Snowblower Height for Gravel

[pauly]

Billdog350,

Thanks for the good info. In fact thanks to everyone for all their input.
It's been cold here but no real snow so to speak of.

 

[dtbprc]

if you don't have level driveway then you will gouge some rocks here and there. can that snowblower take some shoes like a snowplow blade?

 

[tiredguy]

I set mine for 3/4 roughly but I always have my secret weapon to avoid the pitfalls of the cutting edge on anything non concrete including the sod on the yard. I pulled the cutting edge off my B2781A 50 inch front mounted blower with side wings bought another piece of flat stock the same size drilling the matching holes to be able to bolt it back on, then welded a piece of 1/2 inch black iron pipe dead center on the flat of the nose. It allows the edge to roll over things smoothly and I eliminated tearing up the yard before the ground gets frozen too. I use my 5 foot box blade on the back for dragging snow away from the front of the garage etc which has a piece of 2 inch pipe that I welded up end brackets for the sets between the 2 cutting edges so that I have 1/4 to 3/4 hold up depending how I have it tilted which works the same as the the front edge of my snow blower.

My main driveway is only 40x60 1/3rd cement the rest gravel. The side drive is all grass covered yard as well as the other areas behind the house I keep open to get rid of the drifts that would have me unable to get out of the house possibly and the dog has a run plus I can still get to my "junk" out back along with the car hauling trailer. I keep clear more area that many yards are size wise and none of it gets torn up, simply rolls over the bumps and high spots without gouging in.

Before I put the pipe on the blower cutting edge it was a pita before the ground was frozen to use it because it dug in always.
Al

 

[Kurtee]

I would set for 3/8 " of clearance with the skids and run it. I have done all kinds of surfaces with walk behinds and set them at 1/8" to go to concrete or gravel surfaces. I was doing for hire work years past. First time over will level things off and send some rocks flying. Pay attention where you are blowing to or you could need siding or window repair. This can happen no matter where you have the skids set. A good freeze up before snowfall helps. Make sure the areas you want to keep cleared are free of debris before it snows. Dog chains, rugs, rope and bricks are hard on equipment not to mention religion. Make sure you have extra shear pins because most likely you will need them. Carry them and the tools to change them on the tractor. Are you going to be turning around or going on a public road for any reason? If so get a strobe on the machine for safety reasons. In Minnesota it is law to do so. I forgot to mention that I use a Honda blower on a 5518 that is a very close design to the Kubota blower. It is set at 1/8" and gets on gravel every so often.

 

[tiredguy]

I took a couple of pictures that aren't the best but give a better idea than what I explained I did to mine especially the front blower which has a tendency to bite in rather than go over smoothly.

On the front no more digging in it simply rolls over the surface. I back my pictures aren't very clear but the pipe is simply help between the 2 blade on the box blade keeping the blades up away from direct contact. I adjust the angle with the top link and can get it within about am 1/8th inch from touching the surface. I have it set high since the ground isn't frozen yet and we haven't had enough snow stick around to talk about. It works super slick and with the gravel problem in the beginning before the ground freezes up solid or I get a good base over it this works very good all the way around.
Now if we'd just get some much needed snow to keep our economy going I'd have some seat time to move it out of my way.
Al

 

[chad450r]

I took a couple of pictures that aren't the best but give a better idea than what I explained I did to mine especially the front blower which has a tendency to bite in rather than go over smoothly.

On the front no more digging in it simply rolls over the surface. I back my pictures aren't very clear but the pipe is simply help between the 2 blade on the box blade keeping the blades up away from direct contact. I adjust the angle with the top link and can get it within about am 1/8th inch from touching the surface. I have it set high since the ground isn't frozen yet and we haven't had enough snow stick around to talk about. It works super slick and with the gravel problem in the beginning before the ground freezes up solid or I get a good base over it this works very good all the way around.
Now if we'd just get some much needed snow to keep our economy going I'd have some seat time to move it out of my way.
Al

That sir is Saweeeat, and a super easy fix for the issue at hand. Does the blower edge still clean good on concrete/pavement?

