Massey Ferguson MF2360 blower third shoe advice

[Jaylegger]

After using the blower for a couple hours on my and some neighbors long gravel roads it have become clear this blower needs a third shoe centrally located. The existing shoes by themselves work ok on flat areas though the shoes could afford to be larger to provide greater surface area to better float the blower over non-frozen gravel but what I really need is a third shoe to float the middle of the blower over high points. There were times when the middle portion of the blade was scooping a worrisome amount of gravel even with the existing shoes adjusting as low as they can go which leaves about 5/8" clearance. I have a plan of attack for the third shoe which I believe is sound structurally but just want to bang it off you guys especially those with welding fabriciation experience.

The first photo is the bottom of the blower as is, the second depicts my plan with some descriptions to help explain. Any feedback regarding this solution or other possibles is appreciated.

 

[GE222]

How about welding a plate, say 3/16" or 1/4" thick across both existing shoes to have one large wide shoe. The front and back edges could be bent upward slightly to easily float over the ground.

 

[irvingj]

Wow! Yours is RED! And even has a M-F logo on it! (Did you have to pay extra for that?) Mine's all black.

I have that same issue-- going uphill on my drive, the center crown often gets scraped by the center of the blower. I generally use manual control on that rather than the float, just to avoid throwing gravel.... mixed success. Otherwise, I try to do one side, then the other, to avoid the high spot in the middle.

Your idea sounds interesting... keeps us posted!

 

[Jaylegger]

How about welding a plate, say 3/16" or 1/4" thick across both existing shoes to have one large wide shoe. The front and back edges could be bent upward slightly to easily float over the ground.

Hi, I thought about doing just that but was concerned the large wide shoe may act as a plow and cause snow and gravel to pack above and in front of the shoe therefore causing the blower to raise somewhat. The existing narrow shoes appear to do that very thing, they plow some snow and gravel at times and it packs, but the total area so small it doesn't affect the blower. Any gravel stuck also has a tendency to leave gouges behind as well and where my driveway is concrete that is also a concern.

 

[Jaylegger]

Wow! Yours is RED! And even has a M-F logo on it! (Did you have to pay extra for that?) Mine's all black.

Not sure if I paid extra but I get the feeling I sure paid plenty, nice margins on that piece of gear I bet.

I have that same issue-- going uphill on my drive, the center crown often gets scraped by the center of the blower. I generally use manual control on that rather than the float, just to avoid throwing gravel.... mixed success. Otherwise, I try to do one side, then the other, to avoid the high spot in the middle.

Your idea sounds interesting... keeps us posted!

Will do, I haven't used my welder yet so am not sure the final product will be worthy of photo or not . Considering what I experienced blowing gravel I'm shocked a third shoe isn't at least an option with these blowers, in their continuing efforts to serve the customer better.

 

[JohninCT]

How about if you simply bolted with carriage bolts longer skid plates front to back. Bend the front and back edges up and you will effectively have a set of mini skis for the blower to ride on. With additional length in the back they will provide the additional rear support you're looking for but would be much simpler to fabricate and install.

 

[Jaylegger]

I went ahead with the original plan, purchased the metal and welded it up. My new Lincoln 180 welder worked great and the welds turned out a little better than I had anticipated considering it was my very first time operating a welder of any type. The only problem encountered was shoe height relative to the two outside shoes. I wanted the middle shoe about 1/8 inch higher than the outside shoes so that it is non-operation on level ground, not sure if the metal warped a little but the shoe is about 1/16th inch lower so I have some grinding to do. Luckily I went with a 1/2 inch shoe so can grind down the required amount without worry. Anyways, here's a photo of the contraption temporarily clamped in place. Next up to drill some hole, grind down the shoe, clean it up and a coat of paint and bolt it on.

 

[Jaylegger]

How about if you simply bolted with carriage bolts longer skid plates front to back. Bend the front and back edges up and you will effectively have a set of mini skis for the blower to ride on. With additional length in the back they will provide the additional rear support you're looking for but would be much simpler to fabricate and install.

Hi John,

Similar to your suggestion I was thinking of just making the shoes bigger but I still needed a shoe in the middle of the blower. The center shoe solves two of my issues with one solution, it provides greater overall shoe area to float the blower better over soft gravel plus it should help prevent shaving off high points which the two outside shoes sometimes straddle.

 

[irvingj]

Looks good! Let us know if it's effective.

 

[Jaylegger]

Finished it up a couple hours ago and since we had a couple centimeters of snow last night with a few little drifts I was able to try it on a small portion of the gravel road. It's also been very warm here this past week so the gravel is soft.....the middle shoe is working excellent, I didn't hear one rock go through the chute. It's early but so far it is working as expected. I'm still a little perplexed as to why a middle shoe isn't available as at least an option for gravel roads, it's quite obvious even after my lmited experience with this blower that even if some may not deem it a requirement it sure is a welcomed luxury for blowing on non-perfectly flat, gravel roads.