Edge Tamers on my gravel drive

[Soldier415]

The only downside I have found is that now I cannot use the back of the FEL cutting edge to pull snow back from the front of the garage

 

[TheMan419]

The only downside I have found is that now I cannot use the back of the FEL cutting edge to pull snow back from the front of the garage

Yes. I am going to have that same issue. Out of the 3 car we have a pad of concrete. I usually back drag the snow off of that on to the drive and then push it where it needs to go. Using the heel of the bucket might be an option. We are going to get 8 inches today so I will have the chance to try it out.

 

[the old grind]

I muscle my way one shovel-width out from the garage & barn doors by hand, then back up with the box blade and drag snow off the the concrete approach. Length of d'way and crosswinds drift up a good stretch of what I clear, so there's never been any pushing to sides and gradual narrowing of my 500'+ path to the road, or the 6-wide parking area I clear for one neighbor on the 1st 200' from the road, and 200' + & a 4-wide 'T' for the other 'fronters'. So, I'm scooping/dumping everything I 'plow', with FEL and BB making it easy-peasy for me.

There's enough snow already this morning (3-4" and coming) to bolt on the ETs and see if I can do my 'usual', about 750' plus parking Ts, so 1-2 hrs of pleasant seat time among the falling flakes. btw, I still wouldn't want a cab since I won't start/run my tractors below 15^F anymore. (Well, I don't skate or ski .... how do you get your 'fresh air & sunshine' in the 'dark' months? )

I'll know soon enough whether the ETs will help me spare scalping the crown I've graded up. Lot of fussing with bucket level last year and too much gravel relocated, so 'fingers crossed'.

 

[TheMan419]

So the ET were really good in my opinion. It was nearly impossible to have the cutting edge dig into gravel. I do not have a huge crown on the drive so I do not need a 3rd ET in the center.

However the issue will be the necessary back drag of the snow away from the garage. There is concrete there. With back drag I can get it down to the concrete. With the ET on and using the heel of the bucket, no can do. The ET keep things lifted. I do not like the idea of taking them off, back dragging and then putting them on every time it snows.

So will have to think of other solutions....

 

[kennyd]

So the ET were really good in my opinion. It was nearly impossible to have the cutting edge dig into gravel. I do not have a huge crown on the drive so I do not need a 3rd ET in the center.

However the issue will be the necessary back drag of the snow away from the garage. There is concrete there. With back drag I can get it down to the concrete. With the ET on and using the heel of the bucket, no can do. The ET keep things lifted. I do not like the idea of taking them off, back dragging and then putting them on every time it snows.

So will have to think of other solutions....

But the ET's come off in like 1 minute or less each right? Just carry a ratchet/socket on the tractor with you.

 

[TheMan419]

But the ET's come off in like 1 minute or less each right? Just carry a ratchet/socket on the tractor with you.

They do. It is just another thing to have to do and if I can figure a way to get done what I need to get done without leaving the seat I will. They come off in less than 1 minute if you have the rachet already set to loosen. I ALWAYS seem to have it set to the opposite of what I need it to do.

 

[the old grind]

Well folks, I puttered with the new addition vs prying the grapple off my 'main' machine and getting it all wet. By 10:30 PM I just hadn't got my ya-yas laying on my back with snow coming down in my face. Filter bowl was half full of ice and once cleared there was still something keeping me from getting anything flowing from that tank. (it ran sooo sweet when I brot 'er home last week and warmed up for the oil change)

By 11:15 I had the ratchet rake removed from std bkt, grapple off the NH & dollied, snowpack gouged from pads on/under the QA latches and three edge tamers on the NH's 60" wide. I tightened one ~8" in from each end and centered the third. btw, NH's recent style of 'level indicator' is abysmal, so I adjusted it pretty close and headed up the d-way. (IMO it's good for +/- ~10^ or so and about as useful as ball bearings on a boat anchor.)

I was going to do a just 'quickie' and leave most of the job for tomorrow, say an hour in the seat and my last bit of fun outside for the day. OK, first thing I notice is that while thinking I might want to finesse the bucket angle I could tilt far beyond the slop in pins either way and not feel a diff in how well I could keep a straight line, or how far I could push before dumping off to the sides. WOW!

What I call 8" and will surely be called/remembered as 10" or more by kids at home instead of on the bus never cleared so easily, or so quicky, and after dark. NO digging in, NO cutting, NO 'climbing' as I fiddled with tilt and float and blazed my usual lines in record time. 'Close enough' was laughable easy. I cleared all of 600'. well past the 'T', also the 70'-some going to the garage, and was brushing snow off of the machine to park it before midnight.

After a hasty but very successful tryout the most succinct thing I can say about ETs is "MSTB!" :thumbsup:

 

[Cord]

Got the brackets from the fabricator on Friday. Don't know what they costed me because I have an account with them. I'll post up when I get the bill. Put the brackets on right away, just in time for a 8" snow. First one of the season so there was no base on the gravel. The shoes worked really well where the gravel was hard. Worked nicely for back dragging too.

The only time I saw gravel in the dumped snow was from an area where the gravel didn't have enough fines to lock in the top layer of stones. In this spot the shoes dug in and I scooped up a ton of stones. This only happened in the spots where the gravel wasn't locked in with the fines. Otherwise they worked great. Good enough that I might sell the box plow and stick with the snow bucket. I like the snow bucket because I can push the snow up hill which is something I could never do with the box plow.

Regarding the design, the brackets just barely fit, so be sure to test fit them on your bucket before finish welding. When tightening the bolts, there is a slight deflection to the 1/2" plate. This causes the first bolt to loosen while the second one is being tightened. I'd suggest going with a thicker piece of steel, fabricating a longer brace, using a single 3/4" bolt or just tighten the bolts several times. As designed, the brackets never moved even when back dragging so the last option is workable.

 

[BigBoyToys]

Looks like a lot of owners have come up with various designs...I did as well.

I wasn't aware the Edge Tamers existed when I bought my tractor. I knew I needed to not dig up my gravel areas and was contemplating either a "Ski Tip" or a "Snow Blower Skid" design. I went the ski tip design as it was easier to fab and mount to the bucket. I used it last year and it worked well. The only issue was on the long paved drive areas where it wore off the seal coat. This year I'm adding some "plastic shoes" to prevent this. This weekend I made a drill template out of lexan to drill the holes in the plates. I'll then tap the holes to mount the shoes. Years ago I had a Fisher Plow blade with a plastic "Driveway Edge" that worked great.

Here they are without the shoes.

 

[powerscol]

IM a bit bummed they wont fit on my bolt on edge - still nothing on their web page, so I will mark my depth gauge again with flow yellow tape to keep the bucket edge up and ride the bucket heal on the ground to keep from gouging the drive. I just need to remember to re position the level gauge again before plowing after dumping.