Snow Attachments snow blade vs snow pusher

[LD1]

I am late to the party but will throw on my :2cents:

You always see the pushers for several reasons.

1. Size for size they are usually cheaper cause they don't have pivots, trip springs, or hydraulics.

2. Most companies that plow, are into other aspects of landscaping and already have large equipment that can make use of large boxes. A 20,000lb loader can handle a 14' box and move large amounts of snow. A pickup wouldn't dream of pushing a blade that size.

3. Visibility with a loader and box is far better than a truck and plow. Nice for lots.

4. Back to #2, most plowers are landscaping companies. Odds are, every piece of equipment and truck has a plow of some kind.

Now, as to what is best...

Given your tractor size, you are probably looking at 8' no matter what. So what is going to be fastest will depend on the lot. Some lots are better laid out for windrowing, other lots only have a few areas that are good for piling snow. If its a lot that is better suited for windrowing, a bpx may not be the best choice. A plow with wings may get the job done quicker.

In reality, on big lots, lots of various equipment is best. We plow a huge distribution center iny area. Several truck plows to windrow toward the middle of the aisles, several loaders with boxes to push those windrows out to the end, and a few skidloaders for back dragging any of the 400+ docks that are empty.

 

[skyhook]

I took a picture today of what I finished up with the bucket/snow pusher. I agree with both Rusty and tcart about these panels deflecting. I was hoping that using a quarter inch piece of steel acting as a stop against the 3/4" log hook while using 3/16th inch panels would be sufficient enough to maintain rigidity but to me it's only a 50/50 shot. I'm thinking I would need to either add a chain or weld in some "stiffeners" such as Rusty's demonstrates but then the things are getting heavier and heavier. It took 3 minutes to get these on as they are held in with one 1/2 inch bolt. It only cost $40 to make. If they break; they break.

Ya, I like Rustys idea, the only thing different that i will do is to add "eye tangs' to hold the bar that connects to the outer edges, that way you just pull the pins out for removal.
Maybe if you shortened them by about 6 inches you could shed some weight and add those reinforcement bars. just thinking out loud here.

 

[arrow]

Ya, I like Rustys idea, the only thing different that i will do is to add "eye tangs' to hold the bar that connects to the outer edges, that way you just pull the pins out for removal.
Maybe if you shortened them by about 6 inches you could shed some weight and add those reinforcement bars. just thinking out loud here.

I did make them a bit long didn't I. Perhaps I should cut them back some. I really got the idea last year when i plowed with just the log hooks on. I was utterly surprised how much those stupid things at only a couple inches high, gathered up snow that would normally have windrowed off the bucket. I thought to capitalize on that with these things. Well, the proof will be in the pudding demonstrated by the first plowable snow we get.

 

[Tony H]

You could get the bests of both worlds with a plow blade and a pusher in one.

Kage Innovation

They make frame under carriage mounts for your particular tractor. Check out the videos on the site, it is a quite a versatile piece of equipment.

Cheers

Brian

Just walked thru the Website. Nice unit but for hefty $6K price tag, I would by a snowblower for my FEL and not worry about snow piles at all.

 

[chim]

I opted for a cheap experiment with homebrew sideshields. So far we've only had a few inches of slush here and they kept the watery wave contained pretty well. Still haven't had a chance to try them in snow. They are sturdy enough to support the front of the tractor if I push down with the FEL.

They hook over the side edge of the bucket and have one 1/2" bolt each that lock them in. The real holding power for impact is in the lapped 1/4" flatbar and the bolts serve more as hitch pins and prevent the sideshields from rotating. I threw two old 3/4" wrenches in the tool bag so I can drop them and use the bucket without them if the need arises.

 

[skyhook]

Chim,,I like that idea, how thick and what kind of material are those made of.

 

[chim]

They're made from stuff that we had laying around at work. The plates are galvanized, I think they're 10ga. The skids and the lower stiffeners are 1" angle. The upper stiffeners are 1-1/2" angle. They clip on with stacked pieces of 1/4" flat bar.

 

[skyhook]

They're made from stuff that we had laying around at work. The plates are galvanized, I think they're 10ga. The skids and the lower stiffeners are 1" angle. The upper stiffeners are 1-1/2" angle. They clip on with stacked pieces of 1/4" flat bar.

Thanks, let me/us know how they hold up in deep snow.

 

[chim]

Thanks, let me/us know how they hold up in deep snow.

Will do. They seem fairly robust, but I'll be keeping an eye on them. If they want to spread, a piece of chain with one end bolted through the plate near the front of the larger angle and the other dropped in one of the slots in the bucket top should work.

 

[Threepoint]

Clever design, but I too will be curious to know how they work in deep snow. Given how much they increase the holding capacity of the bucket, I think you'll quickly run out of traction with your L3200 unless you'll be using tire chains. Maybe even then.