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funchy
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 128 north eastern corner of Maryland
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2005-01-19          104531

Today is the first time it's snowed here since I got my bx23. Can you give any tips on removing snow from a gravel drive and/or a asphault lane?

Have the FEL on and 5' scraper blade.

Stupid question, but is it easy (or possible) for me to make significant damage to the asphalt by clearing it with the FEL? I try not to gouge when I move snow, but I'm not sure how much force it would take.

The bx23 is my first "real" tractor. It did a GREAT job in this snow, never losing traction or being underpowered. I love this thing!


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jarndt
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 351 Northern Virginia
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2005-01-20          104535

I don't have much experience clearing snow with a FEL, but plenty with a 5' rear blade on gravel. First off, get a set of skid shoes. They will prevent the cutting edge from digging into the gravel. If you don't have skid shoes turn the blade so it faces forward, then drive in reverse pushing snow with the back side of the blade. Works like a charm. ....

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jarndt
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 351 Northern Virginia
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2005-01-20          104536

Just make sure the blade is completely level otherwise when you angle it, it will tend to gouge with one corner. You can check for level by parking on a flat surface (like a garage floor). Spin the blade around such that it is inline with the tractor. Slowly lower the 3PH and inspect the angle the blade makes with the floor. Adjust the turnbuckles until the edge of the blade is even with the floor. Also, tighten up the stay chains to prevent the blade from walking from side to side. ....

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DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998
Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2005-01-20          104537

For a paved drive I do not recommend the the skid shoes, at least the woods version I have. I think the only time you would want to use them on a paved drive is if your drive was broken up with ruts and pot holes then they would be OK.

The rear grader blade works well for light snow pulling straight ahead and reverse plowing after your turn the blade to face rear <-->--C

....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2005-01-20          104539

All the above is good advice, it just takes some practice to see what works best. FEL bucket corners and blade corners can scratch black top. Someone a while back posted about puting a piece of split plastic hose or pipe on the cutting edge of their FEL bucket, I haven't tried it yet but it sounds like a good idea. Beat of luck. Frank. ....

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beagle
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1333 Michigan
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2005-01-20          104540

Gouging with the FEL can be a problem. I wouldn't think so much with a paved surface, but it sure is with my gravel drive and road. Make sure you roll the bucket slightly back when pushing. You won't scrape the pavement clean, but you won't gouge it either. You can also add a piece of pipe to the cutting edge of the buicket to soften the inpact on the pavement. I haven't done it, but there is a lot of discussion about this in the archives.

Clearing with the FEL takes a bit of practice and patience. More patience than I was blessed with. I prefer to clear the snow with a front blade. If you regularly plow snow, a front blade is worth the investment, and a little more affordable than a blower. ....

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jd2210
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 112 IN
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2005-01-20          104541

I have not tried this specifically, but suspect it will work great; that is, sandwitch (see my first picture of my machine on the front blade) a 3/4" thick x whatever width X 6" tall piece of rubber between the cutting edge and blade and you will not make up any of the backtop and it will work more like a squeege. Chances are you will need to add a bit of weight to the rear blade but this will likely be the ticket. On my front blade, I can clean pavement, blacktop and even GRAVEL without digging in, because the rubber will fold under and not mark up any surface. Obviously, all this will need to be removed during times of real cutting need, but for snow it has served me very well. ....

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lbrown59
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2005-01-20          104543

Had the BX 23 in the snow for the first time today.
Cleared about 250 feet of driveway in about 20 minutes with the fel.
Went very good for first time plowing snow.

Now to see How I do with it in a real snow. This was our first one this winter and was only about 2" but it gave me an excuse to go play in the snow.LOL

I have a slag drive.
I rolled the bucket back slightly.
Lowered the FEL just enough to slightly or nearly contact the slag pulled ahead a few feet to see how that worked.
If ok then i just started plowing.
I was able to go forward or backward without moving the FEL again most of the time unless I hit a high spot.

One thing i think helped me was I had just leveled and smothed out the slag a few days ago.
....

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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2005-01-20          104546

My theory on skid shoes is to keep the blade off the driveway material no matter what it is.

