snowblower and rocks

[chuck172]

I have never owned, or even operated a snowblower. I have a 800' shale/gravel unpaved driveway that needs snow-removal. I've been plowing with an old f250 thats rotting away. How would a rear pto snowblower work in my situation?
What happens if I suck up an occasional rock into the chute?

 

[adirondackmtnman]

Buy shear pins...lots and lots of shear pins...I don't know what the clearances are for a 3 point model, but on the many occasions I have picked them up with my walk behind, I'm always out there with a punch and a hammer, knocking out what's left of the pin and putting a new one in. I've come to accept it as a fact of life. I try to avoid using mine in the main drive, instead just using it close to the buildings, preferring my loader bucket for the big stuff.

Sent from my LGL35G using TractorByNet

 

[Al Mac]

My 500 foot driveway was gravel for 10 years and never had any stones/ rocks jam the blower up. It put many in the woods but didn't jam.
On the first snow fall if it is only a couple inches drive over it and pack it down. You need the hard snow base to keep the blower from digging in to the driveway. If it a big first snow then keep the blower up a inch so you can make the hard snow bottom.
Once you have the base then your rock issue will stay on the driveway.

Al

 

[paulfun9]

Its all in how well the driveway is done and in some cases how well you prep it for the winter. I take my grader blade to the drive and prep it for the winter. This ensures that its as smooth as possible and then adjust the snow blower so that it dosnt scrape too close for the first snow. Not quite an inch like others but probably about 1/2 inch.
The key is in testing the blower to see where it will pick up rock/gravel before winter sets in and prepping the areas that need attention or adjusting the blower slightly. I tested my new blower yesterday. Probably looked like a fool pushing a snow blower around with no snow but I needed to see where it would try to gouge the driveway and pick things up so I can level them off before hand.
Anyway I haven't blown a shear pin as of yet due to rocks or anything else for that matter. And with a little bit of prep before the cold starts I hope to continue that trend again this year.

 

[Clint S]

You will be disappointed with a rear blower after you use it a few times. Possibly not in IT'S performance, but YOURS. That's alot of driving in reverse, a lot of snow blowing on you when the wind is blowing and to boot you are sitting in the cold. Put a new clutch in my rusty old truck because driving forward and having heat was worth it. Still UST the blower for a few things, but truck is primary means.

 

[HEC]

I have used a rear blower on 700Ft. gravel drive plus parking areas for the past 25 years with no problems other than some snow in the face if going against the wind . Like mentioned above just get a good snow frozen base first. In my area the ground freezes and stays frozen usually so that helps me out , if it kept thawing out all the time it could be a different story. I really like a blower as it gets the snow out of the way ready for the next storm . At 72 I bought a cab tractor with a front blower for next year as the the turning and looking backwards was getting to hard for me and you have the advantage of being out there no matter what the weather .

 

[oosik]

I have a mile long gravel driveway. I used a rear blower - pto driven - for 25 years. Now that I have a larger tractor I sold the snow blower and use only the rear blade. I preped the driveway by first using the rear blade. It would remove MOST of the larger rocks. I only used the rear blower when the driveway had frozen hard. I always figured the first time I used the snow blower I would pop 2-3 shear bolts on larger rocks that were kicked up in front of the blower.

I had a open station tractor and looking over my shoulder for the three hours it took to do the driveway, yard & mail box would put a krink in my neck that lasted a couple days. My new tractor is still open station but going forward makes all the difference. I'm able to plow the driveway and still bust the berms that build up as the winter wears on. We don't get really deep snows that often and, at least in my case, little to no drifting. Besides, I'm retired, and there is no need to be in any hurry to get anywhere.

You have no idea how many weird & unusual positions you can assume when driving backwards blowing snow for three hours!! Driving forward using the rear blade is such a pleasure now.

