Dealing with high rows

corey9212 · Nov 20, 2013

Hello, I've been reading about when using a blade the edges get high and can cause drifts, I am now experiencing the high edges causing the drifts and am wandering how you guys deal with it? Do you just remove the top to lower the edge? Or do you remove the pile all together making the drive wider? Do you use the blade to do that? Or do you use a bucket? It will be interesting to see how everyone handles the high edges.

dave1949 · Nov 20, 2013

I bucket mine back six feet or so if they start collecting snow.

I try to pile and blow snow on what is 90% of the time, the downwind side of the driveway.

corey9212 · Nov 20, 2013

dave1949 said:
I bucket mine back six feet or so if they start collecting snow. I try to pile and blow snow on what is 90% of the time, the downwind side of the driveway.

Do you bucket all of it or just a layer off the top?

peterc38 · Nov 21, 2013

corey9212 said:
Do you bucket all of it or just a layer off the top?

I do exactly what Dave does. I bucket all of it not just a layer off the top. May not be as practical for those with really long drives.

dave1949 · Nov 21, 2013

corey9212 said:
Do you bucket all of it or just a layer off the top?

I don't try for bare ground, but most of it gets shoved back.

If we are having a snowy winter and the piles are growing out of control, I go out on a nice sunny day and do some clean-up and re-arranging. Sort of prepping for the next heavy snow. As spring gets closer, I worry about it less. Having a blower is a big help. I used to do everything with just the bucket.

corey9212 · Nov 21, 2013

peterc38 said:
I do exactly what Dave does. I bucket all of it not just a layer off the top. May not be as practical for those with really long drives.

When you bucket it do you completely move it or just push it over? I move it to my designated snow pile that's 100 yards away but find that when I move it, it makes a mess of the drive I'm not sure if it's cause of my technique (I run the bucket the length of the drive skimming the edge off.)

Dr_Zinj · Nov 21, 2013

It depends on how much snow I have lying on the ground. First few snow falls never had a problem just back blading it to the side of the drive going forward. Once the banks get 2 feet high, I either have to run in reverse and blade it off farther, or herringbone it off using the FEL & bucket. I'm a wimp and prefer to do my plowing only once per storm, so I usually wait until it's over before clearing. Got one storm that was so deep and heavy that I had no choice; I couldn't blade it and had to herringbone my way down the entire drive.

corey9212 · Nov 21, 2013

Dr_Zinj said:
It depends on how much snow I have lying on the ground. First few snow falls never had a problem just back blading it to the side of the drive going forward. Once the banks get 2 feet high, I either have to run in reverse and blade it off farther, or herringbone it off using the FEL & bucket. I'm a wimp and prefer to do my plowing only once per storm, so I usually wait until it's over before clearing. Got one storm that was so deep and heavy that I had no choice; I couldn't blade it and had to herringbone my way down the entire drive.

What is herringbone? I've never heard that term before.

bcp · Nov 21, 2013

corey9212 said:
What is herringbone? I've never heard that term before.

This is a barn, but it could be your driveway.

The center is the driveway. Each cow is a loader push, making a herringbone pattern.

Bruce

flyingcow · Nov 21, 2013

I also will go out a couple of times in the winter and plow a snow fence. Actually i use my blower for that. It keeps the drive clear on windy days between storms.