Snowblower Height for Gravel

[pauly]

I have a B2781B 51" snowblower that I plan on using on a gravel driveway. Any suggestions for the height setting? I'm thinking 1"
Thanks

 

[85Hokie]

I have a B2781B 51" snowblower that I plan on using on a gravel driveway. Any suggestions for the height setting? I'm thinking 1"
Thanks

That was my 1st thought too - 1" - but every model may be a little different, I am sure the snow gurus will chime in here to give the better answer!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Depending on how level, 1" is for very level and hard packed, norm is 2" for most.

 

[Leyland]

Hmm. 1-2"

So after everything freezes and a snowy base is compacted/established, should this height be reduced to allow for scraping the the fresh snow down to the base you have created?

 

[Harvey9]

Hmm. 1-2"

So after everything freezes and a snowy base is compacted/established, should this height be reduced to allow for scraping the the fresh snow down to the base you have created?

Yes, after you get the base, drop it down.

 

[ShaunRH]

It's also a function of what vehicles you are going to be driving on the driveway. If you have nothing but a bunch of 4WD pickups you could set it at 5" and not hurt a thing. For some modern sports cars, 2" would be asking for trouble if you had some low spots that went deeper. So consider what is going to be rolling down the drive as well.

 

[koja]

Hmm , my new 50" blower manual says 3/8"-1/2" for gravel . My old machine was set at 3/8" . Once in awhile you would hit gravel , but not often.

 

[RCW]

I'm with the other guys.

Been using a snowblower on gravel for 15 years. At first, run as high as it will go - probably 1.5" or more.

Also try not to run it until we get a decent snowfall, especially early on.

After a few times, it gets packed down and you drop it down to 3/4" or less.

 

[res]

I can not tell you the tractor depth but living in Northern Michigan and using a walk behind blower for 30 years, my normal routine is to not plow the first few snow falls if I can get away with it. I have a 4x4 truck so I will use it to hard pack the driveway. Once I have a base of 1-2 inches, I then set my blower as low as I can go. You are fighting a couple of issues. Going to shallow when the gravel is not set and covered with snow of course will result in a fare amount of rock going through the blower. The other side of the problem is when you allow to much base to get built up. That is a royal mess in the spring when it all turns to slush and even then can challenge a 4 wheel drive since there is no grip in slush and mud. A 1-2" solid base I have found is manageable and keeps the rocks out of the blower but allows for easier cleaning during the spring thaws. I can't believe it will be to much different for your tractor blower. All of that said, this year will be a new chapter as I have a tractor now so will scrape this winter to see how bad it is to manage. Good luck!!

 

[Leyland]

Good advice. Thanks.

I've always had concrete driveways but our new place has gravel. Will be a new experience this winter for me.

 

[pauly]

Thanks for all the info. The driveway is a quarter mile long. It is a mix of traffic bond and recycled asphalt in some areas an crushed gravel in others.
We only have 2 cars that are all wheel drive and 2 that don't, no trucks.
I'll plan on getting a thin base and see where it goes from there. This is my first gravel driveway. Been a city boy for 55 years. Should be interesting.
Pauly

 

[D2Cat]

Pauly, where I live we don't long spells of extreme cold, so if I clean snow off a gravel drive what is left melts off in a few days.

I notice you have a loader. I blade down to gravel in a few areas, even if it's a few square feet here and there. This allows the sun to heat the gravel (or asphalt) and speed up any melting process.

 

[Tooljunkie]

I usually wait til after a couple snowfalls. Tromp it down and make sure its packed all across driveway. Depending on situation, i have plow on truck, loader on old tractor and a blower for kubota. Have never used the blower, could be interesting. With a loader-backblade the first couple snowfalls, packs it nice.

 

[Humblebub]

Slightly off topic but I hope will amuse at my stupidity. I share my little home with six German Shepherds. They have three quarters of an acre behind 6 foot chain link fence. The first winter the snow was drifting over the top of the fence and I brilliantly decided to blow the snow away from the inside of the fence. not only did I failed to consider what they had deposited in the snow but I also had the blower aimed at the fence.

 

[Humblebub]

I did not expect the frozen deposits to bounce off the fence and nearly knock me off my feet. I only made that mistake once.

 

[Daren Todd]

I did not expect the frozen deposits to bounce off the fence and nearly knock me off my feet. I only made that mistake once.

Thats a big oops can't say that i've been lambasted by a frozen doggy bomb before, but i've had my moments where i realized afterwards that i should have thought things through a little better some of those moments get retold frequently by my wife and family

 

[pauly]

Hublebub,
Great story. Daren, my wife has that same habit.
I failed to mention that my driveway has a grade, not sure tha angle. If I pack it down will the snow turn to ice? I know if we don't shovel the snow that gets packed down it turns to ice.

 

[Daren Todd]

Wouldn't hurt to throw some sand on it. Give you some grit to grab on too. We used to throw some sand and salt mix from the town shed when i lived in vermont. Here, i just do the same as d2cat. Snow doesn't last long. I have a gravel road and concrete drive way. Scrape as much of the drive with the blade. Back drag most of the snow out of the road. Then run down the middle of the road and scrape bear spots in it. I throw rock salt on the concrete over the culvert. If not it's a bear making the corner. Of course here we get about 2 to 3 inches of ice and sleet before it turns to snow

 

[Billdog350]

I have an 800' recycled asphalt and gravel driveway.

-I start the winter season by grooming the driveway with the rake and getting all of the potholes and ruts smoothed out before the ground freezes. This also stirs up some loose gravel but also pulls it back in from the side of the driveway where it had spread out.

-Then I run the cars over it with normal use and pack everything as good as possible.
-First snow, I use the back blade, turned around backward to prevent it from digging into the driveway if the ground isn't frozen yet. If the drive is frozen, then you can plow normally.
-Once I get into the heart of winter with the larger storms forecasted, I swap to the blower. I have made a set of training wheels for it, basically solid rubber hand cart wheels from Harbor freight bolted to the sides. this will keep the blower from digging into the drive and shooting everything into the woods.

Once I blow the driveway, if its forecasted to warm up I go back with the bucket and scrape down to bare dirt if possible, so the sun can melt everything. If its going to be cold for a while, leaving that 1" of snow won't hurt, but it can turn into ice and make everything more interesting.

Has worked well for me and I have had low slung sports cars that I still take out during the winter as long as there isn't snow on the roads.

 

[RCW]

I use both sand and pellet stove ashes on the packed down snow/ice. Can still get sand by the bucket from the town barn. Woodstove ashes were much better - all I used for years. Coal ashes might be better yet.

Helps with grit, and also the ashes are dark colored, which helps absorb the sun's heat. Usually it doesn't get too slick. Driveway is short - only takes maybe 10 buckets a year of sand.

When it does melt off, there are layers of sand in it so it stays a little gritty.

Had tough winters (like last year) when the hard-packed snow/ice/sand/ashes can get 3 or 4 inches thick in spots.