Rustyiron
Super Member
It sounds like you're pretty handy with fab work, my :2cents: I'd make a truck type frame mount. Watching how the use of my 102" Snow Wolf blade on my M9540 makes the loader arms move sideways worries me. I do not like the reaction to the plowing forces I can see on my loader arms. I will be building a frame hitch somewhere just in front of the front axle and make a more conventional truck like hitch. Until then I plow with the skid loader, it plows with the loader arms down rested against the chassis, nestled between some "stops" that will not allow the side loading to be transmitted to the arms. Another drawback to a (tractor) loader mounted blade is steering. A loader mounted blade is about as far in front of your front axle as the rear is away from your front, leaving a great leverage advantage against your tractors steering effort. Now this might not be a problem with lighter or smaller snows with straight plowing runs, but in a heavy wet or deep snow that is not straight, you'll be on your brake pedals to try to get any steering. Even with my ice chains on I can have trouble. (see picture)
I like the Fisher brand snow plows with their tripping action, only the cutting edge trips and the tripping "event" is much less violent than the whole blade slapping forward, then returning under high spring forces. The Fisher and some others have a sharper angle of attack on the snow, that is the blade is back at maybe 75-80 degee where some, especially the Meyer is close to "square" or 90* to the ground. It seems to peel up packed or driven on snow much better. One thing to consider in your design is your cutting edge. I have made my own with 5/8" x 6" steel and blown the mounting holes with the torch. They wore pretty fast, so I would take a trip to your local heavy equipment dealer, snowplow dlr. etc. to see what they have available for use as your cutting edge, eventually you will need to replace it. They should be a source for an adjustable skid shoe as well.
When I build something like this, I usually gather my critical parts and "fit" the rest of the design around these items as they are basically fixed points. I'll go measure my plow for total height, the deepest measurement at the arc of the radius from a staight line formed by the cutting edge and the top, and the hinge height for the trip edge. The SnowWolf plow "tripps" like a Fisher blade. I'll post them here fri. night.
I like the Fisher brand snow plows with their tripping action, only the cutting edge trips and the tripping "event" is much less violent than the whole blade slapping forward, then returning under high spring forces. The Fisher and some others have a sharper angle of attack on the snow, that is the blade is back at maybe 75-80 degee where some, especially the Meyer is close to "square" or 90* to the ground. It seems to peel up packed or driven on snow much better. One thing to consider in your design is your cutting edge. I have made my own with 5/8" x 6" steel and blown the mounting holes with the torch. They wore pretty fast, so I would take a trip to your local heavy equipment dealer, snowplow dlr. etc. to see what they have available for use as your cutting edge, eventually you will need to replace it. They should be a source for an adjustable skid shoe as well.
When I build something like this, I usually gather my critical parts and "fit" the rest of the design around these items as they are basically fixed points. I'll go measure my plow for total height, the deepest measurement at the arc of the radius from a staight line formed by the cutting edge and the top, and the hinge height for the trip edge. The SnowWolf plow "tripps" like a Fisher blade. I'll post them here fri. night.
