Snow Plowing a Gravel Drive - Problem Solved!!!

[DennisArrow]

Really great idea..............Going to TSC and get a horse stall mat, how wide of a piece do I cut on my table saw to bolt onto the blade?????

3/8" X 2" galv. bolts just fine???.............Flat washers on both sides of the blade or a flat washer and lock washer???

What to use to make/drill/bore the holes????..........A spade bit???................Thanks again....Great idea.....God bless.......Dennis

 

[thatguy]

Really great idea..............Going to TSC and get a horse stall mat, how wide of a piece do I cut on my table saw to bolt onto the blade?????

3/8" X 2" galv. bolts just fine???.............Flat washers on both sides of the blade or a flat washer and lock washer???

What to use to make/drill/bore the holes????..........A spade bit???................Thanks again....Great idea.....God bless.......Dennis

Ill be very honest.. trying to cut that mat with a table saw is going to be difficult. it is VERY heavy. so trying to hold it up and slide it across the table will be an issue.. You could possibly put something under the mat to raise it off the floor then cut with a skil saw set to only cut about 1" deep though

I used a vibrating multi-tool to get a cut started - i had to try 3 difference blades before I got one that would cut the rubber.. after that I used a utility knife to cut thru the rest.. the utility knife may be the easiest way to be honest..

My rear blade is 6', and the mat was a tad over 6' - i have a small amount on each end hanging over (less 1/4" each end)

I used a 1" spade wood bit for the holes - that way i had some 'play' in it.. the bolts i removed were 2" long - so i went with 3" since i was adding 3/4" with the mat.

I used flat washer on the cutting edge side, and a flat + lock + lock nut (nylon insert type) on the other side. because my older were for a 5/8" carriage type bold, the flat washer were needed to keep the bolt from slipping through the holes


brian
good luck..

 

[Baby Grand]

Really great idea..............Going to TSC and get a horse stall mat, how wide of a piece do I cut on my table saw to bolt onto the blade?????

3/8" X 2" galv. bolts just fine???.............Flat washers on both sides of the blade or a flat washer and lock washer???

What to use to make/drill/bore the holes????..........A spade bit???................Thanks again....Great idea.....God bless.......Dennis

I'd try using a mat knife with a fresh blade and a metal straight edge first. Don't try to cut all the way through in one pass - take light passes until you are through.



For the holes try a brace & bit, if you have those - that worked great on the poly belted tire that I used - cut clean holes.

 

[sandyc]

I have to replace my plow shoes every couple of years because the gravel acts like really course sandpaper.

 

[varmint]

I added skid shoes to my rear blade, and they just left grooves in the gravel. Careful height adjustment was the best solution to gravel plowing, and/or dragging the blade backwards. Not ideal, but it works.

 

[thatguy]

This is the drill bit that I used.. since this mat has no reinforcement within it it doesnt take a lot to get a clean hole

 

[PILOON]

Well I have cut horse stall mattes (to fit a horse stall LOL).
Tried jig saw, skill saw, etc.
What does work, and does so well, is to drape the matt over a 2 x 4 under the cut area and using a guide ( like a T square) take a box cutter with a new blade and simply slice the matt apart.
Draping the matt allows the slit to open up greatly reducing friction. I also did spray a bit of WD 40 to lubricate and it did seem to help.

 

[DennisArrow]

When I asked the above questions, I purposely didn't ask how to cut, as I already know. In the past, have cut up 2 different mats for several reasons. Tried with a saber saw, a reciprocating saw, and then just flopped the thing up on the table of the table saw and ran it through. my table is 4' wide by 3' deep and I use a 10" blade. Smaller pieces I easily just run through my band saw...........NO PROBLEMS..........

Now.....thanks for the thoughts about the spade bit and the length of the bolts.....I do like the idea of the nylock nuts......

WHAT ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE PIECE FOR ATTACHING TO THE BLADE???????? 12".....18"......or even as small as 6"???.............I do appreciate your comments so thanks......God bless.............Dennis

 

[jambx]

Ha - just saw my thread erected once again - always good sign someone's using the search function :thumbsup:. I have been using the same piece of mat for the last three years unit last year (year 4) it tore on the edge so I had to flip it around - my piece was ~12 inches in length - I wanted to have enough so it would easily fold under the weight. Works great and it kind of just floats over the gravel leaving behind a thin skim of snow with it.

