Plow off level

[marksmand]

I have a 84" plow on my Kubota l3301, similar to the Titan and is marked SP 220 It goes off level in both directions when I angle it. This is
a real pain as I have a 2000 ft long gravel driveway. I have been keeping it a bit high to avoid digging in
on the first pass and then reducing the blade angle and making a second or third pass. Seems like this is just
the geometry of the blade pivot. Loader arms are square and level and so is the snow blade when it is
perpendicular to the tractor. Any ideas?

 

[George2615]

Not sure if your plow connects directly to a QA plate or has arms like mine. If yours is like the attached pic, the arms noted with the red arrow must be level in order for the blade to pivot level. If directly attached then you need to adjust the curl function to make the blade pivot level. Please attach a pic of how yours is attached so a better assessment can be given. Either way I believe a simple curl adjustment can make it swing level.

 

[Reb954]

Not sure if your plow connects directly to a QA plate or has arms like mine. If yours is like the attached pic, the arms noted with the red arrow must be level in order for the blade to pivot level. If directly attached then you need to adjust the curl function to make the blade pivot level. Please attach a pic of how yours is attached so a better assessment can be given. Either way I believe a simple curl adjustment can make it swing level.

Yup, what he said. If the push arms aren't level the blade won't pivot level.

 

[marksmand]

This is the one I have except it is slightly larger
Hydraulic 79" Skid Steer Dozer Blade / Snow Pusher

 

[CoyPatton]

As others have said, any out of level of any piece in the process (including a front or rear tire pressure difference) will be exaggerated as the plow blade is pivoted, the more it is pivoted the more the exaggeration. Some things are easy to correct—things that can be adjusted such as pivot points, tilt points and tire pressures. Others may be easiest to deal with my adjustable points such as a bent plow arm. That would be a short term fix and could be a frustrating fix as lower air pressure to level the plow blade when pivoted one direction may make it out of level with no pivot or pivoted the other direction requiring adjustments with every pivot change. This would be for completion on a plow job then do fix the issue.
Good luck.
If a plow arm is bent, I recommend having it reinforced once straightened.

 

[LD1]

ITs all in your curl.

Whatever the plow pivots around/about has to be vertical.....IF its tilted forward.....when angled the leading edge will dig in.

Same concept with rear blades and angling them.

A picture of YOUR setup and how it is attached to YOUR tractor would do us all wonders.

But you quite simply need to adjust the curl of the loader so the plow is level when angled BOTH directions. Once that is done....dont touch the curl. just raise/lower and angle the plow as needed

 

[marksmand]

I'm thinking the problem is really the design of this plow. If you look at the picture of the plow it simple pivots on a heavy center pin and has no arms or
other support to hold it level. My loader arms are straight and the plow if level in the center/perpendicular position. Most likely there is a slight amount of play at the pivot point(this is just a pin in a hole/no bearings) and when the hydraulics yank in one direction or the other it goes off level. I could free float the plow but it would not be great on the gravel.

 

[Tinhack]

Funny how people think in different regions. When I saw the title, I thought for sure it was about ground engaging/furrowing implements. The thought of snow never entered my mind. Coming back from a trip to the big city, I noticed most all the farmers along I-35 had already plowed their fields. I thought to myself; Man, I better start getting the garden ready for planting. :laughing:

My condolences go out to you "Snow Plow Folks". :tractor:

 

[CoyPatton]

I'm thinking the problem is really the design of this plow. If you look at the picture of the plow it simple pivots on a heavy center pin and has no arms or
other support to hold it level. My loader arms are straight and the plow if level in the center/perpendicular position. Most likely there is a slight amount of play at the pivot point(this is just a pin in a hole/no bearings) and when the hydraulics yank in one direction or the other it goes off level. I could free float the plow but it would not be great on the gravel.