 

[tiredguy]

Chad,
you bet it cleans the concrete down good and if needed as in the case where someone's driven over it and made a hard packed track I can usually get that off too or at least minimize it.

Disclaimer: Don't do this at home!

Because the front mounted blower uses the loader valve normally just dropped down to float position. When in a pinch and need to I break the rules stated in the manual to scrape/break loose those lumps by starting where it's clear then using the down pressure momentarily putting down pressure in order to bust it loose. Now this requires common sense and lots of practice carefully figuring out what your doing so it's as brief of "bump" as possible and NEVER something to be doing very often. It's a blower not a blade and as such it is not made strong enough for that use and why the manual says it's a no no.

The pipe allows the edge to "roll" over the surface without gouging in so it really works well on gravel uneven or normal grass/dirt areas. The cutting edge on mine was set so it "nose dived" on the surface as it seems to be tilted/set at an angle that makes it gouge in every time it's lowered. My shoes are setup some but not much as it really rests on the pipe and while blowing over the gravel portion when it's not yet frozen it actually seems to pack the gravel as it it smooths over it since there's not sharp edge to cut in.
Al

 

[Dave_eng]

Over the years many forum members have been seeking ways to avoid their blower digging into gravel, lawns and other soft surfaces where they need to blow.

I came across the option of hydraulic controlled wheels to keep the blower off the ground by Pronovost, a very innovative Canadian manufacturer.

I thought it was an idea worth posting.

Wheels are controlled hydraulically. Although this photo shows them on an inverted blower a little creativity could put them on any style.

Pronovost has also developed an option which puts the gearbox ahead of the fan thus shortening the rear end of the blower distance from the tractor
https://pronovost.qc.ca/en/snowblowers/inverted

Dave M7040

 

[Grouse Feathers]

Over the years many forum members have been seeking ways to avoid their blower digging into gravel, lawns and other soft surfaces where they need to blow.

I came across the option of hydraulic controlled wheels to keep the blower off the ground by Pronovost, a very innovative Canadian manufacturer.

I thought it was an idea worth posting.

Wheels are controlled hydraulically. Although this photo shows them on an inverted blower a little creativity could put them on any style.

Pronovost has also developed an option which puts the gearbox ahead of the fan thus shortening the rear end of the blower distance from the tractor
https://pronovost.qc.ca/en/snowblowers/inverted

Dave M7040

Thanks Dave
The wheels look like a really good idea. The one problem I see with a traditional front mount blower would be the weight on wheels from the cantilevered blower out front. With the inverted blower shown the wheels have a lot less load. I don't know how well putting the wheels in front of the traditional blower would work.

 

[curly84]

SMALL SHOE

I'M A 40 YEAR PRESS BREAK OPERATOR.I'VE made alot of small ski shoes for snowplow and snow blowers they seam to work pretty well

Sent from my SM-S820L using Tapatalk

 

[Dave_eng]

Thanks Dave
The wheels look like a really good idea. The one problem I see with a traditional front mount blower would be the weight on wheels from the cantilevered blower out front. With the inverted blower shown the wheels have a lot less load. I don't know how well putting the wheels in front of the traditional blower would work.

Larry
My thoughts would be that even on a conventional blower the wheels would have to be rolling on ground where the show has been removed,( i.e. in the same location behind the fan and auger.) On a conventional blower, the lower links of the 3 pt hitch would have next to no weight on them as the wheels would carry the load. The top link would only prevent the blower from tipping forward. These two tire wheel assemblies could easily carry the weight of a 90" wide blower which would be about 1,200 lbs. A small trailer axle is rated for 1,500 to 3,000 lbs or more.
Dave M7040

 

[miro]

Last year I did something about keeping the blower up to where I needed it to be.Here's the result
Before i used the wheels, it was always digging into the gravel - I hate the ticka-ticka-ticka noise going through my machine.

http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23383&highlight=miro

http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22675&highlight=miro

It worked beautifully on a 3/4 mile, gravel, uneven, bumpy driveway.


Miro

 

[Georgec]

So how do you set your shoes for 2 inches? Mine aren't that big.