Horse Mat for Soft Snow Blade Edge

[Hoeman00]

I have cut the mats w/ circular saws
and band saws do a nice job.

 

[thefarm]

When I was plowing my driveway I did the same thing ,but I used a re-cap from a tractor-trailer tire.They are about an inch thick and more than 8 feet long and I used a metal cutting blade on a skill saw to cut it with.It does make it alot quieter.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I cut it using a razor utility knife, took several passes to get thru it. I drill it first with the biggest drill bit I could find....
I think 3/8?
Then just pushed the bolts thru it. Took some elbow greese to push thru, but I felt the tighter the better.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Oh, forgot to mention, it took 4 salesmen (Yes 4!) to put it in the back of my pickup. /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

Make sure you have some help, or just drop it where its gonna lay, i was able to drag it around to where i needed it.

I thought to, this would make a great truck bed mat! None slide, heavy, rubbery for no dents, etc..

I paid $72 for an rubber one that has 'ch-vy' on it a while back, and it moved around some, cause it was light and left rub marks.... I guess with an 8ft bed it would take two mats with some cutting to make fit, though being as heavy as it is, I doubt it would go anywhere and fly out (like those cheaper bed mats).

John

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hi,

I have had good luck cutting 1/2 inch thick conveyor belting using a knife edge blade in a hand jig saw. Cuts like butter.

They sell these blades, but I think one could be made by grinding the back edge of a normal blade into a knife edge.

Bill in Pgh, pa

 

[Anonymous Poster]

2 tricks for cutting rubber & drilling it.
1, use a sawzall with a metal cutting blade, and have an assistant spread the rubber behind the blade to inimize drag on the blade. You can also lubricate the blade with brake fluid for easier cutting.
2, drilling, use a hollow tube for a drill, and sharpen it on the inside by using a countersink or center drill. Lubricate the drill with brake fluid, and clear the chunks from the drill by mounting a drywall screw in the vise.
Works slicker than snot on a doorknob.

 

[BigDave]

Great idea. I bought 4 of those mats the last day of the county fair. I haggled him down to $30 each from an original $45. He was even willing to go down to $25 each, if I would buy all of his stock ~ 8 4'x6' mats. Unfortunately, I drove my car instead of the truck to the fair, so four was all I thought I could fit into my car. Anyway, he gave me his gate pass, and we got the car and drove it to his booth. I guess at that price, there wasn't any service. My wife and I loaded all 4 mats into my car ourselves. We worked up quite a sweat. I had to fold down the back seat, and even had to move my seat forward to get the mats to fit into the car. It was a windows open ride home, since that fresh rubber smell was quite strong. Finally, I have the mats laid out 16'x6' behind my shed, and that's where I store my implements under a tarp. I check out FEL mount potential, since I haven't yet warmed up to the idea of plowing backwards.

 

[OkieG]

John,

You and others mention 4x6' sized mats. Do they come in larger sizes? I am building a 7' blade.

Your idea of using the mat as a snow blade edge sounds like a good idea. Moving snow without damaging pavement or putting excess wear on the metal cutting edge is a problem that I hadn't been able to solve.

OkieG

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

TSC Blue Book , pg 62 has rubber mats next to the stall mat, do not know if it will be the same, but largest is 48"x 84" x 3/4" comes in at 112lbs $59.99.

Tom

 

[TCowner]

I've got this great idea. I would like a piece for my 7' blade I use on the back of my TC40D. Perhaps one of our talented membes who has a nice heated shop could buy the 48" x 84" unit for $60.00, cut it in to 6" x 84" strips (8 pieces) and sell them to us for say $20.00 plus shipping costs. It might be a chance to make a couple of bucks and avoid having the leftover piece. Anyone else interested?