Time to hook-up the snow plow UGH!

[PineRidge]

Won't your hydraulics dump far enough to match the new angle that the QA now rests in ?

Close but no match. Beside, every time the plate fell it landed on the hydraulic hoses. The plate is heavy and I figured it was just a matter of time until the hoses were damaged the way things were going.

 

[cuoffroad]

dolly the snowplow? if you can't square the tractor to the plow, square the plow to the dolly

I was thinking the same thing. Add maybe a bungie cord to keep the plate from tipping over.

But, that being said, I do also enjoy welding.

Good fix to the problem.

 

[slowzuki]

I suggust at some point replacing the link with a gas shock. They only push with about 20 lbs force so it would hold the plate up but not affect float. That way it saves hooking up the arm. On the other hand, if you need down force, you could leave your arm on for scraping.

 

[Ford850]

Pineridge,
Nice idea. I had the same problem when hooking up my plow. I did as someone else suggested... I drop the plow on dollies when I disconnect it. I roll it back to the tractor to line it up and it works fairly well, but I like your idea since you can push into it while on the tractor.
My plow came with small skids similar to where you modified yours. Mine are too small to hold the load of the FEL though (gravel drive), so I keep them barely off the ground and let the plow itself float to the contours. Is your drive all paved?

 

[PineRidge]

Pineridge,
Nice idea. I had the same problem when hooking up my plow. I did as someone else suggested... I drop the plow on dollies when I disconnect it. I roll it back to the tractor to line it up and it works fairly well, but I like your idea since you can push into it while on the tractor.
My plow came with small skids similar to where you modified yours. Mine are too small to hold the load of the FEL though (gravel drive), so I keep them barely off the ground and let the plow itself float to the contours. Is your drive all paved?

No, my drive is all gravel. Thought about the dolly idea but I'm the kind of guy that overbuilds. Have you ever seen my BH dolly, it's a monster.

 

[Ford850]

No, my drive is all gravel. Thought about the dolly idea but I'm the kind of guy that overbuilds. Have you ever seen my BH dolly, it's a monster.

You are correct, that is a monster! My dolly solution consists of a stack of Harbor Freight furniture dollies that I pull from. I buy them then they are on sale, stack them so they only take up 2sf of space, and have enough to use under most things in my barn when needed. The snow plow gets 3 although it would probably push easier with 4 under it. Cheap, but they work fairly well.

 

[PineRidge]

I think the HF wood dollies would do a good job for most applications and I use them myself. However a BH is big & heavy and for that fact I wanted something with a low center of gravity that would not be apt to tip over when moving the BH around. The one I put together works great.

 

[Ford850]

No, my drive is all gravel. Thought about the dolly idea but I'm the kind of guy that overbuilds. Have you ever seen my BH dolly, it's a monster.

Mike,
Since your drive is gravel like mine, do you have a problem with the blade gouging into the gravel and rolling it off the drive with the snow? I do, especially when the ground is not frozen. My skid shoes on the blade look just like yours, and the sink into the soft drive and are worthless. I came up with an idea for a long skid but don't have a welder yet to make it. By the looks of your blade, my idea would work on yours too.
I plan to get a length of 3" schedule 40 steel pipe and weld a couple 10" long rods to the ends. The rods would be the same diameter as the skid shoe bracket holes on the back of the blade (1" ?). They would be welded perpendicular to the pipe. It would look something like this l==============l The pipe would probably need to have caps welded on first and then weld the rods to them. The finished skid would be the same length as the distance between the skid shoe bracket holes. Drill a couple pin holes at the top ends of the rods, and use washers or nipples as spacers just like the shoes use. You could add or remove the skid in seconds. By curling the blade back, the pipe would drag on the gravel (skid over it) instead of the cutting edge. Dump the blade slightly forward to raise the skid and use the cutting edge when needed.
I'd love to make one for my blade some day. I tried to get a local welding shop to build it, but they were too busy to take my order. Please let me know if you decide to build it, and if it works. Or maybe you don't have the same issue with the loose gravel like I do.

 

[lhfarm]

I think the HF wood dollies would do a good job for most applications and I use them myself. However a BH is big & heavy and for that fact I wanted something with a low center of gravity that would not be apt to tip over when moving the BH around. The one I put together works great.

It does work great. I built mine from Mike's plans and my BH fits like a glove. It was my first major welding project and having Mike's detailed plans gave me the confidence to even start such an undertaking.

I've got the rest of my stuff on wood dollies and that is better than nothing. I need to get up the nerve to design some made out of steel.

 

[PineRidge]

Mike,
Since your drive is gravel like mine, do you have a problem with the blade gouging into the gravel and rolling it off the drive with the snow? I do, especially when the ground is not frozen. My skid shoes on the blade look just like yours, and the sink into the soft drive and are worthless. I came up with an idea for a long skid but don't have a welder yet to make it. By the looks of your blade, my idea would work on yours too.
I plan to get a length of 3" schedule 40 steel pipe and weld a couple 10" long rods to the ends. The rods would be the same diameter as the skid shoe bracket holes on the back of the blade (1" ?). They would be welded perpendicular to the pipe. It would look something like this l==============l The pipe would probably need to have caps welded on first and then weld the rods to them. The finished skid would be the same length as the distance between the skid shoe bracket holes. Drill a couple pin holes at the top ends of the rods, and use washers or nipples as spacers just like the shoes use. You could add or remove the skid in seconds. By curling the blade back, the pipe would drag on the gravel (skid over it) instead of the cutting edge. Dump the blade slightly forward to raise the skid and use the cutting edge when needed.
I'd love to make one for my blade some day. I tried to get a local welding shop to build it, but they were too busy to take my order. Please let me know if you decide to build it, and if it works. Or maybe you don't have the same issue with the loose gravel like I do.

I have the same issue as you until the gravel freezes then it's smooth sailing. I think your idea has some merit let me take a good look at the plow tomorrow and I'll get back to you later.