Rear Blade Edge for rear blade

[dodge man]

I have seen people talk about putting some kind of soft edge on a rear blade for moving snow. I have a paved driveway so this seems like a good idea. What do you use for this? I saw someone say they used a horsemat? I'm not sure what this is. Also how do you drill the holes? It seems like I would go through several drill bits as the steel on the rear blade is pretty thick. Any drill bit ideas?

 

[novi408]

Do you have a removable cutting edge?

I recently did this on my front blade. I bought a horsemat from Tractor Supply Company and cut it to the width of the blade and 2" wider than the cutting edge on my plow. Then I drilled holes through the rubber to match holes in the cutting edge (very easy). I then bought longer bolts and bolted the rubber between the blade and the cutting edge leaving 1" hanging below the cutting edge. Doing it this way, I can flip the rubber piece around when it wears out for a second edge.

It has worked fairly well so far, but we haven't had a real heavy snow yet either. The rubber does fold back a bit because it isn't fully supported by the blade, but this does give it a bit of squeegie action.

 

[2manyrocks]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/112009-snowplow-test-1-a.html

Lots of details for adding a rubber edge at this link.

Use the search feature to search for "snow plow edge," and you'll find many more.

 

[dodge man]

Thanks guys, I don't have a bolt on edge.

 

[2manyrocks]

Good carbide drill bit, go slow and lots of lubricant suggested and/or heating the spots and then reaming the steel where bolts need to be added were suggested in this thread dealing with spring steel. Or take it to a shop and let them make your holes. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/132325-anyone-ever-built-2.html

 

[sld]

I too have been thinking about what material to use for this.

I just finished cutting and machining a piece of the composite decking material that I sandwiched between the cutting edge and the mold board. I let the composite hang down about 3/4 inch.

We haven't gotten enough snow to try it yet but I hope it works for the 20 bucks I have in it.

 

[thatguy]

I too have been thinking about what material to use for this.

I just finished cutting and machining a piece of the composite decking material that I sandwiched between the cutting edge and the mold board. I let the composite hang down about 3/4 inch.

We haven't gotten enough snow to try it yet but I hope it works for the 20 bucks I have in it.

I have a home made rear blade that i was given and doesnt have a bolt on edge and I needed something that wouldnt dig into my paved driveway.. I started to use composite decking but was afraid it would splinter/shred so I went with a wooden 2x4 instead - also letting it stick down around 3/4" or so

I mounted it using (6) 3/8" bolts for an 84" blade- not sure how overkill that was, but it certainly shouldnt come off..

Brian

 

[sld]

Wood should work fine. It seemed to me the composite was less prone to splintering than wood. Especially after I routed the edge. It is very smooth.

Time will tell.

My 5 foot blade has 8 half inch carriage bolts. Yours doesn't sound like overkill at all.

 

[novi408]

I too have been thinking about what material to use for this.

I just finished cutting and machining a piece of the composite decking material that I sandwiched between the cutting edge and the mold board. I let the composite hang down about 3/4 inch.

We haven't gotten enough snow to try it yet but I hope it works for the 20 bucks I have in it.

I'm curious to hear how this works. It was one of the ideas I considered, but I decided to try the rubber first hoping that it would follow any contours a little better and almost sweep the pavement.

 

[MJPetersen]

It is not difficult to buy the rubber edges for the rear blades. I found a place here that sold rubber products and bought some pieces from them. I drilled it in the middle (so it is reversible) and bolted it to the cutting edge. I planned for doing this when I made the RB because cement pavers are VERY popular here and this will allow you to clean the snow without damaging the surface. You can just type in "rubber cutting edge" into EBay to see all kinds of examples. I used 2 pieces of 2x10x75 cm for my 150 cm (5 foot) RB. Each piece has 3 bolts which sandwich the rubber between 5 mm backing strip and the RB.

Drilling rubber cleanly requires a really sharp drill bit.

Mike

 

[thatguy]

Wood should work fine. It seemed to me the composite was less prone to splintering than wood. Especially after I routed the edge. It is very smooth.

Time will tell.

My 5 foot blade has 8 half inch carriage bolts. Yours doesn't sound like overkill at all.

To be honest I was going to go with 1/2" bolts until i realize a 1/2" drill bit at my lowes was around $15 and a 3/8" was about $5.. $15 was too much for drilling 6 holes IMHO.. LOL

I only have about $15 in my entire setup (bolts, bit, and board).. We get so little snow in the past years, they board will probably rot out before I wear it out..

BTW - I didnt go with pressure a treated board - Was that a mistake?

Brian

 

[dodge man]

I ordered a rubber edge from a company called Rubber Cal, it was listed in a previous post. It's going to end up costing about $100 by the time I'm done. The rubber strip was $45, I bought a steel strip to sandwich up against my rear blade, some metal cutting blades for my sawzall, 2 drill bits, some bolts and washers, some cutting oil for a grand total of around $100. How come a $45 project always cost $100?

I'm sure it will be worth it, I noticed the one time I plowed by driveway, I was pealing up the seam and crack filler I use on my driveway every year.

 

[2manyrocks]

I'm not sure it makes much difference using pressure treated wood because wood is probably going to splinter in this application. Maybe if you are grading a very smooth surface without much ice it will last longer.

Composite decking is another story. I think it will wear down, but I don't forsee it splintering like wood.

Used conveyor belt, if you could find it, might be the cheapest. I guess you could cut up an old tire tread in a bandsaw even more cheaply, but it seems like a lot of work.

The way things are priced in the stores, it's tough to do anything for $45 anymore unless you can find what you need at an auction or used someplace.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

I liked the idea of the horse mat sandwiched between the blade and cutting edge. I have a woods blade. I bought a horse mat for 14.00 at TSC and some longer galvenized carriage bolts from Lowes for 6.00. I will put it together tomorrow.

 

[LQPAPPY]

Might not be what you are looking for but, there was a post on another forum that suggested using pvc pipe. I cut a three inch and slid on my blade and it has worked great for gravel. Not sure how long it will last on blacktop but the price is right.

 

[5030tinkerer]

The PVC idea certainly sounds cool. Think that would be of any benefit with a front snow blade setup that has the adjustable skid feet on it? This will be the first year for me using this setup and I am concerned about getting rid of the gravel.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

LQ, Tell us more... Cannot picture what you are doing..

Tom

 

[JoeL4330]

The PVC works this way ...look at it end-on, it looks like an "O" ...cut a slit lengthwise and now, end-on, it looks like a "C" ...slide it onto the blade ...a hole or two in the PVC and a "set screw" or two might be needed.

 

[thatguy]

YOu can also do a metal pipe.. Split it down the middle then drill some holes along the length of the pipe.. Weld nuts to each hole.. then insert bolts thru nuts(and pipe) tighten them agains the blade (or FEL) to keep it from coming loose..

I would have gone this route, but I have no way of cutting the pipe.. :-(

Brian

 

[LQPAPPY]

Joel has answered your how and why. So far I've had to hammer the pvc on and off, not sure you would have to secure unless you're in deep stuff.