Snow Blower and Gravel Driveway

[MacTractor]

I recently picked up a JD 2320 with a SB1154 rear blower this year to handle clearing my driveway. My house is new and the main part of the driveway is 3/4 minus. I know it is best to not blow the first snowfall and all that stuff, but in all honesty, the weather lately makes all of these strategies useless as one day we will have snow then a week later rain and melts, then snow. etc....

The last snowstorm was mild with the ground basically thawed again but with 30 cms of snow on it. I keep thinking I am putting such a beating on the blower with all the gravel I am pulling through it. There is little green paint left on the chute and the impeller drum, which makes me worry of the life expectancy of this thing. It was great for the first couple of snowfalls because it went cold and stayed that way. Not so much lately.

I have the shoes adjusted down with a little angle back on the top link, but does anyone have any other tricks the have with this stufModificationsions? Or should I just not worry about it and give the drum a little polish and paint at the end of the season.....

Thanks in advance...

 

[Rustywreck]

Your equipment list states you have a 72" back blade. For the first few snowfalls I use my back blade, but in the opposite way it was intended. Using it this way packs the snow and doesn't dig into the gravel.
This winter being what it has been here, I used my blower for the first time this week - I had a good base of ice on top of the gravel.
The only trick I have heard of to decrease the snow blower from digging into gravel is to cut a slot in a length of pvc and slip it onto the leading edge of the blower.
I also replace the side links with chain for the winter to more effectively allow the blower to "float."
Hope some of this helps

 

[Bandsaw]

Hey fellow maritimer. I find if i run my truck up and down the driveway a couple times first, itll pack the snow enough for the snowblower to ride on. Good luck

 

[Scooby074]

I lower my side shoes all the way down, and raise the scraper blade almost to max. Then I adjust the top link so the blower is perpendicular to the ground.

This leaves about 1-2" of snow behind.. This is good. once that gets packed hard it protects the driveway. It may thaw a bit but once the cold comes back it solidifies again. The key to a blower on gravel is to not try and scrape down too low.

 

[Karl2]

Re: gravel stripping paint. Don't worry about it, even snow strips the paint off the chute and impeller. Some repaint their blowers every year but I just spray a silicon based protective coating at the end of the season to guard against rust.

 

[Balerguy2]

Here is my L4610 (11 yrs old) with the 17" tires and a 66" 2 stage rear mount blower. The blower is 35 years old and clears a 1000' crush stone drive way plus out buildings (part of drive is now asphalt. Decades ago I kinda worried about the nicks but after all these years it gets a little F&F spray paint and soldiers on. It was first powered by my Int'l 444. Next I front mounted the blower to my skidloader using a 30 hp. pony engine and now the L4610.

Crushed limestone is more abrasive than gravel but even with that the chute and primary impeller shroud nicks/ paint loss .... are nothing and easily repaired with paint.

Carl

 

[Henri88]

Re: gravel stripping paint. Don't worry about it, even snow strips the paint off the chute and impeller. Some repaint their blowers every year but I just spray a silicon based protective coating at the end of the season to guard against rust.

Same here! I also agree, this year in NB the weather has been some what weird. Half of my driveways are pave and the other half is gravel. This is the first year since 2008 that I have to readjust the skid-shoe on the blower in Feb. Usually by this time the ground is frozen solid.

 

[tcartwri]

I've got my shoes and top link adjusted so that I leave at least an inch of snow behind. Don't like the sound of the gravel going through the machine.

 

[Ralph Copp]

Carl, I have the same snow blower as yours. Your right, all you need to do is add some paint once in awhile, they can take quite a beating with the gravel. Last year mine was red to match my MF 135. I also had to get off to rotate the chute. This year I painted it blue to match my new LS 7010 and added a hydraulic cylinder to rotate the chute. I didn't want to get out of a warm cab. Getting spoiled in my old age.

 

[Balerguy2]

Ralph, et al

Wow! Really nice looking paint job plus the geometry there on the remote ops for the snow chute. Well done! One of these days I'd like to extend my 3/16" serrated chute plate to enable full 180 degrees. My control remotes inside the soft-side cab (using 5/16" rod ) via a DIY universal and a reversing electric drill/ or a small ratchet wrench.

Carl