Snow Attachments Gravel Road-How to remove snow and save the rock?

[davefr]

We don't get much snow but when we do I have about 1/3 mile of gravel road to clear. I have a 4WD JD1070 with FEL and rear blade with adjustable offset.

I need to improve my snow plowing technique so I make less of a mess of my road.

I'm thinking of getting a piece of 4" ABS sewer pipe and slitting it and place it over my rear blade edge so it won't dig in. Has anyone done this and how'd you attach the pipe to the blade edge?? (aircraft cable and turnbuckles wrapped around the blade???)

I know I could reverse the blade so it doesn't cut but then it tend to float over heavy snow and ice. I really like the concave surface doing the plowing.

With this setup how would you prefer to plow snow. FEL raised about an inch and rear blade set to about 30 degrees and full offset???

 

[JimMorrissey]

Dave,

The plastic pipe attached to your blade will likely float over the dense snow as well. You might give it a try since it'll be cheap, but I'd have to say you need to look into a snow blower. I've tried the rear blade route. It's a waste of time unless you have a short or paved driveway or you live in an area with low snow levels.

 

[JimMorrissey]

Dave,

-Fill out your TBN profile so people who reply to your posts have an idea where you're are coming from and what type of tractor / implements / land you own.

 

[Henro]

You might want to consider putting a set of gage wheels on your rear blade.

I added gage wheels to my rear blade in the fall, and I am pretty pleased with the way the blade works on my crushed stone driveway and parking area. You can set the blade so it just skims the surface. Works pretty well, depending upon how good the driveway surface is to begin with.

All in all, I am pretty happy with gage wheels on the blade, both in dirt and snow. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Now I do need to say I'm still learnig the best way to use the blade/gage wheels with snow. There has only been enough snow worth plowing twice so far this year... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Just wanted to propose an alternative that might work well for you. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Rip]

In addition to the gauge wheels, you might also want to consider a rubber urathane lower edge in place of the steel cutting edge strip.

A couple of years ago I replaced the cutting edge on my Western PU plow with such a strip and it has been much better on my mile of private dirt road. The disadvantage is that if you need to cut trough hard packed snow or ice, it will just ride over it, but I can usually plow a pretty un-tracked surface before it gets packed down or icy.

A strip of old heavy conveyer belting can usually be found free or cheap and will also work. (I am not talking about hard plastic however which is sometimes used to avoid scratching pave stones or other hard surfaces) You want about 2" below the steel.

 

[wejones]

Dave, I will ditto what Henro just said. I have had a single guage wheel on the back of my blade for years and it makes all the difference whether plowing snow or grading the road. The control it provides is hard to imagine until you use it. willie jones

 

[Jim_Slagle]

My drive is gravel, about 500'

What about skid shoes? I have a set for my Woods back blade but I haven't installed them yet.

Are they any good or should I get gauge wheels?

Jim

 

[JerryK]

You need what I saw driving down the road the other day. It looked like about a 80hp New Holland 4x4 with cab. The seat and steering wheel faced backwards and it had about an eight or 10 foot wide multi-auger snowblower on it. Sure was purty. I wonder if the wife would ......

 

[RoyJackson]

If your rear blade rotates 180°, rotate it so the convex side is facing the direction you're driving.

If your blade doesn't rotate 180° (mine doe not), either plow in reverse (third of a mile is a good distance facing rearward though) or raise your blade an inch or so above the ground. You should be able to move your rock shaft stop when you find the right height you need. As long as your drive is fairly flat (as in not washboard), this should work for you. That final pass may be in reverse if you cannot rotate that blade so the convex side faces the driven direction.

The convex side of the blade may drag some gravel, but it won't be much.

I've used this method for over 12" of snow, but never had to go a third of a mile. I do plow my drive and a neighbor's...combined length of around 400' or so.

Skid shoes, or as Henro mentioned, caster wheels would be nice however.

As one of the guys mentioned, a snow blower would be really nice, but a front blower is really expensive (if one is still available for your 1070). A rear blower would be nice too, but you'd be operating in reverse all the way.

Just try adjusting that blade to keep it an inch or so off the ground.

Minor revision...
When I say the convex side of the blade should face the direction of travel...you'll actually want it on about a 20° angle so the snow is plowed to one side.

 

[dicker]

Yes, I agree with Roy.

I have a gravel drive and the worst time to remove snow is when there is no frost in the ground. That is when I reverse the blade and drive forward with the blade at an angle and it doesn't seem to dig in as much.
When the ground is frozen, the blade works well with it turned the other way. Also the FEL is easier on the gravel.

Good luck

Richard