GC17xx tractors, clearing snow with the bucket.

[seville009]

Buy a used 3pt snowblower. That’ll give you weight on the back, and when the snow piles build up, use it to blow them back

 

[GeneV]

But see, I don't wanna put anything back there if I could get away with it, that's the point. I want the tractor as compact as possible.

 

[ray66v]

I would not attach a plow to the FEL bucket, on a GC. The bottom of the bucket, is very light gauge metal.

Plus, if you are trying to keep your rig compact, that's not a good way to do it.

I removed the bucket, and made a frame to attach the bucket to.

Keep in mind the plow needs to be hinged, so it can float. And, it also helps to have some slop in the pivot point, so it can rotate a few degrees to be able to follow, any changes in the terrain.

 

[MoMower]

Did it with the bucket and a rear blade for a few years, then bought a 3pt rear blower.

Then for the new machine bought a front blower and rear blade.

You can move snow with the bucket, but it’s not efficient. It depends on how much you have to do.

 

[Imold]

The blade is hinged and has two heavy springs, the long square tubing under bucket will be around 30 inches long, the 2 inch going to the front of bucket will be around 15 inches and the quarter inch plate bracket welded onto that with the two other supports, all this will be under bucket so it should be strong enough not to bend, all I can do is try, I have a cable for the blade I never used and it is still in the Polaris box, it is like a heavy pto cable, pull and bump the blade.

I can not use a 3 point snowblower because my C7 thru C3 are fused and plated C2 and C1 are collapsed and I have a morphine pump in my lower back with a tube going up my spine to 8 little tubes that go to my nerve endings in my neck it to control my chronic pain, so turning and looking back is not to doable for me, I need to put as much on the front as I can.

 

[Imold]

If all else fails I still have this with a 60 inch snow blade and heat.
View attachment 619523

 

[ray66v]

The blade is hinged and has two heavy springs

It sounds like you are describing the mechanism to allow the blade to fold if it hits something?

That mechanism will not allow the blade to float up and down.

 

[Imold]

It sounds like you are describing the mechanism to allow the blade to fold if it hits something?

That mechanism will not allow the blade to float up and down.

I apologize I was thinking the flexing of the blade as far as floating goes I will just put the FEL in float so the pads on the blade will allow the blade to follow the pavement and gravel, the float works nice with my Edge Tamers on the bucket.


Jim.

 

[cdaigle430]

Just try edge tamers on the bucket and snow chains in the rear-wont matter what style tire you use. loaded tires too.

 

[Ripkid]

I've used my 1720 several times this last winter to clean up a large turn around area by our pole shed, & also to widen the 300' plus driveway leading to it. It's all gravel so we try to plow it a couple inches high with the plow truck & then drive it/pack it down. Unfortunately though it's in an area that drifts pretty high so I needed to do a lot of bucket work. My tires though are filled and I also leave my backhoe on. I must say I've had pretty good luck using float while plowing fairly fast in high, ramming up piles of snow, then lifting & dumping them. It seems to work well, & handling/traction is fine. I pile snow as high as I possibly can then push the upper half of the piles as far back as I can & them pile some more. I end up with some huge mountains of snow for sure. (We're just North of Madison Wisconsin) Sorry that might not really help you much regarding plowing/bucketing "without" weight, but depending on how deep your snow gets, or how much slope you might be working on, I would think at a minimum you'd want your tires filled, & possibly a ballast box too. Its actually very nice having the ballast of the backhoe during heavy bucket work, but I too would like to have the whole thing as short as possible some times. I think I'll probably be shopping for a box/weight set up soon... Good luck!!