Need some Ideas

[quicksandfarmer]

Before there were automobiles people would get around in sleighs in the winter. Instead of snowplows, towns had machines to groom the roads for sleighs. The design I saw was a roller pulled by a team of horses. The surface was ridged to leave a rippled surface so that the sleigh horses had something to grip rather than a completely smooth surface. I would think a car could drive on a surface like that.

 

[jimmysisson]

Some if those rollers I've seen were 7' in diameter - possibly a storage problem? Cool, though.
Jim

 

[mikehaugen]

The problem I see with a roller is that wet snow will stick to it at times. It may stick in clumps resulting in bare spots and uneven surface. If you do go some kind of roller route, make sure to make it as non-stick as possible. Perhaps snow-plow paint or fluid-film or something.

 

[sixdogs]

To pack snow in the lighter snows of central Ohio, I just drive back and forth across it in my truck to pack it down. It leaves a beautiful job. If the snow is deep I often pack with my tractor first and then use the truck to smooth the tread marks. I do have a plow arrangement for the really big stuff but rarely use it.

A roller doesn't sound like it would work well unless you build a scraper edge onto it to keep snow from sticking. Another way is to use that non-stick plastic to cover the edge surface. Driving back and forth with the truck is easier and I get to listen to the radio and have the heater on.

 

[woodchipper]

Use you loader, gently tilted, in float mode, then back it up!"
One good try, would be to use a straight tree trunk, and attach it with chains (using eye hooks) to your front loader, then lower your loader to the prefered hight, and back you go!!
Enjoy winter...!

 

[narampa]

Ok fellows here is what I've done in the interim. On my blade c/e I welded two pipes about 3 inches in diameter. They are are welded one behind the other. So basically I have created a 6 inch skid plate full width of the blade.I can still push snow and when the blade fills it actually lifts up and leaves about 3 inches of snow on the drive way. If I apply down pressure I can go down to the gravel.
I should have all the compaction I need using float and a few passes.
Tomorrow I will test it out and report back.

 

[narampa]

Well I tried out my blade. Works great! I might not get the same results with all snow conditions. Time will tell. Thanks everybody for your input.

 

[CNC Dan]

Well I tried out my blade. Works great! I might not get the same results with all snow conditions. Time will tell. Thanks everybody for your input.

How about a picture.

 

[deerseeker001]

In the start of Winter i leave 4 inches of Snow on the driveway and drive over this till she is pack down good and that is my base from there i use my back blade.There is no dragging of Gravel.

 

[PILOON]

The roller concept is not new.
In the 50's many rural back roads in Quebec were rolled. I seem to recall about 4 ft diameter by about 8-10 ft wide drawn by teams of horses. Compaction was good enough that cars could drive on the surface when frozen.
Come spring thaw those roads were unusable for about 2 weeks.

Back then they also graded with horse drawn drags.