Snow Removal On a Chip & Tar Driveway

[Snakebit12]

I recently installed a chip & tar finish on a previously graveled 2,000' driveway - it was not cheap. I live on top of a hill and got tired of the steepest section of the driveway washing out under heavy rainfall. It simply was not possible to grade the driveway without having it look like a banked race car track.

To get the water off the new driveway, I had asphalt water bars (look alot like speed bumps) strategically angled across the driveway on some of the steeper sections. With Florence and Michael, these water bars were tested...and passed.

So, I am satisfied with the performance under heavy rainfall. Now, the questions shifts to "How on earth do I get snow off this 2,000' driveway without tearing up the finish?"

I have several Kubota tractors...an M7040, a BX2360 and an old G1800. The former two are 4WD. I also have a 24" self-propelled walk-behind Troy-Built snowblower.

I also have a 7" Blue Diamond hydraulic dozer blade that I have used with the M7040 to plow snow when I was dealing with gravel. This blade is designed for a skid steer and does not work very well on the LA1153 FEL. The weight of both the FEL (1,500 lbs) and the blade (1,000 lbs) fell on two metal mushroom skid shoes - I could not float the blade as it simply buried the skids and dug up the gravel. I eventually learned to hold the blade a few inches off the ground but would inevitably gouge the driveway somewhere along the line.

There is ZERO chance that I will use the blade on the FEL on this new driveway in its current configuration.

I have considered:

1. Using the M7040, bolt on a polyurethane blade to the Blue Diamond blade along with polyurethane skid shoes. I fear that the weight issue will still result in destroying the driveway.

2. Again using the M7040, install a quick-hitch on the 3-point and, in conjunction with the polyurethane blade and skids, plow backwards. I have rear hydraulics so I could control the angle from the cab. This would be more akin to a skid steer arrangement as only the weight of the blade would rest on the skids. I hate the idea of plowing 2,000' backwards.

3. With the BX2360, purchase a front blower ($$$$) and attach polyurethane skids on the blower to prevent it from marring the driveway surface.

4. Again with the BX2360, purchase a rear blower (less $$$$) and attach polyurethane skids. But I am still going backwards.

5. Use the Troy-Built. I would need 3 passes to clear the driveway...that is over a mile of walk-behind snow blowing. Yikes.

6. Simply staying home until the snow melts. Here in Virginia, the snow doesn't stick around for too terribly long.

I appreciate the fact that I will need to mark the edges of the water bars to avoid hitting them using whichever method is most effective.

The amount of know-how on this board is amazing so I am hopeful that someone can point me in the proper direction.

John (aka Snakebit12)

 

[atsah]

3pth snowblower with the feet lifted a bit.. That's what I use now and is the best implement for removing snow I have found.. It's quick, clean, doesn't wreck any surfaces and leaves no banks..

 

[Tractorable]

Snow Removal On a Chip & Tar Driveway

How about having a set of gauge wheels welded onto your rear blade? Set the gauge wheels so the blade rests slightly above the road surface, 3pt floating, forward driving snow removal. Quick and no damage to your road.

The thing with Virginia winters is you frequently get light snows which aren’t deep enough to use snowblowers.

Everything attachments sells a set of gauge wheels for their landscape rakes that you might be able to modify to fit your blade.

 

[LouNY]

We have had the Town do some chip seal roads, the blades do a number on them and your water bars would really get roughed up.
If you use a rear mounted blade turned backwards at a steep angle and just drive forward it will move snow sideways it will take several passes but may not move a lot of stone off your driveway.
How loose is the stone on the surface? Packed good in the wheel tracks and loose in the rest?

Do you have to move the snow off the full width of the driveway or can you let it pile up on one side so that any stone can be brought back in the spring?

 

[Looking4new]

With a properly cured tar and chip driveway/road the only loose stones would be the ones the tar didn't stick to.
As for your dilemma, I would go with the gauge wheels on the BB turned backwards )>. The curve pointing towards the direction of travel.

 

[oosik]

Yes - use your rear blade and reverse it. Its what I use if I have to remove snow from my mile long gravel driveway before it freezes up, rock hard. On your M7040 reverse the rear blade and drive forward.

Also - you might want to check on one of those big rotating brush thingeys that are hydraulically driven and mount on the FEL. I have no idea how much snow they could remove from your driveway.

 

[farm boy00]

Can you replace the snow shoes on the blade with wheels allowing it to roll on the driveway?

