Rubber cutting edge for bucket. Snow plow.

[AxleHub]

Just a thought....... rather than spend over $300. for the plastic edge...... the larger buckets already have holes drilled into the lead edge.

Some carriage bolts and a 2 x 6 treated board & you have much the same tool for a tenth of the cost.

Greetings Sarg,

I can't speak for others . . but a clamp-on ability is much preferred over any bolt on options. In addition . . my driveway and sidewalks are primarily a "broomed finish". A board (green or normal) will shred instead of wear because wood has graining to it. A dense nylon or non-brittle vinyl has no graining so it will wear instead of shred. I don't think a board would last an hour.

Also . . I would assume a board would tend to split along the grain line formed by the carriage bolts if it hit a slight elevated lip of concrete . . . Because a board would offer no "give". Unless we were talking about a 4 x 4 or 4 x 6 post etc..

While the snowedge is 300 bucks, a refill snowedge "blade" is 50 bucks unless I found a substitute refill material I could duplicate. If the material lasts 30 to 32 hours of plowing/backdragging time and a board lasts even 2 hours (still think 1 hour is more likely) . . 15 of those 52" boards would be the same as/or more than the cost of the refill . . and I'd be bolting and unbolting 15 times.

But I can always be wrong

 

[ray66v]

Greetings Sarg,

I can't speak for others . . but a clamp-on ability is much preferred over any bolt on options. In addition . . my driveway and sidewalks are primarily a "broomed finish". A board (green or normal) will shred instead of wear because wood has graining to it. A dense nylon or non-brittle vinyl has no graining so it will wear instead of shred. I don't think a board would last an hour.

Also . . I would assume a board would tend to split along the grain line formed by the carriage bolts if it hit a slight elevated lip of concrete . . . Because a board would offer no "give". Unless we were talking about a 4 x 4 or 4 x 6 post etc..

While the snowedge is 300 bucks, a refill snowedge "blade" is 50 bucks unless I found a substitute refill material I could duplicate. If the material lasts 30 to 32 hours of plowing/backdragging time and a board lasts even 2 hours (still think 1 hour is more likely) . . 15 of those 52" boards would be the same as/or more than the cost of the refill . . and I'd be bolting and unbolting 15 times.

But I can always be wrong

Yes, you could.

Apparently, you think I just recommended it, without any experience doing it?

You are not considering the fact, that there is always snow, and often ice, on the driveway when you plow it. They are in fact, slippery.

You are also not using heavy down pressure, to try and grind the board down, you are just lowering the bucket until it touches the pavement.

My dad plows the annual snow fall of 60", (last year it was 75"), from his 165' driveway, and a 30x30 apron, on one treated 2x4. That 2x4 only wears down about half way, all winter.

Not bad for about $5, including bolts, if you can't find the ones from last year.

A piece of green Oak, would easily last much longer.

 

[AxleHub]

Yes, you could.

Apparently, you think I just recommended it, without any experience doing it?

You are not considering the fact, that there is always snow, and often ice, on the driveway when you plow it. They are in fact, slippery.

You are also not using heavy down pressure, to try and grind the board down, you are just lowering the bucket until it touches the pavement.

My dad plows the annual snow fall of 60", (last year it was 75"), from his 165' driveway, and a 30x30 apron, on one treated 2x4. That 2x4 only wears down about half way, all winter.

Not bad for about $5, including bolts, if you can't find the ones from last year.

A piece of green Oak, would easily last much longer.

Greetings Ray,

Interesting point.

Is your dad's concrete smooth or the rough broom finish?

 

[Coyote machine]

I believe CCWKen was referring to HDPolyethelene material that he bought for fairly cheap $.
A thick block of the material would likely, just like the snowblade by Ratchet Rake, tend to wear with the surface over time.
Wood could/would do the same if used carefully, and not as a battering ram against curbs, etc.
For instance I used my bucket at first to move snow. I was rounding off the corners/edge of the bucket's factory edge for various reasons. I then got a reversible steel, made by Kioti edge that bolts onto the factory bucket holes. I found I needed to equidistantly space two more holes with bolts near the bucket's edge to keep it from separating from the bucket edge if I hit something, ( mostly using it for dirt/rocks off winter season).

I eventually went to what I have used coming up on three winters, this year. A full all angle snowplow, with diverter valve, trip springs, ability to pivot at it's midpoint and many other loader mount features. It's a HLA 2000 72" plow designed and made in Canada. It is designed to relieve the stress on the loader arms that many home made and manufactured for truck plows don't incorporate. Racking the FEL arms is a real issue with using front mounted snowplows. Once damaged, there is slim chance of correcting the damage done.

