SSQA FEL-mounted snow blades

[chim]

My SSQA blade floats via a chain. It is the underslung design, set forward just enough to comfortably clear the FEL frame at full right/left travel. I have had various rear blades and a regular rear-facing blower. The SSQA is the best I've found for doing areas like parking lots. So far, it's my favorite snow removal tool.

The rear blades worked fine for small snows on driveways. The rear blower was a lot of fun, but no good for parking lots. Fortunately, looking out the rear window hasn't been a problem for me, although many do complain about rea-facing blowers.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Don't mean to derail the thread, but anyone have one of these that they can comment on with experience?

I've been pondering the 72".

Hydraulic Angling Tractor Plow - Buy Factory Direct from Artillian

Mostly for home use, not running commercial jobs.

Also going to add a 72" 3 pt blower with hyd chute.

 

[LouNY]

Interesting in that the blade is allowed to float on it's own.
Similar to other front mounts in that it sticks along way ahead of the loader frame.

 

[CH4Ohio]

Don't mean to derail the thread, but anyone have one of these that they can comment on with experience?

I've been pondering the 72".

Hydraulic Angling Tractor Plow - Buy Factory Direct from Artillian

Mostly for home use, not running commercial jobs.

Also going to add a 72" 3 pt blower with hyd chute.

You can buy or weld up a SSQA plate that lets you use a standard, common truck mounted plow. You can buy old plows and plows with A-frame only (without pump and truck mount) fairly cheap. Using QA hoses, it's a quick swap for your bucket / forks / grapple / etc. For Meyer plows, you can get 6' plows, 7.5', 8', etc.

There's no faster way to clear snow than to plow it. I'm a big believer in snowblowers too, but I find that I'm able to use the plow most of the time and the snowblower is to deal with the big drifts or make big piles disappear after several snow events.

No down-pressure. Floats on its own weight. Lifted with the chain by curling the loader control. Hydraulic angle using rear remotes or 3rd function -- OR, if you don't have hydraulics, can manually swing it or just leave it angled and always plow in one direction. MUCH better than a rear blade or pushing snow with a bucket.

I've had a couple trucks and SUVs with plows mounted. Have spent hours digging through snow drifts with FEL buckets. When I decided to quit running around town to plow snow, and just do mine and the neighbors, the tractor became my best solution. No more trying to maintain another old rusty dedicated vehicle and this combination will get me through anything. YMMV

 

[RjCorazza]

I also like a rear mount blower combined with a front blade for larger snows, but for the vast majority of my snows a front and rear blade is awesome.
For short driveways I back in to the garage, rear blade out for the tractor length, back up, front blade out. The rear blade is also great for pushing snow backwards off the pavement into grass damage free where necessary.

 

[GeneV]

For mine, I welded my old craftsman plow onto a ssqi plate. It's a rigid mount, but there's a lot of slop in the pivot so it allows a few inches of float. That works for my driveway quite well.

But if I was to do it again, I'd probably forgo the plow and would build a snow pusher instead.

 

[CH4Ohio]

For mine, I welded my old craftsman plow onto a ssqi plate. It's a rigid mount, but there's a lot of slop in the pivot so it allows a few inches of float. That works for my driveway quite well.

But if I was to do it again, I'd probably forgo the plow and would build a snow pusher instead.


View attachment 717425View attachment 717426

I think the weight of your loader makes a big difference on the success of a rigid mount arrangement. I bought a SSQA plate from a guy that had a rigid mount arm instead of an extension with chain a few years back. (He was using it on a skid steer.) I broke that thing within the first couple hours of trying to push through a big snow that we had. I'm sure there was some operator error involved, but it's nearly impossible to tell how much pressure and weight you have on the plow with a rigid mount.

When mounted like a truck-mounted plow, you just carry the SSQA plate along and let the plow down with the chain. Instead of floating the loader and adding all that weight, only the blade-end of the plow assembly is weighing on the ground and it's free to float along and follow the surface.

 

[GeneV]

I think the weight of your loader makes a big difference on the success of a rigid mount arrangement. I bought a SSQA plate from a guy that had a rigid mount arm instead of an extension with chain a few years back. (He was using it on a skid steer.) I broke that thing within the first couple hours of trying to push through a big snow that we had. I'm sure there was some operator error involved, but it's nearly impossible to tell how much pressure and weight you have on the plow with a rigid mount.

When mounted like a truck-mounted plow, you just carry the SSQA plate along and let the plow down with the chain. Instead of floating the loader and adding all that weight, only the blade-end of the plow assembly is weighing on the ground and it's free to float along and follow the surface.

I don't float the loader when using the plow. I lower it until the blade just sits flush with the ground. This then allows me a few inches of give both upwards and articulating due to the slop I purposely created in the angling pivot.

But that works for me specifically, I know my driveway. I certainly wouldn't take this out on the road, I didn't build it for that.

 

[zzvyb6]

Short wheelbase, power up and angle plus vertical float. $100 scrapyard truck plow. Wide enough to shove snow mounds off to the side, easy & fast to attach (2 bolts and a pin + 4 hydraulic lines), and low side thrust moment. 1000 psi cylinders work just fine with my 2000 psi loader lines. I used truck brake line to reduce the initial pressure surge. Plus entire loader frame can be dismounted without leaving the seat. I've since added a commercial grade rubber wiper strip to the blade edge now that my 800' driveway is concrete. After any heavy snow, I'm done before the tractor warms up. Single pass down and back in high range and top gear. Speed tosses the drifts as far as I want. Plus I occasionally use the down-force ability to crack any ice buildup that can occur.

The only 'problem' I have is neighbors following me if I decide to do my county road. I'm not willing to drive to their workplace so they re stuck where I leave off and turn around.

 

[SmallChange]

I use a FEL bucket with a urethane bolt on edge, and float it, on my paved driveway. Sometimes the front wheels rise up, but mostly it works. I've wondered about attaching a spring somehow to apply up force on the bucket, to reduce the tendency to rise up. It'd also be nice if the blade could "roll" (in the airplane sense) to follow ground contour.

For me a dozer (which I used to have) or a blower would be very difficult because my largest area is surrounded almost all the way around by high obstacles. I really need to carry the snow out.