Putting a 2.75" hardened steel pipe on rear blade for plowing in soft conditions?

[ruffdog]

The blade came with a hydraulic gauge wheel, but it sits back about 3-4ft behind the blade. It didn't seem to work very well with my roller coaster roads, but then again I was new to tractoring back then. I could see gauge wheels that are right next to the blade working better, but that's a lot more of a project than fitting a pipe to the blade.

^^^Very nice blade. You should be able to straighten out your "roller coaster" roads while plowing snow with that thing. Many of us don't plow unless the ground is froze. We just drive on the snow to make a packed down layer that allows the plow to ride on. If you rarely freeze up, that would be a mess all winter long....good luck.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

The blade came with a hydraulic gauge wheel, but it sits back about 3-4ft behind the blade. It didn't seem to work very well with my roller coaster roads, but then again I was new to tractoring back then. I could see gauge wheels that are right next to the blade working better, but that's a lot more of a project than fitting a pipe to the blade.

It wouldn't take much to move the pivot for the wheel to right behind the blade and better mimic a road grader.

That would largely solve the roller coaster issue, but would make it a chore to turn the blade around since the wheel would be in the way.

Without seeing that setup in person it's hard to tell if making a new (pivoting/liftable) mount or make the wheel's pivot able to turn up or sideways would be the easiest.

Also, a single tire is far from ideal on many, if not most, surfaces. Learned that real quick after making such a setup for my equally heavy blade. So 15 years later I still just go slowly on my undulating driveway, while raising and lowering the loader mounted and rear blades as needed.

Both have skids, letting me know when one blade, or one side of it, is too low and has reached gravel. It took a couple of winters to get better at it, but once in tune with the concept very little gravel has been lost.

I'm a huge fan of having wheels on blades, and one of these years I hope to put one at each end of my blade for winter use, bolted on. Then the rear blade should pretty much take care of itself and I could concentrate on the front one.

 

[nyone]

I made brackets to hold snowplow shoes for when the ground is soft.

View attachment 4133412

I had these on a plow once. They dug in like crazy. Took them off and threw them aside. There really mostly for pavement.

The real questions is if the ground is that soft do you really even need to touch the ground with the plow?

 

[jyoutz]

There’s no need to do anything to the blade. Just turn it around so the cutting edge faces the rear and drive forward. It will skim the snow off the road without digging in.

 

[jjeff]

There’s no need to do anything to the blade. Just turn it around so the cutting edge faces the rear and drive forward. It will skim the snow off the road without digging in.

Great idea, however some plow set ups you can't do that with the plow let alone cutting edge. Over the years I think I've gotten good at cutting a slit in plow using a straight edge and plasma cutter and doing the easiest thing just welding it to cutting edge. Keeping in mind plows are strictly used for snow removal on gravel drive and parking areas on lawn.

 

[ruffdog]

I had these on a plow once. They dug in like crazy. Took them off and threw them aside. There really mostly for pavement.

The real questions is if the ground is that soft do you really even need to touch the ground with the plow?

^^Correct, if we are talking muddy ground like the OP has, the shoes will just dig grooves.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

There’s no need to do anything to the blade. Just turn it around so the cutting edge faces the rear and drive forward. It will skim the snow off the road without digging in.

That doesn't work all that well with the blades the OP and I have, at least not when the snow is wet.

Then it often gets stuck on all the stuff on the back of the blade, clumps up, and can even make ruts into the gravel. For me that means lifting the blade to get past the pile, then back up and push that snow off to the side.

Not a big deal with a fully hydraulic 3-way blade with offset, but it still gets old if it happens every 50 feet or so. Not that I think a pipe on the cutting edge is the ideal solution, or I would've tried it.

There are often times when I need the blade to cut into hardpacked snow and ice, and wish it weighed more than 1,600 lbs. That could lead to a lot of unbolting and then reinstalling a pipe.

But I might still try it on a smaller blade, used on a smaller tractor, for times when there's not much snow to speak of.

 

[jyoutz]

That doesn't work all that well with the blades the OP and I have, at least not when the snow is wet.

Then it often gets stuck on all the stuff on the back of the blade, clumps up, and can even make ruts into the gravel. For me that means lifting the blade to get past the pile, then back up and push that snow off to the side.

Not a big deal with a fully hydraulic 3-way blade with offset, but it still gets old if it happens every 50 feet or so. Not that I think a pipe on the cutting edge is the ideal solution, or I would've tried it.

There are often times when I need the blade to cut into hardpacked snow and ice, and wish it weighed more than 1,600 lbs. That could lead to a lot of unbolting and then reinstalling a pipe.

But I might still try it on a smaller blade, used on a smaller tractor, for times when there's not much snow to speak of.

I have never encountered the issue that you have described. The reverse blade works well for me.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

I have never encountered the issue that you have described. The reverse blade works well for me.

And I suspect I know why.

Looked at property near Edgewood last week, then checked the climate around there...you don't get any snow. Well, compared to here you don't.

I even made a list of things I wouldn't need if moving there, most of it snow removal related.