 

[paulfun9]

Being disappointed because of having to face backward for my first winter with a rear mount wasn't an option!
I WAS DELIGHTED That I didn't have to spend hours upon hours out in the cold moving those snow banks back further and further with each snow and the time to clear the drive on a per snow basis without taking the banks into consideration was more than cut in half. I was also able to make short work of the big drifts that before would eat lots of time slowly digging threw them with the loader.
Last but not least I can remember having to call and get a second plow truck out here to help push the F-250 threw the snow as it wasn't able to open up even the beginning of the driveway but the snow blower was able to open it up everytime no matter how bad the drifts were or even if I could get to blowing it right away or a day or two later.
Yes I can see some folks having a problem with looking over their shoulder to plow but consider a set of mirrors and some good bright rear lights and you can minimize that time greatly. I still use the loader during the winter and with a front mount would loose that option.

 

[PILOON]

Over 10 yrs of blowing a gravel based drive.
As said, pack down the 1st 2-3 inches to create a base and the going is fine for the rest of the winter.
I am cabbed and this winter I spoiled myself by adding a back up camera system**, no more sitting 'side saddle' for me. (my home made cab is heated)

I built my self over-sized skids or shoes* for my blower for the first snows in order to create that 1" or so compacted base. Once I have my base made I remove the shoes and blow whatever comes down for the rest of the winter.

*2" wide X 10-12" long.
** $60.00 back up camera /6" screen.

 

[kco]

I have good fine gravel on my driveway so accidentally catching it now and then does not damage anything. But it is depressing to see the precious gravel blown into the field. As paulfun9 suggests, I plan to level and reduce the crown on my driveway before winter. Mine is a rear pull-type blower which I recommend if you want to ease back/neck strain, and it lets you keep the loader as mentioned by paulfun9.

While my driveway has good gravel, I do some neighbours' driveways and bent my auger on one neighbour's new driveway last year. We cleared all the large rocks. However, it is on a steep side hill and a large rock must have dislodged during a spring thaw before a heavy snow. It must have rolled onto the road before getting covered with snow. It made a heck of a noise and broke the shear pin. But it also bent the auger. I never did find the rock! I think the bent auger was bad luck in how the rock lodge against the cutting edge before the pin gave way. I still need to straighten the auger before this winter.

I broke a shear pin the previous year on another neighbour's driveway with no damage. We since hauled good gravel for that drive way and it was good last year.

If I just cleared my driveway I would not break any pins.

I am also a fan of packing down the first light snows to get a good base. But I always seem to have a small gravel-spray foul up when things soften in the spring.

 

[Jay4200]

You DON'T suck an occasional rock through the blower. If you do, you sometimes bend an auger, and always smash the fan. Just don't do it. You have to PLAN AHEAD if you run a snowblower. While you're putting in the fiberglass markers to flag your driveway before the snow flys, spend the extra few minutes picking up any rock or stick that you see that you don't want sucked through your blower and throw it out of the way into the woods. Personally, I keep no less than a 6' buffer between my driveway and anything bigger than a golf ball. I live in "the granite state" (and there IS a reason its called that) and I've never broken a shear pin on a rock. I HAVE broken several by chopping the tractor throttle while there is still snow in the blower - it packs up like concrete and means 45 minutes of picking with a digging bar...so don't do that.

If you're talking about the actual crushed stone on the driveway, don't worry about it - a 3pt blower will blow your entire driveway 30' into the woods if you let it. Keep the pads down so you leave an inch or so of snow the first couple of times you run the blower. After the gravel freezes in, then you can drop it down and scrape it.

 

[billhoblit]

Front mount bs2750C on a bx23. It easily vacuums 2' dry or wet.
I added 1" under the stock skids to leave snowpack. I can angle the blower down to shave an inch if needed.
Buy LOTS of shear pins. Don't use soft bolts... they smear, can't get them out easily.
Being in the woods, I occasionally try to spit sticks and potato-sized rocks. Doesn't work.
The impeller finally bent. I'm going to re-fab/beef-up the impeller.
Any tips on disassembly?

