Installed the 3pt and rear blade, Adjustment Suggestions Needed

[William1]

I have a BX25D. Took the BH off and installed the 3pt and then the LandPride RB1560 with skid shoes. I'll be snow plowing a gravel driveway.

This is a multi-part question. Points to be awarded based on accuracy and brevity.

I did the work on my garage floor, it is fortunately pretty level and I set the lowering arms with a level. Easy. Set the anti-sway bars to prevent the arms from being able to bang into the fenders yet still allow the blade assy to move side to side a few inches. 'Felt' right. Good?

Skid shoes set to put the blade about 1/2" above ground when lowered. Good? Should I go higher?

Now.... as far setting the length of the upper arm to vertically angle the blade, what should I try for? Right now, If I put a level on the bottom edge and top edge of the blade, it is close to being level. Should the top edge be 'hanging' over ov the bottom edge or should the lower edge jut out?

Lastly, will I be able to simply drive forward (over the snow) and plow with the rear blade 'dragged behind' or am I going to to have to flip the blade and back up to plow with the 'blade in front'?

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

You can tighten up the sway arms to almost no play, that's the way I like mine, makes it much more controllable to get close to something, there is no benefit to having sway.

1/2 is fine for clearance, I don't even use shoes, but our ground freezes hard and stays that way all winter, so I pull almost no gravel all winter.

There really isn't much of a difference in setting the roll angle of the blade as your not really cutting the snow, if the angle is too extreame it could just ride over hard packed areas, but even that is unlikely.

Blade forward or backwards depends on amount and type of snow, and size of tractor.
With the size of tractor you have, light snow dry snow you could pull forward, medium to heavy snow you're going to have to push backwards.

 

[85Hokie]

I did the work on my garage floor, it is fortunately pretty level and I set the lowering arms with a level. Easy. Set the anti-sway bars to prevent the arms from being able to bang into the fenders yet still allow the blade assy to move side to side a few inches. 'Felt' right. Good?

Skid shoes set to put the blade about 1/2" above ground when lowered. Good? Should I go higher?

YOU MIGHT WANT TO GO DOWN OR UP A BIT - IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE SURFACE, IF ON CONCRETE THEN MAYBE DOWN TO 1/4" IF ON GRAVEL MAYBE UP TO 3/4 OR SO - YOU WILL ADJUST THIS ONCCCCCE THE SNOW FALLS! I TOO AM LOOKING FOR SOME SNOW! HOPEFULLY WHEN I GET IT - IT WILL COME YOUR WAY!


Now.... as far setting the length of the upper arm to vertically angle the blade, what should I try for? Right now, If I put a level on the bottom edge and top edge of the blade, it is close to being level. Should the top edge be 'hanging' over ov the bottom edge or should the lower edge jut out?


THIS TOO IS A TRICKY THING - MOST OF TIME - I ALLOW THE TOP OF BLADE TO SET BACK FROM THE BOTTOM ALMOST AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE - HERE IS WHY, WHEN ANGLING THE BLADE, YOU WANT THE SNOW TO "PEEL OFF" THE BLADE.

THE SNOW WILL ROLL UP THE BLADE LIKE A SKATEBOARDER GOING UP A RAMP - ONCE AT THE TOP IT WILL SLIDE TO THE SIDE THAT IT IS ANGLED TO. IT CORKSCREWS OUT IF THIS MAKES SENSE.

IF THE BLADE IT EVEN WITH THE TOP AND BOTTOM VERTICALLY - THE SNOW WILL GO UP THE RAMP AND THEN FALL BACK DOWN IN FRONT OF THE BLADE......WORKING THE TRACTOR A LITTLE HARDER.

HOWEVER - WITH ALL THIS COMES PROBLEMS !

BY CUTTING, THE TOP BEING BACK - THERE IS MORE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DIGGING OR GOUGING......WITH THE TOP EVEN, MORE POSSIBILITY OF HOPPING OVER A ROUGH SPOT!

