What did you do to or on your Kubota today?

[g_man]

Not a lot of snow but enough to start learning with this thing (from Homestead).
View attachment 167115

With that type of plow the usual set-up for pushing forward would be to have the plow frame parallel to the road surface. That way when you angle left or right the cutting edge stays flat on the ground. If your frame is not parallel to the road when you angle one corner of the blade will lift and the other will dig in unless the plow is built with ability for the blade to rotate which I can't see. Look at McMxi's photo above in post 23,991 and notice how the plow frame is parallel to his road.

It is tough to plow unfrozen gravel for anybody, even a veteran, so don't feel bad if you struggle to learn. If the gravel is unfrozen you want to keep the blade up off the surface a little which isn't easy. Plow shoes of ample size can help a lot with that. To start I would do the best I could w/o digging up gravel and then back drag it to make it even and better looking, like you were doing. If you are turning up gravel try to keep it on the drive, like plowing narrower, so that in the spring it is easy to reclaim. It looks like a nice plow - hope you enjoy it.

gg

 

[g_man]

It's almost 50 degrees and raining today. A sudden big change from our normal cold. So I won't be adding any wood to the firewood pile until it freezes up again; which should be quick. This is from the other day.

gg

 

[Blue2Orange]

Plowed the driveway at the place I just moved to. It has a pretty good hill and honestly I’m thinking I may need to get a snowblower or a bigger machine. The place I am at now is in a snowbelt I guess but basically gets 130” of snow minimum per year. The old back blade works but I’m gonna run out of places to drag it to efficiently. I was looking at the land pride sbp11. It’s the pull behind snowblower where you can drive forward. If anyone has any feedback on that model or advice for snow in general (with steeper grades) with a smaller tractor I’m all ears. Won’t be getting anything new till next winter probably.

Living in Lake Effect snow country. Back in the days of big dumps over a longer snow season I initially just used FEL bucket the the back blade on a ~800ft long driveway with another ~10,000 sq ft of "parking" area to clear. Didn't take long to purchase a 3pt snowblower. 60" Loftness with a 30" tall box. No chains on the old NH. Larger and heavier machine than the BX with R1s. Sometimes could only snowblow going downhill due to the too slippery and steeper pitch on sections of the driveway.

JMHO, invest in a blower if dealing with significant seasonal snowfall. I needed to hire a person with a cat2 tractor with a front mounted blower to throw the snowbanks into the woods occasionally. Once the township grader to wing back the banks. Incentive to purchase the blower.

+2 decades of driving backwards with the 3pt snowblower. Passed on the front and rear pull behind for cost reasons. Guessing less parts, less things to repair and maintain on the 3pt models v. front mounted. Plus I find the loader useful for snow removal. Usually until I have a solid base protected the gravel surface I just skim the surface with the bucket and blade leaving a few inches to pack down. Reduces the chances of the snowblower becoming a gravel thrower and the need to repaint the box, auger, impeller....

First winter with the BX. The SCUT with R4s sort of stinks when it comes to snow traction. Guessing a combination of too light, tire choice and/or rubber compound. Needs chains. Have 2 link ladder chains. Without life would be a PITA. Considering front 2-link ladder with V bars to improve traction and mostly to allow making it around curves when pushing snow with the bucket.

 

[Blue2Orange]

Broke 130 of snowfall this AM. 130cm. Use to be occasionally 130" by the end of December. It also never use to rain in December. Now if we break 350cm it was a good snow year. 350 use to be a bad snow season.

 

[KubotaHawg]

Got lucky today, had to punch 13 holes with the auger for setting posts in rocky ground, 11 dug. Building a dog run, I live on sloped wooded ground and don’t have a yard or fence—all woods. I wasn’t sure if I could drill even one so am pretty happy.

Wife is scared our 3 woofs will run off and won’t let them out of the house off leash. Drives me crazy—we live in the middle of the woods, nearest road is over half mile away, and have 3 60-70 lb young pups that love to wrassle, but she gets pissed if I let them out. Fine—I’ll build a run in this rocky ground, however long it takes.

 

[Trustable]

Living in Lake Effect snow country. Back in the days of big dumps over a longer snow season I initially just used FEL bucket the the back blade on a ~800ft long driveway with another ~10,000 sq ft of "parking" area to clear. Didn't take long to purchase a 3pt snowblower. 60" Loftness with a 30" tall box. No chains on the old NH. Larger and heavier machine than the BX with R1s. Sometimes could only snowblow going downhill due to the too slippery and steeper pitch on sections of the driveway.

JMHO, invest in a blower if dealing with significant seasonal snowfall. I needed to hire a person with a cat2 tractor with a front mounted blower to throw the snowbanks into the woods occasionally. Once the township grader to wing back the banks. Incentive to purchase the blower.

