skid shoes and float positions

[JrPaul]

when i run my front blade for clearing snow how should i have my skid shoes set? should i have them running the cutting blade a inch off the ground or should the blade be set all the way down? wouldn't this negate the skid shoes though, i'm a little confused. Also when i lower the blade should i have it in float position or just lowered to my liking. Half of my driveway is stone the other half is paved

 

[BXMMCC]

For the first snowfall of the season, I used the skid shoes set about an inch below the blade edge. For the second (and larger) snowfall, I set them just a bit lower than the edge. (These are fixed locations - a set of holes in the shoes, not a slot.) Well, for some reason, the leading shoe wouldn't stay in place - the nut wouldn't hold, and it kept digging in. I took both shoes off, and found that I could plow with no problem. I set the toplink for the least aggressive blade angle, and did the finish run with the blade backwards. Concluson? Get lockwashers, a bigger wrench, eat Wheaties or spinach when I want to use the shoes (when the ground isn't frozen solid); when the ground IS frozen solid, I'll definitely take the shoes off. Drive is 800-900 ft. of crushed stone, with a entry of concrete pavers. I have a BX, I think the blade just floats with no position control.

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

I have the "shoes" on my front blade set so the cutting edge is 1/2" off the ground (paved drive). I do run mine in the float position. Not saying this is what you should do but what I have found works best for me. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Currmudgeon]

I don't use skid shoes. On pavement, I tyend to float the bucket and roll it down slightly, to cut. To scrape ice, I crowd rather than float. Sooner or later, I'll actually memorize the location of the tractor stopping cracks. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

On dirt, I roll the bucket back and ride on the heel of the bucket, with the cutting edge about an inch high.

Gravel might be a problem without shoes.