Check out their site/features for reference. Note, they make smaller blades for smaller tractors, and go all the way up to parking lot snow machines. Their equipment is awesome on every level, IMHO. No affiliation with them, except being a very satisfied customer, especially after last winter's brutal conditions/snowfall!:thumbsup:
HLA Snow | 2000 SnowBlade

 

[ErikVann]

Greetings Ray,

Interesting point.

Is your dad's concrete smooth or the rough broom finish?

Shouldn't matter the broom finish will be filled with compressed snow. The 2x4 will glide right over.

 

[CCWKen]

What is UHDPE . . Is it s hard pladtic or s recycled vinyl or ??

How is it sold . . By the strip or block or ??? When it gets 20 degrees or lower does it get brittle or hard or "stiff spongy" ???

I used the wrong letters. It's really UHMWPE or UHMW. "Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene" You can buy it just about any form you can buy steel. (Sheet, flats, bar, tube and rounds) I bought some 1x5x48" flats and 2" rounds. The flats appear to be cut from a larger sheet. Yes, It does become brittle at cold temperatures in the range of -240F so I wouldn't worry about winters. According to the specs, it's 15 times more resistant to abrasion than carbon steel. Friction wise, it's comparable to and beats Teflon. As I mentioned, you can't sand it smooth. Sandpaper and sanding belts just glide over it and a grinding wheel just makes it hot and melts it. I've cut it with a table saw and have milled and shaped it on a lathe and even used a router on it. But you just can't sand the stuff. I've made everything from press dies, rollers, bushings and forming die pressure plates with it.

If I needed a snow blade and wanted to protect the concrete, it would be my first choice.

 

[Clipse3GT]

I used the wrong letters. It's really UHMWPE or UHMW. "Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene" You can buy it just about any form you can buy steel. (Sheet, flats, bar, tube and rounds) I bought some 1x5x48" flats and 2" rounds. The flats appear to be cut from a larger sheet. Yes, It does become brittle at cold temperatures in the range of -240F so I wouldn't worry about winters. According to the specs, it's 15 times more resistant to abrasion than carbon steel. Friction wise, it's comparable to and beats Teflon. As I mentioned, you can't sand it smooth. Sandpaper and sanding belts just glide over it and a grinding wheel just makes it hot and melts it. I've cut it with a table saw and have milled and shaped it on a lathe and even used a router on it. But you just can't sand the stuff. I've made everything from press dies, rollers, bushings and forming die pressure plates with it.

If I needed a snow blade and wanted to protect the concrete, it would be my first choice.

I was wondering if I could make a set of custom pads out of UHMWPE for the CB65 backhoe outriggers. Some 3/4" to 1" and some carriage bolts to hold in place not to damage the concrete or asphalt. I was just concerned about the decrease of friction vs. rubber for the same purpose.

 

[CCWKen]

Yeah, I wouldn't use it for that application. The pads would slide all over the place. Old tire tread would work better for that. Or something like horse stall pads.

 

[ray66v]

Greetings Ray,

Interesting point.

Is your dad's concrete smooth or the rough broom finish?

It is the modern, standard broom finish.

 

[AxleHub]

I was wondering if I could make a set of custom pads out of UHMWPE for the CB65 backhoe outriggers. Some 3/4" to 1" and some carriage bolts to hold in place not to damage the concrete or asphalt. I was just concerned about the decrease of friction vs. rubber for the same purpose.

Clipse

Sometime back on a different thread I'd mentioned that numerous retailers sell a very very high density recycled rubber "patio tile" product that would be excellent for outrigger pads.

The best ones I've seen come from Menards or Fleet Farm etc.. Menards has them for 4.99 for 16" x 16" "tiles". They have 1 side that is flat and 1 side that has tile or brick design formed into the rubber. EXCELLENT traction and they don't compress or distort under pressure.

They don't rot or tear or have issuws with sun or freezing. You can cut them on a table saw or sluding miter saw as long as you don't mind a little black smoke and smell. Or you can use them as designed . . to create an attractive HIGHLY durable rubber flooring over ground or concrete or asphalt.

I use them under big heat large pumps or spas or anything you want to isolate vibration or isolate one item from concrete or water or ???. Also work great for putting under ladders when on concrete or blacktop as they don't slip or slide.