Front blade for Almost free

[garagewizard]

Hey all, new to posting here, I have been getting a lot of good ideas by reading and just thought I would share my latest creation. I just finished a front blade for my John Deer lx277, wish i had more tractor to play with but money and my property can't justify any more. As most John Deer lawn and garden tractor owners know, they make nothing for attachments for the tractors that don't have the rear PTO or the full hydraulic PTO. I wanted a plow/grader blade for my lawn tractor and was quoted almost $1000 for the blade and the manual lift linkage. WELL $12 of mig wire an old bed frame and a peice of an old water tank (courtesy of a junk pile a friend of mine has) and a 17hp dozer was born. st[/ATTACH]
[/ATTACH] in the day light I will ad some pic of the work it is doing. pleade forgive the rough nature of the work it is still being finished. the tins and paint should be on by the end of the week good lord willin' and the creek don't rise

 

[Ductape]

I think you did great making a plow on the cheap.

I will just say to plow carefully. Plows usually have some type of 'trip'...... so it will fold forward, or the bottom edge filps backward if you hit something. I don't see any way for your plow to trip (unless I just didn't see it)..... so be careful you don't end up laid out across the hood next winter!

 

[garagewizard]

I have been pushing an area of my side yard out that has been ripped up by the 4 wheelers, I can definitely agree with you on the trip edge. I have the blade and the hinge points made, just looking for some springs that would be strong enough to keep the edge out in front instead of tripping every time it touches the tar. Hopefully I will find some by the time snow flies. as for now I am just moving very slowly and keeping the spring on my lift under constant load. good thing I can't sue my self for whiplash happened a few times.

If it's free, It's for me

 

[garagewizard]

Some of the work with the new plow blade.

not bad for mig wire and a little ingenuity.

 

[bbsnow]

Hopefully "better late than never" with this input as I know it's an old thread. Also hope you added some sort of trip relief to your great looking blade.

Be careful on the following: If you drive into an ice ridge or an unforgiving frozen snow pile, don't lock your elbows as you steer. Any sudden, jarring stop will transfer right up into your shoulder socket if you have your elbows locked for steering your LT. I've found out the hard way and likely tore up a rotator cuff 1 1/2 years ago. Over a long time it's healed, but might have needed surgery. Goll darn, it sure hurt!

 

[BHD]

I made some thing similar,

but I made the blade hinged about 3" from the bottom of the blade, and used some heavy springs to hold the blade up right, there were a few times it was very help full to have that give in the blade. as a few times it would catch some thing solid.

I made my attachment some what different, in that I ran a frame clear under the tractor and it would pin to the hitch on the rear of the tractor.