Back blade for snow removal

[TheMan419]

Ok there are no dumb questions right?

Currently using FEL for snow removal. It works. However I now have a 5ft back blade. I have never used a back blade for anything.

How is it used for plowing? Do I plow in reverse? I have a gravel drive. I値l habe to add some 都hoes to keep it from moving all the gravel into the grass.

 

[Rustyiron]

Ok there are no dumb questions right?

Absolutely :thumbsup:

Rear blade's work nicely, there are a ton of threads on keeping one up just enough to be out of the gravel on TBN. The best way is to pave over the gravel first Guy's use pipe's split long ways to provide a dull edge, shoe's and other means & techniques. I think pulling the blade with the top link shortened way up provides the least aggressive blade angle might do it or at least help.

 

[Citydude]

I turn my blade backwards and drive forward. Turning the blade forward just gouges until the road is well frozen over.

 

[RjCorazza]

I turn my blade backwards and drive forward. Turning the blade forward just gouges until the road is well frozen over.

This is what I did when I had a gravel driveway. The OP may want to also look into Edge Tamers for the bucket edge... they are inexpensive, and work great on gravel.

 

[TheMan419]

This is what I did when I had a gravel driveway. The OP may want to also look into Edge Tamers for the bucket edge... they are inexpensive, and work great on gravel.

Op has edge tamers and loves them. . They stay on all year unless I am moving dirt. Actually they make getting into the manure pile easier.

Just got the back blade for free and want to see if it is easier to move snow.

 

[RjCorazza]

I am a little ocd and couldn’t stand plowing gravel. After 3 years I bit the bullet and paved 600 feet.
I use the edge tamers on a few gravel driveways that I occasionally plow, and they simply can’t be beat on a loader bucket!
I learned about them here, so maybe your recommendation got me looking at them.

 

[mcfarmall]

I love plowing snow with a back blade and FEL. Drag the snow with the back blade to my "landing" from the driveway, etc. then use the FEL to pile it up. Works great! I use the rear blade on my lawn but shorten the top link to reduce the positive rake of the cutting edge. Once the bare ground freezes you are golden until a big thaw.

 

[TerryR]

Currently using FEL for snow removal. It works. However I now have a 5ft back blade. I have never used a back blade for anything.

How is it used for plowing? Do I plow in reverse? I have a gravel drive. I値l habe to add some 都hoes to keep it from moving all the gravel into the grass.

I have a quarter mile gravel driveway, see http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/299055-grading-interesting-driveway.html

I use my back blade regularly for snow plowing. The FEL is way too slow, so I don't use it unless the drifts are too high to plow (over about a foot).

The first step is to make sure you grade out the ruts from the tire tracks before it snows so the drive is smooth. If the ground hasn't frozen you have to carry it a bit on the 3-point to keep it from digging in. I don't find any need for anything thing special to keep the blade out of the gravel. If the road is frozen just let the blade float and it will be fine.

I find that I have to swing the blade to the second hole, nearly 45 degrees, and drive at a fair clip to get the snow to flow off, especially if it's more than a couple of inches.

 

[cat fever]

I also use a back blade if the snow is deep enough. (otherwise just the 4 wheeler) I can raise the blade just off the ground and it just stays there. I don't get gravel while plowing.:thumbsup:

 

[RSKY]

A blade is much better than a bucket.

Due to fuel problems I only cleared about a dozen or so driveways this week. Two or three years ago we had a big (for us) snow with drifts higher than the rear tires on my little Kioti. I cleared, or at least made passable, 34 or 35 driveways and more than a mile and a half of two lane road over three days using a 5' rear blade. Then had to go back and open up everybody's driveway after the county made one pass with a snowplow blocking the drives. I set my blade at a 45 angle and start on the left side of the drive. Get to the end, back up and do it again. Repeat moving to the right until the drive is clear. Only occasionally, on a very wide drive, do I have to get off and change the angle. When the drive is clear I turn the blade backwards and push the snow out of the road from where I have drug it out of the driveway.

I had a ball doing this. Met people whom had lived a quarter mile from me for twenty years that I had never met.

