B2672 snow plow questions

[ndlsjk]

Hey guys, I last posted on here this past summer regarding purchasing a new machine for mowing/plowing. I ended up getting a BX1880 with MMM and loader and a SSQA B2672 plow blade. Besides some....issues....with the assembly from the dealer the tractor has been great. We just got our first major snow of the year, around 16" and I got to use the plow and am having a bit of issue with it.

I have a fairly short coarse gravel driveway, ~100ft long but it is hilly and meets the yard at a weird angle. The issue I'm having is the plow, when angled, is nearly impossible to keep level. I am constantly curling/dumping to try to keep it somewhat close to flat on the ground. Then as soon as I get to the edge of the drive one corner digs in and pulls up a large chunk of grass. Most years we get enough snow that I need to get it pushed back a fair distance. Is there any way to modify/setup the plow to allow it to oscillate side to side by a few inches to help prevent this? I managed to get the driveway plowed fairly well, about an inch or 2 left behind which is fine for me (but not family/friends/mailman) because all of my vehicles are 4wd, although it took over an hour. There is going to be a lot of yard repair and gravel replacement in the spring if I can't get it to float at least a little bit though (and there is NO way I can use the hydraulic float, it cuts straight through 3 inches of gravel and turns into a bulldozer). I am going to drop the shoes all the way down before the next plow, but I feel like that will leave even more snow behind and make it difficult for anyone without 4wd to get in and out.

I will admit that this may be slightly due to operator ignorance as I have never used a FEL plow, however with my dads BX25 with the frame mount plow I was able to scrape his driveway down to pretty much bare gravel with a ton less digging in (especially when the plow is angled). I feel like some of it is due to the geometry of how the FEL plow is mounted and sticking out sooo far in front of the tractor.

I have read a lot about the slit pipe, is that basically my only option? Or just run the shoes all the way down and deal with 2-ish inches of snow all year long? Maybe just back drag the entire driveway (risk of getting stuck)? Keep practicing ;-) ? After today I am starting to think the bucket would have been easier to get the place cleaned up well.

The plow does roll snow to the side pretty well once I get it set just right on the flatter end of the drive, so that was pretty nice. I feel like if it would float a bit the plow would be perfect for my needs. I stacked up some 6-7' tall piles for the kid to play on so thats a major advantage to the frame mount style.

Thanks in advance for reading my short novel and any advice you can offer me.

 

[JK22]

I think practice is the answer... and maybe adding the slit pipe. I did a lot of truck plowing when I was younger (actually learned how to drive on a snow plow). The FEL plow took some time to get used to. You have curl on a FEL plow, which you don’t have on a truck plow. I’ve found the angle of the curl makes all the difference. I just put in a new shop with crushed asphalt driveway and I’m having to adapt and modify some techniques to get it like I want. You should be able to get down to 1” without scraping the gravel, but it will take some feathering of the joystick, concentration, and a good sense of variations in your terrain. Something you only gain by making mistakes along the way. As in darnnit! I forgot to raise the plow at that spot, again!

 

[Lawnranger]

I find it is always trial and error to find the right weight and angle to plow gravel without plowing it up. I replaced the shoes on my plow with some larger ones from Tractor Supply a few years ago. I run them all the way down so there is a two inch gap on the plow edge. If I can run the first snow down and pack it tight with the tires on the truck and car, or run the two inch left over down, I find I can run the rest of the winter on 'float' without a problem. It does get icy so we still use 4WD to get up the small hill. My wife has AWD with goodyear snowtires and gets in and out fine with the hardpack, but it is not a perfect solution for everyone. I also try to leave the snowbanks just inside the gravel so our driveway becomes narrow in the winter, but the little bit that might get scraped up melts back along the edges instead of the lawn.

I tried the pipe idea a few years ago but found it would come off or become crooked at the worst times. On my little tractor, I replaced the cutting edge with a piece of scrap conveyor belt and that works great. It is a much lighter blade but the rubber material doesn't dig at all. It just doesn't scrape up much of the snow that has been driven on in some places. I have thought about replacing the edge on my bigger blade, but so far the above seems to work best for me. And the more you plow the better you will get with feathering it up and down without scraping. Good luck!

 

[ndlsjk]

Thanks guys, I kinda figured it was just a learning process. I will keep at it and hopefully by the end of this winter or next I will be a pro lol. Going to start saving a bit of cash for a load of gravel because I need to add a few extra parking spots to the sides of the drive anyways and can fix up any really bare areas in the spring.