I doubt the plow is worth the trouble to drill out the pin holes to install a bearing (preferred) or a bushing. The weight and the jarring from pivoting is likely to cause this to be a constant wear point.
See your picture, I doubt you will ever eliminate the low edge on a pivot as I have seen lots plows with slightly rounded cutting edges on the outside edges of plows. However if you could mount shoes common on plow blades as far outbound as possible, you could reduce the gouge effect greatly even though not eliminating it.
At some point, you will probably get to rebuild the pin and hole setup. When you do, add grease fittings and up the hardness of the which ever has worn the most.
As a last resort, beginning redesigning how the blade attaches to the frame or replace the plow with a better design.

 

[chim]

The pin marked in Post#7 above needs to be straight vertical and the ends won't dig in. Make the pin level with the curl/dump function of the loader.

In the picture below the frame is level, like others have recommended. The pin is at a 90* angle to the frame, so it's dead vertical. When the blade is rotated left and right, the entire bottom edge of the blade stays on the driveway.

If I dial some "dump" into the loader, the front end of the blade will dig in regardless of whether it is rotated left or right. If I curl, the rear end of the blade will dig in. Again, regardless of rotation.

In the picture it looks like the SSQA plate has some off angle thing going on.

 

[ruffdog]

This thread may give you some ideas.....

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/433099-tmg-industrial-sp-240-94in.html?highlight=#post5893516

 

[LD1]

I think you need some seat time, with patients and practice. Work on getting the plow level (pin vertical) from the seat.

There is nothing wrong with your plow, and a little slop/play is normal. This is simply a curl adjustment that you can do from the seat.

 

[homesteader13]

I have the same exact plow that you do.
That being said, I have run snow plows most of my life, Boss, Meyers, etc on pickups and commercial vehicles and I will tell you that this quick attach plow setup on the front of a loader on a tractor like this did take a little bit of getting used to, but after a week or two in various conditions have got it down and am very happy with it. On my Homestead I have a lot of loose Rock and dirt and also 5 miles down an uneven mountain road that we have to plow. One of the problems that I resolved was the fact that it did not have feet. So I was able to buy a replacement feet kit with washers spacers and everything for $53 on Amazon and I fabricated brackets for it until we got a good layer of compacted snow to fill in all of the uneven surfaces and rocks sticking up then I was able to take it off and use that blade on its own.
And now it works amazingly well.

 

[jenkinsph]

I think you need some seat time, with patients and practice. Work on getting the plow level (pin vertical) from the seat.

There is nothing wrong with your plow, and a little slop/play is normal. This is simply a curl adjustment that you can do from the seat.

I agree with all of those saying it is a curl adjustment.

You should be able to go to max angle with the blade raised and then adjust curl so that blade lays flat on the driveway. Leave the curl alone and make a note if the position if you have an indicator to reference.

 

[lostcause]

My condolences go out to you "Snow Plow Folks". :tractor:

Many years ago I worked in southern Georgia and one of the locals once asked me how we could stand it up there with all the snow and cold weather. I looked at him with a straight face and said: "if it wasn't for the snow and cold we'd never get all of you tourists to go home after Labor day."

 

[lostcause]

just to expand on what others have said about the pin being vertical, it has to be perpendicular to the ground regardless of any angles with respect to the tractor. in most truck style plows that also equates to the attachment frame being level with the ground, but being level to the ground is also required for plows like the Fisher to have proper trip edge operation. as was mentioned, shoes help, especially until the ground freezes solid, and after it thaws for that last storm of the year.

 

[airbiscuit]

I think you need some seat time, with patients and practice. Work on getting the plow level (pin vertical) from the seat.

There is nothing wrong with your plow, and a little slop/play is normal. This is simply a curl adjustment that you can do from the seat.

Yep, and also realize that when the plow is angled, as you raise it, the front will be higher than the trailing side. Adjust your curl so that the plow rest flat on the ground when it is fully lowered, and understand that the front will lift more than the back as you raise it. It's just geometry.