Snow Draft control using back blade to plow snow

[RedNeckRacin]

3PT Hitch always floats. Some of the cuts have downpressure kits but thats it. I don't think draft control is going to do what you want it to. Get some skid shoes until the driveway freezes or offer to rake gravel in the springtime!

 

[carlhwv]

3PT Hitch always floats. Some of the cuts have downpressure kits but thats it. I don't think draft control is going to do what you want it to. Get some skid shoes until the driveway freezes or offer to rake gravel in the springtime!

Thanks guys. Skidshoe kit for the backblade it is. Appreciate all of the feedback.

 

[rScotty]

Thanks guys. Skidshoe kit for the backblade it is. Appreciate all of the feedback.

Yes...so far the only backblade solutions I've seen look like skidshoes or wheels added to the end of the blade....and they work a little bit but not perfectly. I think everyone who has ever tried to use a back blade to move snow has run into that same problem on how to move snow without moving the underlying dirt & gravel. And it gets way worse on a slope when the tractor leans one way while the blade leans another. When you think about it, it's kinda surprising that nobody has figured out a simple solution to blading snow without scalping the ground.
There's a nice opportunity for someone to invent a better blading system.
rScotty

 

[carlhwv]

So....called the dealer and I had a couple things wrong. First, the blade is a Land Pride RB3596. They did confirm all in weight with hydros is about 800 pounds. While the model is discontinued I guess they sold a few as the have two options for a rear gauge. First is a gauge wheel that tuns off the middle of the back of the blade. They have one set up with a hydro cylinder and I have a 3rd remote, so in theory I could get the most control with it. It's a bit of money but they want to get rid of it and are willing to give it to me for 500. They also have a pair of skid feet, standard manual adjustment that is less money for 150 bucks. Anyone used a gauge wheel for slowing snow or grading?

I've got a 1/2 mile stone road we put in this past summer in TN that I will need to maintain and with the pitch will surely need to grade it at least twice a year, which is why I even have the tractor. Thinking about it all, the wheel probably makes the most sense, but I might just get both, as in reality it sounds like they have a bit of a different function.

 

[oosik]

My operators manual suggests that draft control is only suitable for heavy ground engagement implements - bottom plow, toothed rippers, chisel plows, etc.

I also have a Land Pride RB3596. The Op manual lists the weight as 566#. I would think, even with hydraulic angle, tilt & off-set the blade should only weigh around 625#. When you indicate the blade "scalped" the asphalt - what do you mean? Did it actually remove a thin layer of asphalt?

If so - then there is something dramatically wrong there. Either you have the top link fully extended which will tilt the blade back to the max or you have some pretty funky asphalt or both.

Your rear hydraulic system is the exact same as mine. Draft control is of no benefit when using a rear blade. Also your tractor & mine have no system that provides down pressure.

I have a mile long gravel driveway. My rear blade is adjusted, with the top link, so the blade is tipped forward slightly. Meaning, the top of the blade is forward of the bottom or cutting edge. This significantly helps prevent digging into the gravel. It will "hop" over things(big rocks frozen into the driveway) rather than digging in and dislodging them.

 

[rScotty]

So....called the dealer and I had a couple things wrong. First, the blade is a Land Pride RB3596. They did confirm all in weight with hydros is about 800 pounds. While the model is discontinued I guess they sold a few as the have two options for a rear gauge. First is a gauge wheel that tuns off the middle of the back of the blade. They have one set up with a hydro cylinder and I have a 3rd remote, so in theory I could get the most control with it. It's a bit of money but they want to get rid of it and are willing to give it to me for 500. They also have a pair of skid feet, standard manual adjustment that is less money for 150 bucks. Anyone used a gauge wheel for slowing snow or grading?

I've got a 1/2 mile stone road we put in this past summer in TN that I will need to maintain and with the pitch will surely need to grade it at least twice a year, which is why I even have the tractor. Thinking about it all, the wheel probably makes the most sense, but I might just get both, as in reality it sounds like they have a bit of a different function.

That's great! I also have a similar blade - the RB3572. Almost the same blade but mine is a six footer rather than an 8 footer. It's simply the best small 3 pt blade blade I've ever seen. With mine I was able to also get the storage stand and the end caps. If yours does't have those parts I'd recommend both parts.

As for the single gauge wheel in the center and the skid feet, I'm betting they will help a lot......and it could be that if you use both together it might even work for your gravel driveway. But I wonder if that's really the best design they could have come up with. More on that below.....but at any rate, I hope you do give it a try and report back.

I've got about an equal length of dirt and rock driveway. Unfortunately when I tried it with my blade, the center pivot didn't do what I wanted and I returned it. The problem here was when the innate slop of the 3 point hitch was added to some blade's motion resulting from play in the RB3572's center pivot, the combination of all those movements simply added up to more motion out on the end of the blade than the LandPride's single centered gauge wheel was able to to deal with. it allowed the outer corners of the blade to dig in when we got on an off-camber or sloped part of the driveway.

If you use the sliding end shoes along with the centered gauge wheel I suspect it is going to work better and maybe even good enough. But IMHO what that blade really needs is TWO trailing pivoting gauge wheels - one on each side and situated to trail and set adjustable depth almost out to the outer corners of the blade. Then it would work right for spreading a stone cover.

For a similar design that solves that problem, take a look at the Woods LRS series Land Rakes. They have dual trailing outer gauge wheels which they use for maintaining "uniform depth control" when raking corrals or along trails. The gauge wheels are fairly large diameter and that should help too. I think that type of gauge wheel design ought to also work for a driveway with ornamental gravel or wood chips .... but I admit that I haven't actually set up my blade and rake that way and tried it myself.
It's on the list of things to do next year... Maybe we can both try it and see how it does.
rScotty

 

[SDT]

No draft control for plowing snow.

Draft control is for plowing with a moldboard plow and very few other tasks.

SDT

 

[CobyRupert]

And it gets way worse on a slope when the tractor leans one way while the blade leans another. When you think about it, it's kinda surprising that nobody has figured out a simple solution to blading snow without scalping the ground.
There's a nice opportunity for someone to invent a better blading system. rScotty

Hmmm. My back blade has a hydraulic angle and tilt function.
That reminds me. Can the SCV valve that operates the tilt function have a "float" function? Or maybe a easy add on that gives it this function?

Edit: Well, hot dang! According to the manual, SCV #1 does have a float function! Now If I just figure out how to plug in the hoses correctly!

 

[carlhwv]

My operators manual suggests that draft control is only suitable for heavy ground engagement implements - bottom plow, toothed rippers, chisel plows, etc.

I also have a Land Pride RB3596. The Op manual lists the weight as 566#. I would think, even with hydraulic angle, tilt & off-set the blade should only weigh around 625#. When you indicate the blade "scalped" the asphalt - what do you mean? Did it actually remove a thin layer of asphalt?

Yup..At first I thought it just scraped up bad but once this melted I found quite a bit of fine blacktop. The drive is 10 years old and had a slight depression I'm guessing from the propane truck running across it.

I'm pretty sure mine is set the same way, with the top,forward of the cutting edge, but I'll verify. Maybe the driveway is softening up with age.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

I see a snowblower in your future.