Grader as Plow

[Makers_Mark]

Has anyone successfully used a rear grader as a plow?

 

[beenthere]

If you are talking the rear 3pt blade, then there are a number of people who are satisfied with that method of removing snow( if that is what you mean by 'plow').
If you mean something else by 'plow', then I'm not sure. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Makers_Mark]

That's exactly what I mean. Rotating the grader and angleing it, then driving in reverse type of snow plowing. Just wanted to hear pros and cons of it. It's the least expensive thing I could do.

 

[bczoom]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( If you are talking the rear 3pt blade, then there are a number of people who are satisfied with that method of removing snow( if that is what you mean by 'plow'). )</font>

That's what I do.

 

[Varmintmist]

I do the same, except I plow forward mostly. Eaiser on the neck, and the snow doesnt seem to care if you run over it.

I dont know how it would work since the back blade I have is swing only. IF you had a blade that would float ie one with a adjustment on it to drop either side, let it float. Not put a pin in the tip adjustment, just in the swing to get your angle. I think that would work better.

Just pull your toplink in so the blade isnt cutting, fairly strait up and down.

 

[Makers_Mark]

That sounds logical. Thanks. Just got a price of $550 for 7' Woods blade. From what I've seen, these are pretty heavy duty.

 

[bczoom]

Makers Mark,

We posted at the same time.
I do what Varmintmist does (drive forward).
I keep the toplink connected but shorten so the blade is flat (vertically).
Depending on your environment (amount of snow, obstacles...), you may want to consider using a shear pin where your blade pivots. (I use a cheap 3/8" bolt). I'd rather shear it off than risk other damage if you catch something that you can't see, it's frozen in and doesn't want to move.

The FEL is handy for pushing piles away if/when needed.

 

[Makers_Mark]

Driving foward, you don't find that the snow builds up behind the rear wheels? What do you do if it's 3' of snow. I would think it would be difficult to drive foward though that much snow without plowing a path first.

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

I tried going backward with it once, but since my 3PH doesn't have down pressure, I couldn't get it to stop riding up onto the pile I was trying to push. I tried it on my Farmall, which DOES have down pressure, but it took away the traction to my rear wheels (2WD), so that didn't work either.

 

[Makers_Mark]

I didn't even think of that problem. Does that happen when going foward?