Snow Attachments PVC Pipe On Snow Blade

[bp fick]

Had so many folks PM and ask how the PVC pipe worked out, thought I'd just post the results. Well here's the story.

Last summer, I read here about using PVC. I had a scrap of 1 1/2 Schedule 40 and ran it through my table saw. Wouldn't go on. Ran it through again, just side stepping the first cut by the width of the blade. Perfect. Beat it on with a sledge. Hey, it's just scrap. Got nothing to lose.

Plowed yesterday in my drive and neighbors. Each 125 ft gravel drives. Low, rather slow. Not a bit of a difficulty. It works wonders.

Today following 5 more inches, plowed both drives again. No problem.
Then the neighbor on the other side asked me to plow their private road. It is 1/4 mile. That's too long for low, so I plowed it in high. By about the third or fourth pass, I hit a rock or larger stone and that PVC shattered.

Moral of the story? Low and slow in your own drive? Probably last a month or even more. YMMV. Fast and hard? Not so much.

Got another piece, but of 3" scrap in the shop and will cut that tonight. 12" predicted for Wednesday night. Once the ground freezes up hard, which it will be by Thursday's forecast of 9 degrees, this will no longer matter.

 

[Duffster]

 

[bp fick]

Duffster!!!!

You da man!

 

[studor]

I use a piece of ABS (the black stuff) and it seems to last a long time (two seasons on about 1/3 mile of gravel driveway. I cut the slot to be snug and pound it on with a rubber mallet. Not sure if it is better or worse than the PVC for wear and breakage

 

[LQPAPPY]

I have used the PVC for the past year even leveling gravel without snow. I use the 3" and one cut with the skil saw. It will usually slide on if opening the slit with a screwdriver. Normally it must be knocked off with a small sledge. I haven't used it at all on paved streets. Works great for me and very easy and inexpensive.

 

[beenthere]

Clever idea.
Hope we hear more of the experiences out there, using this idea.
Wear would be my first concern.

 

[tommu56]

What about some sch 40 or 20 steel slot and weld some tabs on almost unbrakeable?

tom

 

[Thomas]

Good idea.
Wondering if round edge will dig in to remove high spots cause by tires packing the snow.

 

[RalphVa]

Good idea. However, I've found that asphalt driveways generally only need protection the first year. After that, they're quite hard and resist damage by the FEL or blade quite well.

Ralph

 

[JerryK]

The black plastic will not shatter as easily as the white PVC, which seems to get real brittle when it gets cold.

 

[Johndeere3720]

Well, I think I should give this a try on my blade. I also can tell my math teacher about it since he needs an easy solution to move snow with his mahindra without picking up all the gravel he just bought. Great Idea indeed.

 

[bp fick]

Good idea.
Wondering if round edge will dig in to remove high spots cause by tires packing the snow.

Thomas, I don't know, but the whole point for me is NOT digging in. I also plow in "float" and move pretty quickly. Momentum. The blade just floats as it should. Once the ground is frozen hard, protecting the gravel isn't nearly the issue that it is now and will be with spring thaws.

I also try to leave a snow pack down. Little dribs and drabs, packed down. I don't try to have bald gravel. We do not get mid winter thaws very often up here.

Anybody got a photo of their blade with "black plastic"?

 

[BeeferMan]

Guys over at one of the plow sites swear by this method, but using steel pipe instead of PVC. Cutting the slot is no doubt more difficult in the steel pipe, but it'd have to get pretty cold before that shattered!

 

[Bedlam]

Yes I have four plows with steel pipe. The cut is the difficult thing to do. I almost used a torch but find the circular saw with a metal cutting blade.(3 pack form wal mart 5 bucks) Is best. slow but nice cut then I used a large chisel and hammer to open he pipe up so it would 'slide' on got one end started and then worked it on.. Words very well.I would think , as it had a tight fit that it might not come off. But I tack welded in place

 

[BeeferMan]

Yes I have four plows with steel pipe. The cut is the difficult thing to do. I almost used a torch but find the circular saw with a metal cutting blade.(3 pack form wal mart 5 bucks) Is best. slow but nice cut then I used a large chisel and hammer to open he pipe up so it would 'slide' on got one end started and then worked it on.. Words very well.I would think , as it had a tight fit that it might not come off. But I tack welded in place

Haven't had a chance to try it myself (I should, I do mostly gravel drives), but the of the accounts that I read the most appealing sounding was to cut the opening wide enough so that it could be fit over the cutting easily, then weld tabs to the ends. The tabs had holes so the pipe could be held on with pins/clips. Then it was a fairly easy on/off for plowing asphalt...

 

[sawduster98]

This whole pvc pipe idea sounded great to me since I don't want to tear up a new asphalt driveway with my back blade. I used a router with a 1/4" straight bit and an edge guide to cut the slot in the pipe, worked great but what a mess! No snow yet in WNY to try it out.

 

[Bedlam]

On the cut being wide enough the first one I tried to be scientific with it. i measure and decided that Id need two cuts very close. scribed them out. and then realized I could keep the cuts from merging, so I opted the second one to be just the one blade with wide. and then the chisel and hammer allot of whaling and opened it up enough.But yes the tabs is a great way to go. make it just loose enough to slip on and then the tab retainers...I like that idea. I am sure that the cut would then be a couple at least wide of the blade.I was cheap and used a couple pieces of pipe on one. But then the spot weld broke one year and the 10 piece of pipe was 'lost' in the snow. This made me not use the blower the rest of the year..sure didn't want to suck that pipe in.Also ill admit the previous year I had another flat stock piece 'fall' off and that years blowing came to an end.
LOL My goal this year is to not have things break off like that.

 

[Cat_Driver]

What about this ?

Rubber Snowplow Cutting Edges

 

[schmism]

I think horse mat or conveor belt edge is better.

and why doesnt your plow have normal shoes? set them to keep the plow a 1/4" above the surface and dont worry about it.

 

[bp fick]

and why doesnt your plow have normal shoes?

Uh.. maybe because shoes drag nice deep valleys in soft gravel?

Once the ground freezes up solid and the "packed down" snow get frozen good, these aren't issues. It only during the soft ground period of fall, spring and perhaps a mid-winter thaw.