SNOW PLOW for my MT180D
- Thread starter PILOON
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PineRidge
Super Member
Looks to me like your good to go for the snow. That plow ought to save you a lot of serious backbreaking shoveling.
Deerlope
Veteran Member
That is a nice looking piece of work. Well built and strong.
A followup:
We had a 16 1/2 dump of snow Friday.
Now, that was a real test.
In the straight push mode I was able to push so much snow and piled it almost 4 ft high!
In the slant mode I did find that the front wanted to go to the side a bit but it was managable. I could actually turn into the pile.
Remember now that with 16+ inches that snow would come over the top and I was pushing a huge mess in front.
I found that I could push as well as with my truck, but just less in width. (truck has 8"blade)
The neat trick that worked wery well was that I'd peel snow from both sides of the drive into the center and then make one s l o w pass with the blower hence totally getting rid of the stuff rather than building up snow banks that eventually close in the driveway.
Up here, by Feb our drives end up half width with huge banks that are no longer manageable.
I deffinately have proven to my satisfaction that the low level straight line push is the only way to go.
No jacking up the front end and no noticeable loss of stearing control.
As a matter of fact I did most plowing in HI range, 1st and 2nd gear and in 2 wd mode!--meaning that I was operating as much as about 10mph. Not bad at all! (19hp tractor)
Sure, I'll admit a few mods req'd. Minor; I had to lengthen the lift chain linkage as it interfered with a loader arm and also had to beef up the blade ilt return stoppers as I underestimated the brute force those springs hammered back after a blade dump.
All in all a deffinate success for a DIY project.
Remember, Cost was $220 and 20 htrs. A new Fisher plow sells in the $5000. range around here.
El cheepo's (WallyMart and Cosco) do offer manual plows at about $1200, but nowhere as strong as my DIY nor fitted for a tractor.
We had a 16 1/2 dump of snow Friday.
Now, that was a real test.
In the straight push mode I was able to push so much snow and piled it almost 4 ft high!
In the slant mode I did find that the front wanted to go to the side a bit but it was managable. I could actually turn into the pile.
Remember now that with 16+ inches that snow would come over the top and I was pushing a huge mess in front.
I found that I could push as well as with my truck, but just less in width. (truck has 8"blade)
The neat trick that worked wery well was that I'd peel snow from both sides of the drive into the center and then make one s l o w pass with the blower hence totally getting rid of the stuff rather than building up snow banks that eventually close in the driveway.
Up here, by Feb our drives end up half width with huge banks that are no longer manageable.
I deffinately have proven to my satisfaction that the low level straight line push is the only way to go.
No jacking up the front end and no noticeable loss of stearing control.
As a matter of fact I did most plowing in HI range, 1st and 2nd gear and in 2 wd mode!--meaning that I was operating as much as about 10mph. Not bad at all! (19hp tractor)
Sure, I'll admit a few mods req'd. Minor; I had to lengthen the lift chain linkage as it interfered with a loader arm and also had to beef up the blade ilt return stoppers as I underestimated the brute force those springs hammered back after a blade dump.
All in all a deffinate success for a DIY project.
Remember, Cost was $220 and 20 htrs. A new Fisher plow sells in the $5000. range around here.
El cheepo's (WallyMart and Cosco) do offer manual plows at about $1200, but nowhere as strong as my DIY nor fitted for a tractor.
sandman2234
Super Member
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2005
- Messages
- 6,008
- Location
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Tractor
- JD2555 and a few Allis Chalmers and now one Kubota
Kind of looks a little chilly up there. At what temperature do you go inside and sit by the fireplace?
Snow is something I have never had to deal with, except to drive an 18 wheeler in.
As a 16 year old, I left home on a dirtbike for a 1000 mile trip on an inch of ice(took 5 days). A trip I won't forget. Getting up every morning to go play in the snow like you guys do might bring on nightmares.
Guess I will go find me some sunscreen.
David from jax
Snow is something I have never had to deal with, except to drive an 18 wheeler in.
As a 16 year old, I left home on a dirtbike for a 1000 mile trip on an inch of ice(took 5 days). A trip I won't forget. Getting up every morning to go play in the snow like you guys do might bring on nightmares.
