What have you done to your Branson today?

[Slowpoke Slim]

We got a pittance of snow last night, about 3" of actual snowfall. But it drifted into the driveway up to about 6". Used the 3 pt snowblower to clear the drive, mostly just to test my adjustments and see how the new Edge Tamers worked.

Was mostly "ok", but I think I'm going to take the rear shoes completely off the blower and just let it ride on the 3 Edge Tamers on the cutting edge. Ground is still soft and the rear shoes were digging in if I just dropped the blower all the way to sit on the shoes. Extended the top link to get more pressure on the front edge, but still digs in on the rear shoes. Works fine if I pick up the 3 pt just barely enough to get the shoes off the ground.

Didn't bring out my phone this morning, so no pictures. But I did take a couple the other day of the Edge Tamers on the cutting edge.

Also had the presence of mind to put the pallet of sandbags in the bed of my truck before the storm. Sure do like having pallet forks, no manual labor required.

 

[Zork]

I finally got some wood.

 

[LouNY]

Well a good start to getting setup for the winter. I do have a question you lengthen your top link to get more pressure on the "front" edge. Is that the cutting edge with the edge tamer on it? Of the top of my head lengthening would put more weight to the rear.
No pictures here either, did some picking up and reorganizing some James Hardie siding, soffits and trim boards. The excess from siding the house. (some of which will be used when we redo the porch)
That stuff is heavy I have 1200 pounds of iron on the 8050 and that was not enough to pick up the siding pallet, starting lifting and then all of a sudden we were sitting with the rear end in the air. Had to back off of it and go put the 10 foot back blade on and then we could just barely move the siding.
Weather guessers are calling for upwards of 2 inches of rain tomorrow then finishing up as soggy snow.
Which is why I needed to get it moved today.
No chains or snow tires on yet so need to get building materials well covered and tires and chains started.

 

[Cycledude]

We got a pittance of snow last night, about 3" of actual snowfall. But it drifted into the driveway up to about 6". Used the 3 pt snowblower to clear the drive, mostly just to test my adjustments and see how the new Edge Tamers worked.

Was mostly "ok", but I think I'm going to take the rear shoes completely off the blower and just let it ride on the 3 Edge Tamers on the cutting edge. Ground is still soft and the rear shoes were digging in if I just dropped the blower all the way to sit on the shoes. Extended the top link to get more pressure on the front edge, but still digs in on the rear shoes. Works fine if I pick up the 3 pt just barely enough to get the shoes off the ground.

Didn't bring out my phone this morning, so no pictures. But I did take a couple the other day of the Edge Tamers on the cutting edge.

View attachment 837192

Also had the presence of mind to put the pallet of sandbags in the bed of my truck before the storm. Sure do like having pallet forks, no manual labor required.

View attachment 837193

What brand of blower do you have ? Did you have to drill the holes for the Edge Tamers yourself ?
I have a 72 inch MK Martin Meteor blower and in my opinion the shoes that it came with are very lousy for use on gravel so I’m interested in trying something similar to what you did.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

What brand of blower do you have ? Did you have to drill the holes for the Edge Tamers yourself ?
I have a 72 inch MK Martin Meteor blower and in my opinion the shoes that it came with are very lousy for use on gravel so I’m interested in trying something similar to what you did.

It's a Woodmaxx blower. I didn't have to drill any holes. The cutting edge is a bolt on, so the bolt on Edge Tamers just bolt through one of the existing bolt locations on the cutting edge. I just replaced the original cutting edge bolts with longer ones that fit up through the bottom and extend long enough to take a nut and a couple washers on top.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Well a good start to getting setup for the winter. I do have a question you lengthen your top link to get more pressure on the "front" edge. Is that the cutting edge with the edge tamer on it? Of the top of my head lengthening would put more weight to the rear.

My blower is rear facing 3 pt style. So lengthening the top link tips the blower towards the cutting edge and away from the skid shoes.

And it still wasn't enough. I think I'll take the shoes off one day this week, we have a day coming that's supposed to be almost 40 F this week. I'll play with it more then.

 

[Zork]

My blower is rear facing 3 pt style. So lengthening the top link tips the blower towards the cutting edge and away from the skid shoes.

And it still wasn't enough. I think I'll take the shoes off one day this week, we have a day coming that's supposed to be almost 40 F next week. I'll play with it more then.

Not sure ifins I need one, but I would like a front mounted unit

 

[ning]

I had a tree crew take down a 100'+ grey pine that was growing very bent downhill, dropping its 5-10# pine cones (no joke) like bombs on my wife's berry patch (they can literally kill you if one hits your head), and you never know when one of these trees is going to lose the battle with gravity.

My cut-rate deal with the excellent tree service (very happy - they took everything down in chunks and lowered it to the ground without smashing a thing under the tree) had me taking care of the main wood; they chipped the small slash.