 

[Snakebit12]

Good morning - thank you for your comments.

Most center around the dozer blade - it is a sunk cost after all - thought that I would attach a picture:



Note that this is not a reversible blade - it cannot be pulled, only can push.

The gauge wheel idea is intriguing...perhaps a pair of brush hog tail wheels? Would need to weld on new yoke brackets higher up the blade as the existing skid shoe brackets are too close to the ground. Would be nice if the wheel assy swiveled....easier on the driveway, I would think.

 

[Tractorable]

Something like this, except on a rear blade instead. Everything attachments wants $339 for a set of bush hog wheels. Pricey but they look stout and have good floatation.

 

[RandyinTN]

Have your wife shovel it.

 

[Snakebit12]

Have your wife shovel it.

That's the equivalent of option 6...wait until it melts!

 

[Snakebit12]

After hours of web-surfing, I have found what I think would work:





These were posted on this forum 12 years ago by a member who has not posted since March 2017. I have PM'd him but don't expect a reply.

This setup appears to be heavy duty - enough to handle the weight of the blade and FEL on float. But it is NOT a Woods accessory (per their tech support).

The curvature of the brackets seems way too precise (i.e. engineered) to simply be someone's fabrication. So, I am guessing that this is someone's accessory...but whose?

Does anyone recognize this assembly?

 

[leonz]

He probably has a machine shop.

The nearest current product that woods would have is the RB1010 back blade with the single tail wheel and 2 hydraulic cylinders one of which controls the fine depth of the blade and the second that controls the blade angle.

You could always buy a sheet of rubber free stall mat and cut it into slices and bolt it to the bottom of the blade to clear off the snow on your driveway.

 

[Tractorable]

Snow Removal On a Chip & Tar Driveway

Those are some fine looking brackets welded on there. The only issue I see is that they don’t allow the blade to lower very much with those wheels attached. Having the ability to fine tune the blade depth above or below ground would be a nice setup.

 

[ZTMAN]

Sounds like you are looking at some good options. I will tell about a quick redneck solution is that I discovered by necessity.

Wife invited some city slickers to MY camp for a weenie roast in Dec. She said it would be fun. As fate would have it, eight inches of snow hit the night before. Access to the camp is by a gravel/shale lane that is about a half mile long. Not an issue for the vehicles I have but the city slickers were coming with their Eddie B boots.

I hooked up an old skid to the back of my 4 wheeler. One end with a three foot rope, the other end four foot so the skid would be angled. Put three CMUs in the skid for weight and took off. Was amazed that it pushed the snow to the side of the lane so well. No digging or damage to the gravel either.

One city slicker asked me how much I had to pay to have the lane plowed. I showed him my "plow."

 

[darmstrong2319]

What about snow tamers I think that’s what they’re called would something like that work? I seen them on a video and after install they pushed the blade across the yard without gouging the turf.

 

[TMGT]

We use rotary brooms at work to clear snow off the pavers, (it's a LARGE area also), as long as you dont let it get too deep. Works great and doesn't do any damage.

They run them on about 3 skid steers, 2 tractors and a couple UTV's.

 

[Ford850]

After hours of web-surfing, I have found what I think would work:

View attachment 574512
View attachment 574513
View attachment 574514

These were posted on this forum 12 years ago by a member who has not posted since March 2017. I have PM'd him but don't expect a reply.

This setup appears to be heavy duty - enough to handle the weight of the blade and FEL on float. But it is NOT a Woods accessory (per their tech support).

The curvature of the brackets seems way too precise (i.e. engineered) to simply be someone's fabrication. So, I am guessing that this is someone's accessory...but whose?

Does anyone recognize this assembly?

It must have been a premade bracket, but they are mounted upside down. Notice the curved section should have been facing down to allow the wheel clearance when rotating 360*. The flat plates with 2 holes were probably meant for the top of a mower deck.

 

[Snakebit12]

It must have been a premade bracket, but they are mounted upside down. Notice the curved section should have been facing down to allow the wheel clearance when rotating 360*. The flat plates with 2 holes were probably meant for the top of a mower deck.

That is an interesting observation on the 360 rotation...makes total sense. Perhaps installing it with the curved side down raises the post cylinder too high for the wheel to hold the blade above ground level?

I too suspect that it is a pre-made bracket...why would a fabricator add those flat plates?

 

[Reb954]

It also doesn't look like the wheels can be raised enough to get the blade to ground level.