Snow moving. Not as easy as I thought

[52wej]

And here is another home made and handy front blade that fits on the loader. it is on a 35 HP Century (Branson). The best blades are front mount as you can see what you are doing with out all of the turning. I can open the road easily in one trip then make two more passes to widen it slightly. But since we do not get hard freezes here in Va i have to be careful not to dig too hard. The path opened is 11 ft wide.

 

[oosik]

Hmmmm......... I do believe that the rear mounded, 3-point, PTO driven snow blower is an inspiration of the Devil. I've got a mile long gravel driveway and have been clearing it with a rear blade on my tractor for over 35+ years. Over a winter season - the frozen snow berms keep moving in, in, in and finally I would have to put on my snow blower and clear the driveway and frozen berms. My first tractor - Ford 1700 4WD - simply was not heavy enough to clear the berms with the rear blade.

You talk about stiff neck and shoulders - try operating backwards for 3 to 4 hours continuously. And no matter which way the chute is pointed - soft powder snow wafting down on ME all that time. Finally in 2009 I said - enough of this POO. Traded the Ford in for a brand new Kubota M6040 and 1000# Rhino rear blade.

I now have the weight to clear the driveway - edge to edge - every time I sally forth...............

 

[ruffdog]

This rubber edged Snowsport plow will fit anything with a 2" receiver. I installed a receiver on the front of the RTV and tractor so I have a choice of vehicles. It is fast, durable, and doesn't dig in gravel or grass.

 

[LouNY]

I have plowed snow with most every thing except an ATV, jeep, scouts, pickups, trucks and tractors 2 and 4 wheel drive.
My particular driveway is graveled dirt and a steep hill I can never let any snow stay on it or even think of packing it down to ice up,
if that was gone you would be guaranteed to crash going down and not make it up. I do move some gravel every year, I use my back blade
quite often and how I use the backblade differs on every storm, if the driveway is froze and hard i'll pull the blade while going forward or
if the storm is large I"ll push it backwards, if its a light storm and the driveway is not frozen I will run the blade backwards and
using my hydraulic top link adjust the blade angle of attack for the best results. I also have a blade on the front of my loader it sets so far forward
that the weight and leverage is to much to float unless the driveway is froze tight, a lot of the time I have to go slow and carry the blade, my plow truck
is the same if the ground is froze plow like ****, if not you have to carry the blade and you can't see it in the truck. A close mounted blade on a tractor
will do a nice job as it is visible while you are using it and the leverage and bounce is eliminated, however it's difficult to use with a loader attached.
To sum it up every driveway is different, and the equipment available is different, and the removal methods are going to depend on the operator and equipment.
All the well meaning advice is only going to give you a multitude of methods and equipment to try. A shallow storm is much different then an 18-24" one,
fluffy dry snow is so much different then heavy wet snow, at times on the early and late storms I have used my York rake at the maximum angle to clear snow
and not move a lot of gravel, I have also used it to break up ice and snow pack. Also I maintain a sand pile and have and use a sander, I can usually get about
2 years out of a tri-axle load of winter sand with a salt blend.
Snow, ice and driveways make for a lot of work. But I have no desire to live where it's not an issue.

 

[Stomper]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Some great advice here. Its great to here other people痴 experiences before diving into something. Keep them coming. I would have never bought a 3 point snow blower in the first place but my father in law had one he doesnt use anymore so he gave it to me. With how well my quad blade has worked for me in the past I think I will concentrate on what I can do for one on my tractors quick attach. I have the skills and equipment to build one, I just have to make sure the time and cost to build one is worth it instead of buying one.

 

[gladehound]

This is my blade setup.

View attachment 528896

That's a nice set up. Love the rearward sub-frame mount and how close it is to the front tires. Makes a difference!

 

[gladehound]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Some great advice here. Its great to here other people痴 experiences before diving into something. Keep them coming. I would have never bought a 3 point snow blower in the first place but my father in law had one he doesnt use anymore so he gave it to me. With how well my quad blade has worked for me in the past I think I will concentrate on what I can do for one on my tractors quick attach. I have the skills and equipment to build one, I just have to make sure the time and cost to build one is worth it instead of buying one.

If you put a blade on the loader QA. 1. Make sure the blade floats from a chain or something to keep down pressure minimal 2. make sure it is as close as possible to the QA attachment to minimize leverage on the tractor. Down side to this is if you have dips in your driveway the loader arms may contact the driveway when they are kept low enough for the plow to work well. But this set up works well for lots of people.

I have a gravel driveway in southeast PA so it's constantly thawing in the winter. Agree with others that in all but the biggest snows, a hydraulic angle front blade is best. However, in the big ones I'll take a snow bucket over anything else. To keep it simple, I use a 6ft wide 42" deep bucket with four edge tamers with FEL in float. This works in any snow worth moving and only digs in if I get off the driveway into the mud. When it gets really soft in the spring I put a little PVC pip between each edge tamer. This doesn't wear much because it only has pressure on it if the edge tamers start to sink. This way I can always be looking forwards and push snow as fast as I want with no fear of the bucket digging in. I can also plow the back yard so that my kids can play soccer and it doesn't tear up the grass at all ! (picture only shows 3 edge tamers, got a forth for more floatation)

 

[Hanshans]

I have been plowing a 900 ft gravel drive using a bxpanded 6ft front blade that attaches to the loader for the last 3 years and it works great!

The blade has skid shoes on it and you can adjust the pitch on the blade with the curl on the bucket to stay off the gravel. Just another idea.....

I have a video of it in action, if I can figure out how to get it on here.