+2 decades of driving backwards with the 3pt snowblower. Passed on the front and rear pull behind for cost reasons. Guessing less parts, less things to repair and maintain on the 3pt models v. front mounted. Plus I find the loader useful for snow removal. Usually until I have a solid base protected the gravel surface I just skim the surface with the bucket and blade leaving a few inches to pack down. Reduces the chances of the snowblower becoming a gravel thrower and the need to repaint the box, auger, impeller....

First winter with the BX. The SCUT with R4s sort of stinks when it comes to snow traction. Guessing a combination of too light, tire choice and/or rubber compound. Needs chains. Have 2 link ladder chains. Without life would be a PITA. Considering front 2-link ladder with V bars to improve traction and mostly to allow making it around curves when pushing snow with the bucket.

Thanks a bunch. Based on your weather you mentioned, I think we live relatively close. So if it works for you it should work for me. I moved up to the NW lower peninsula last week. I’m loving the snow. Amazing what just 2.5 hours of driving can do to change the weather with the lake and elevation.

 

[Trustable]

You didn't mention how long the driveway is. Ours is only about 100 yards. Couple of thoughts. If it isn't too long, can you move the banks back with the loader? I got by with only a rear blade for about 10 years. Next it was a combo of a rear blade and a loader. Then a rear-mounted blower and finally an 8' front blade.

Rear blade only worked very well for smaller snows but was the last choice for deeper stuff. Rear blade / FEL was a lot better. Still used the rear blade until the snow was too deep, then made at least the first pass pushing through with the FEL.

The blower was very good, especially for deeper snow and driveways. Looking rearward wasn't bad for our place. Some posters here have 1/2 mile driveways and that would be too long to run in reverse. The shortcoming of the blower was trying to clear snow at our church parking lots. With the lots too wide to toss the snow completely off it meant re-blowing it. With each pass the snow becomes more solid.

What is probably the final method is an 8' Fisher plow that came from a pickup truck modified for the FEL. It's fast and if necessary the snow can be stacked if I run short of space for it.

If it weren't for the parking lots and cost wasn't a concern I'd have a big cabbed tractor with a front blower and rear blade.

Thanks for the advice. I just moved up here but it’s definitely twice as long as my old driveway - I’d say 1000 ft at least. This being my first winter up here I don’t know if I’d be able to move the banks too far since part of the driveway is an easement through my neighbors property - and I haven’t had a chance to go over there yet and introduce myself.

 

[Brown]

What have you done to your Kubota today? Well, I've bought it! I've just transferred the money for a 12 year old STV36 complete with an underbelly mower deck and PTO powered grass collector. I had a good look at it at the dealers and there are a couple of jobs they promised to do on it. It needs a driveshaft for the grass collector (ordered, just waiting to be delivered) and the hydraulic mechanism to open the grass collector needs looking at (sorted, they now tell me).

I'm in the UK and the property I'll be using it on is a 25 acre smallholding in Wales, with a lot of steep hills and rocky ground. The tractor will be delivered after Christmas. I can't wait to have a proper play with it.

 

[Brown]

Got lucky today, had to punch 13 holes with the auger for setting posts in rocky ground, 11 dug. Building a dog run, I live on sloped wooded ground and don’t have a yard or fence—all woods. I wasn’t sure if I could drill even one so am pretty happy.

Wife is scared our 3 woofs will run off and won’t let them out of the house off leash. Drives me crazy—we live in the middle of the woods, nearest road is over half mile away, and have 3 60-70 lb young pups that love to wrassle, but she gets pissed if I let them out. Fine—I’ll build a run in this rocky ground, however long it takes.
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That's impressive. That ground looks too stony to get an auger into, but you've succeeded. That bodes well for my property which is in Wales. UK and is a mass of stone. Maybe I'll invest in a post hole auger too.

 

[Brown]

Thanks for all the likes everybody!

 

[Hugo Habicht]

Thanks for all the likes everybody!

I give you a like for liking the likes

I am just across the bit of water from you called the Irish Sea

 

[KubotaHawg]

That's impressive. That ground looks too stony to get an auger into, but you've succeeded. That bodes well for my property which is in Wales. UK and is a mass of stone. Maybe I'll invest in a post hole auger too.

I call it sheer luck—definitely not impressive power of the auger. Still have to get the rock bar out. Fortunately it’s just for a simple frame with 4x4s because most of those holes only drilled 12-18” deep.
I didn’t drill through the rock, just got lucky to go between the unseen boulders. Here in the Ozarks an exposed tip of a rock could be a 6 inch rock or a tip of a ridgeline.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Wife is scared our 3 woofs will run off and won’t let them out of the house off leash. Drives me crazy—we live in the middle of the woods, nearest road is over half mile away, and have 3 60-70 lb young pups that love to wrassle, but she gets pissed if I let them out. Fine—I’ll build a run in this rocky ground, however long it takes.

