Pushing Back the Banks

[RobS]

The good news is I'm getting pretty good at plowing snow! Got a nice pattern developed and I get through it pretty quick. Keeping most of the stone IN the driveway now, not along side. The bad news though, is our driveway is getting narrower /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif I knew this could happen but we haven't had snow that sticks around this long in a couple of years. With another 3-6 inches coming tonight I think I need to push back my snowbanks a bit. I'm thinking I'll just straddle the bank and keep my rear blade up a bit to avoid digging the "lawn". Anyone try this? My other issue is my driveway markers. I've got the fiberglass rod ones and I may be able to just run them over and have them pop back up. My mother-in-law certainly has done her share of that /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif In any event, it should make for some fun tractor time and maybe I'll post a photo or two for the snow-challenged out there /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Mark_in_NH]

With your Front End Loader, pushing back the snow banks to increase the width of your driveway should be a walk in the park. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[thcri]

That is really why I like the loader over a blade. A loader can take the larger banks and move them back. It seems like a blade can't do that as easy. I know my neighbor who has a longer driveway than I will use his blade for the first couple of snows and then move to his bucket or his blower on the back.

Murph

 

[Knight9]

Rob,

Funny to read this note this morning. Last night I spent an hour doing this very thing. I turned my rear blade around and backed into the banks moving down the driveway blade width by blade width. It was a little slow, but the result was great! I got pretty good at feathering the 3ph control so that I didn't push gravel or dig any grass.

I did try the "drive over it" approach but that didn't work for me. I got sucked down to low pretty quick but our snow may be deeper than yours?

Kevin

 

[jtn]

If your blade has an offset I would use that. Put the blade on offset and drive backwards with the blade up about 1/2 the height of the bank.

When the snow got too deep for me (before I had a blade with offset) I would come into the bank at a shallow angle and dig in with the corner of the FEL bucket. I would then turn the wheels hard into the bank while raising the bucket and dump on the other side of the bank. This is pretty slow going at first but once you get into a rythm it goes pretty fast and, IMO, is the fastest way to move the snow banks.

JT

 

[hazmat]

Rob,

I'm jealous, Sounds like your bank problem is solvable. Due to the geography of my driveway - hills, house trees, & boat all in the "wrong" places I've been stacking the snow with the loader. After 60" plus of snow this season I've maxed out the snow banks in all the accessable spots at 6 feet tall.

Others have good suggestions, plow backwards & angle it to the side. You can also set the plow straight and move the tractor at an angle to the banks, Ie your angle of attack would be 30-45 degrees. Lots of little pushes vs. one long one. This allows you to miss the markers.

If you don't have a lot of snow to move & can push it with the plow, it is far faster than using the FEL which you need to lift & dump at the end of each "push".

Next year the boat will be in a different place!

 

[MossRoad]

Rob, I had banks last year too. They are a pain when it freezes down and you have to knock them back. This year I have been plowing my drive pushing the snow straight, not to the sides. I'm just making a couple of huge piles instead of long ridges. This way, in the spring, I'll only have one or two areas full of rocks and debris to clean up. Of course, your drive is just a little bit longer than mine /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif, so you would probably have several huge piles. Plus, with the big piles, you get FEL time /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. It's kind of fun to see how high I can pile the stuff, and great fun for the kids when I'm done. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[RobS]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Actually, I'm rather looking forward to this little "problem" because no matter how I deal with it, it will provide lots of tractor time /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[RobS]

Here's a photo from our upstairs window taken the other day. They are predicting a blizzard tonight so tomorrow could be interesting.

Not sure if the rest of the country saw the big accident in our area the other day. 60 car pileup on I-94 about 30 miles from us. Lake effect snow squall cut visibility down to nearly nothing in a very short distance.

Be careful out there in the fowl weather /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Rowski]

Pushing back "side" snow banks

This is the way I do it. Push it back with the loader at a 45 degree angle. The methods suggested by the other work well. The other methods don't cut it for me. We get a lot more snow, have harder snow bank (packed in by plow trucks and freeze and thaw cycles) and ditches. I like the 45 angle approach because you find the ditch by dropping just one wheel in (less likely to get stuck).

The picture above is on a driveway that is 3/4 mile long, I did both sides. If you like tractor time and pushing snow /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I have plenty of driveways and even more snow /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. Play all you want /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[thcri]

Derek,

Nice pic. That is exactly why I like a loader. My neighbor has a blade and when the snow gets high and packed, thawned some and refrozen his blade won't touch it. It just pushes the front end of his tractor back on the center. He does have turf tires maybe some chains would help keeping the front end in place. As soon as the snow gets high he has to switch over to the bucket or his 3 point snow blower.

Murph

 

[poorboy]

Yes I did here about the accident on the news just as we were going to bed the other night. My wife had to call and wake up her dad at midnight. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif She said he traveled i94 alot but ususally around Ann Arbor. Shows what can happen when you only get half of the story. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif He already knew they were a little nutty at times, so no big deal. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Patrick

 

[Anonymous Poster]

WOW Rowski! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

I think if I had a 3/4 mile drive and snow like that, a snow blower would be high on my list of NEEDS!

Preferably a front mount /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[RobS]

Great picture Derek, kind of makes my little snow problem seem pretty insignificant.

BTW, our "BIG" blizzard last night produced an inch or so of snow. Pretty lame but it was blowing a lot so there were some fun drifts this morning on the way to work /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[nicklan]

Robs,
Drive up a few miles -we got hammered here!!

Nick

 

[MossRoad]

Rob, 1 inch by us too. Pretty windy, but not even worth plowing until this evening. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[Rowski]

I agree!!

But plowing 110 driveways, in a 12 mile radius would take forever!

I'm actually working (still planning stages) of a hydraulic driven snow blower for the front of a one ton truck. Power by an aux. engine in the back of the truck. We'll see /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif................

 

[jtn]

How about sending some of that snow my way! I asked JM III to send some but we STILL hardly have any!

JT

 

[MossRoad]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm actually working (still planning stages) of a hydraulic driven snow blower for the front of a one ton truck. )</font>

What about a Unimog?

 

[Trev]

We've had well over 100" so far, and I've had no real problems with a front blade so far. I just get up a head of steam, and run down the driveways, with the blade angled to push to the sides. If I can't get the bank back far enough on one pass, I just do it in two. Or three. Or whatever. Still fast.
One thing I do when moving back piles is to raise the blade as I hit the pile. This let's me drive right up on top of the pile and push the snow over the top. Next pass, the blade is a bit lower, until finally the pile is moved. Not as handy in this respect as a FEL, but for most plowing I'm really happy with this setup. I can really fly on the driveway, and haven't had any problems so far keeping it wide enough. We'll see as the winter progresses! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif