Hope this works!

[GregbkH]

I'm a relatively new tractor owner. In June of this year I purchased a Boomer 3045 with backhoe and a Land Pride rear blade. After reading many threads on here, I added skid shoes and a pipe to the edge of my rear blade. I have about 550' of gravel drive at my place and have never plowed snow with a rear blade before. Do you think this will work? Thanks.

 

[Jerry/MT]

I'm a relatively new tractor owner. In June of this year I purchased a Boomer 3045 with backhoe and a Land Pride rear blade. After reading many threads on here, I added skid shoes and a pipe to the edge of my rear blade. I have about 550' of gravel drive at my place and have never plowed snow with a rear blade before. Do you think this will work? Thanks.

I've used a pipe for 22 years and I know it works. I doubt you need the skid shoes.

 

[flyingcow]

looks like a winner

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I've used a pipe for 22 years and I know it works. I doubt you need the skid shoes.

I agree, with the pipe I doubt that the skid shoes will be needed, but when the snow and ice are gone, they will be great for grading the drive. :thumbsup:

 

[Diamondpilot]

I actually did better in my gravel drive days, 280' but 40' wide, with the 7' Woods Rear Grader Blade backwars and then angled off to the side. It was heavy enough to move the snow but left the gravel in place for the most part. Now that I have it paved its a breeze with my current setup, a 7' Meyer Snow Plow and the grader blade. See avatar.


Chris

 

[hawkeye08]

What kind of pipe did you use? What did you use to cut the slot? thanks.

 

[Chilly807]

I think you'll do fine, although you may want to look at chains and something to keep the bucket off the ground if you need to use it. The rear blade will try to swing the tractor around if you angle it much in deep snow.

I find mine's ok for up to about 10 inches of snow, beyond that it calls for punching through with the bucket first.

I built a screen to keep snow from spilling back over the bucket, and skids to keep the bucket from scooping any gravel.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Chilly807, I just have to bug you about this again. :laughing: You paint your bucket after the modifications, ( which look great by the way) but you leave your rear blade primer grey. You really need to paint it either black (what the OEM color would be) or at least Kubota orange.

 

[GregbkH]

What kind of pipe did you use? What did you use to cut the slot? thanks.

Schedule 80 black pipe cut with a plasma cutter.

 

[Chilly807]

Chilly807, I just have to bug you about this again. :laughing: You paint your bucket after the modifications, ( which look great by the way) but you leave your rear blade primer grey. You really need to paint it either black (what the OEM color would be) or at least Kubota orange.

Brian,

You'll be glad to hear I repainted it yesterday for the winter season. It was worn off from a summer of moving rock and soil, and the first snow we had stuck pretty badly.

Oh, did I mention I found some more grey paint?

Sean

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Brian,

You'll be glad to hear I repainted it yesterday for the winter season. It was worn off from a summer of moving rock and soil, and the first snow we had stuck pretty badly.

Oh, did I mention I found some more grey paint?

Sean

OK, so why did you paint your bucket orange when you have all this grey paint? :laughing: At least you keep yours painted, mine is bare shiny steel right now, probably be some rust on it by this weekend.

 

[Chilly807]

OK, so why did you paint your bucket orange when you have all this grey paint? :laughing: At least you keep yours painted, mine is bare shiny steel right now, probably be some rust on it by this weekend.

My bucket gets pretty ratty over the summer months, the bottom was the same as yours until last weekend.

We get road salt over the winter months, it's pretty hard on bare metal. I try to get at least the thin parts covered up before snow flies, and the snow slides off of paint better too.

Sean

 

[Craig Clayton]

I have been plowing about 500' to 700' of gravel for many years with a rear blade. My gravel bed is B grade meaning it is a little rougher than A gravel. I usually get a base coat of hard pack down at about 3/4" thick and frozen hard. I then plow this hard to keep it at that thickness by controlling the amount of position control on the blade. I can have the blade as light as a feather or drop the full weight ( not down pressure ) to scrap ice.
With the pipe on you might not be able to get through hard frozen ice or wet hard packed snow.
Now in the pipes defence, I do spend a FEW hours raking the drive in the spring relocating a bit of gravel out of the grass shoulers.

Craig Clayton

 

[GregbkH]

Thanks for the comments. I was thinking I might have to take the pipe off once everything was frozen. It comes off very easy.

I have one other question: My tractor has all 4 tires filled with rim guard. I believe that the weight of the tractor/loader/blade is around 7000 lbs. The blade with the cylinders is around 800 lbs.

Can I get by without chains? If I need them, do I get all 4?

 

[nybirdman]

Once everything is frozen;you probably can loose the pipe and skids.I use a front snow-plow and rear blade combo.Depends on the terrain;you may need chains with the R4's.Your tractor is heavy enough you may not have any problems without.My tractor weighs about 7,000 also but I have R1's.

 

[Chilly807]

Mine is about 4400 lbs with the loader and rear blade, loaded R1's. It will do the job without chains (plowing), but it's a lot easier with them particularly when it gets icy.

For working around the woods in winter there's no substitute for good ice chains IMO.

Sean