How do you deal with snow?

[SRG]

Updated pics of the 8' plow and widened blower.

This is the first I've used a front mounted plow in about 26 years. Since 1992 I've been using a rear blade, FEL and a rear blower. I'm impressed with ease of operation and efficiency with the front plow. Two passes on the driveway and it's done. Greatly reduced the time and effort on the church parking lots. Wish I'd have cobbled one up years ago.

Nice rig for sure, got all the winter goodies going there!

 

[eipo]

That's pretty decent price, especially for 5/16" steel, even if it is bare. Does it have a removable cutting edge? I see a long bead but also some bolts at the cutting edge.

I found some pushers on Craigslist in Wisconsin Dells for even cheaper than the guy in Holland but they are SSQA which doesn't do me any good.

https://rockford.craigslist.org/grd/d/reedsburg-skidsteer-snow-pusher/6806437819.html

Yes, removable cutting edge and skids. Im guessing the weld bead is attaching an angled piece for the cutting edge to bolt to. He doesn't have a press or break.

I also asked him to mount the skids 1" above the cutting edge so I can bolt on a couple pieces of hdpe.

He's a young guy trying to get his business going and he's a hell of a welder. I'm perfectly willing to support that in spite of some rudimentary design practices. At the minimum I'll have a stout implement that I can tweak on my own as needed.

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[eipo]

Not gonna happen with that JD. Not enough 'balls' I don't see the percentage in a pusher anyway. Push it to where? You get a wad in a pusher and the 'push' turns to spinning wheels. Pushers are fine for large equipment like wheel loaders and everyone I've seen in large parking lots, always have a big front end loader as well to pile it up and move it when the 'pusher' cannot push it anymore.

Why I got the power angle 10 foot plow. Don't matter how deep or wet it is, you angle the plow and the snow peels off the end. I never feel the weight of the snow at all and like I've said previously, I have a bit of plow steer that I believe front chains will eliminate. remember, I'm doing a mile of secondary road to get to the pavement, not just a driveway though I plow 3 drives as well.

If I only had a choice between a pusher and a blower, I'd have the blower over the pusher anytime. As it is, for me, the plow is the best of both and with the plow on the quick attach plate out front, I can roll the plow back and use it like a huge bucket to pile the snow if I need to and in my case that pile can be 12 feet high if necessary.

Your 'pusher' would never stand a chance with this... My plow has no issue

Both have their place.

The plowing I need to do is not entirely efficient with a plow and rolling it off the side. The majority of what I need to do requires multiple cleanup passes to gather the windrows, get that snow to a central location and then turn 90 degrees so it can be pushed off the drive. Taking straight runs from end to end piles it either at the garage, or a state 2 lane highway. My turn around area is also not conducive to a plow with how its laid out and the trailers that occupy it. I pile all the snow in one location so in the spring I can collect all the asphalt that's been pushed up and redistribute it as needed.

A blower would be ideal... But as I stated at the onset, I'm tired of working in reverse. A front mounted unit would limit tractor functionality and I process firewood in the colder months, so I need the loader.

Heres a vid of a tractor with a rather largish pusher on it. Id say the ratio is about the same in relation to the picture I posted...



A pusher could most certainly handle the snow you are dealing with in the picture you posted. It wouldn't handle it like a plow, but a pusher isn't a plow.

 

[bearbait]

With the price of metal being what it is right now and the amount of welding that went into making the pusher (which he did a great job of) I'd say you got a good deal. You'll find out soon enough if your tractor can handle that much volumn or not. Still amazes me what can be done with my tractor with little to no effort. Good luck to you, hope you prove the nay sayers wrong.

 

[eipo]

Thanks bear.... that's not mine though. Mine is going to be a hair smaller on a larger tractor.

And yes, steel prices are insane right now. I just priced 100' of 3 x 4.1 (iirc) channel and it came to a bit over $400. That's retail though....

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[motionclone]

Anyone ever put a v plow on a tractor? I think it would be the most versatile method as a v plow is a V plow, a straight plow and a push box (sort of) all in one. And in the tractor it could be used to bank snow high just like a push box equipped loader.

V mode would be useful for busting open a road that has heavy or drifted snow. Straight mode angled one way or the other for pushing snow over to a direction then scoop mode is kind of like the pusher box and its for moving that snow to a specific location or cleaning up.

All the trucks doing commercial work use them now, in Maine anyway (I have 2 BOSS VXT 9'2" V plows on Superduty trucks) .
I plow Tractor Supply in my area as well as several other small commercial retail lots.

 

[eipo]

Heres the box on mine.. quick attach and skids get built tomorrow...

 

[bearbait]

Dayum eipo, that is one chunk of metal, buddy does a nice job. Looking forward to seeing it all painted up and moving snow. Congrats my friend!