 

[RoyJackson]

You talk about stiff neck and shoulders - try operating backwards for 3 to 4 hours continuously. And no matter which way the chute is pointed - soft powder snow wafting down on ME all that time. Finally in 2009 I said - enough of this POO.

True,...an open station tractor and a rear snow blower will, eventually, cover one with snow...which is why I went with a cab after all these years. Even without a cab, proper clothing, hat a googles makes it pretty easy.
A cab will keep you dry, but if you snow blow at night, you'll want a rear wiper blade for your cab.
I have a Curtis cab on my 4520 Deere. No wiper yet, but it'll come when I find the right one.

 

[poncho62]

On my 44" blade, it has a couple of float tabs on the outside edges, still dug into the gravel if not frozen yet. I just drilled a couple of holes in them and up through a piece of pipe. Bolted with a couple of carriage bolts. Only had one snowfall so far, but seemed to work well.

 

[Looking4new]

No wiper yet, but it'll come when I find the right one.

I have the complete rear wiper assembly for a '01 Jeep Wrangler. If you want it, PM me. The price WILL be right.

 

[oldafretired]

What works for me when the gravel drive isn't frozen over is a tall rubber edge on my front plow. The rubber edge bends backwards when moving forward and just sweeps over the gravel.



My new front blade floats independently from the SSQA plate and it also has lateral oscillation. I just set the loader height so the blade can float on its own so only the blade weight and not the loader arm weight rests on the gravel.

 

[SARG]

I purchased the snow edge two winters ago and I've been very happy with it. It changes me from a novice operator to an "operator". the angle of the FEL can be anywhere from level to 15 degrees off and it doesn't matter. I originally got it to save the blacktop coating but it just improves the chore totally...

Ratchet Rake, LLC - Rip and Dig, All Terrain Rake, Snow Edge, Tractor attachment, Bucket attachment, Loader, Skid loader, Kubota, Skid steer, Landscape rake, Brush remover, York Rake, Harley Rake, Rock Rake, Tractor rake attachment, Construction attachment, New Holland, Bobcat, Fire safety, Home fire safety, Fire prevention, John Deere, skid steer attachment, tractor implement

 

[oosik]

View attachment 528999 My snow weapon of choice.

 

[jimmyj]

Hi Stomper. You'll get the hang of it. I hate getting gravel all over the lawn so I work hard to get a frozen layer of snow and ice on the lane, although it needs to be sanded sometimes as we're on a fairly steep hill. I'd rather sand and salt than clean gravel in the spring though. Re the rear 3ph blower, I actually use mine as a drag to pack the snow down a lot of the time when it's early in the season. Like you, for small snows less than 6 inches or light fluffy stuff the ATV works fastest. We got a 5 foot plow for the Honda and it's awesome. Fast, smooth and easy.

For big snows, what I do is use either the FEL or ATV to plow the snow off to the left and right side of the lane and then I make one pass down each side with the blower to throw the snow up and away.

 

[FatTire]

I've got to agree with Stomper (the OP) on this.
For the nuisance snows (6" or less), my Gator with an Eagle plow did better than the tractor and snow blower...took less time too.
I've had tractors long enough to know a bucket isn't the best method...but if it's the only thing you've got...that's what you use.

Wet snow...heavy enough to stop an ATV or UTV...or accumulations >6" or so...that's when a snow blower shines.

Unfortunately, I sold that Eagle plow a couple years ago and, if I go for another plow, it'll be loader mounted to replace the QA bucket. I keep an eye on CL for one...

This. Early and late in the season I like using our Gator, for light snow it is fast and doesn't tear things up. Once things are frozen I chain up the Kubota and switch to an FEL plow. The only negative to the Gator is the manual angling.

 

[LD48750]

How did you slit the pipe lengthwise?

I used this, 7-1/4 in. 48T Metal Cutting Circular Saw Blade on my radial arm saw.
I was surprised at how well it worked & now have it on one of my circular saws for quick & easy light metal jobs.

 

[mark02tj]

I used this, 7-1/4 in. 48T Metal Cutting Circular Saw Blade on my radial arm saw.
I was surprised at how well it worked & now have it on one of my circular saws for quick & easy light metal jobs.

Did you have to slow the blade speed down at all?

I've never cut metal with a blade going as fast as it does on my radial arm saw.

 

[Backlight]

What works for me when the gravel drive isn't frozen over is a tall rubber edge on my front plow. The rubber edge bends backwards when moving forward and just sweeps over the gravel.

View attachment 528983

My new front blade floats independently from the SSQA plate and it also has lateral oscillation. I just set the loader height so the blade can float on its own so only the blade weight and not the loader arm weight rests on the gravel.

View attachment 528984

A SSQA blade that floats independently! Oh boy, might need to sell my HLA blade now....

 

[Stomper]

What works for me when the gravel drive isn't frozen over is a tall rubber edge on my front plow. The rubber edge bends backwards when moving forward and just sweeps over the gravel.

View attachment 528983

My new front blade floats independently from the SSQA plate and it also has lateral oscillation. I just set the loader height so the blade can float on its own so only the blade weight and not the loader arm weight rests on the gravel.

View attachment 528984

This looks really interesting and would solve the issue that I think is the problem..... too much weight. I agree that there is too much weight pushing down that adds to the digging in. Would it be possible to get a few more shots of how exactly that is made. Someone mentioned earlier in this post about hanging the blade by chains and I couldn't quite picture it, but now I have a general idea and I think this would solve alot of my issues. This would be the reason why the quad blade works so well, because it's just the weight of the blade pressing down.