Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Need snow removal help

[speedyvelo]

I just got a Kubota B3350 with
Front loader 60" bucket
72 Hydraulic snow blade with a 3rd function valve
72 rear blade.

The dealer was excellent and spent many hours teaching me in how to drive the tractor (I have zero experience/knoledge of tractors)
I need to clear the snow in a little less than a mile dirt road, in the mountains, with some areas of steep grade so I can get the suv to the road.

Q1 how should I orient the rear blade? with the convex part forward of backward
Q2 how should angle the rear and the front blade?
Q3 the front blade has a pin that allow the blade to be fix like dozer blade or to be floating, I set it up floating for snow correct?


Plase any tips very appreciated, even the more obvious to all of you are new to me.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you.

-=terry=-

 

[PILOON]

Front blade best to be floating so that follows the contours of the road.
The rear blade will depend if you are pushing snow backwards or pulling it forwards, but to push you want it like the front blade.
Hope they loaded your tires and or equipped you with chains.
If your frt is equipped with skids or shoes adjust so that you leave an inch or so of snow base otherwise you will plow gravel.
Start the season plowing real wide because as time goes on the road will get narrower and narrower and you will not be able to push the snow banks any further.
The rear blade will probably prove handiest pushing snow backwards to widen etc but as no skids or shoes are installed you will be scraping gravel etc.

Have fun and I'm sure you will learn tricks over time.

 

[speedyvelo]

If your frt is equipped with skids or shoes adjust so that you leave an inch or so of snow base otherwise you will plow gravel.
Start the season plowing real wide because as time goes on the road will get narrower and narrower and you will not be able to push the snow banks any further.
The rear blade will probably prove handiest pushing snow backwards to widen etc but as no skids or shoes are installed you will be scraping gravel etc.

Piloon,

TXHS for your tips, I have just save them.

The front blade I think has snow shoes, do you have to adjust them or what you are saying is keeping the front blade an inch above the snow?
Also do you angle angle both blade or you just keep perpendicular to the tractor?

-=terry=-

 

[HEC]

How wide is your road and how much snow do you get ???? You will want your front blade at enough angle so that it will push the snow off to one side. I have a tractor like yours in the 26 hp range and it does a good job of moving snow with a blower . If your road is narrow and you get some big storms you might need a blower also . For a road as long as yours I would want a front mount for sure . Like already mentioned push the snow back far as possible at the beginning because you will build up snow banks you won't be able to push easily , especially on a road that long . If you have a wide road with small storms the front blade you have will be much faster than a blower . If you have the room you can push the banks back with your bucket or blade straight on once they get built up but for a long road like yours that will be a long task . A blower will get the snow out of the way for good . Much depends on your road and how much snow you are dealing with . One more thing you might do if a big storm is coming try and get out and plow when you have 5 or 6 inches on the ground as it will be quicker and easier to keep up with it . You will have a nice warm cab to do it in .

 

[tcreeley]

Some days if your plow is sticking- you may want to angle the blade forward so it grabs less- depends on your plow shoes. Also- any way to make that back blade work with your front blade to give you more reach - pushing and pulling? Learn by experience!

 

[Sprinklerman]

If you are spinning tires , you are trying to move too much . Slow and steady , speed breaks things. Dont try to move a full blade with . Wear the seat belt , if you hit something and the blade doesnt trip , you wont kiss the windshield. Plow with the storm , dont wait till the end . Its easier to push 6 inches than 16 inches.Push the snow back , prepare for the next storm , its a snow plow , it wont plow ice . Have fun

 

[s219]

I'd almost think that you should just plow with one of the blades to start, or only use the front when going forward and the rear (turned around) when reversing.

Angle them both, as that will move snow to the side as you go forward (it converts your forward motion into a sideways plowing motion). When not angled, the blades will just push the snow forward and not really move it -- it will eventually spill over. I only use a straight blade when working in a tight space like a parking area where snow needs to be pushed around in the direction of motion. When going down my driveway, the blade is always angled about 15-20 degrees.

As mentioned, you want to leave a little snow, which will freeze up to become your plow base and protect your gravel. Over the winter, you will keep plowing down to that surface. That assumes that once the base is established, it's cold enough in your location that the base will stay frozen through the winter. That doesn't work where I am, and in fact the ground doesn't even stay frozen here, so I have to take extra precautions of keep my gravel from being plowed away.

I see you have chains and hope your tires were loaded.

As mentioned, try to stay ahead of the snow, and don't wait until it has built up to plow, as it's much harder. I find that if I plow when the depth is 6-8", it's a piece of cake. For heavier snows, plow sooner. For lighter more powdery snows, not as critical.

Be sure your front plow is setup to trip forward if you run into an obstacle. The rear blade should be OK when moving forward. When plowing in reverse, be super careful not to hit an obstacle as you can easily bend your 3-pt hitch arms (they are made to pull going forward, not push going in reverse).

Good luck! I think you'll find it's a lot of fun.

 

[arrow]

s219 gives good advice about the rear control arms. I bent my adjustable anti sway bars on the back of my tractor using the rear blade just like you're using it in your pic. I know it's very tempting to be able to move snow forward and backward as it is so efficient but I'll now always turn the tractor around and use the fel to "push" a snow pile. The rear blade I'll simply use to "pull" snow and with it angled for long runs. Here's a pic of my old tractor dealing with a 27" snow event. I'd push and pull snow. Go as far as I could with the fel and then back over the snow the rear blade left and push that with the rest. The rear blade is useless with this deep of snow unless you mitigate its depth with the front fel or plow first and then clean it up with the rear blade going forward..

 

[dave1949]

Nice tractor!

The internet says Black Hawk gets 140" of snow annually? How much of that usually comes in big dumps? Or, is it just always snowing? :laughing: How much does the snow melt away between storms? If not much, then you will have big snowbanks along the driveway and will have to push them back now and then if you plow with either end of the tractor.

The front plow on the FEL is good for stacking snow high, just lift the FEL as you go into a snow bank. Snow banks that are compacted by plowing, have a lot of moisture and freeze up, do not move easily, maybe not at all with your tractor. That's something to look out for if that happens in your area.

If you do get that much snow, I think a blower, even if it is on the rear, would be very useful.

 

[skyhook]

Looking at your road, I think you'll have to start at the top of the hill and work your way down.
You install "washer" on the shoes of your blade, the more you put, the more your blade will "lift" away from the ground, as stated, about an inch off is good until you have a good base.
Angle your front blade, starting on one side of the road and pushing to the other, you will need to do a few passes, probably 3, looking at your road. This will create a bank on the side you've plowed to.
Next time, you can push the snow on the "other" side, changing the angle of the plow, the other way.
I would turn your rear blade the other way (opposite to whats in your picture), keeping it straight will allow you to pull snow away from garage doors etc.,
Keep your front blade in "float", when the banks get to high later in the winter, you can "lift" your front blade about a foot off the ground (angled) and push in the side banks on the road a little further in, you will have to "drive into" the bank on an angle to do this, be careful not to push too far in, or you may get stuck.
I have the same type of chains as you, let me know how they work out for you, will ya.

Take your time and be careful, thats quite the hill you have there.
Also, as stated, if your rear tires aren't loaded with "something" I also strongly recommend having them done in your circumstances.