 

[dlundblad]

Haven't posted any photos yet since taking delivery back in December. An L2501 HST dubbed the "lowercase L". Loaded rear tires, telescopic 3 point arms, bucket level indicator, QA and bucket hooks.

The 84 inch loaner blade. The one I ordered was a 72 inch, but the paint was faded so they are getting me a new one. Should be in sometime this month. I believe this is the model that tilts up and down as well as rotates 360*. Not a huge fan of the rotating mechanism. Gets frozen very easily and is very hard to rotate. I am hoping the 72 is better in that regard. I assumed it would be the same design as what my father has (bought his 15 years ago).. Nope. Also bought the LP FDR1672 finisher, a quick hitch for a dad and some QA 48 inch forks for us to share.

Wish I would have gotten a block heater. Will probably do that at the first coolant change.

 

[eipo]

Dayum eipo, that is one chunk of metal, buddy does a nice job. Looking forward to seeing it all painted up and moving snow. Congrats my friend!

Thanks. I've got some 1" hdpe that im going to attach to the skids prior to using it.

Probably won't get painted till spring unless it gets warm enough for rust to start forming.

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[eipo]

Here it is. Couldn't be happier being able to support local, small business.

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[sheepfarmer]

Nice! With luck the snow gods will see your new rig and stay away!

 

[rkidd]

Hey Eipo looks like really nice piece. Should get the job done!!

 

[bearbait]

Nice job, congrats! You may have to throw a set of chains on in the wet stuff.

 

[flyidaho]

I finally got around to extending out the rear chains I bought for my since sold/smaller tractor, to fit the bigger tires on the 2 year old L3301. I have the double crosslinks, they don't sit down inside the treads but ride on top, perfect. I also modified some old chains for my pickup for the front end, also now a perfect fit. This time of year I start dealing with an ice layer under the snow, thus the chains, though I have gotten by without them for years. And, I am really pleased with the increase in traction, but....

The rears hit the fender support brackets! I never checked, I guess I just assumed no one would design a tractor without room for tire chains, my bad. Now they don't rub continuously, just now and then, and after eyeballing everything for a solution, I am now planning to just live with it. UNLESS, there is some kind of wheel hub spacers or something to give me just an extra 1" width? I feel stupid for asking, as I'm pretty sure there is a good mechanical reason for the wheels being where they are! My chains fit properly, it's the Kubota engineers that didn't leave sufficient margin that are causing the problem. I have enough invested in the rear chains to preclude just taking them with a fight first. Though I can and have got by without any, just having them on the front sure helps a lot. Any simple solutions?

 

[sheepfarmer]

Yes wheel spacers! Go on the kubota website and " build " the tractor you have and see what size wheel spacers are recommended. Or call your dealer. Most people using chains put them on and leave them on mine are about 1.5 inches. There are some other sources too.

 

[torch]

UNLESS, there is some kind of wheel hub spacers or something to give me just an extra 1" width? I feel stupid for asking, as I'm pretty sure there is a good mechanical reason for the wheels being where they are! My chains fit properly, it's the Kubota engineers that didn't leave sufficient margin that are causing the problem. I have enough invested in the rear chains to preclude just taking them with a fight first. Though I can and have got by without any, just having them on the front sure helps a lot. Any simple solutions?

Do you have R1 (agricultural) tires and rims? If so, the rear wheel spacing may be adjustable. Go to:

https://kubota.ca/getmedia/a6a392ba...e3cad/L3301,-L3901-OPS-EN-TC62019711?ext=.pdf

On page 54 there are directions on how to adjust the stance by assembling the rims in different configurations.

 

[flyidaho]

Thanks guys, I feel better now! I'll call my dealer I bought it from and run it by him. I'm not sure why I didn't think of that first, guess I was just assuming the clearance would be adequate. It is, almost, and the almost part is pretty annoying. I was really hoping Kubota hadn't gotten so civilized/urbanized that they had failed to provide some options as to a wider wheel base, good to hear they are still real tractors. A 1/2" would make the problem go away, the chains fit nice and tight, with min side slop.

 

[torch]

Oh, BTW: To flip the rims from convex to concave, don't disassemble -- just swap left for right. That keeps the tread pattern facing the right way without having to remove and remount the tires.

 

[flyidaho]

Snowing and blowing heavily again, we got 19" today alone. First thing, before ordering any spacers (the dealer is out of the picture, don't need to pay extra for orange ones) I'll pull it in the shop first thing and double check what can be gained by doing a swap. Those rear chains are also coming off until I resolve the issue. Found these, if all else fails:http://www.motorsport-tech.com/4DCGI/acart Whichever way I go, the extra width/great stability on side slopes will be a good thing, as I live on a mountainside, with an average slope of 10%, so any expense will be easier to eat.