Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Using Blower on a grade

[Franko]

I have a Kubota B7800 and can plow snow up to 8-10 inches with a 72 inch landscape blade. If the snow builds up, I push it aside with the FEL. I have some fairly steep grades on my 900 ft drive, and if it gets slushy or slippery, I pretty much have to plow downhill and hope that I can get back up for another run. Sometimes only backing up will get me up, but I have survived 4 winters without getting stuck. The good news is that the blade cleans most of the snow off as it works and gives me a mostly clean path to drive on, which is how I can get back up hill to make another run.

I picked up a 60 inch Meteor 3 Pt hitch blower for those big snows, which happen most years here in central PA. I have only used the blower a couple of times and need some advice. My drive is not paved and I find that I cannot scrape down to grade with the blower. I have to leave some clearance or I hit rocks and have to replace a shear bolt every 100 feet or so, which is just not fun. But when I leave that free space, there is enough snow for the tires to pack down and turn into ice. I am pretty sure that once I get down the hill that the blower and tractor will not make it back up until Spring arrives. I now have chains for the front and rear tires and I notice a great increase in traction, but on a test run last year, it did not seem like enough, and I just gave up and used the FEL to do the job, which takes me a LOT longer and is a LOT more nerveracking as I push the snow to the side on the grades and try to avoid tipping the tractor. I am concluding that unless I get my 900 foot drive paved (ouch$$) that the blower is the wrong tool for my situation. Another strong possibility is that I just don't know how to use the blower. Should I keep those skids on for a gravel drive? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Frank

 

[ruren]

I have the same situation you describe and use the blower with mostly success. I do go through around ten shear bolts each winter from rocks that pop up. I clear my drive in three passes, one down the right side, one up the middle, and one down the left side. If it is icy the trip uphill takes a smaller bite so the machine isn't working as hard to maintain traction. If it is really icy I drive up the clean path and just make three passes down hill. I walk the hill in the fall and pick rocks that look like blower bait, and don't use the blower until the drive is frozen. Usually I use the back blade for the first few light snows, or just drive on it until there is a little build up. Trying to keep it absolutely clean seems to be worse than driving on a little matted snow, but PA might be different than MI and make more ice. I think you need to keep the shoes adjusted to hold the blower off the ground a bit, maybe do that and make a quick pass with your loader if you really want to scrape it down.

If it helps, the first time I used the blower on this driveway I went through four shear bolts in an hour and used my whole list of four letter words. After a while I got a better feel for what works with my driveway and it works well for me now.

 

[Franko]

Thanks for the info and encouragement. I think I should keep at it and see if I can get the hang of it. Do you use the shoes all the time? Chains?

I find that my car cannot make it up the drive with any snow left on the steep parts, since the snow gets pretty slippery when it packs down. It's just too steep for the old front wheel drive. I almost slipped back into a ravine on my first winter with it, so I have been keeping it fairly clear so the sun melts it back to a clean driveway. In spite of this, the mailman was making a delivery last year and tried to come up the drive with her Suburu and managed to get wedged sideways between the snowbanks. Not sure WHAT she was doing, but I managed to pull her around enough to get her straightened out so she could roll back down.

If I can get most of the snow blown clear with the blower and then hit it with the blade, it would be perfect. I hate the snow walls that the blade creates. After a while the snow won't push over the wall and the blade becomes completely ineffective. I usually have to use the FEL to take care of those walls, but if the blower can get rid of the snow in the first place, it would be great.

Frank

 

[leonz]

Hello Franko welcome to the forum,



The key to using a snow caster or rear blade is adhesion/traction
and if you have neither..............,

How fast is your ground speed when snow casting?

Do you have R4 tires or ag tires?

I am curious, are your rear tires loaded with calcium or WWF or Rim Guard
with your B7800?

Loaded rears are must with slopes and snow chains and make a world
of difference.

Which type of snow chains do you have? ladder, 2 link, V bar traction chains,
ring chains with ice lugs?

Do you use spring tensioners for the snow chains to keep them taunt?


A lot depends on the snow chain types and available grip as well.

You may want to sell the chains you have and purchase a pair of
Pewag ring chains or carbide lug chains.

Do you use actual snow tires with your car or cars or have weight in the
rear of the automobile for traction?

Can you have a supply of sand dumped off and spread it on the driveway
when needed and keep the loader bucket full and have a pail and small
shovel in the bucket?

The concrete sand is best for a traction aid and until the ground freezes,
if in fact it does where you are. You are in a bit of a pickle if your rears
are not loaded with liquid ballast.

I am not trying to spend your money, I want you to succeed and have
zero problems. I have had my share of WILD WILLY Moments having nearly
lost a lowboy in a creek over a plowed snow bank and a Simplicity nearly
the same way(needless to say someone was looking out for this idiot at the time)

 

[flyingcow]

FWIW- The first couple of storms I have to roll the blower back, so as the blower doesn't cut into ground too much. I do this by shortening the top link on blower.

