Poly snowplow edge report

[Builder]

Mixed bag, guys. The edge definately is easier on cobblestone & paver driveways, but it wears-out FAST. I've done 3 snowfalls so far and 2 of them were light and the edge is already half way worn out.
Also the edge wears more towards the outsides, just like a steel edge, but worse.

For $250, It's not a sure bet it'll last one season in my area, doubtful if you get a LOT of snow. We get a moderate amount. If it does, it might be worth buying one per year to protect delicate drives.

Any of you plow multiple high end customers with delicate, paver or cobblestone driveways with a standard steel edge ? I'd be curuious to see if you get complaints about gouges or scratches. One significant driveway repair would wipe out a lot of profit.

 

[srs]

but it wears-out FAST. We get a moderate amount. If it does, it might be worth buying one per year to protect delicate drives.

Builder, have you ever thought of using the rubber edge? I got a piece of this very hard rubber like material that was used on a county truck. A friend of mine who works for the county got it for me. It certainly does not clean as well as metal to asphalt but then again you don't have to worry about damaging stuff. I've also noticed the state road crews that plow I-95 here in Maryland use the rubber edge.

 

[roaf3x]

I have been using a rubber edge on my Kubota for years.

The Kubota rubber is soft.

I found the folks at Smith Industries very helpful. They took an email picture from me and cut a replacement edge for me. They were great to deal with despite me just being a homeowner in CT. If you Google it you will find them. They live in Rockford ,IL.

The new squeegee was 100.00 and has lasted. The Kubota one was/is 230.00.

I have plowed ice, rocks, and it still cleans my asphalt driveway clean and without damage.

Good Luck !

PM me if you want more info.

RD

 

[Builder]

Is it my imagination, or does rubber/poly edge leave a thin film of icy slush behind that a steel edge does not?
Maybe the steel edge did same and I'm just paranoid about the poly not scraping as good as steel.

 

[srs]

Is it my imagination, or does rubber/poly edge leave a thin film of icy slush behind that a steel edge does not?
Maybe the steel edge did same and I'm just paranoid about the poly not scraping as good as steel.

It depends on how cold it is. What I'm trying to say is the rubber edge definitely does not cut as well as a steel blade does. When I plowed commercially with a pickup truck the owner of the snow removal company wanted steel down, no shoes. He wanted as much snow or ice or both removed ASAP. If I'm using the rubber edge blade on my tractor (truck plow has been sold) it does I think a very good job of removing whatever is down, again not as good as steel but I don't have to worry about damaging anything. Usually the sun comes out and melts any remaining snow/ice. The rubber edge also squeegees better. Builder I hope this makes sense to you.

 

[Lt CHEG]

Is it my imagination, or does rubber/poly edge leave a thin film of icy slush behind that a steel edge does not?
Maybe the steel edge did same and I'm just paranoid about the poly not scraping as good as steel.

It's not your imagination, at least with respect to rubber cutting edges. I used to be in charge of the all the non water treatment related duties of a municipal water and sewer agency. We also were tasked with assisting the public works department with snow plowing during snow events. I supervised about 50 guys and oversaw the use of about 30 plows ranging in size from pickups to dump trucks and we ended up having to put rubber cutting edges on most of the trucks. The reason was that I couldn't get the guys to slow down and the rubber cutting edges didn't do as much damage when they'd hit the inevitable manhole cover, water valve box, etc. The problem was that the rubber cutting edges did a crappy job. So I had a few trucks driven only by guys I trusted to slow down as well as a few pickups driven by supervisors that had steel cutting edges that would clean up the last little bit of slop that the rubber cutting edges would sometimes leave behind in certain areas. The steel cutting edges would get right down to bare pavement but the rubber cutting edges were more like squeegees and sometimes would leave some slop, especially in areas that were already plowed and people threw the snow back out into the road to get their cars out.

 

[JohninCT]

Wow $250. For that price I would be inclined to bolt a piece of componsite decking onto the plow to protect the delicate driveways. It's thick, pretty rugged, plastic/slippery and cheap by comparison.

You could buy a 16 footer for $24 cut it in half and make two "driveway protector" plow edges. Anyone ever tried this?

Veranda 15/16 in. x 6 in. x 16 ft. Decking - BRDM1E1 G 16 at The Home Depot

 

[sld]

I tried the composite decking last year. It worked pretty good, was easy on the concrete but wore down pretty fast on the asphalt street in front of the house. I push the snow across the street and make a pile and the rough texture of the asphalt really tore it up. It lasted thru about 4 snows though.

This year I bought a piece of UHMW polyethelene. I just used it tonight for the first time. I just glides across the concrete and scrapes pretty clean. It is very cold here right now so it did leave a light glaze in places, but not bad. Our house faces south so as long as the sun comes out my concrete will be bone dry tomorrow, even if it stays below freezing. This material is advertised as having 8 times the abrasion resistance of steel so it should last a looong time.

I paid about 60 bucks with shipping for a 6ft by 4 inch by 1 inch thick. I drilled 8 holes to match the blade and routed an 1/8 inch round corner on the the bottom so the sharp edge wouldn't chip.

 

[Builder]

Wow $250. For that price I would be inclined to bolt a piece of componsite decking onto the plow to protect the delicate driveways. It's thick, pretty rugged, plastic/slippery and cheap by comparison.

You could buy a 16 footer for $24 cut it in half and make two "driveway protector" plow edges. Anyone ever tried this?

Veranda 15/16 in. x 6 in. x 16 ft. Decking - BRDM1E1 G 16 at The Home Depot

I hear that has been tried and it snaps like a chicken bone when you hit a sharp object or backdrag with downpressure, but I bet the 1.5" thick material would fare a lot better than the 1" material

One thing about the poly edge that surprised me is even on my Arctic 8' plow with downpressure applied over a bump, it didn't break. I really thought it would.

Seems like a poly/mineral blend of some kind might wear better. I'd stick with the poly edge if it lasted longer. I found some thicker poly edges, maybe they are the answer?

 

[Builder]

I tried the composite decking last year. It worked pretty good, was easy on the concrete but wore down pretty fast on the asphalt street in front of the house. I push the snow across the street and make a pile and the rough texture of the asphalt really tore it up. It lasted thru about 4 snows though.

This year I bought a piece of UHMW polyethelene. I just used it tonight for the first time. I just glides across the concrete and scrapes pretty clean. It is very cold here right now so it did leave a light glaze in places, but not bad. Our house faces south so as long as the sun comes out my concrete will be bone dry tomorrow, even if it stays below freezing. This material is advertised as having 8 times the abrasion resistance of steel so it should last a looong time.

I paid about 60 bucks with shipping for a 6ft by 4 inch by 1 inch thick. I drilled 8 holes to match the blade and routed an 1/8 inch round corner on the the bottom so the sharp edge wouldn't chip.

Can you please forward a link to where I can purchase the UHMW poly? Paying $250 for the 8' piece was too much.

I do 16 driveways and about 3/4 mile of private lane. Most of the driveways have pavers or cobblestone, but the lane is rough asphalt, so I need a combination of durability & gentle enough to not damage pavers.