I worked many years at lawnmower dealer and we put skid shoes all the way down . Inch or so we also welded wider piece of metal on the bottom of the shoe. This so the shoe would float over the dirt instead of cutting in. Always worked great. good luck Tim
Snowblower Snowblowers on dirt driveways
- Thread starter rico304
- Start date
trlong
Platinum Member
rico,
Been following this thread (as I use a front end blower on my 600' of crushed slate drive...ah, with a lot of stones that some how got there while I was doing other things with the tractor /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif). The one thing I have not seen mentioned is that, yes, most small stones will just go right through and hopefully not break a car or neighbor's window, etc.. However, if you have trees, or other hard surfaces within reach of the flying stones, be careful where that chute is aimed when you go by them. I've had a few stones bounce right back at the tractor, and/or my head /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif.
Just a note from the "Safety Police" /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Tom
Been following this thread (as I use a front end blower on my 600' of crushed slate drive...ah, with a lot of stones that some how got there while I was doing other things with the tractor /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif). The one thing I have not seen mentioned is that, yes, most small stones will just go right through and hopefully not break a car or neighbor's window, etc.. However, if you have trees, or other hard surfaces within reach of the flying stones, be careful where that chute is aimed when you go by them. I've had a few stones bounce right back at the tractor, and/or my head /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif.
Just a note from the "Safety Police" /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Tom
OP
rico304
Gold Member
Awesome information! Thanks to all! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Tom, good thinking. I'll keep the direction in mind..haha
Tom, good thinking. I'll keep the direction in mind..haha
DMF
Platinum Member
I had a Blizzard that I used on my 1500' gravel drive. Adjusted the shoes as high as they would go. Broke 3 shear bolts each time I took it out on average. Broke the drive chain once. I have since sold it and "plow" by using my rear blade...
It came in real handy when I was building the house and we (of course) had record snowfall and cold weather. I was able to blow the area around the house to set up ladders/staging etc. as needed. Once I moved in and started using it on a "normal" winter I decided it wasn't worth it.
Just my $.02...
It came in real handy when I was building the house and we (of course) had record snowfall and cold weather. I was able to blow the area around the house to set up ladders/staging etc. as needed. Once I moved in and started using it on a "normal" winter I decided it wasn't worth it.
Just my $.02...
OP
rico304
Gold Member
Thanks DMF, I want all input. Appreciate it. Something to think about!
JimMorrissey
Veteran Member
DMF, Wow you must have some really big "gravel" in your driveway if you broke so many pins. I broke a lot of pins, but I didn't use shoes and wanted to scrape the drive clean. I'm amazed that you had shoes all the way up and still had so many problems.
PineRidge
Super Member
Jim I also break lots of shear-pins when using our blower and the feet set the blower pretty high. I'm planning on setting up a snowplow to see if it saves me any time this winter over the blower. Maybe I'll be selling my Woods blower next season.
Bedlam
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2005
- Messages
- 1,870
I have just bought a Blizzard 64 myself. I took a linear actualtor from an old hospiatl bed, and put a car heater blower motor on it, making sure that it was isolated and would be ground out. After a bit of work, I mounted it to the discahare shut. I then used a double pole double throw switch to aletnate the powere and make it turn clockwaise and counter clockwise. This adjust the shute.They sell kits to do it hydrolically,but this worked good and cost 4 dollars for the switch. I then used a wiper motor to turn the shute its self. The chalenge here was to make the shaft not be conductive, As it would short to ground.
Im not sure why they dont use the actuators more often , they are easy to wire, and can be bought for about 100 dollars. not hoses, fittings, or valves to be concerned with. Any one have any ideas on this setup? and why they dont?Also has anyone found a website for the BLIZZARD blowers> I cant sem to find one. Thanks
Im not sure why they dont use the actuators more often , they are easy to wire, and can be bought for about 100 dollars. not hoses, fittings, or valves to be concerned with. Any one have any ideas on this setup? and why they dont?Also has anyone found a website for the BLIZZARD blowers> I cant sem to find one. Thanks
skivt
Silver Member
DMF
Platinum Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( DMF, Wow you must have some really big "gravel" in your driveway if you broke so many pins. I broke a lot of pins, but I didn't use shoes and wanted to scrape the drive clean. I'm amazed that you had shoes all the way up and still had so many problems. )</font>
Shoes are great if the ground is hard. Most of the early snow we get in Mass is before the ground is frozen. The snowthrower weighs quite a bit and the shoe's area is quite small so it would often sink into the gravel and therefore be ineffective. My driveway/lot has a southern exposure so even when "winter" finally set in, the driveway would rarely freeze solid.
Snowblowing at night looked like a firefight with all the gravel "tracers" flying out of the chute; gonna miss that!
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Shoes are great if the ground is hard. Most of the early snow we get in Mass is before the ground is frozen. The snowthrower weighs quite a bit and the shoe's area is quite small so it would often sink into the gravel and therefore be ineffective. My driveway/lot has a southern exposure so even when "winter" finally set in, the driveway would rarely freeze solid.
Snowblowing at night looked like a firefight with all the gravel "tracers" flying out of the chute; gonna miss that!
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif