Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Snow plow damaging tractor?

[btuhman]

Hey,
I have a JD LV4200, 4wd and a 1300' long dirt driveway. I am thinking about getting a plow mounted up front in place of the loader bucket. Is plowing with a blade going to cause damage to the loader frame and mechanism?
Thanks
btuhman

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I can't see why a snow plow would put any more strain on the frame than the loader would.

 

[Duffster]

Hey,
I have a JD LV4200, 4wd and a 1300' long dirt driveway. I am thinking about getting a plow mounted up front in place of the loader bucket. Is plowing with a blade going to cause damage to the loader frame and mechanism?
Thanks
btuhman

Angle blades can destroy a loader. It is much better to mount front blade to a harness that is under that tractor frame.

Angle blades can certainly be mounted to the loader but you are rolling the dice.

 

[nybirdman]

I have had both a frame mounted(L3130 Kubota),currently a loader mounted on a L4240 Kubota.Pros and cons with both,
frame mounted
1.stronger system for sure
2.loss of use of the loader
3.limited lift of plow
loader mounted
1.potential for damage to loader frame(side thrust)
2.quick change to bucket if needed
3.huge lift to pile banks
I have a curtis 8' plow on my 4240 it works great,but I must use caution,ie slow speeds,make sure your spring trips are working.I plow about 2 miles total and we get about 170 inches a year.works for me .

 

[Builder]

Hey,
I have a JD LV4200, 4wd and a 1300' long dirt driveway. I am thinking about getting a plow mounted up front in place of the loader bucket. Is plowing with a blade going to cause damage to the loader frame and mechanism?
Thanks
btuhman

I have one. No damage as of yet, but I only used it for one winter of plowing.

If it has trip springs and power angling cylinders, both of these mechanisms are designed to absorb & relieve shock loads.

I'm sure there will be more expert advice forthcoming, but mine would be proceed with some caution, make sure you don't get over confident and start bashing piles. Keep the blade angled and don't plow in high range.

Here's my set up. I mounted a 2" receiver in mine to push/pull trailers around, too.








This was my protoype set-up. Since the pictures, I installed 90 deg elbows before my couplers to ease the stress on my hydraulic lines.

I would also like to install snow plow shoes on my mounting plate to keep the ends of the loader arms from digging into the driveway.

 

[Duffster]

I have one. No damage as of yet, but I only used it for one winter of plowing.

If it has trip springs and power angling cylinders, both of these mechanisms are designed to absorb & relieve shock loads.

I'm sure there will be more expert advice forthcoming, but mine would be proceed with some caution, make sure you don't get over confident and start bashing piles. Keep the blade angled and don't plow in high range.

Here's my set up. I mounted a 2" receiver in mine to push/pull trailers around, too.

The angle cylinders won't offer much protection with out a cross over relief valve. I would recommend you get one for yours.

Even then if it is angled all the way one way and you hit a boulderp) on that side that is where the potential damage will come from.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I have a plow like Builders but no pictures. It came of a S-10 and is a Meyers 6.5' unit. I now have it on my Jinma 28 Hp 4x4 tractor. Works great along with the rear 7' woods blade I have.

Chris

 

[Builder]

The angle cylinders won't offer much protection with out a cross over relief valve. I would recommend you get one for yours.

Thanks for trying to find the flaws in my setup, but the cylinders do have relief in them when I hit an object. The reason I know is because I've already hit things with it and the cylinders give before anything breaks.

Even then if it is angled all the way one way and you hit a boulderp) on that side that is where the potential damage will come from.

If that happens, the springs typically trip and jump over the object (stump, manhole cover, etc.). I guess if you hit a tall object like a tree or parked car with the plow angled all the way at high speed, then yes, you might damage the loader. Anyone plowing that way should probably not be operating a plow in the first place. lol
The benefits of being able to use the bucket and the plow without a massive changeover of equipment and expense outweighed the slight risk of damage for me.
Any plow can damage the power unit behind it. Just use common sense and caution and don't be scared. If we were that scared about everything breaking our tractors, we'd never get much anything done!

 

[Duffster]

Thanks for trying to find the flaws in my setup, but the cylinders do have relief in them when I hit an object. The reason I know is because I've already hit things with it and the cylinders give before anything breaks.

Really

 

[Builder]

Ummmm, OK, .....

Yes, the cylinders do have relief in them. If you push hard enough against them, they cushion back. I have seen it happen about 500 times in the last 25 years of snowplowing I've done. On edit: Doesn't the tractors hydraulic system itself have a relief valve?

Another nice advantages I can share with you via actual experience:

You can use the loader to pick the plow up over large objects that a tractor mount plow will not clear. That alone gives you some damage protection.

You can see the plow out in front of the tractor better since it's out further than a tractor mounted plow.

Also, I don't see how a tractor mounted plow is some sort of gaurantee that it won't damage the tractor while plowing.

 

[kennyd]

Ummmm, OK, .....

Yes, the cylinders do have relief in them. If you push hard enough against them, they cushion back. I have seen it happen about 500 times in the last 25 years of snowplowing I've done. On edit: Doesn't the tractors hydraulic system itself have a relief valve? .

I am not going to debate the FEL plow thing, I had one that I build and had bad luck with it-since have gotten a frame mount setup and like it LOTS better...

BUT:
The cylinders do NOT have a relief built in. I suspect the 500 times you saw it happen was on a truck? The Meyers and Western pumps have a x-over relief valve built into them-that is where the fluid bypasses to the other cylinder providing relief.There is nothing in the cylinder to allow this.

The tractors relief valve has no effect on the cylinders since the valve is in neutral-thus blocking the work ports.

 

[Builder]

Yup. I stand corrected. The angling cylinders have relief if mounted on my trucks, but if mounted to the tractors hydraulic system would not have relief. I did not realize the WR long solenoid valve had no relief to it.
I still have no fear of plowing snow with my tractor's loader with the trip springs and float feature of the loader.

Thanks for the correction.

 

[kennyd]

Just a note:

A Crossover Relief valve, or Cushion Valve can always be added to any plow, Surplus Center has this one for $65.95. Attached below is a picture of the stock JD one on my #380 snowplow.

 

[Builder]

Looks like a cheap way to add some more protection.

I wonder if mounted on my FEL crossmember behind my hydraulic couplings, that if I use my 4/1 bucket or grapple instead of plow, it will "relieve" from excess pressure and allow objects to be dropped??

Maybe they come in different relief settings.

 

[kennyd]

Looks like a cheap way to add some more protection.

I wonder if mounted on my FEL crossmember behind my hydraulic couplings, that if I use my 4/1 bucket or grapple instead of plow, it will "relieve" from excess pressure and allow objects to be dropped??

Maybe they come in different relief settings.

They are completely passive until the relief pressure is reached, so your grapple or 4n1 would be unaffected. The setting is adjustable, 500-1500, or 1500-3000 depending on which one you purchased, I think Id would opt for the 1500-3000 unit myself and start low. I would like to know what pressure JD, Meyer's, Western and Curtis use but have been unable to find out (But I have not seriously perused it either-a phone call to one of the company's may yield the answer)

 

[Duffster]

They are completely passive until the relief pressure is reached, so your grapple or 4n1 would be unaffected. The setting is adjustable, 500-1500, or 1500-3000 depending on which one you purchased, I think Id would opt for the 1500-3000 unit myself and start low. I would like to know what pressure JD, Meyer's, Western and Curtis use but have been unable to find out (But I have not seriously perused it either-a phone call to one of the company's may yield the answer)

You would want to be in the 3000#+ range.

 

[Duffster]

Also, I don't see how a tractor mounted plow is some sort of guarantee that it won't damage the tractor while plowing.

Obviously there is no guarantee for the tractor, while tractor damage is unlikely, the loader is the weak link.

 

[JJT]

For years I plowed snow with a tractor, then plowed for years with a truck and 10 years ago I switched to a rear mounted snow blower. I'll never go back to a plow. It's easy on the tractor and you only move the snow once, no matter how deep it is. With a plow, you're going to need chains and lots of weight in the back.

 

[Ford850]

I've heard the arguement that the plow will damage the FEL, but I've never heard it come from anyone who has had it happen with a factory plow. Ive had both frame mounted and FEL mounted plows. I use a plow on my FEL now and it definitely has advantages over the frame mounted plow, expecially when you have a lot of snow. The frame mount plow does a better job on gravel where you need to adjust to the contours of a drive, but on hills and with deep snow you can get hung up. The FEL plow works fine for me, and I don't see near the force on the FEL arms as I do if someone turned the wheels slightly while loading a bucket of dirt. But having said that, yes the FEL arms are the weakest link. Work smart and don't use the plow as a battering ram and it will be fine.
Now, if I was starting with a new tractor and had more funds, then I would opt for a cab tractor and a blower. I would still get the plow for the front to use on for most snow since it is so must faster on long drives. Also, as mentioned, if you don't have a lot of room to manuever or to push snow way off to the side, then a blower is the best option even without a cab.

 

[Duffster]

-since have gotten a frame mount setup and like it LOTS better...
.

Do you have any picture of your tractor and plow setup?