Feed them less before letting them out. If she doesn't accept that lock her out just before dinner (without her purse) and she'll quickly figure it out. When you let her in give her a big hug, tell her you love her, and when she acquiesces rub her belly and tell her she's a good girl (while laughing with her, not at her). If she gets pissed you know to think twice about temaining married to her. Hopefully you got a good one.

 

[Brown]

I call it sheer luck—definitely not impressive power of the auger. Still have to get the rock bar out. Fortunately it’s just for a simple frame with 4x4s because most of those holes only drilled 12-18” deep.
I didn’t drill through the rock, just got lucky to go between the unseen boulders. Here in the Ozarks an exposed tip of a rock could be a 6 inch rock or a tip of a ridgeline.

I'm on glacial clay which is full of stone, from the size of gravel to 'glacial erratics' the size of a car. Digging post holes can be a slow process. I'd not thought an auger would be much help, as it would jam on the rocks, but maybe there's hope for me.

 

[Russell King]

I'm on glacial clay which is full of stone, from the size of gravel to 'glacial erratics' the size of a car. Digging post holes can be a slow process. I'd not thought an auger would be much help, as it would jam on the rocks, but maybe there's hope for me.

If you have a front end loader and sufficient hydraulic flow, you can get hydraulic powered augers that attach to the FEL. They can have down and up forces applied as well as being reversible in turning directions to get them unstuck!

They make rock drill type augers that may eventually get through the rock.

 

[Brown]

If you have a front end loader and sufficient hydraulic flow, you can get hydraulic powered augers that attach to the FEL. They can have down and up forces applied as well as being reversible in turning directions to get them unstuck!

They make rock drill type augers that may eventually get through the rock.

At the moment, if I want to dig holes and there are rocks in the way I use the ripper hook I've got to go on the JCB backhoe, which seems to be able to shift most things with a little patience. For work in confined spaces I've got one of those 2 stroke Atlas Copco breakers, and with a 3ft long chisel, that'll dig me quite a respectable post hole. The local farmers tend to get a fencing contractor in with a gargantuan John Deere machine with a post knocker that has a rock spike and a hammer that weighs the best part of half a tonne. Even so, they shatter a good few posts.

I've sorted most of the fencing on my plot now, so I can keep the local livestock out of my new woodland plantations.

I rather like the look of the augers that go on the front of skidsteers myself. But that means I need a skidsteer as well . . . .

So many toys, so little time!

 

[Blue2Orange]

More snow. Cold front blew in. Air temp dropped rapidly from mid 20s to low teens. Sustained winds +30mph (F6), but gusting to gale force (F8). Snowblower chute set to second highest position. Could only blow snow heading one direction. Unless you enjoy getting blasted by the snow. Plus not being able to see while driving backwards (3pt mounted blower). Even then it would swirl occasionally from the turbulence. At the end of the driveway the township roads runs almost due east-west. WNW wind funneled by the treelined road. Frickin wind tunnel. More like Strong Gale to Storm force gusts. Not a good day for any commercial Lakers to be out on the water.

Snow was what I consider medium in consistency. Not wet, but not powder. Just normal moist snow. Packs into the lower section of the box. Impeller area and chute remains snow free. Applied a coating of RejeX in the chute. No real wet snow to confirm if it keeps snow from sticking. The box was sprayed down with WD40 last late Autumn. Unsure how much if any stuck to the shiny new Orange painted box. For now. No real test to confirm if RejeX works. WD40 based on this season so far is a failure.

 

[Bmyers]

Worked on cleaning up the trees we had brought down last weekend. The one in the picture measured 31 inches across. Ended up having to cut it and a few other logs we had left into smaller sections to move them around with the grapple.

I also had a supervisor watching me while I was working.

 

[S-G-R]

Nice you got to get out and work with your tractors @Bmyers. Mine is sitting in the garage waiting for snow.

 

[KubotaHawg]

Feed them less before letting them out. If she doesn't accept that lock her out just before dinner (without her purse) and she'll quickly figure it out. When you let her in give her a big hug, tell her you love her, and when she acquiesces rub her belly and tell her she's a good girl (while laughing with her, not at her). If she gets pissed you know to think twice about temaining married to her. Hopefully you got a good one.

A few questions for you my friend:

Lock her out only if I cooked supper?

Have you met my wife? (She’s a fireball)

And lastly, what’s your address and do you have a comfortable couch?



And yes she’s a good one so I’ll do whatever it takes to make her happy!