Plowing Snow on Gravel

[jajiu]

Well, I have been dealing with this for 26 years, usually with my truck and plow. Got rid of the plow truck and now use my Kubota with a plow I bought from Quick Attach. Everything goes good but I have trouble with my gravel drive way being dug up. I put the skid shoes on and try to set the pitch of the plow so it does not dig in, but inevitably it happens. The worse is when things thaw out and we get one of those April 1 snow storms. I put on the grading blade on the rear and use it backwards to push the snow aside. Works OK, but there must be a better way or attachment for the plow to do a better job. Any thoughts?????

 

[Looking4new]

That is what I do. Turn the back blade so the curve is to the front and angle it. You could try backblading with the bucket, too.

 

[Oldoak]

I also do the same. Push with the curved side of the blade.

I never was proficient using the bucket on the FEL for pushing snow. I hate plowing snow on unfrozen ground but sometimes it has to be done and I haven't found a better way. I have skid shoes for my back blade but they are only good when the ground is frozen, otherwise the shoes just dig up the gravel.

 

[jajiu]

Thanks guys, I do that, but was hoping for an easier better way using the front plow. I may work on something over the summer to attach to the plow.

 

[oosik]

I try to be patient and wait for my driveway to freeze hard - but some times that just doesn't work. I raise my rear blade so the it just barely touches the gravel. Basically, there is no weight on the blade touching the gravel. It works fairly well but I will usually have a gouge here and there. My rear blade is heavy enough that even reversed and sitting with full weight on the gravel - it will move gravel like a road grader. My answer has always been - wait, wait until its hard as a rock.

What about those folks that put a 2" pipe on the cutting edge of their blades.

 

[jajiu]

I have been thinking about the pipe thing, I use my grader blade backwards and it does a good jog, but I'd like to use the front plow.

 

[George2615]

When the ground has not frozen I lower my front plow then pick it up an inch or so then plow. I don't mind driving on an inch or so. Once the inch or so packs down it generally freezes then new snow can be plowed off the hard pack. If not frozen it seems no matter what you do you will plow gravel. If trying to use the skid shoes they dig in if not frozen. Just have to be careful.

 

[KubotainNH]

Do you put the FEL in float so a rut or bump will not make the blade gouge the gravel as badly? If so I guess the weight of the plow plus loader arms may be too much downforce on thawed ground. The pipe trick seems to help. I think some people have also added gauge wheels so the blade uses those to float over the surface that is close to the cutting edge. The last option is making it so the plow itself can float using a chain like a pickup plow. My truck blade doesn't dig in too badly because it isn't really heavy.

 

[jajiu]

I've been dealing with this for 26 years. The plow on my truck would dig up the driveway when the ground thawed. The two worse storms are the first of the season and the last of the season. The first because the ground hasn't frozen yet and the last because the ground has thawed. This year our April 1st. storm was a heavy, wet, mostly water type of storm with 6" to move. I have a 1,000' driveway with a long steep curling hill that is all gravel. When frozen, not bad. When thawed, ****. The hill is so steep that my truck has to be in 4-WD even in summer to go up it.

 

[KubotainNH]

I understand just mentioning some thoughts. That snow storm was like cement here. I used the tractor bucket and had it at a slight curl to limit the mess. BTW, my truck plow is only 6.5' and not that tall but will still dig in some places where the gravel isn't packed well. My wife wonders why I like to leave small amounts of snow on the driveway to get packed down or just ignore it at this time of year. I would tar mine if I had the extra cash.