- 280
- Location
- Hudsonville, MI
- Tractor
- Kubota L5740 HSTC-3, Kubota L3540HST-3 (sold)
Thanks for the feedback regarding the rubber cutting edge. It's always good to hear from someone with real life experience. My driveway is concrete, but our road is asphalt as is my neighbors drive. I also have the gravel portion of our driveway that leads down to the lower garage where the tractor is stored. I am definitely leaning towards the rubber cutting edge.
tommaple
Bronze Member
The rubber cutting edge is usually sandwiched between the moldboard and steel cutting edge to give it some stiffness.
You'll need longer carriage bolts.
Last edited:
tommaple
Bronze Member
Here are the initial pictures along with a few questions that I have after wrenching on this
Q1: Does anyone know what this extra flange is for on the sector (circled)? Not sure if it was part of the original or if it was added on along the way?
Q2: It looks like I have going to have to rebuild the pivot pin sleeves. I don't think the original had grease fittings - anyone out there every add those to their pivot pins? Pictures would be very helpful!
Q3: The moldboard has a few spots where it is rusted through. I was thinking through the following options and would like to get some advice. 1-repair the existing holes (how?) 2-cut out the moldboard and replace it with another steel one or 3-cut out the moldboard and replace it with a poly moldboard if I can find one to fit this Meyer ST90 model.
Q4: After removing the cutting edge (steel) I discovered it is in fairly decent shape. However I will mostly be plowing my 450' concrete driveway as well as a side drive that is gravel. Should I look at replacing the steel edge with a rubber one? or Poly? What are the major pros and cons of each?
More pics to follow as I continue moving through the rebuild.[/QUOTE]
I'll attempt to answer your questions:
Q1) The extra piece of steel on your sector is an add on. With age and wear, the moldboard will not sit properly after tripping. Basically, it leans backward further than it should for proper snowplowing. The angle of attack of the cutting edge changes and the rolling action of the moldboard is reduced. The additional stop contacts the horizontal piece of angle on the moldboard so the moldboard doesn't lean back too far.
The proper position for the moldboard can be determined as follows: This is done with the moldboard attached to the sector and A-frame. With the center of the attaching holes on the back end of the A-frame at 10"-11" ( 10 1/2" is ideal ) hang a string from the top edge of the moldboard to the ground. The string should contact the ground 3 1/2" in front of the cutting edge.
Q2) The pivot pins are ideally greased when installed and removed and re-greased each year. Obviously, yours was not re-greased. It is not unusual for the pivot tubes to require removal and new ones installed. Alignment is important for proper pin installation. Weld it up with the pin in place, prior to greasing.
Q3) Removing the sheet from the moldboard is not an easy job. All the welds need to be cut and the new sheet needs to be rolled before being welded in place. In production, the sheets are pre-rolled before being put in the fixture and the individual ribs and angles clamped in place. Using the Poly-Plow sheet will not result in as strong a structure. The ST-90 is a weldment with the sheet acting as a structural part of the assembly. The sheet on a Poly-Plow provides no structural support. It relies on the framework for its support. There is additional steel in the Poly-Plow to make up for this. That's a long ay of saying it is probably better to patch the holes if the surrounding sheet is sound.
Q4) Plowing gravel with a rubber cutting edge is not recommended. Rubber is best on hard, smooth pavement where it acts like a squeegee to clean off wet snow. If the snow has been driven on or was wet and froze, the rubber cutting edge won't touch it. You'll need steel for this.
Regarding the angle cylinders: There are nor seals on the end of the piston rod that would be affected by heat. These are single acting, displacement cylinders with the only seal being the packing at the end of the cylinder where the rod comes out. Small pits or gouges may not leak because the total length of the packing is almost an inch long. However, the gouge on your cylinder is quite long, and will most likely leak. You can try it and see, there is nothing to loose except a little time to change it out if it leaks.
By the way, there is a load on the extended cylinder when plowing snow. It is common to have a load of snow on that side of the plow when pushing into a pile or if hitting an obstruction with the extended side of the plow. That's why a cross-over relief system is needed. It's purpose is to allow fluid to flow from one cylinder to the other when the extended edge of the moldboard hits an object, and turn. The cross-over was set to trip at 3600 psi at which point the plow would turn.
The blue fluid is Meyer M-1 fluid that was shipped in all the ElectroTouch hydraulic units since the 1970's. The power angling cylinders were pre-filled at the factory.
Good luck with your project. I'll be interested to see how it turns out. I'm also looking for a used ST series moldboard, but hopefully one that doesn't require as much work as yours!
Q1: Does anyone know what this extra flange is for on the sector (circled)? Not sure if it was part of the original or if it was added on along the way?
Q2: It looks like I have going to have to rebuild the pivot pin sleeves. I don't think the original had grease fittings - anyone out there every add those to their pivot pins? Pictures would be very helpful!
Q3: The moldboard has a few spots where it is rusted through. I was thinking through the following options and would like to get some advice. 1-repair the existing holes (how?) 2-cut out the moldboard and replace it with another steel one or 3-cut out the moldboard and replace it with a poly moldboard if I can find one to fit this Meyer ST90 model.
Q4: After removing the cutting edge (steel) I discovered it is in fairly decent shape. However I will mostly be plowing my 450' concrete driveway as well as a side drive that is gravel. Should I look at replacing the steel edge with a rubber one? or Poly? What are the major pros and cons of each?
More pics to follow as I continue moving through the rebuild.[/QUOTE]
I'll attempt to answer your questions:
Q1) The extra piece of steel on your sector is an add on. With age and wear, the moldboard will not sit properly after tripping. Basically, it leans backward further than it should for proper snowplowing. The angle of attack of the cutting edge changes and the rolling action of the moldboard is reduced. The additional stop contacts the horizontal piece of angle on the moldboard so the moldboard doesn't lean back too far.
The proper position for the moldboard can be determined as follows: This is done with the moldboard attached to the sector and A-frame. With the center of the attaching holes on the back end of the A-frame at 10"-11" ( 10 1/2" is ideal ) hang a string from the top edge of the moldboard to the ground. The string should contact the ground 3 1/2" in front of the cutting edge.
Q2) The pivot pins are ideally greased when installed and removed and re-greased each year. Obviously, yours was not re-greased. It is not unusual for the pivot tubes to require removal and new ones installed. Alignment is important for proper pin installation. Weld it up with the pin in place, prior to greasing.
Q3) Removing the sheet from the moldboard is not an easy job. All the welds need to be cut and the new sheet needs to be rolled before being welded in place. In production, the sheets are pre-rolled before being put in the fixture and the individual ribs and angles clamped in place. Using the Poly-Plow sheet will not result in as strong a structure. The ST-90 is a weldment with the sheet acting as a structural part of the assembly. The sheet on a Poly-Plow provides no structural support. It relies on the framework for its support. There is additional steel in the Poly-Plow to make up for this. That's a long ay of saying it is probably better to patch the holes if the surrounding sheet is sound.
Q4) Plowing gravel with a rubber cutting edge is not recommended. Rubber is best on hard, smooth pavement where it acts like a squeegee to clean off wet snow. If the snow has been driven on or was wet and froze, the rubber cutting edge won't touch it. You'll need steel for this.
Regarding the angle cylinders: There are nor seals on the end of the piston rod that would be affected by heat. These are single acting, displacement cylinders with the only seal being the packing at the end of the cylinder where the rod comes out. Small pits or gouges may not leak because the total length of the packing is almost an inch long. However, the gouge on your cylinder is quite long, and will most likely leak. You can try it and see, there is nothing to loose except a little time to change it out if it leaks.
By the way, there is a load on the extended cylinder when plowing snow. It is common to have a load of snow on that side of the plow when pushing into a pile or if hitting an obstruction with the extended side of the plow. That's why a cross-over relief system is needed. It's purpose is to allow fluid to flow from one cylinder to the other when the extended edge of the moldboard hits an object, and turn. The cross-over was set to trip at 3600 psi at which point the plow would turn.
The blue fluid is Meyer M-1 fluid that was shipped in all the ElectroTouch hydraulic units since the 1970's. The power angling cylinders were pre-filled at the factory.
Good luck with your project. I'll be interested to see how it turns out. I'm also looking for a used ST series moldboard, but hopefully one that doesn't require as much work as yours!