 

[Franko]

Tires not loaded. I keep thinking about this, but I am not sure that the plywood floor in my shed could take the weight. I could beef it up if it was really worth it. I keep wondering what I would do if I had to remove one of those loaded back wheels, though. A friend with a JD loaded his tires and a few years later ended up with a corroded wheel, too. I don't hear that happening much but something went wrong for him. I went with the RM7 Ladder Tractor Chains with rubber tensioners from TireChains.com for the back, although the front ones are lighter (car tire chains, I think?). But I did not want the front to do too much of the work anyway. I got them for ice, and they seem to do the job for that. When the snow gets deeper on the steep parts, they don't seem to help as much since there is nothing to bite into.

I bought some sand for those few really icy days but it is alarming how much you can spend on sand and how quickly it disappears. It also does not seem to do much on slippery snow except color the snow.

I think the chains will do the job and is worth a serious try to get the blower going. I will get the skids back on to help avoid picking up rocks and see if the chains will navigate the snow layer that results.

Great comments, guys - I really appreciate it!

Frank

 

[leonz]

Hello Frank,

You can have windsheild washer fluid
loaded in your rears and "fronts" and
have zero worries about rim corrosion.

Your snow casters skids are a must have
for your snow removal.

 

[devildog1]

FWIW- The first couple of storms I have to roll the blower back, so as the blower doesn't cut into ground too much. I do this by shortening the top link on blower.

This is a good trick for most new snow blower owners to learn, it has always worked for me when I had a gravel driveway. I still use it today even though my driveway is blacktop, it stops the cutting edge from damaging drive or edge itself.
DevilDog

 

[reggiejr]

It sounds like you have a pretty good grasp on your driveway clearing situation.With chains on all four that tractor should be a tank.

Like others have stated shorten up your top link and it may give you less resistance and therefore better traction.The problem i see here is your car I would just get 4 good studded snow tires for the winter time and problem solved.

I have a gravel drive and i prefer it to not ever show gravel at all.It just makes plowing/snowblowing soo much easyier my blower leaves about a inch of loose snow behind and that gets packed in and profides a good surface imo for a gravel drive i dont sand unless absolutely nessesary (freezing rain).

Four studded tires makes a big difference on a fwd car.

 

[joeyd]

Frank,
Last year was my first year with a tractor and a 68" Meteor blower. I went through my share of shear pins (I get them at the fastener store, much cheaper than from the tractor supply). This year I had a pair of skids fabricated and will try them. I also have a long hilly drive and leaving an inch or two of snow is more preferable than spreading my gravel all over the place. I use chains and loaded tires on my tractor and blow downhill. If I use the blower coming uphill I take a smaller bite.

The road up to the house is 1 1/2 miles, steep in some spots and 4 different neighbors plow their portion so the road is always changing surface wise. I have to use chains a majority of the time on the jeep or truck. For ease of putting them on and removing the chains I use a product called Spike Spiders. They are pricey but go on in about 1 minute, google them to check them out.

 

[irvingj]

Frank-- for the last 25 years, my 250' uphill, steep in parts driveway was gravel. (I finally got it paved last sumemr.)

What I would do is to drive over the first few storms to pack it down with wife's AWD Toyota Matrix (nice wide tires), and then maintain a packed snow base for the duration of the winter. The first few uses of the blower did catch some rocks, of course, and I always keep a supply of shearpins available.

I also keep bags of sand for the inevitable icy days-- you know, the storms that start out by pulling air up from the south (rain), followed by a strong breeze from the north (rain changes to snow & everything freezes!). Having sand handy is a must.

I also kept the blower shoes lowered as far as they would go until the driveway was "set" and then raised them (but not all the way up).

This worked well for a long time, but does lead to an icy base once spring starts to come around, and the occasional stomach-in-the-throat trip down the drive. Many a day, I'd be out there early in the AM to spread sand.

I have a front-mount blower, as well as turf tires; I have a set of chains, but have never had to use them...yet. For me, the turfs have worked very well on the packed snow base. I really think the packed base is the key.

As far as FWD cars getting up, if the pitch of the driveway is beyond a certain point --I'm guessing around 9 degrees, or 15% grade-- it might be well to back up, due to the weight shift downhill on the slope. In those cases, rear wheel drive is actually an advantage, I think.

Type of car makes a difference, too- we had a Honda Civic (1980) that could NEVER get up the drive, but my old beater '79 VW Rabbit could do it no sweat, going forward. My '82 Peugeot 504D wagon (RWD) also got up easily, with some weight added in the back. Daughter's 2WD '04 F-150 could also never make it, even with 4 new studded snow tires and 600 lbs in the back. As others have said: snow tires at least, studded snows even better-- but please, all four of them!

