Just bought the tractor this summer, no money for a plow this year....

[Slowpoke Slim]

You should be fine with that. Once the ground freezes hard, you may not need it anymore, but it won't do any harm either.

 

[TheMan419]

that will work just fine. I got the edge tamers thinking I would use them until I got a plow. Three years later..... still using them. Bucket works just fine for me.

 

[nyone]

We live in the same state. You shouldnt be scraping to the gravel and you should just pack down the first few small storms.

Last spring all i had to do is kick a hand full of rocks back onto the driveway. Far cry from my first few years dumping loads of gravel back onto the driveway.

In the spring when everything is soft regrade your driveway so its more flat. Do that a few times over the summer to remove the high center. Dont regrade it a few months before the snow. You want it packed down so you dont scrape it with the plow.

 

[Stomper]

You will be amazed how good that tube will work. I spent all last winter plowing my driveway and parking area with the exact same setup and I couldn't have been happier with the results. Like mentioned above, you will have to pack some snow down to get a level solid base, and after that just put the FEL in float and go to town. I found out that if I back blade the first few snowfalls (usually and inch or two snow fall) it will help pack and level the snow base. Once you get a solid base you will be able to scrape right down to the base each time you plow. I made some home made "edge tamers" at first but hated them. They were vey similar to the original ones, but because they created a gap between the bucket and the ground each time I plowed a half inch of snow would be left on the road. With the frequency of snow falls that we have around here, I would have had a 6 - 8" base buy the time it started to melt. With the tube over the cutting edge I had a 2" base. I could see the edge tamers being better in an area where the snow doesn't stick around for long but when the snow is on the ground for 6 -7 months of the year, that 1/2" left behind because of the edge tamers adds up over time.

 

[shooterdon]

I put on a heavy duty ABS tube on my plow edge to reduce the digging up of gravel. Tube came from oil/gas well installation. Must be 1/4 wall or so.

My neighbor suggested it so waiting for the first snow to evaluate how it works.

I have seen metal tubes/pipes on plows so it must work.

 

[NYCheese]

Looks like I'll get to test how well this works tomorrow night, or friday morning. Forecast varies depending where I look, but 8-12" is looking likely. Will post again on Friday with an update.

 

[NYCheese]

Worked pretty good, but not perfect. I think later in the season it might work better, when the ground is actually frozen. Currently lots of wet and soft spots, so I did tear up a few places.

My only real complaint is with the way the loader floats. When I push into float on the joystick, the back of the bucket drops to the ground, but the pipe on the edge keeps the front up a little, making the angle of attack wrong. It works much better without using float, but that requires much more paying attention, and minute loader movements constantly.

Overall, I'd still say it's a handy free way to get by until I buy a plow or blower. Like I said, it'll probably work even better once the ground is fully frozen.

 

[nybirdman]

Just got done moving about 8" of snow with just the bucket and rear blade;haven't put my FEL mounted plow on yet;not fun at all after using a snow plow.