Snowblade Adaptation

[WVBill]

Here are some pictures of the snow blade that I adapted from my Craftsman 20HP garden tractor to my Kubota.

This first picture is the snow blade itself. The modifications I made to the blade are the attachment points for the chain (seen in later pictures) and the wide crossbar which has a "lip" to accept the front lip of the FEL bucket. I left the long handle on the blade. This handle was used to change the angle of the blade from the seat of the Craftsman. The long "tail" coming down from the blade went under the Craftsman to the lift mechanism for the mower deck and was used to raise and lower the blade.

Here is a close up of the crossbar to accept the FEL bucket. My neighbor welded it up from 1" square stock sandwiched between two 3/16" steel plates. It is welded to the small cross bar that was the original attachment point for the blade to the Craftsman tractor. I made the new crossbar wider to reduce blade "wobble".

Here is a picture of the blade mounted to the tractor FEL. The two bright chains attach to the grab hooks I put in the upper edge of the FEL. These two chains support the weight of the blade. Extra chain on the left side just wraps around and supports the angle adjustment handle. The chain around the middle of the bucket goes underneath and, with the load binder, secures the whole thing to the bucket. The length of chain hanging down in front of the bucket is just the excess.

Here's the detail of how the middle chain wraps around the back of the bucket and attaches to an existing slot in the "tail" of the blade assembly.

Here's a picture of the blade "at work". I lower the FEL bucket and roll it forward so that it is off the ground and the snow blade is just touching the surface - basically, the snow blade is in "float", carrying its own weight but it can't float "up" more than an inch or two because of the chain and binder around the back of the FEL bucket.

Here's another picture of the snowblade at work. The blade is 48" wide and angled left or right it just barely covers the tracks of my rear wheels. I think I'll get some 1/8" steel and make 8-10" extensions.
Also, since I can't reach that angle adjusting handle from the seat, I think I'll just take it off.

I hope this post loads OK for you all and that it comes out clear. Any questions, just let me know.

WVBill

 

[RobS]

Pretty slick conversion. Great pics and it's obvious you are getting some good use out of it will all that snow. How's the maneuverability with the blade that far forward?

Rob

 

[Thomas]

WVBill,
Pictures came out great,and you have good looking setup also.

Do you find with the side muffler that you get flumes back at you.

Now I see why you diesel up and take off plowing,for it looks like fun. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I like your drive way makers also. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[RobS]

Thomas, good eyes. I didn't see those markers first time I looked. I guess I was too fixated on the tractor.

WVBill, your place must look great at night with those lights and all the snow. When we eventually move will we be expected to decorate the barn as well as the house?

Rob

 

[WVBill]

Thanks for the compliments, guys.

The driveway markers are dual purpose. I made the candy canes out of 3/4" PVC pipe and red tape. They sit over 1/2" EMT conduit hammered into the ground. After New Years, I pull up the candy canes but leave the EMT as markers until spring.

Yes, Thomas, you will need to decorate the barn too. I did.

I took some pictures of our lights the other night and they came out terrible. Snow was falling so it reflected the flash back into the camera and all you can see is white dots and very faint Christmas lights on the house and barn. I wish I had a camera with manual controls!

WVBill

 

[bpence]

Very clever adaptation!!! And, your place looks great dressed up for Christmas. Now you've got me thinking (my wife thinks that's always dangerous). I have a 54" front blade from my JD 316 that I'd love to adapt to the front of the B7100. I don't have a FEL, but you've got me thinking there must be a way!

Funny thing about outside Christmas lights. We have an exchange student from Germany and she is absolutely fascinated by all of the lights and decorations folks here in the U.S. put up for the holidays. They just don't do that in Germany. And like you, I like to hang lights on the barn.

Bob Pence

 

[WVBill]

Rob/Thomas/Bob

To answer your questions.

I didn't have any trouble maneuvering with the blade out there. I just had to remember it was there when backing up and turning in tight quarters - it swings a pretty wide path.

The side muffler doesn't bother me with exhaust fumes, but I don't cut grass with the tractor so I'm usually doing alot of maneuvering. It does exhaust directly onto the FEL hydraulic hoses which I don't like. But it's been doing it for 22 years so I guess it's OK.

Bob: I was stationed in Germany for 3 years in the 70's and I remember that the Germans do not have Christmas trees. They won't cut them out of their standing forests and they don't have enough land to farm them. The Army Exchange had to ship trees in by boat for American families and troops stationed there. They were so dry they lost half their needles before you could decorate them!

By the way - did my method of putting the pictures in the post work out OK for you guys or do you think it better to make pictures attachments? I'm thinking about loading time for people with slower modems.

WVBill

 

[redhawk]

WVBill,
your post was just fine. it didn't take long to download. i'm using a 56k connection which i imagine is the average
these days with all the different flavors of DSL out there.
thanks for the ideas and the pics.

kevin..PA

 

[RobS]

WVBill, I liked the picture format but I'm spoiled with T-1 access here. I think it would be very slow on my modem. I'm looking forward to testing my FEL downpressure on my home PC here in the near future /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Cable modem access right around the corner!

Rob

 

[Harv]

WVBill -

Love the picts, and personally I like the photo layout with descriptions intermixed.

I'm one of those DSL guys, so I can't speak to the downloading time, but I was wondering how long those pictures are going to stay on AOL? If I refer back to this post in a few months will they still be there?

Muhammad is always improving things, so I wouldn't be too surprised if he doesn't come up with an "official" way to do something similar.

All in all, I feel like I have actually visitited your place.

Thanks for having me over! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[WVBill]

Harv:

The pictures are stored in My web page space on AOL so I'm sure they won't disappear.
I haven't added them to my web page
http://members.aol.com/wvbills yet but I have updated it with the picture story of building the barn.

Visit my web page and you'll REALLY feel like you've visited my place. C'mon by anytime! (just call and give us a few minutes notice so we can squeeze some lemonaid).

WVBill

 

[Harv]

WVBill -

It's been so long since I looked into AOL I didn't realize they were offering web hosting. Duh.

I checked out your web page and now I really want to come to your place. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

If I ever make it to that part of the country I'll definitely look you up.

... and I love home-squeezed lemonade. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Kevin_mc]

Bill, thanks for the great idea. I sold my dozer blade when I got rid of the Craftsman lawn tractor. Turns out the guy who bought the dozer blade couldn't get it to fit on his Troy-Bilt so I gave him his money back and I have the blade and now can put it to use.

Got any thoughts on what to do with the wheel weights and chains from the old Craftsman?????

Kevin Mc

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

<font color=blue>By the way - did my method of putting the pictures in the post work out OK for you guys or do you think it better to make pictures attachments? I'm thinking about loading time for people with slower modems.</font color=blue>

WVBill,

Thanks for asking. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

A while back I think I won the "slowest link on the board".

The pictures in the post did take a trip to the kitchen for coffee to download. This is far offset by having the text and the pictures integrated. This beats the heck out of read and click, read and click.

So for what it's worth my vote is /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif good job.

 

[ERNIEB]

WVBill, Where were you at in Germany? I was there from 74-77. In Southern Bavaria, many Germans had Christmas trees. Jagermeisters would have certain days and locations where trees could be cut. For a fee, of course. I was with Army Community Service, with the 1st Armored, in the town of Ansbach. We found a great location under power lines, trees were about 3 to 7 feet, and very nice. You picked one out, and the jagermeister quoted a price, if you wanted it you cut it down. If I remember right, at that time a 3 to 4 foot was twenty marks. Lights and ornaments could be bought in the towns kriskindlemart. An outdoor market set up every Christmas in the town square. Germans use only white lights, colored lights can not be found. They do not put up outdoor lights. I don't know if it's still the case, but at that time Germans still sold the lead tinsel.
The trees I saw in German homes, were simple affairs. White lights, lead tinsel, and ornaments made from straw.
Your pictures were a little slow to load, but I thought worth the wait. A good series.

Ernie
"I deem it necessary for Texas to be ready to meat an army of eight or ten thousand strong in May next." Eli Mercer (in a letter to Henry Smith Dec,1835)

 

[Rowski]

Ernie

My god parents were here from Germany (Frankfurt area) last xmas (a year ago). They were amazed by all the "outdoor" lighting. But with the uniting of the east and west they said there is a lot more western infulence over there now. My mom tells me stories of when they had candles on the tree for lights. I didn't ask them what it cost for a tree. Pesonally I like their simple decorated x-mas trees, with out the lead. I like white lights. My god parents told me that they are seeing more colored lights and even the musical blinking pattern lights.

Derek

 

[Thomas]

Re: Snowblade Adaptation..Derek.

Good morning over there.
I guess your equipment all gas up and the plows are hitch for a long weekend.

Be careful out there and keep the thermos hot and full.

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[ERNIEB]

Derek, Well, it's been 25 yrs since I was there, and I'm sure there has been some changes. One has to keep in mind that Germany is made up of different areas, and each area has their own way of doing things. I was told that the rest of Germany looked at the Bavarians as sort of "hillbillies".
Since I spent most of my time among the Bavarians I can tell you they are very traditional. It was not uncommon to see men going to work wearing lederhosen, women the derndil.
If you went to a gausthaus in Franfort, juke boxes were usually present. Rarely would you find one in the small towns in Bavaria. To most Bavarians, it was a place to drink beer, talk, and socialize. I found them to be friendly, kind, and generous people. It's funny, but I went over there with the idea that I would hate the place. I ended up loving it. Mainly because of the people. I could go on forever, but I better stop here.

Ernie
"I deem it necessary for Texas to be ready to meat an army of eight or ten thousand strong in May next." Eli Mercer (in a letter to Henry Smith Dec,1835)

 

[Rowski]

Ernie,

Last time I was over there for a visit was about 15 years ago. I was just about 10 or 12. Been 8 times in my life all as a child. I really didn't understand and appreciate it due to my age at the time. So mostly what talk about is through my relatives over there. I really want to go back. Once my wife learns some german we will go. I have plenty of family over there that would love to take me in. Actually that's going to be problem when I go. By the way (don't tell anyone /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif) my mom made me wear my lederhosen as a kid /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif. But I must say that the people especially the traditional germans are very polite.

Derek

 

[Rowski]

Re: Snowblade Adaptation..Derek.

Good evening over there.

Equipment is ready. Drivers are ready. Now we need the snow. Just stared snowing around 5pm tonite. Will see what morning brings. They are calling for 6 to 12 inches (in Burlington). I think (gut feeling) we will get close to 18 to 24 inches come the stroms end. But we will see. Nice think about the storm hitting late in the day is the next day we don't have to start quite so early but may have to stay a little later. I'll try and take some pics if I get a chance.

Derek