Hope this helps-- WBB in NH

 

[ruren]

I keep the shoes on all of the time, adjusted to keep the cutting edge on the bottom of the blower just off the ground. I have turf tires on my tractor that work well for snow removal in my experience, I have never tried chains.

Both my vehicles are four wheel drive, so that helps in my case. Might be time to think about a good set of snow tires for that front wheel drive, if your budget allows. We have a few icy days each year where it gets nasty, but I've come to realize thats the price I pay for the view from the top of the hill.

Thanks for the info and encouragement. I think I should keep at it and see if I can get the hang of it. Do you use the shoes all the time? Chains?

I find that my car cannot make it up the drive with any snow left on the steep parts, since the snow gets pretty slippery when it packs down. It's just too steep for the old front wheel drive. I almost slipped back into a ravine on my first winter with it, so I have been keeping it fairly clear so the sun melts it back to a clean driveway. In spite of this, the mailman was making a delivery last year and tried to come up the drive with her Suburu and managed to get wedged sideways between the snowbanks. Not sure WHAT she was doing, but I managed to pull her around enough to get her straightened out so she could roll back down.

If I can get most of the snow blown clear with the blower and then hit it with the blade, it would be perfect. I hate the snow walls that the blade creates. After a while the snow won't push over the wall and the blade becomes completely ineffective. I usually have to use the FEL to take care of those walls, but if the blower can get rid of the snow in the first place, it would be great.

Frank

 

[Franko]

Guys,
I am a firm believer in Winter Tires! I read the TireRack reviews like my life depends on it (and I guess it does). I have separate performance summer tires and winter tires for my car, which is a Honda Fit. The winter tires that cannot make it up at times are Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25. The problem is that the front wheel drive on that honda becomes one wheel drive when one of the drive wheels breaks free and spins. It is a somewhat poor design but maybe appropriate for an econobox.

Our other car, an AWD Nissan Murano goes up and down the drive regardless of how much snow and ice we get. Actually, it is quite amazing to a guy who grew up in the Great Lakes areas with rear wheel drive cars, but I guess they are all getting better these days. We have followed 4WD pickups up muddy trails that were fishtailing and barely able to make it, without the Murano showing any noticeable wheel spin (at least that we could feel). I do not have the guts to find the traction limits on that car, but nothing we have gotten in the last 8 years here in PA has stopped it (knock on wood!). So we take it when conditions look bad. I guess the reason I was stuck was that it snowed more than expected when I was at work and I had taken the Honda due to its superior gas mileage.

In truth, the Honda is not the only problem. We have lots of visitors that have to make it up the drive with whatever car they drive. That is why I have been keeping it clean down to the gravel. I do plow a little gravel up before it gets frozen and during thaws, but I have a rake to spread it back in the Spring. In addition, our 'soil' here is one big broken-shale-gravel deposit. When I use my landscape blade in full float, it really just scrapes off some of the gravel but there is more below. The sun comes out (eventually), melts the snow stuck in the cracks, and I get a clean drive, and any water that forms seems to drain right down and has never caused any ice. The biggest problem is that I can get a new crop of blower-breakers dredged up with maybe 20 or so distributed over the drive. So 90% of the time, I have found a good solution with the rear blade. It is those 10% big snows that I have to deal with, and what I bought the blower for. I think it will work if I just give it a chance, using the advice here. I will get those skids back on so I am not scraping up every single rock on the drive, and then adjust the 'bite' of the unit with the top link. With the chains I should be able to get back and forth to blow away most of the snow during big storms. If I want to change back to the blade, I can then scrape it down if I want. I don't know though - does anyone else hate changing out implements in the winter like I do?? We will have to see. Maybe the snow pack won't be an unnavigable as I think. My neighbor does not own a tractor and just lets his drive pack down and he seems to make it most days.

Frank

 

[dmay]

I guess I feel the opposite about clearing snow completely off gravel. I have a gravel driveway and large gravel parking and trailer turn-a-round area. I prefer to leave a hard snow base. My snowblower shoes are set to give me 1 inch clearance. I have a front mount blower, rear duo-grip ladder chains and ballast box for weight. I find if conditions are bad I blow down the driveway, then back all the way up for another pass down the driveway.

If the base gets too smooth from winds or driving on, I have a landscape rake that I pull. This grooves the base so it is not slippery smooth. I do not have your degree of inclines. This is just what works for me.

 

[GPintheMitten]

As others have said, use skids, shorten the top link to raise the cutting edge, add weight if you can, and use winter tires on your cars. They have a different rubber compound that increases the grip.

 

[GPintheMitten]

For weight, I made weights for my wheels with 5 gallon plastic buckets, filled with concrete. I put threaded rod to match holes in the rear wheels. Cost me about $20 if I remember correctly. I posted a thread on it a couple of years ago. I'll look for it and post a link when I find it.

 

[GPintheMitten]

Can't find the thread on home made wheel weights but let me know if you want info on it. I think weight will help you and this is a pretty cheap way to add it.

 

[irvingj]

Ah, Frank: There's your problem! "We have lots of visitors that have to make it up the drive with whatever car they drive."

I can be pretty grouchy in the winter, don't much like visitors, and don't encourage them. If they must, I tell 'em to park at the top and walk down. (Man, I'm really sounding grumpy now!)

What I do tell folks who come down w/out AWD or 4WD is, if the wheels break traction and begin to spin, just stop. Immediately. Back down slowly, and I'll drive it out.

Someone spinning their way all the way up the drive (they rarely make it all the way) just ruins the packed base. Amazing to me how many people --even in this area-- just don't understand how to drive in limited-traction situations.

But, if you have lots of visitors, I can see why you need to get it cleaned off as much as you can, and understand your method.:thumbsup:

 

[leonz]

Guys,
I am a firm believer in Winter Tires! I read the TireRack reviews like my life depends on it (and I guess it does). I have separate performance summer tires and winter tires for my car, which is a Honda Fit. The winter tires that cannot make it up at times are Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25. The problem is that the front wheel drive on that honda becomes one wheel drive when one of the drive wheels breaks free and spins. It is a somewhat poor design but maybe appropriate for an econobox.

Our other car, an AWD Nissan Murano goes up and down the drive regardless of how much snow and ice we get. Actually, it is quite amazing to a guy who grew up in the Great Lakes areas with rear wheel drive cars, but I guess they are all getting better these days. We have followed 4WD pickups up muddy trails that were fishtailing and barely able to make it, without the Murano showing any noticeable wheel spin (at least that we could feel). I do not have the guts to find the traction limits on that car, but nothing we have gotten in the last 8 years here in PA has stopped it (knock on wood!). So we take it when conditions look bad. I guess the reason I was stuck was that it snowed more than expected when I was at work and I had taken the Honda due to its superior gas mileage.

In truth, the Honda is not the only problem. We have lots of visitors that have to make it up the drive with whatever car they drive. That is why I have been keeping it clean down to the gravel. I do plow a little gravel up before it gets frozen and during thaws, but I have a rake to spread it back in the Spring. In addition, our 'soil' here is one big broken-shale-gravel deposit. When I use my landscape blade in full float, it really just scrapes off some of the gravel but there is more below. The sun comes out (eventually), melts the snow stuck in the cracks, and I get a clean drive, and any water that forms seems to drain right down and has never caused any ice. The biggest problem is that I can get a new crop of blower-breakers dredged up with maybe 20 or so distributed over the drive. So 90% of the time, I have found a good solution with the rear blade. It is those 10% big snows that I have to deal with, and what I bought the blower for. I think it will work if I just give it a chance, using the advice here. I will get those skids back on so I am not scraping up every single rock on the drive, and then adjust the 'bite' of the unit with the top link. With the chains I should be able to get back and forth to blow away most of the snow during big storms. If I want to change back to the blade, I can then scrape it down if I want. I don't know though - does anyone else hate changing out implements in the winter like I do?? We will have to see. Maybe the snow pack won't be an unnavigable as I think. My neighbor does not own a tractor and just lets his drive pack down and he seems to make it most days.

Frank

Hello Frank,


Yup changing implements or attaching a plow in the middle of an unscheduled
snow storm is rather taxing.

But a very warm kerosene fire salamander pointed under the tractor at the backside warms it up nicely, and melts the ice that will give your cold hands a nice tearing wound no matter how carefull you are.

 

[GPintheMitten]

Here's what I posted on another forum about making wheel weights. If you use home depot buckets they will be orange.

The buckets are a recent tractor mod. The inside diameter of the wheel is 11.5 inches and the buckets fit after cutting off the lip. The discs in the wheels have 3 holes each 9/16" that are not lug nut holes. So I bought 6' of threaded 1/2" rod, cut them to 12", made a 1/4" plywood pattern to match the wheel discs. I inserted the threaded rod in the patterns, leaving 2 inches sticking out. I welded scrap steel to the other ends of the rods so they won't turn in the concrete when I torque the nuts down.

Then I embedded them in concrete in the buckets and left the pattern plywood on top with the threaded rod sticking out 2 inches. Three days later, I mounted the wheels on top of the bucket and then slid the wheels back on the axle on the tractor.

Each bucket has 80 pounds of redi-mix concrete. An 80 lb bag of redi-mix is .66 cubicfeet, same as a 5 gallon pail. I was too cheap to go buy buckets, so I have 1 green and 1 white. My wife says they are MSU Spartan weights. I have about $20 bucks into the whole thing.

Maybe next spring when I take the weights off, I'll paint them.