Front snow blade, worried about tractor damage

[Ford850]

Yes I have a front blade and no you won’t damage your machine or loader frame.......if you buy a “real” blade.

Good snow plows have trip springs and come with or you can add a cross over relief valve.

Your tractor is low speed compared to most plow operations. Those guys don’t do damage and you won’t either.

^^ x2
I'll add that a floating blade, on chains, is very important too. This allows the blade to float while the weight of the FEL arms is raised slightly. A lighter footprint of the blade means it won't cut in too hard, is less likely to force the front of the tractor sideways, and so it takes the strain off the FEL arms. I use a Hiniker Big Ox blade that is made for skid steers or tractors. It articulates left and right as well as floating vertically on chains.

 

[Jstpssng]

As the OP said a lot of people do it. I had plans for that 15 years ago and even bought an old Fisher plow; then my father, who ran farm equipment all of his life pointed out the same thing as Leonz just mentioned.
I have never seen anybody angle their blade though, as I had planned on doing; if you are just pushing straight ahead I don't see how it would be any different than having a wider bucket or wings for snow, as some people do.

 

[MossRoad]

I'm kind of surprised at all the reports of how weak these loader are.

 

[Jstpssng]

It's the potential for sideways movement which is the weak point; they are made for pushing straight ahead. That's how I did end up breaking the arms on my aftermarket loader the first time.

 

[DK35vince]

Okay so as long as i look for a plow with trip springs & and a crossover if possible sounds like the best best, what plows do you guys use, i suppose i could build one, but need to do some research and see what they cost new

Yes.
My plow has trip springs, but I never did add a crossover relief. Been running an angled front snow plow on this tractor/loader for the past for 15+ years, No issues.
I used a well used 9' Western truck plow, converted to SSQA to fit the tractor.
Also added a 12v selector valve to my loader controls and hoses for power angling the blade

 

[MossRoad]

My little machine is not a tractor, it's basically a small articulated loader. All attachments go on the front. Mowers, brush cutters, buckets, forks, snow plows, trenchers, etc... much like a skid-steer. I guess it's just designed a bit stouter than a loader on a CUT or SCUT or AG tractor?

I had a late 70's IH2500b tractor loader. The loader was integrated into the machine and permanent, not removeable. It was darn tough, too. I'd never considered that an add-on loader would be susceptible to the side forces mentioned from plowing snow at an angle.

 

[nybirdman]

I have been running a converted truck plow for ten years(FEL mounted);it has a chain float ,trip springs and a cross-over relief valve;no problems at all.8' plow on a L4240 Kubota.

 

[NYCheese]

Hey guys, i know lots of people use front blades for snow removal, i'm considering buying one for my Ls xg3140, anyone ever have issues with springing or getting their loaders tweaked, my driveway is river run stone/dirt so its by no means smooth and is humped in middle where vehicles don't drive. At some point i need to top it with gravel, but dont have the funds right now (600'), i'm concerened with catching the rocks that stick up and messing up my loader somehow, the tractor is brand new, i think i would try the pipe on front and back blade to minimize snagging rocks, any input would ve greatly appreciated, thanks

Sounds like your driveway is a similar condition to mine. I wanted to get mine graded with new gravel this summer, but it was just so **** wet this year, I never got to it. I couldn't afford a plow this year, (just bought the tractor this summer), so I made a makeshift edge protector for my bucket. It worked fairly well for this first big snowfall, although the ground isn't really frozen yet, so I did push up some mud and sod in a few places. I think it'll work better once the ground is firmed up. It does take longer with the bucket than it would with a plow, but this essentially cost me nothing, so I shouldn't complain.

It's just a piece of 2" rigid conduit that I found in a scrap pile on a jobsite. I cut out a 1/2" slit down one side of it, and welded on some tabs made out of scrap steel, and bolted it onto the pre-drilled holed in my bucket. https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/snow-removal/404098-just-bought-tractor-summer-no.html

 

[BoylermanCT]

I have never seen anybody angle their blade though, as I had planned on doing; if you are just pushing straight ahead I don't see how it would be any different than having a wider bucket or wings for snow, as some people do.

I have a 7.5' Meyer truck plow that I attached to a SSQA plate. I angle it with my rear hydraulic remotes and use a chain lift so it floats on the driveway with the FEL set about 12 inches off the driveway. Works great.

 

[nyone]

If your worried buy a used old plow truck.