Poly Cutting / Wear Edges

[Farmall45b]

I have a B2650 that I use to clear a about 20 to 30 driveways every snowfall. A couple are nicer concrete and I hope to expand my business this year. I have not caused any damage yet, but after going to a recent public works expo for work and seeing all the poly cutting edges out there it got me to thinking that it might not be a bad idea to get poly for my rig. I have a blade and a snow blower. Does anyone have any experience with poly edges? Are there any manufacturers that had edges in stock for Kubota equipment?

 

[oosik]

I have no knowledge about the poly edge for "home" use but I see many highway dept graders using this. My BIL worked for the county highway dept and said they went to this because it almost totally eliminated any damage the big graders would do to the asphalt in the winter.

Try this site - polyurethanesnowplowblades.com

 

[Zick]

I bought some 1/2" thick UHMW sheets to make a cutting blade for my plow. It works pretty well but also wears fairly quick. However, it might be wearing faster because I bought the cheaper reprocessed version.

UHMW SHEET - BLACK REPROCESSED

The strips I cut gave me about ~2" of cutting material and it usually only lasts for one season plowing my 300ft driveway.

 

[oosik]

Well - I checked back on the site I posted. One poly blade 6" tall x 96"wide x 1/2" thick is $157. At that price, I would hope they would last a year. Honestly, at the price listed on that site - and I'm sure they are good poly blades - I would seriously consider making some type of "skid shoe".

 

[ArlyA]

Well gee, UHMW is suppose to hold up to wear pretty well. Could you switch to a thicker, like 3/4 materiel? I didn't "think" the reprocessed material was suppose to be any less durable.......

 

[Zick]

Well - I checked back on the site I posted. One poly blade 6" tall x 96"wide x 1/2" thick is $157. At that price, I would hope they would last a year. Honestly, at the price listed on that site - and I'm sure they are good poly blades - I would seriously consider making some type of "skid shoe".

It's cheaper if you buy a larger sheet and cut it yourself. That's what I did.

Well gee, UHMW is suppose to hold up to wear pretty well. Could you switch to a thicker, like 3/4 materiel? I didn't "think" the reprocessed material was suppose to be any less durable.......

Yes, a thicker material would probably last longer.
Maybe I'm wrong but I would think there has to be some kind of downside of being reprocessed or else why would anyone pay more for non-processed?

 

[RjCorazza]

For pickup truck blades 1.5" thick poly edges are the norm. When I read up on poly last year they were mostly available as blanks, but some suppliers would drill the holes for a fee. Unlikely you will find a poly edge ready made for a Kubota Tractor.
My rear tractor blade is considerably lighter than the truck blade, so I believe a 1" thick poly edge would be adequate. Even the 1" x 6" x 84" is going to be expensive.... About $200.

 

[Farmall45b]

I understand the main advantage of poly edges are to reduce damage and that the run quieter. Does anyone have any experience on how well they clean? Do they perform well in both packed snow and ice and wet slushy snow?

 

[timswi]

I understand the main advantage of poly edges are to reduce damage and that the run quieter. Does anyone have any experience on how well they clean? Do they perform well in both packed snow and ice and wet slushy snow?

I used one for a few seasons, guess mine weren't the super heavy duty ones but they plowed very well on normal and wet snow...Especially asphalt, acted like a squeegee. I don't think anything but pure plow weight does a great job on tire packed snow.

I swapped out to machine belting bolted to the plow. works the same and seems to hold up better than the poly ones I used...it was free too, big plus there.

 

[varmint]

Troll the snow removal threads, and you will come across more than a few posts on poly edges. Skid shoes have their own drawbacks, as you might guess, concentrating all the plows weight on two relatively small areas and dragging them over the pavement. 4shorts had some info on poly blades, if I remember right from back when he was a regular poster on TbN.