Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Snow removal with back blade

[ThisldooFarm]

When removing snow from driveways with a (presumably) angled back blade, is it best to go forward or in reverse. Also, is it best to have the blade forward, or reversed? Thanks. Snow coming...
B7800

 

[Ronzonie]

I find it best to angle the rear blade and go forward. It's a pain to look to the rear constantly. If you have a gravel drive I find it best to reverse the blaade as in the forward position it tends to dig in and remove the gravel. In the reverse position it tends to ride over the gravel. On pavement you can leave it in the forward position.

 

[RoyJackson]

I used to operate in reverse. It is better if your blade's convex side is doing the snow pushing (less likely to dig in). Since mine won't rotate 180 degrees, reverse was my only option.
However, now I leave the blade about an inch above the gravel driveway and run forward. When most of the snow has been plowed, I'll do some final clean up in reverse, if necessary.

My drive isn't long enough (150' or so), so running in reverse isn't that much of a pain in the neck, but there's less chance of damaging the 3PH operating when running forward.

 

[frank_f15]

On the Rare occassion iuse the RB for snow removal , i drive forward, couse you are driving over the snow before u plow. a lot depends on the amt and type of snow. if it is only a couple of ins. and powder type i will use it, but mostly i use the FEL

 

[Solo]

I plow mine in reverse. I also use skid shoes on my blade to keep from digging into the gravel.

Solo

 

[crown]

I have tried every method you described, all will work, but for me the most effect way is in reverse with the blade with cutting edge doing the pushing.

It does a strain on your neck but I have found it to work best.

 

[djradz]

Can you provide some more detail on what you will be plowing.

 

[ThisldooFarm]

Thanks for all the input. The driveway, 500 feet, is asphalt, and I have a contract to plow it with a pickup. This is for the 500 foot gravel driveway to the barn, and paths up the hill to the manure pile, perhaps 1500 feet. Also, does anyone use a roller as they did in the old days? What type? Thanks.

 

[RoyJackson]

"Thanks for all the input. The driveway, 500 feet, is asphalt, and I have a contract to plow it with a pickup. This is for the 500 foot gravel driveway to the barn, and paths up the hill to the manure pile, perhaps 1500 feet."


If I were you...

I'd drill a series of holes in the lower edge of the blade and attach a length of hard rubber (I've read of folks on TBN using some kind of horse stall matting, if I recall correctly) to the lower edge. If you can rotate your blade's mold board 180° (so the convex side is facing the direction of travel), do that. Then operate the tractor in a forward gear with the rubber in contact with the asphalt drive.

For the gravel and paths, lift the blade an inch above the surface and, again, operate in a forward gear.

The matting would take all the wear and reduce the amount of gravel you pull.

The blade should be set at a 30° angle to the direction of travel.

I'd start clearing when the snow accumulation was about 8". Your tractor should handle that fairly easily. This depends on the snow, of course. A heavy wet snow may give you some grief if you wait any longer. That Kubota is a nice machine, but it's a bit light. What kind of tires do you have...and do you have chains?

That's what I'd do...

 

[Youare]

I use mine in both directions depending on the snow and driveway conditions. I have a gravel drive.

Until the ground has frozen I use the rear blade with the cutting edge facing away from the direction of travel, reversed. Most times I push the snow in reverse on rare occasions I will angle the blade but the blade turned cutting edge away does not wing the snow off to the side as well as it does with the cutting edge forward.

Once the ground is frozen if the snow is light and dry and under 8" I angle the blade about 30 degrees cutting edge forward and drive forward pulling the snow. When the snow is wet or over 8" the blade is turned cutting edge towards the rear and I drive in reverse with the blade at about a 30 degree angle pushing the snow.

One problem with rear blades is they don't wing the snow up as high as a snow plow on the front of a truck would. Once the snow banks get to a certain height it is hard to push snow up and over them. When this happens I put the cutting edge facing backwards angle the blade about 25 or 30 degrees but leave it raised up a foot off the ground and back along the snow bank pushing the top back.

I hope it is a good long time before anyone has to move any snow.

Randy

 

[pennwalk]

I think it also depends on your tractor and how much snow you have. I have an 18 hp Yanmar. It weighs something like 1600 lbs. I remember one year we had a little over a foot and it crusted over befor I got out to plow. The tractor ran up on top of the snow. There I was sitting there with all 4 wheels spinning away. I had to dig it out with a shovel. When it is deep or heavy In my case I find it plows better in reverse but it is a pain in the neck.

Chris

 

[bearhawk]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'd drill a series of holes in the lower edge of the blade and attach a length of hard rubber (I've read of folks on TBN using some kind of horse stall matting, if I recall correctly) to the lower edge. )</font>

Now thats an idea, the mats come in 4' x 6' lengths.

I was wondering how I could use my york rake to remove the snow. Now if I just cut an 18" piece of the stall mat and bolt it to the tines. That would make a nice flexible blade to pull snow of my stone driveway.

Jim

 

[Slamfire]

Reguardless of the direction of the blade, when you push snow off a gravel drive, gravel will go too, if the ground isn't frozen. I like to use a limit on how low the blade will go, leaving just an inch or so of snow on the driveway. I put snow tires on the vehicles, and until it turns into black ice we can negociate it pretty well. Our drive ends on a small hill and we have to turn downhill to drive on the road until the salt truck gets to our neighborhood. Fortunately we usually don't get many cold days in a row, and our dirve melts pretty well. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[BadDog]

Use skid shoes on your blade when you are going over gravel - much easier...

 

[ThisldooFarm]

Where do I get skid shoes? Thats a good idea. Also, what about rolling the non-vehicular paths such as the tractor path to the manure pile, 1500 feet? I do have chains which work pretty well on ice.

 

[Solo]

You should be able to get a set from your dealer.

Solo

 

[RoyJackson]

"Where do I get skid shoes? "

You may or may not be able to get skid shoes from your back blade dealer. That will depend if shoes are an option for your blade. I've never seen them as an option, but I've only looked at King Kutter, Land Pride and Bush Hog blades.

My blade is an ancient one I bought off a private owner. if I wanted to add skid shoes, I'd have to fabricate them.

Skid Shoes are just adjustable (up/down) components that can look like inverted mushrooms or small skis. They would be pinned or welded to a vertical member (bar stock or equivalent) that goes through a receptacle (pipe would work) that is attached (welded or bolted) to the outer ends of your blade. The intent is to keep the moldboard of the blade just above the ground.
You can do the same thing by setting your rock shaft (3PH) lever using position control (on my Deere 790, that an adjustable stop). That's what I do and it works quite well.

 

[bam747]

Skid shoes are generally available on medium to heavy duty blades from most manufactures. I've seen them offered on Land Pride and Bush Hog and Rhino and Frontier brands (off the top of my head). These same manufactures also offer side plates and gauge wheels for this class of rear blade.

Side plates give you pseudo box blade capabilities since they hold material in front of the blade rather than letting it spill out the sides of the blade.

The gauge wheels are usually a single or closely space pair of wheels connected off the back of the main body of the blade. They are raised or lowered (mechanically or, preferably, hydraulically) to precisely control the blade's depth of cut across the combined wheel base of the tractor and gauge wheel extension. This type of gauge wheel is extremely useful in leveling work and is similar in concept to how road graders work.

Rear blade with skid shoes.

Rear blade with side plates.

Rear blade with a gauge wheel.