 

[Threepoint]

Several posts have mentioned having to twist around to blow snow in reverse looking over your shoulder. I don't have a blower, but I plow in reverse and the contortions get old real fast. For members with cab tractors (and maybe even those with open stations), consider adding a backup camera, with a 7" monitor mounted on the dash or windshield. You can do it for about $50. 94BULLITT started a TBN thread recently on this: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/316927-backup-camera-50-a.html I did this following Roger's lead a few weeks ago, and you can see the quality of the images I get at post #120. I've reposted them below also. Really helps when grading. I'll be curious to see if it's as useful pushing snow this winter. The camera is waterproof. The monitor isn't, so with an open station, you'd for sure need to slip a clear baggy over it in rain and snow.

 

[PILOON]

Front mount bs2750C on a bx23. It easily vacuums 2' dry or wet.
I added 1" under the stock skids to leave snowpack. I can angle the blower down to shave an inch if needed.
Buy LOTS of shear pins. Don't use soft bolts... they smear, can't get them out easily.
Being in the woods, I occasionally try to spit sticks and potato-sized rocks. Doesn't work.
The impeller finally bent. I'm going to re-fab/beef-up the impeller.
Any tips on disassembly?

Modified my skids to about 2.5" X 10" and that solves that problem 'til the base is made.
Did the camera installation 2 wks ago and that looks like a sure winner.(I have a cab)
I also mucked up my impeller a few times but that is now beefed up.
Grade 5 shear bolts are the way to go! when they do shear they do so cleanly, so much so that they generally simply fall out when positioned just right.
Be sure that the auger shaft is well greased, add zerks if none exist.

 

[Farmer495]

Several posts have mentioned having to twist around to blow snow in reverse looking over your shoulder. I don't have a blower, but I plow in reverse and the contortions get old real fast. For members with cab tractors (and maybe even those with open stations), consider adding a backup camera, with a 7" monitor mounted on the dash or windshield. You can do it for about $50. 94BULLITT started a TBN thread recently on this: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/316927-backup-camera-50-a.html I did this following Roger's lead a few weeks ago, and you can see the quality of the images I get at post #120. I've reposted them below also. Really helps when grading. I'll be curious to see if it's as useful pushing snow this winter. The camera is waterproof. The monitor isn't, so with an open station, you'd for sure need to slip a clear baggy over it in rain and snow.

I think for snow usage, especially with snow blower or during a storm, that camera will be covered in snow. I do think it's a good idea, BUT if you NEED this to operate, i.e. because you can't turn around, then a rear mounted machine is not for you.

 

[BWSwede]

Maybe I missed it but I haven't seen anybody mention shortening the top link the first couple of storms. This causes the blower to rock back on the shoes but more importantly it puts the bottom of the blower at an angle to the road surface. When the blower is pushed it causes the bottom of the blower to slightly ride up on the snow with its weight packing the snow down. This makes a nice firm surface of snow.

BWSwede

 

[tcartwri]

You just need to resist the urge to get right down to the gravel until everything is well frozen. I use my blower as a back drag for the first couple of storms to pack everything down. Even then I never set the cutting edge less than an inch above the drive. I don't even know where my shear pins are.... 450 ft gravel drive.

 

[js5020]

The problem the OP is going to have in NE PA is any attempt with making a base to keep the rock at bay isn't going to work most years, our climate here is such that most years it gets warm enough between storms to melt your base and your back to rock again by the next storm. Personally here in NE PA on average I don't think we get enough snow to require a blower (key word, require). Best thing I have found is to get the drive free of loose stones before snow season and keep the blower skids adjusted for atleast 1.5" of clearance between the drive and the scrapper blade.

 

[Jay4200]

Maybe I missed it but I haven't seen anybody mention shortening the top link the first couple of storms. This causes the blower to rock back on the shoes but more importantly it puts the bottom of the blower at an angle to the road surface. When the blower is pushed it causes the bottom of the blower to slightly ride up on the snow with its weight packing the snow down. This makes a nice firm surface of snow.

Good suggestion. I have to remember to do that myself this year, although the way things are going, my driveway might end up frozen in by this weekend...bbbbbrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[PILOON]

Good suggestion. I have to remember to do that myself this year, although the way things are going, my driveway might end up frozen in by this weekend...bbbbbrrrrrrrrrrr

Yep, here also, minus 3 Celsius when I got up (Sept 19?), sure hope that this is not a sign of the upcoming winter. ( better buy thermal undies)