Putting a 2.75" hardened steel pipe on rear blade for plowing in soft conditions?

[Too many Kubotas]

Wow, that's nice!

I looked it up on some sort of "average temp/rain/snow" site called Weather Spark. Lots of fancy charts and curves.

If you check it out, maybe they're wrong about how hot it gets, too. That's what scared me away.

 

[In.the.Piñons]

^^^Very nice blade. You should be able to straighten out your "roller coaster" roads while plowing snow with that thing. Many of us don't plow unless the ground is froze. We just drive on the snow to make a packed down layer that allows the plow to ride on. If you rarely freeze up, that would be a mess all winter long....good luck.

Thanks, I can't wait to get this WR Long kit so I can adjust most everything on this blade from inside the cab.

Last year we got 20 inches of snow over a couple of days. It was wet and heavy and started to melt in the afternoons. I plowed it twice with the rear blade, leaving about 1-3". It got packed down with traffic, but it's not like in colder areas where the packed snow stays as packed snow. Here, with the warmer temps and the sun, it will start to melt and re-freeze into ice. So my roads turn into ice covered roller coasters.

 

[In.the.Piñons]

I've welded pipes to cutting edge for plowing snow, despite what others say and think if you have access to a plasma cutter that works it's easy, clamp pipe in a stick of angle iron preferably as long or longer than pipe, use edge of angle as a straight edge dragging torch along edge, loosen clamps rotate pipe slightly and cut adjacent groove. Learned the harder way have plasma cutter consumables on hand or your going to be using a grinder to finish cut. Lol

That was my plan, but I talked to a fabricator about it this morning and he told me it's not as simple as that. According to him, pipe has internal stressors (due to manufacturing) that will warp the pipe when a slit is cut along the entire length.

 

[In.the.Piñons]

If the shoes dug in, I think the round pipe will dig in worse. I'd look into making longer (like 12") skids mounted on the side.

That is a thought, though at that point I'd just figure out a way to mount a couple of wheels.

I did make some huge (12" dia each) skids for the blade last year, but they just dug in.

 

[In.the.Piñons]

AI....J55 steel is not a "tool steel" but rather a low-grade casing and tubing steel specified by the American Petroleum Institute (API) under the API 5CT standard. It's primarily used in the oil and gas industry for shallow wells due to its low cost and wide application range, with a minimum yield strength of 379 MPa (55,000 psi) and a minimum tensile strength of 517 MPa (75,000 psi).

OK, thanks for correction. The guy selling it told me it was "tool grade" hardened steel. I guess for $35 I can't complain though!

 

[Topzide]

I used a piece of PVC conduit on my bucket edge to help a neighbor with some stone he had delivered on asphalt. Did a nice job of sliding on asphalt without gouging it!

 

[jjeff]

That was my plan, but I talked to a fabricator about it this morning and he told me it's not as simple as that. According to him, pipe has internal stressors (due to manufacturing) that will warp the pipe when a slit is cut along the entire length.

Maybe but the Straight cutting edge on plow will probably take a bow out especially if you tack weld it first as you straighten the pipe out along cutting edge. Anyways never had a problem yet however I definitely wouldn't consider myself a professional fab or welder so take my free online experiences as such. I will say if I needed the cutting edge to use to grade dirt or gravel I probably would go with those that suggest welding angle on pipe laying out drilling and thru bolting to existing cutting edge holes so pipe is removable when and if a cutting edge is needed. However never in my tractor and atv snow plowing experiences did I wish my plows cutting edge was there. I kind of learned the hard wayy when I got my first compact kubota tractor they Aren't bulldozers.

 

[jyoutz]

Wow, that's nice!

I looked it up on some sort of "average temp/rain/snow" site called Weather Spark. Lots of fancy charts and curves.

If you check it out, maybe they're wrong about how hot it gets, too. That's what scared me away.

The hottest month in Edgewood is June, where temperatures can get into the mid 90s. In July -August temperatures fluctuate between the mid 70-80s depending on whether or not it has rained that day. Now we are in the low 70s, headed for the 60s soon. It’s not really a hot climate; even Albuquerque only get an average of 4-5 days per year when they might break 100 degrees. Keep in mind that Edgewood is over 6,500’ elevation and where I live is 6,950’.

 

[ruffdog]

Being that the OP has a FEL, I wonder if triple Edge Tamers might work for some conditions?

 

[jjeff]

Being that the OP has a FEL, I wonder if triple Edge Tamers might work for some conditions?

So this a pretty elaborate back blade? You'd think the hydraulic top link would angle the cutting edge enough so it won't cut into the road under most conditions?