Deere 855 snow plow

[lwalsh]

Pick up a six foot backblade and with the bucket you will be in good shape for very little spend. You can always sell the blade if you dont like it. I have a rear blower, a back blade, a loader mounted plow and the bucket. Most of the time I plow the majority of my 1000' asphalt drive with the back blade while driving foreward through the snow. I have never dug into the asphalt. This assumes you have four feet or so to spare on each side of the drive to allow for the build up of the bank over the winter.

 

[WinterDeere]

Cool. I think a rear blade might be the quickest and cheapest way to set up this machine for this winter. Only questions are:

1. Set up to pull the blade driving forward, vs. push it driving backwards. Driveway has several bends and turns along it's length.
2. Chains and/or weights? I have one set of wheel weights, and the loader and blade rig will each add a few hundred. I can get chains cheap for the front tires MFWD, and even the rears, if warranted.

edit: Just checked Tractor Supply, and it looks like I can get any size rear blade from 60" to 96" in the $300 - $400 range. Small for storage on end, too. I do hate the idea of a manual angle, though. Would be interesting to see if anyone has adapted hydraulics to one of these! Also, I guess breaking hard-pack might be tough with the rear blade (no down pressure), but I guess that's where the loader might come in handy.

 

[RoyJackson]

Cool. I think a rear blade might be the quickest and cheapest way to set up this machine for this winter. Only questions are:

1. Set up to pull the blade driving forward, vs. push it driving backwards. Driveway has several bends and turns along it's length.
2. Chains and/or weights? I have one set of wheel weights, and the loader and blade rig will each add a few hundred. I can get chains cheap for the front tires MFWD, and even the rears, if warranted.

edit: Just checked Tractor Supply, and it looks like I can get any size rear blade from 60" to 96" in the $300 - $400 range. Small for storage on end, too. I do hate the idea of a manual angle, though. Would be interesting to see if anyone has adapted hydraulics to one of these! Also, I guess breaking hard-pack might be tough with the rear blade (no down pressure), but I guess that's where the loader might come in handy.

As far as pulling or pushing, I've done both. There have been threads on guys damaging their lower link arms when pushing. The 3PH is designed for pulling...and a rear blade has no trip springs to absorb some of the impact when you hit something.
Most recently (before I sold the blade), I was pulling forward for the most part...works fine.

I'd suggest getting chains for the rear tires. Less stress on the MFWD...you might even not need MFWD with chains ( use MFWD less with chains....frequently, not at all). I use 4 link ladder type on turfs, but they are bumpier riding then 2 link ladder types.

You can add hydraulic angle to a rear blade. Others on TBN have done it...but I'd try a season or two before I spent money on that. You may find out you don't need to angle the blade much.

All that said, I'd still lean toward that BXpanded front blade first.

 

[JD755]

I went a great number of years with this tractor never using chains. The key was never to drive through where I had not already plowed. With the front blade that was no problem. Same with using the rear blade while driving in reverse. When I decided to use the rear blade while in forward motion I knew I needed chains. They are necessary for that mode and have really done well for me.

When I had the front blade the hydraulic control was nice. When I went to the rear blade I thought I would really miss that. Turns out you just develop a plow pattern where you never need to adjust the blade from one setting. At the most you may need to change the direction one time while plowing. All just a matter of thinking ahead and developing a routine.

You will find many threads here about using chains on the front tires. General opinion seems to be they can provide too much of the wrong kind of load on the front gears and cause damage. Also, concerns about using a rear blade in the reverse push mode may damage the three point which is designed to pull instead of push. I used reverse for many years but was always very careful about it.

I do use the bucket for for cleanup in some areas and find it makes a nice combination with the rear blade.

 

[JD755]

Maybe a rear blade is the way to go, then? Sure would be nice to not have to remove the loader. Then again... the easy removal of this loader is the primary reason I bought this machine. I had an offer to buy a 750 with similar hours in better shape with a bigger loader, backhoe, and brush hog (not needed) for the same price as this 855. The 750 had a Johnson loader, which was not removeable.

The issue on the loader on my tractor was not the removal of it. With the 70 loader that only takes about a minute. Much faster than the older 52 loader. The changeover to a front blade also required the removal of several heavy brackets and large bolts used for mounting the loader. Then it required installing a different set of several heavy brackets and bolts required to install the blade. Really a waste of time on those years when we never got enough snow to bother plowing, and hardly worth it on the heavier snow years.

 

[WinterDeere]

Thanks, guys. I looked at the BXpanded system. Very interesting concept. Not sure how that blade rig hangs onto the bucket with the blade angled, but I guess it must work.

Here's my reservations on each.

BXpanded system:
- no hydraulic left right will likely get old FAST!
- giving up use of loader, unless you remove and reinstall it
- $985 with skid shoes. not a show-stopper, but roughly 3x the cost of a rear blade
- worried about tweaking my model 52 loader arms or mounts when blade is angled

Rear blade
- no hydraulic left right, but maybe less of an issue out back
- no skid shoes?!? i could weld on a set, but guessing there's a reason non are provided.

I do like how a rear blade can be used in combo with the loader, but do worry it might tear up my driveway, unless I add some skid shoes.

PS - The 52 loader goes on and off pretty easy. Two quick release catches on the cross beam in front of the foot plate, hydraulic up, install kick stands, hydraulic down, back out, disconnect hoses. Takes only a few minutes.

 

[RoyJackson]

Some rear blades have Skid Shoes as options. I think the Land Pride JD755 has are the optional skid shoes. The concave side of a rear blade can dig in (that's what they're designed for). Skid shoes, adding a non-metallic edge, adding a rounded edge (split pipe) are all things TBNers have done to prevent digging in.

As far as manual vs. hydraulic angle, I don't think you'd need to angle that often..of course, only you can determine that. Of course, if you did want hydraulic angling (on a plow or blade), you'll need the 3rd SCV added to your 855.

 

[WinterDeere]

Of course, if you did want hydraulic angling (on a plow or blade), you'll need the 3rd SCV added to your 855.

Well, that was initially my thinking behind going with front blade like the 380. Use the primary 2-axis control valve for up/down and left/right. I think that's still my plan long-term, to modify a rig such as a 380 to quick-attach to the loader attachment points. However, no time for that now... so I gotta just find the best solution to get me thru the next year or two.

 

[RoyJackson]

Well, that was initially my thinking behind going with front blade like the 380. Use the primary 2-axis control valve for up/down and left/right. I think that's still my plan long-term, to modify a rig such as a 380 to quick-attach to the loader attachment points. However, no time for that now... so I gotta just find the best solution to get me thru the next year or two.

And that's a good plan...take some time to determine what you really need.
I know your loader is QA...is your bucket QA too? Or, is it a bolt on bucket?

 

[WinterDeere]

I wonder if I could adapt one of these to my bucket mounts, if I'm going to use the loader for pushing. Either modify the blade mount to fit my loader bucket points, or modify the loader to use this quick-attach system?

72" Snow Plow Attachment Compact Tractor Blade Bobcat Kubota John Deere Montana | eBay

Hmm... just found another option. The possibilities seem endless!

http://www.quick-attach.com/attachments/frontendloaderconverter/100-030-000/