Snow Using a FEL to plow snow?

[hazmat]

Mark,

Looks easy to do, even without welding. My bud who owns the welder took off to the islands for the holidays. So maybe I'll have to rig the simple bucket mounted design up myself.

I'd prefer the tractor mounted design as it will be shorter overall length for better manuverability. Maybe in January.

 

[MikePA]

This question is for everyone...not just Duane. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I hope this question doesn't come off as blasphemy /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif, but what advantage does a front blade (or a rear blade for that matter) have over a FEL bucket for plowing snow? I ask because in both cases you're pushing the snow. With the FEL, that's all you can do. With a blade, the tractor doesn't move fast enough to throw the snow, like on a plow mounted on a truck, so you end up pushing the snow just like with a FEL. The only advantage I see with a blade is you can angle it, which allows you to move the snow to either side. Is being able to angle it, that big a benefit? Are there other advantages?

 

[Thomas]

I like the front blade setup for it keeps the action in front of me,plus not having to twist my neck keeping an eye on the rear blade.

With a front plow one can pile up the snow higher than a fel,also cuts down the clean up time lot.

Having the plow set at 45 degree angle when breaking thru a snow dift,I find much easier than a rea blade or fel.

 

[gordon]

What are some advantages of a blade---TRIP SPRINGS and being able to angle the blade would be the two main ones that come to mind.

At work we do have a ford with a curtis blade on the fel with a salt spreader set up on the back. A Newholland (front wheel assist) with a Dregleman front blade. A large John Deere with a rearblade. A small John Deere with a snowblower and one more small John Deere with a blade. All of the tractors do double duty. Cut grass in summer and snow removal in winter cept the backhoes of course.

The past two days I spent in the 580k backhoe both pushing and stacking snow. It was 12hrs the first day and 8hrs the second. Now the reason that I put trip springs in caps above. When tooling along pushing snow a manhole cover that is above grade just enough to catch the front bucket edge will slam u into the front glass of the cab. only happened once but that was enough.

Gordon

 

[Thomas]

Indeed Gordon..<font color=red>Trip Springs<font color=red><font color=black>..I to rather hear the bang of the plow than my knees or wrist. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

 

[gordon]

What was even worse I had just stopped at the maintenance shop and gotten a fresh cup of coffee. It was sitting in the cup holder until the manhole when it took up residence on the floor of the cab./w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif

The area that got me was just redone this summer and also took a couple of the other operators by surprize. Now we all know about it and it will be avoided bigtime./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I remember the pictures you posted of your plow set up on your tractor. Nice setup and easy to use as well. You just chain your plow up to stack snow or do you do it all with the blade?

Gordon

 

[frank_f15]

MIKE: will agree with u 100% for me the fel is the best way to move snow, have not come across a condition that i wated anything else, my bud has a rear blower on his , but uses the fel 90% of the time. there is probably a few times that a blower would make the removal easier and quicker, but not many and not enough times for me to want to deal with the added expence and having to drive backwards. i don;t know but sounds to me like just a matter of personal preference.

 

[snowman]

Mike,

A rear blade actually does do a good job of windrowing the snow (versus just having the snow pile up higher and higher in front of the blade).

I have my rear blade angled at only the first notch so that the snow slides off the blade to my left as you're driving forward. Get very little amounts of snow spilling off the right side.

I use my rear blade in conjunction with a front blower and it leaves the pavement nice and clean. Is also great for scraping up the hardened snow.

I'd think that a front blade would actually be harder to use than a rear because it would cause the tractor to "stumble" a bit more when it encounter frozen obstacles (rocks, etc).

 

[Thomas]

99% of my snow removal the plow does the work.

Do you use a snow bucket on your case 580?

 

[gordon]

Nope just the regular bucket. It's not mine I just drive it at work. It belongs to dept or correction.

Gordon