Snow Attachments Snow removal over gravel?

[Dusty1]

Hello all, I am getting a Kubota B series tractor for maintaince and was wondering what was the best way to remove snow over gravel? I have a considerable amount of driveway, and read up on snow removal using front and back blades and blowers. I was wondering what the best way was over gravel however. Thanks!

 

[Matt_Jr]

Plowing snow over gravel isn't that bad as long as I get it before it's too deep. What I do is turn my back blade around so that the concave is facing the rear and convex is facing the front to avoid digging up the gravel with the blade. Then I take out the angle pin so that the blade floats with the contour of the ground. This way always leaves a small amount behind but it ususally melts off the first day the sun hits it. I'm thinking about mounting some skids so that I can pull the blade the other way so that the snow will go off the side better and plow closer to the ground.

 

[Harvey7]

Dusty

A blower will work well, but until the surface is frozen or hard packed with snow, you will have to elavate the feet an inch or two so you don't pick up the gravel as you work. A back blade will also work, but again until it's frozen you will be moving gravel.

 

[Matt_Jr]

If I've got big piles, just move 'em with the loader. Oh, and I drive over it if it's not to deep, but I'll plow backwards if it starts getting deep. Kind of a pain in the neck, but it sure beats a shovel.

 

[beenthere]

I used a snow plow blade on the front of the tractor on gravel for 30+ years. Would leave the snow be if the drive wasn't frozen yet, but drop the blade down when it was frozen. If the drive is well packed gravel, and not loose "marbles" of rock, the plow would not push much of anything off. In fact, the dusting of gravel over the frozen snow would provide great traction (something I sorely miss since blacktopping the drive).
Just another take on the subject for you to consider.

 

[Matt_Jr]

I hardly mess up the gravel at all plowing snow on my drive.

 

[MikeInEburg]

Same as others, I use a common back blade and set top link short so that it drags a bit (instead of digging). Since my blade is low-end, it doesn't have a pin to allow left/right float. Instead I've replaced one of my 3-point lift rods with a piece of heavy-duty chain - allows the 3-point arms to float independent of one another. For as much snow as we've gotten in the past couple of years, it has been fine for our 300 +/- foot drive.
Mike

 

[Diamondpilot]

I use a combination of the front converted snow plow on my FEL and a rear 7' Woods Grader blade. After the ground is frozen you do not pick up much. I mark the edges of my drive with marker sticks about every 15 yards and make sure the snow banks stay on the drive, not in the grass. This way in the spring I just re-grade it out.

Here is my drive after a 18" snow. The other pictures are on my back sidewalk to my barn with my little helper Reece. As you can see very little gravel is in the snow banks.

Chris

 

[LBrown59]

Hello all, I am getting a Kubota B series tractor for maintaince and was wondering what was the best way to remove snow over gravel? I have a considerable amount of driveway, and read up on snow removal using front and back blades and blowers. I was wondering what the best way was over gravel however. Thanks!

Here is me doing it last winter.

Dusty

A blower will work well, but
* until the surface is frozen or hard packed with snow, you will have to elavate the feet an inch or two so you don't pick up the gravel as you work. A back blade will also work, but again until it's frozen you will be moving gravel.

* that don't work around here because the temps flex so much that the packed snow melts off or it never gets frozen.

 

[Tig]

* that don't work around here because the temps flex so much that the packed snow melts off or it never gets frozen.

So I guess letting it melt would be a reasonable strategy for you.

I raise my blower 3 or 4" off the gravel until the ground either freezes or the snow packs.