Lastly, will I be able to simply drive forward (over the snow) and plow with the rear blade 'dragged behind' or am I going to to have to flip the blade and back up to plow with the 'blade in front'?:confused

YOU WILL END UP DOING BOTH! IT IS ALWAYS EASIER ON THE BODY (YOURS) TO DRIVE FORWARD! THE SNOW WILL GET PACKED A LITTLE, THEN PICKED BACK UP AND PUSHED OUT......RUNNING BACKWARD - YOUR NECK AND BACK GET A WORKOUT, BUT THE SNOW IS NOT PACKED DOWN BY THE TIRES.

MANY SPOTS REQUIRE GOING BACKWARDS.......LONG RUNS ARE EASIER TO RUN FORWARDS.....IF YOU GET WHAT I MEAN!

 

[William1]

Thanks for the info.
So I more or less have it right Perhaps 'curl the blade top a little past center to encourage a roll with the snow. Makes sense.

Is there any down side to having the sway links tight, meaning there is no side to side movement? Leave it just enough to 'wiggle a little bit lowered and at fully raised? I worry about binding or should this simply not be a concern?

Central VA, while we do get a good freeze, if hand shoveling , I can still life off gravel. I'll be perfectly happy to leave a thin layer os snow as we do get a fair amount of cold temps it is also just as possible to be 45 degrees the next day and melt that last inch.
Big snow here is 8" and schools close at 1/4"!!!!! I lived in NH for many years so it makes me laugh.



FWIW, it would of been nice if the owners manual was a little more 'defined' regarding installation of the 3pt. The first time, it took me close to an hour to do it as there was a lot of N00b figuring it out stuff. Next time, it will be 10 minutes.
Not having an explanation of how the lower arms, 'D' spacers go together took this old guy some time.

I need to get a few more 3/16" hitch pins to get rid of some of the cotters and 'key ring' clips I currently have.

 

[SLIMSHADIE]

I have the RB0560 without shoes. I don't know if this the right way but this is all I do for mine. With the blade perpendicular to the tractor adjust it with the side link (==. Then turn the blade 90 degrees with the tractor then adjust the toplink -==. Then its dialed in.
I usually pull with it but I've pushed too, just be careful not to hit anything pushing. I have not done this yet but read were you flip the blade backwards if clearing snow from grass... for dogs or walkway.

 

[Diydave]

Set the roll angle, with the toplink, so that the shoes are wearing evenly across the bottom...

 

[MagKarl]

If you're going to attempt to plow with an angled blade, then you need to set the top link length with the blade angled. I do as slimshadie suggests, angle the blade as much as possible, lower till just off the ground, and adjust the top link to get the cutting edge parallel with the ground. Now you should be able to rotate to any angle and cut evenly across the length.

 

[skeets]

This might help you understand how the beast works better if your like me if I see it then I understand better

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DFWMGdFUNi4#t=68

 

[William1]

Thanks for the video skeets. I see I'll want to shorten my top link as much as I can to make the snow curl. I'd rather get the bugs out now and have be as good as it gets when I go for it.


While my drive way is very long (about 1/2 mile), there is only a 200' stretch that has to be plowed as it is a 90 degree tight turn and a immediate uphill. My 4WD pickup never had a problem but the wifes AWD Volvo did and I imagine her new Infinity QX50 will too. So I'll need to clear the corner, the hill and the area going to the garage.

 

[William1]

Had some time today.

Shortened the top link as far as it would go. Shortened probably 3". The snow will 'curl' for sure now. An added plus is when lifted, it is a couple of inches higher.
I also lowered the shoes on the blade, giving me about a inch on concrete of clearance. I 'test dragged' the blade on the driveway and the shoes sunk in a ha lf inch, making little insignificant divots. I'll get the wife to rake them over.

A side note, I put white lithium grease on the exposed rods of the hydraulics and double checked I had capped off the lines.


Thanks for all the advice everyone. I appreciate you having my back.

 

[85Hokie]

"I'll get the wife to rake them over"

Priceless!

 

[tcrote5516]

I set mine as close to level as possible but haven't found the angle to make a whole lot of difference when it comes to rolling snow. The video I shot below was VERY dry snow and even that was rolling pretty well with a straight blade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XriYBCY66E