Plow off level

   / Plow off level #1  

marksmand

Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2016
Messages
47
Location
woodstock NY
Tractor
Kubota L3301
I have a 84" plow on my Kubota l3301, similar to the Titan and is marked SP 220 It goes off level in both directions when I angle it. This is
a real pain as I have a 2000 ft long gravel driveway. I have been keeping it a bit high to avoid digging in
on the first pass and then reducing the blade angle and making a second or third pass. Seems like this is just
the geometry of the blade pivot. Loader arms are square and level and so is the snow blade when it is
perpendicular to the tractor. Any ideas?
 
   / Plow off level #2  
Not sure if your plow connects directly to a QA plate or has arms like mine. If yours is like the attached pic, the arms noted with the red arrow must be level in order for the blade to pivot level. If directly attached then you need to adjust the curl function to make the blade pivot level. Please attach a pic of how yours is attached so a better assessment can be given. Either way I believe a simple curl adjustment can make it swing level.
 

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   / Plow off level #3  
Not sure if your plow connects directly to a QA plate or has arms like mine. If yours is like the attached pic, the arms noted with the red arrow must be level in order for the blade to pivot level. If directly attached then you need to adjust the curl function to make the blade pivot level. Please attach a pic of how yours is attached so a better assessment can be given. Either way I believe a simple curl adjustment can make it swing level.

Yup, what he said. If the push arms aren't level the blade won't pivot level.
 
   / Plow off level #5  
As others have said, any out of level of any piece in the process (including a front or rear tire pressure difference) will be exaggerated as the plow blade is pivoted, the more it is pivoted the more the exaggeration. Some things are easy to correct—things that can be adjusted such as pivot points, tilt points and tire pressures. Others may be easiest to deal with my adjustable points such as a bent plow arm. That would be a short term fix and could be a frustrating fix as lower air pressure to level the plow blade when pivoted one direction may make it out of level with no pivot or pivoted the other direction requiring adjustments with every pivot change. This would be for completion on a plow job then do fix the issue.
Good luck.
If a plow arm is bent, I recommend having it reinforced once straightened.
 
   / Plow off level #6  
ITs all in your curl.

Whatever the plow pivots around/about has to be vertical.....IF its tilted forward.....when angled the leading edge will dig in.

Same concept with rear blades and angling them.

A picture of YOUR setup and how it is attached to YOUR tractor would do us all wonders.

But you quite simply need to adjust the curl of the loader so the plow is level when angled BOTH directions. Once that is done....dont touch the curl. just raise/lower and angle the plow as needed
 
   / Plow off level
  • Thread Starter
#7  
I'm thinking the problem is really the design of this plow. If you look at the picture of the plow it simple pivots on a heavy center pin and has no arms or
other support to hold it level. My loader arms are straight and the plow if level in the center/perpendicular position. Most likely there is a slight amount of play at the pivot point(this is just a pin in a hole/no bearings) and when the hydraulics yank in one direction or the other it goes off level. I could free float the plow but it would not be great on the gravel.
 

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   / Plow off level #8  
Funny how people think in different regions. When I saw the title, I thought for sure it was about ground engaging/furrowing implements. The thought of snow never entered my mind. :cool: Coming back from a trip to the big city, I noticed most all the farmers along I-35 had already plowed their fields. I thought to myself; Man, I better start getting the garden ready for planting. :laughing:

My condolences go out to you "Snow Plow Folks". :tractor:
 
   / Plow off level #9  
I'm thinking the problem is really the design of this plow. If you look at the picture of the plow it simple pivots on a heavy center pin and has no arms or
other support to hold it level. My loader arms are straight and the plow if level in the center/perpendicular position. Most likely there is a slight amount of play at the pivot point(this is just a pin in a hole/no bearings) and when the hydraulics yank in one direction or the other it goes off level. I could free float the plow but it would not be great on the gravel.

I doubt the plow is worth the trouble to drill out the pin holes to install a bearing (preferred) or a bushing. The weight and the jarring from pivoting is likely to cause this to be a constant wear point.
See your picture, I doubt you will ever eliminate the low edge on a pivot as I have seen lots plows with slightly rounded cutting edges on the outside edges of plows. However if you could mount shoes common on plow blades as far outbound as possible, you could reduce the gouge effect greatly even though not eliminating it.
At some point, you will probably get to rebuild the pin and hole setup. When you do, add grease fittings and up the hardness of the which ever has worn the most.
As a last resort, beginning redesigning how the blade attaches to the frame or replace the plow with a better design.
 
   / Plow off level #10  
The pin marked in Post#7 above needs to be straight vertical and the ends won't dig in. Make the pin level with the curl/dump function of the loader.

In the picture below the frame is level, like others have recommended. The pin is at a 90* angle to the frame, so it's dead vertical. When the blade is rotated left and right, the entire bottom edge of the blade stays on the driveway.

If I dial some "dump" into the loader, the front end of the blade will dig in regardless of whether it is rotated left or right. If I curl, the rear end of the blade will dig in. Again, regardless of rotation.

In the picture it looks like the SSQA plate has some off angle thing going on.
 

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