I had to play a bit of log jenga as most of the logs were on the hill side right above the very patch, so I lifted some out with a chain to avoid logs rolling down the hill. Second pic, I couldn't get to that log from below (berries!) and I needed to get it up onto the flat where I could grab it with forks; backhoe pulled it up just enough to get my chain under it and then I dragged it up.

The big log segments were about 28-30" diameter under the bark and 7-8' length. I can't find a weight for this wood but you wouldn't believe how much pitch there is oozing from the cuts; it's the heavier pine I've ever seen (final pic). I figured the heaviest was around 1600#, possibly a bit more.

 

[Cycledude]

I had a tree crew take down a 100'+ grey pine that was growing very bent downhill, dropping its 5-10# pine cones (no joke) like bombs on my wife's berry patch (they can literally kill you if one hits your head), and you never know when one of these trees is going to lose the battle with gravity.

My cut-rate deal with the excellent tree service (very happy - they took everything down in chunks and lowered it to the ground without smashing a thing under the tree) had me taking care of the main wood; they chipped the small slash.

I had to play a bit of log jenga as most of the logs were on the hill side right above the very patch, so I lifted some out with a chain to avoid logs rolling down the hill. Second pic, I couldn't get to that log from below (berries!) and I needed to get it up onto the flat where I could grab it with forks; backhoe pulled it up just enough to get my chain under it and then I dragged it up.

The big log segments were about 28-30" diameter under the bark and 7-8' length. I can't find a weight for this wood but you wouldn't believe how much pitch there is oozing from the cuts; it's the heavier pine I've ever seen (final pic). I figured the heaviest was around 1600#, possibly a bit more.View attachment 837708View attachment 837709View attachment 837710View attachment 837713

Wow 5-10 pound cones I’d love to see some pictures of them .

 

[ning]

Wow 5-10 pound cones I’d love to see some pictures of them .

I'll grab one out of the burn pile later lol
they're heavy when they fall because they're still closed up and they're sock full of pine nuts (really big juicy ones, much bigger than what you buy at the store typically, and very tasty!) and saturated with pitch.

Here's a pic I took a while back of another ghost/grey pine, not on my land. Tree is about 100' tall as well, you can't see the base; gives you a good sense of the danger perhaps

I figured this was definitely a "ghost" pine! (Otherwise I think they're called that because the pine needles are almost gray when live, and the branches and needles are so sparse that there's not a lot of the tree there to see other than the main trunks and branches.)

 

[Zork]

I got a few twigs up and off the ground.
View attachment 878074

 

[Zork]

I purchased a couple SSQA plates.

 

[Zork]

One SSQA has a Western Ultra Finish on it. I picked this unit up several years ago as salvage. I wanted to keep the tilt feature, the older Meyers is the same size but much heavier steel.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Keep us posted on when you get to try it out. I'm wondering if you'll run into any issues with it so far out in front of your front wheels?

Just curious if you get pushed sideways with it or not. Or, do you run front chains?

 

[LouNY]

I put one of those SSQA females to good use by installing a Western Ultra Finish on it. I picked this unit up several years ago as salvage. Now all I need to do is paint it and pick up the hoses to my remote block. I wanted to keep the tilt feature, I think? The older Meyers is the same size but much heavier steel. View attachment 841505

Good luck with her, I have similar unit and it does OK.
Mine could use more float in the blade, you may have better luck if you remove the top link and use a chain to limit the drop.

 

[Zork]

Keep us posted on when you get to try it out. I'm wondering if you'll run into any issues with it so far out in front of your front wheels?

Just curious if you get pushed sideways with it or not. Or, do you run front chains?

Sure will. I used a Meyers in the same way bolted to my bucket. It worked fine on pavement but my slate driveway never froze so it kicked the slate to the curb. I'm suspecting this rig will work better, since it is lighter on my loader and now has a tilt feature- the tilt feature may or may it be beneficial.

 

[Zork]

Good luck with her, I have similar unit and it does OK.
Mine could use more float in the blade, you may have better luck if you remove the top link and use a chain to limit the drop.
View attachment 841538

My Meyers used the chain sleeved with a pipe to limit float, then I went with the top link and it worked fine. I preferred the top link since it gave me more control, since I slow plow. The top link on this new setup lends support and permits the tilt feature. I thought about removing the tilt which would bring the plow about 5 inches closer, but I thought the tilt would be nice. My next tractor will have a cab!

 

[Zork]

As a funny haha regarding float, the first year I had the Meyers I plowed [graded] a neighbor's driveway that was obviously littered with ruts in some areas, it would have been nice to have more float with that experience.

 

[Zork]

Keep us posted on when you get to try it out. I'm wondering if you'll run into any issues with it so far out in front of your front wheels?

Just curious if you get pushed sideways with it or not. Or, do you run front chains?

I missed the sideways/chains question. No chains. The one year recently ('15?) we had substantial snow and there was not slippage, but I guess the Meyers added another 200+ pounds to my front axle.

 

[Zork]

Here's a photo of my first rig