Guess I will go find me some sunscreen.
David from jax
Bit of an update:
My snowbanks at the road are about 4' high and 5' wide at the base as the result of a heavy snow season and the city constantly attempting to keep the road wide.
Now I wanted to punch holes into the banks so that when the plow passes he would unload there rather than in my drive.
I added a small mod (remouvable chain restrictor to over ride the trip springs action) that allows me to 'bulldose' without the trip springs dumping the blade.
Well was I surprised when I attacked that packed pile of snow!
You'd think that my little 20hp MT was actually a small bulldozer!
Using 2nd low gear and feathering the lift as I pushed I could actually bull over that 4' pile of compacted snow.
Because of the low mounting and straight line push I never lost traction and still had fair stearing control, and that is with 6' of blade.
Last winter I tried same thing with the 4' FEL and would merely have the front lift off the ground and loose total stearing control.
I now have to make the dump defeat over ride into a 'more estethic installation.'
Also I did a very detailed inspection of all attachements, pivots and welds to find that nothing has bent, twisted or otherwise 'let go'.
I have accumulated approximately 50 hours with the setup so far.
Most of the plowing done has been in 2nd high with perfect stearing control.
(unless the leading corner in angle mode catches hard icy snow bank, as would be expected with any plow)
Extreemly pleased.
My snowbanks at the road are about 4' high and 5' wide at the base as the result of a heavy snow season and the city constantly attempting to keep the road wide.
Now I wanted to punch holes into the banks so that when the plow passes he would unload there rather than in my drive.
I added a small mod (remouvable chain restrictor to over ride the trip springs action) that allows me to 'bulldose' without the trip springs dumping the blade.
Well was I surprised when I attacked that packed pile of snow!
You'd think that my little 20hp MT was actually a small bulldozer!
Using 2nd low gear and feathering the lift as I pushed I could actually bull over that 4' pile of compacted snow.
Because of the low mounting and straight line push I never lost traction and still had fair stearing control, and that is with 6' of blade.
Last winter I tried same thing with the 4' FEL and would merely have the front lift off the ground and loose total stearing control.
I now have to make the dump defeat over ride into a 'more estethic installation.'
Also I did a very detailed inspection of all attachements, pivots and welds to find that nothing has bent, twisted or otherwise 'let go'.
I have accumulated approximately 50 hours with the setup so far.
Most of the plowing done has been in 2nd high with perfect stearing control.
(unless the leading corner in angle mode catches hard icy snow bank, as would be expected with any plow)
Extreemly pleased.
Follow up after 2 seasons of usage.
Other than some wear (anticipated as I did not have bushing stock) at the pivoting points, everything passed a vigorous inspection at re installation this fall.
We just had 30 or so cms of that white stuff and cleanup was a snap as everything acted as it should.
Did help that the snow was the fluffy kind.
As I get older and lazier I am contemplating adding hydraulics to angle my blade. ' A Next summer project'. (after I add power steering!) did I say older and lazier?
Other than some wear (anticipated as I did not have bushing stock) at the pivoting points, everything passed a vigorous inspection at re installation this fall.
We just had 30 or so cms of that white stuff and cleanup was a snap as everything acted as it should.
Did help that the snow was the fluffy kind.
As I get older and lazier I am contemplating adding hydraulics to angle my blade. ' A Next summer project'. (after I add power steering!) did I say older and lazier?
An update (5 yrs later)
Still in the original as built format (other than adding bushings at angle pivot point) and really showing no signs of distress anywhere.
Never did add hydraulic angle function, just too lazy and too many more urgent projects.
Would I do it again--Big YES and exactly the same.
Still in the original as built format (other than adding bushings at angle pivot point) and really showing no signs of distress anywhere.
Never did add hydraulic angle function, just too lazy and too many more urgent projects.
Would I do it again--Big YES and exactly the same.
rgs03833
Silver Member
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2011
- Messages
- 233
- Location
- Haverhill, MA
- Tractor
- MTD 660, 690 - John Deere 60, 70, 108, 2 of 111, 111h, STX38
From all your pix, you did a Great Job! Also good to hear, that 5 years later it's still good. Sound like it's all worth it to you then.
