Re: Advice on using blade for snow removal
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Posted by steve on November 25, 1998 at 08:26:37:
In Reply to: Advice on using blade for snow removal posted by Twofoot on November 21, 1998 at 10:09:31:
It's a good thing the advice provided here is free.
What is with this "30 horsepower isn't enough" - for
what? Concrete? I have a whopping 14-18? horse Super A with a 6' back blade
on a Farmall drawbar with lifting arm (2 point hitch, if you will).
I have plenty of horsepower, and always pull the snow behind
me. If the snow is light - 4", I don't angle the blade
at all, which, oddly, works well. At other times, I use the mid-point
angle, or the extreme angle, depending on snow weight and depth.
I have driven through 24" inch snow, and plowed at least 12",
sometimes leaving the blade 6" off the ground to ease
the load on the tractor. Good tires, chains, and wheelweights
help quite a bit. You have to practice, practice, practice to learn what
works. I realize that Colorado snow is lighter than that
found in other areas. If you find that your tractor can't
plow 20" of snow, then get out there while it's snowing an
make a pass or two before it gets too deep. Also, if you suspect
a blizzard, make a double-wide cleared area on the first pass,
so that you have a place to put the snow on the second pass,
and still have a place wide enough for vehicles. If you only
clear an 8' path, where will you push the snow when it's
higher than the blade - you can't, and it just falls
in behind your blade. While a back blade has some disadvantages, it's nice for
clearing out in front of garage doors (as someone else
mentioned). I'd like a front blade just to push large
piles over the edge of hills and gullys to get rid of
it. So far, it seems like most people have trashed your rig
(online) and given you no hope. The key thing is to get on it
before it gets too deep (yeah, I don't like plowing in a
blizzard either) and don't push your equipment too hard -
you just waste time and get frustrated. It's easier and
more fun than you might imagine. (I grew up in Michigan with very wet snow, and lived in
Massachusetts, so I do know what wet snow is like..) Steve
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