BX snowblower and gravel

[air1force1]

Hi, I have a BX2680 with a front mount snow blower. I have a long driveway with crushed gravel. At different times of the winter, when not frozen solid, the shoes would dig in tearing up the drive, and throw gravel in the yard.
I saw a good idea on you tube, to cover cutting edge with a 54" piece of black pipe. It worked really good, I could even go on the yard and keep paths open for my wife. This spring, noted the pipe was almost worn completely thru?
Has anyone came up with, or seen anything else.
Thanks

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

I am not sure what your unit has for shoes but simply set the shoes to lift leading edge higher. If shoes have a very small bearing surface (or worse yet if the blower is a budget blower w/o shoes) there are tonnes of wide/large bearing surface shoes available to buy. If you are good with a welder and a little fab work easy t make shoes as well.

Me I simply back blade the first snow fall to make a frozen flat surface. My drive is very uneven and gravel. But here once the frost sets up the ground the snow stays for 4+ months frozen rock hard. YMMV

 

[Bee-Positive]

Schedule 80 PVC pipe is thicker than schedule 40 PVC pipe. Usually runs about $5/foot. I get a couple of years out of a piece I use on my SSQA plow blade depending on early and late freeze / thaws and amount of snow per season. I look at it as a disposable item that needs to be replaced when worn out.

 

[Blue2Orange]

3pt mounted snowblower, but similar issues for awhile. First few snowfalls can be a pain when the gravel driveway is not frozen. Same in the Spring. Over the past +2 decades have thrown probably tons of gravel into the woods and ditch. For me it was the transitions going downhill from steep to flatter sections. Which then became more abrupt transitions with every winter. Until I got lazy.

Township doesn't have to clear our road until at least 6" of snowfall has accumulated or dropped. You need the proper vehicle with proper tires to get to your driveway. If the early season snowfall was light (less than 6") I would just drive the truck through the snow until packed. No more of a driving issue than making the 1 mile climb up the unplowed township road from the highway. Hopefullly packed hard by the time the blower is needed. Usually use the blade until the snowbanks cannot be bladed any further off the driveway. Until the surface is frozen hard blow with the edge angled upwards, skid shoes hovering above the surface. The 2-5" left until the surface is rock hard is just something I live with.

Might try the PVC pipe trick. New BX and blower. The shoes are more like side skid plates to protect the box edges from wearing. They are only a few inches wide and long. I can see them sinking into snow surface that is not ice hard. Or just do as I have.

 

[chim]

Unless otherwise noted, ''black pipe" means Sch40 steel pipe that is not galvanized to someone in the trades. If that's what the OP used I'm not sure what advice to give. If the OP used ABS or poly, maybe steel pipe would be better.

 

[Bee-Positive]

You're correct, black is steel.

I imagine it'd be a chore to cut/grind a slot the length of a black steel pipe and then try to fit it to the blower edge. Not impossible but...
Maybe there's other ways to mount steel pipe without cutting a slot.

PVC pipe cuts easily and has a spring like clamping action once pounded on. Some use various methods to hold it on. Mine slides on (with help from a "5 lb. assistant") and the blade lip is inside the pipe and keeps the pipe from coming off. YMMV. Just have to replace it every now and then.