Back to the story. Our snow is usually kinda wet and packs easy. Once you start down the road it will curl up and roll off to the side. On a gravel drive I watch and as soon as I see that I am pulling up gravel I raise the blade a little until I'm leaving about an inch of snow. This week pulling the lever up to the 7 mark worked perfectly. If I shorten or lengthen the top link that will change.

I tell the ones that I see out that I may scratch their driveway but when they need milk, bananas, and toilet paper they don't care.

I use the bucket only when there is a drift I can't get thru or when to push myself out when I get in a ditch. Yes a tractor will slide sideways into a ditch off a slight slope. Chains will be my next purchase but they are hard to justify when used two days a year on somebody else property doing work for free.

RSKY

 

[cat fever]

A blade is much better than a bucket.

Chains will be my next purchase but they are hard to justify when used two days a year on somebody else property doing work for free.

RSKY

I plow out a elderly neighbors drive across the street from me. They made me a Pecan pie that was sure good.:licking:

 

[Creamer]

My bucket rarely touches snow. I normally go forward down my 1/4 mile long driveway but if it gets too deep I turn the blade backward and push it off at an angle. I usually do teh asphalt apron in front of the garage with the blade backwards as well because I can get in much closer.

On the driveway i usually roll it to both sides so I start in the middle with the blade angled and plow one way and turn a 180 and plow the other way. I typically keep the blade up 1.5 inches until I get frozen snow base to keep from scraping gravel and drive fast as the snow rolls out better. Also having the diamond tread tires on the rear and industrials on the front when I get to the end I typically use the brake to turn and in less than a second I am going the other way as the tractor pivots around the inside front wheel. If you cannot have fun why do it?

 

[s219]

I use a rear blade for clearing snow, and it works very well. Most of the time I drive forward with blade angled to windrow the snow off to one side. But for the area near our garage, I flip the blade around backwards and push snow in reverse. Lots of options. I use a pipe over the cutting edge to keep from disturbing my gravel.

 

[RSKY]

There are a couple of divorced young women on our road. They blow the horn and wave when they drive past our house and see me out. My wife thinks it is funny.

I cleared the drives of one mother and both her daughters. They mailed me a gift card for a restaurant. Next time I cleared their drives I threatened them if they got me anything and said I would pile up snow in their drives. A few days later I had a set of grilling sauces and other stuff delivered with no name on it. Every time I would call they would laugh and say it wasn't them. One of them finally owned up to it when the snow melted.

A case of delicious pears was delivered from another neighbor.

I won't accept pay and that frustrates some of them. They don't understand somebody out in freezing weather clearing driveways for fun.

Never thought about it before but I guess I have earned my reputation as the weird one.

RSKY

 

[cat fever]

That's how I look at it; heck I'm out having fun!

 

[tman1020]

I used a backblade to plow for years. It worked great even in deeper snow you could just hold it up a bit. Normally I angle it and push it in reverse and then drop the bucket and push snow in forward. I could move snow in both directions this way to clear the wide portion of my driveway.
One time we got so much snow I plowed in forward with the rear blade and kept the bucket about 6 inches or so off the ground.

This filled the bucket with snow and gave me some added weight and the rest just rolled off to sides the back blade took care of the final 6 inches as I drove over it.

 

[TerryR]

One time we got so much snow I plowed in forward with the rear blade and kept the bucket about 6 inches or so off the ground.

This filled the bucket with snow and gave me some added weight and the rest just rolled off to sides the back blade took care of the final 6 inches as I drove over it.

That's very clever, tman. I'll have to remember that. We seldom have that much actual snowfall, but we have a section were it sometimes drifts too deep to plow with the back blade alone.

 

[Thomas]

Back blade work very good. :thumbsup:
I don't like plowing backwards because blade has no trips springs.

 

[Creamer]

Back blade work very good. :thumbsup:
I don't like plowing backwards because blade has no trips springs.

You need to get the obstacles out of the way before the snow falls.

 

[RSKY]

I have on occasion found how far the steering wheel will go into my stomach when catching the pavement lip at the edge of a driveway. I always make sure my seat belt is fastened.

RSKY