On area I need to address however is if you look at the close up pic of the blade on the ground and mat folded back - there seems to be a lot of pressure being placed on the leading edge (which finally tore after 3 seasons) and think there maybe a better approach if you flip the cutting edge around and mount the rubber on the outside of it - this way the cutting edge curvature will give the mat a little relief when the blade is in contact with the ground. I estimate I have another 3 years with the original 12 inch strip could even just keep cutting that down and then cut up the rest of the mat - this idea was the bomb and for the money a home run.

 

[thatguy]

<edited> think there maybe a better approach if you flip the cutting edge around and mount the rubber on the outside of it - this way the cutting edge curvature will give the mat a little relief when the blade is in contact with the ground. I estimate I have another 3 years with the original 12 inch strip could even just keep cutting that down and then cut up the rest of the mat - this idea was the bomb and for the money a home run.

So you dont think you dont need the cutting edge to support/secure the mat? I assumed (and you know what that makes of you) - that the cutting edge was needed to keep the mat in place. Otherwise I figured the mat would just pull through the bolts unless you used some really big washers..

Brian

 

[Tomtint]

Wouldn't it be easy enough to put a set of caster wheels behind the plow. Maybe 1/2" below the blade edge. Just like a set of wheels for a rear rake. That way when the blade is all the way down, it is still above the gravel.

 

[jambx]

So you dont think you dont need the cutting edge to support/secure the mat? I assumed (and you know what that makes of you) - that the cutting edge was needed to keep the mat in place. Otherwise I figured the mat would just pull through the bolts unless you used some really big washers..

Brian

Yep you are right - after I stated that I got to thinking - it would not work - I will leave as is - it really works well and I can not complain the same mat lasted three years. I will keep it as is.

 

[jambx]

Wouldn't it be easy enough to put a set of caster wheels behind the plow. Maybe 1/2" below the blade edge. Just like a set of wheels for a rear rake. That way when the blade is all the way down, it is still above the gravel.

Yes I assume casters would work but I am not a fan especially in the winter - I would think the casters would be digging in and leaving a trail of marks etc. I prefer a nice clean look.

 

[parisbruce]

you post your fix for plowing on gravel in 2011....any follow-on, how has it worked out over the years..any lessons learned before I try it.

thanks

 

[parisbruce]

you posted your fix for plowing on gravel in 2011....any follow-on, how has it worked out over the years..any lessons learned before I try it.

thanks

 

[outoftractorluck]

you posted your fix for plowing on gravel in 2011....any follow-on, how has it worked out over the years..any lessons learned before I try it.

thanks

It worked as advertised for me, past two years. Absolutely recommended. You do scrape a little gravel depending on conditions but not so as you'd worry. I cut the mat with a utility knife. Made an initial cut then folded the mat along the cut and cut it all the way through. It works on gravel but also avoids scraping paved driveways. The amount of rubber that you leave below the plow blade seems to determine how aggressive the result will be and how much gravel you scrape. I left about 2" of rubber below the blade. The rubber folds a bit and squedgies the snow. I live in Virginia so the snow doesn't freeze that hard. In a colder climate you might need to be more aggressive (less rubber?) to clean the harder snow. Good luck!

 

[parisbruce]

Thanks for the feedback...I live in Northern Va on the blue ridge so I get the same snow conditions.

 

[jambx]

you posted your fix for plowing on gravel in 2011....any follow-on, how has it worked out over the years..any lessons learned before I try it.

thanks

Absolutely! it has really worked better than I ever imagined - I still have almost all the gravel still on my drive where as a neighbor has had to replenish his at least 2 times (he hires his plowing out to a guy and front blade - in the spring his drive is a mess). Finally after three seasons I had to flip over the rubber since it wore through where the rubber bends against the plow edge but I am really on it so with a 6x4 foot stall mat I should be good for a very long time. Just this past month however I picked up Curtis Front Blade and will be adapting this rubber stall mat method - there is not reason why I can not get the squeegee effect with the front plow.

 

[sandyc]

Once the ground freezes there are no problems. On my first pass of the new snow I leave about an inch of snow to freeze and give me a base that usually lasts all winter. From then on I float my plow or blower and have no problems. Of course if it melts and the ground thaws then I have to start all over again.....oh well, more tractor time.

 

[comancheflight]

2015 bump