Plowing Snow on Gravel

[CADplans]

Gauge tires??

 

[dnw64]

Unfortunately I think there are only three "good answers", none of which probably apply to most people (and therefore, by definition, probably not "good" by common consensus). But that has rarely stopped me in the past, so here goes:.

1. Pave the drive. Even for relatively modest driveways this is a pretty significant expense. Start talking about 500-1000' drives and it's murderous.
2. Get an actual grader. The design of a grader allows an operator (properly trained and experienced) to adjust the blade height/angle to allow for deviance in the settling of front/rear tires into the muck, or at least have the power/traction to push off the "excess gravel" when it can't. Unfortunately, based on even my limited exposure to equipment sales/auctions info, I infer that even old worn-out graders make your average tractor look like pocket change.*
3. Leave it and drive over it. Just be prepared by having all vehicles needing to traverse the lanes with 4WD, good Winter Tires, probably chains and definitely proper Winter driving instruction/experience. NOTE: this may preclude UPS deliveries, visits from wimpy friends/visitors, etc for a week or four.

*just for fun, we were window shopping real estate a couple weeks ago and found a property in Montana that came with a grader (and a bunch of lesser ground-engaging minions) to maintain the 15 mile private road. Or I suppose you could just use the Osh-Kosh to clear the runway if you happened to have a private pilots' license...

 

[NoTrespassing]

Like others, I've learned to leave and inch or two of snow on top of the gravel. The only place I try to take if all off is on my steep hills. If the snow gets packed on the hills it's even hard for some 4x4's to get up them. I just deal with the mess in the spring on the hills. I don't see any way to avoid tearing them up. I regularly purchase a couple tandems of 3/4 and 1 inch crushed limestone and have it dumped at the top of the hill.

Kevin

 

[skyhook]

I have the same issue as others, my problem is that there are several other homes on the Private road I plow. Leaving 3 to 4 inches could get my phone ringing.:confused2: For the first and last snow fall, I think KubotainNH has a good idea, ( if you have a bucket on the front ) curl the bucket up a bit and float it. This should pack the snow. Perhaps making a few passes while its still snowing also. I may just try this next year, I also do remove the bucket and attach a plow to the front once the ground has frozen.

 

[Rustyferrious]

Plowing snow on gravel is a lot like shaving with a potato peeler. The end result is never pretty. For nearly 40 years I've plowed it, thrown it, blown it, scraped it, shoveled it, graded it, loaded it and sculpted it. I either wind up with piles of gravel where none need be, or it's distributed quite evenly over a large section of my lawn. Raking gravel out of a lawn is much harder than installing it there. I have found, however, that if you thoroughly mix the gravel with wet concrete, and trowel it smooth, that it creates a very nice surface for plowing...........

 

[nybirdman]

As stated;you have to wait until the ground is frozen;no easy way out.A rear blade turned "backwards" and pulled forward will do the least damage.I have a York rake and may try that.I plow four miles of drives and woods road;no way any of it is going to be paved.

 

[Thomas]

I just lower bucket and curl back just enough and take my sweet time w/hand on joy stick just in case.

 

[franklin2]

Plowing snow on gravel is a lot like shaving with a potato peeler. The end result is never pretty. For nearly 40 years I've plowed it, thrown it, blown it, scraped it, shoveled it, graded it, loaded it and sculpted it. I either wind up with piles of gravel where none need be, or it's distributed quite evenly over a large section of my lawn. Raking gravel out of a lawn is much harder than installing it there. I have found, however, that if you thoroughly mix the gravel with wet concrete, and trowel it smooth, that it creates a very nice surface for plowing...........

This is true. Unless you want to leave a couple inches of snow on the ground, you will always be moving the gravel around unless it's froze solid. The blade doesn't move the gravel, the snow itself moves the gravel when it gets built up in front of the blade.

I plowed my gravel drive I used to have for years, and I had a pretty good solution. One side of the drive was just ditch, the other side was grass. I would just drop the plow down, but make sure one set of tires was in the ditch, with the blade angled. What gravel I did plow up ended up in the tire track opposite the ditch. When spring came, I would just get my old Gravely out with the small blade and spread the gravel back out where it belonged. So long as it doesn't go in the grass, you can work with it. I did this for 15 years.

 

[jimmysisson]

I tried the pipe method this year, maybe 2" size so a bit under 3". Welded a couple tabs on and bolted it just at the cutting edge of my 7'-6 Fisher truck plow conversion. The plow pivots at the loader pins, roughly. Very happy w it - little gravel pushed and it glides over (mostly) frozen grass without ripping it all up. Jim

 

[PILOON]

Over sized skid shoes is probably the correct solution.
On my blower I welded 2.5" X 10" flats onto the factory skids and have no problem with digging up gravel.
For the FEL plows I'd make up some clamp on skids, like 3" X 10-12" and that should work OK.
I tried the mushroom type on my truck blade and found that useless, they were just too small.
Only problem with over sized skids for a plow is that they need to pivot up/down otherwise they still dig in, also they need to pivot and to do so you'd need more trailing than forward. Rather tricky to design but do able.
Basically think of snow sled ski design, only miniature and unsprung..