The goal is to leave a 1/4 or 1/2 inch of snow behind for the sun or traffic to clear. Kind of like when you cut grass.... leave a little something behind.

The goal is not to scrape it all the way down to asphalt or gravel because the is no such thing as a dead level surface so you WILL gouge something if do that on your lawn or your driveway.

Set the skid shoes for the right amount of clearance and then FLOAT the blade. If the blade won't stay engaged... meaning it floats up on you..... add weight to the blade but try real hard not to force it against the drive with hydraulic pressure. When you do that the skid shoes are carrying the weight of the tractor and can damage the surface. ....

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AV8R
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 882 North Central Wisconsin
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2005-01-20          104553

How about a snowblower? ....


Link:   Snowblower

 
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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2005-01-20          104556

Snow blowers are great except on gravel drives. Seems no matter how I adjust the skid shoes, angle of the machine etc. I still seem to scrape a ridge that will feed some loose gravel into the machine. They will turn loose gravel into bullets that go farther than you'd think. I've had an 8 ft. blower for the 3pt. of a farm tractor for probably 25 yrs., but I only use it when the snow is too much for a FEL. probably 90% of my snow removal needs are on gravel drives but on a paved drive or parking aeria you'r right they are the ultimate in snow removal. Frank. ....

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lbrown59
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2005-01-20          104560

are the ultimate in snow removal.
Frank.
----------------
A blade on a 4x4 truck with heat is the ultimate ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-01-20          104563

"A blade on a 4x4 truck with heat is the ultimate "

Not quite, the unit shown in my picture # 15 will plow circles (literally) around the typical pickup.

In some cases it will plow where, and in ways, a pickup simply couldn't and a pickup driver couldn't begin stack snow as high as it will.

With a blower on the other end, good luck even coming close.

Best of luck. ....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2005-01-20          104565

Ibrown/Murf; You too are correct in your concept of ultimate in snow removal. My first choice is the pickup with the plow, I like being warm and the faster transport time from job to job. When I bought my pickup plow the dealer told me very sternly not to get the idea that I could ram snow banks like the county truck with the V plow, everything has it's limits. When I said that a blower is the ultimate I meant that when it was too much for the pickup you get the FEL then in the most severe cases you use the blower when there's no place left to push more snow. Thank goodness we've not has a winter that bad for a few years, but there were times in the past when the county trucks and graders with V plows gave up and they brought in a monster blower to get people out. Frank. ....

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jpr62902
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 21 Lebanon, Ohio
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2005-01-20          104566

When removing snow with the FEL, just use the float position (all the way forward on the joystick -- it should lock there). The fel won't gouge anything that way. Works great for me! ....

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DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998
Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2005-01-20          104567

On a paved drive the snow is like shaving cream for the rear grader blade ;-), gotta watch for a nick here and there though. ....

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beagle
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1333 Michigan
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2005-01-20          104568

When using the FEL to plow, even in float, make sure the bucket is slightly rolled back. Having that cutting edge get caught or gouge something can be dangerous. Float alone won't prevent gouging. Even in float, the lip can catch something on the plow surface and cause some damage to you and/or your tractor. Plow blades have a trip mechanism that will allow the blade to roll if you hit an obstruction. You don't have that with the FEL bucket. If the bucket is rolled back slightly and in float, the rolled back bucket will allow the FEL to roll over the obstruction instead of digging into it. Even a piece of ice frozen to the road or pavement from tire tracks could cause serious problems if caught by the cutting edge.

In any case, always take it slow. You can't see what's under the snow. ....

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JAZAK5
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 276 coxsackie,ny
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2005-01-20          104574

how about getting some poly cutting edge that are offered in the snow plow catologs
it comes in various thicknesses and lenghts
its self sacrificing with out gouging the black top ....

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stuarth
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 16 ohio
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2005-01-20          104575

I have a BX2230 and just added the front blade with angle. This is the best bet for snow on a paved drive. WHAT A MACHINE, my wife was not happy when I bought the tractor or the blade but she is coming around now. Even more when I do her small paking lot at her barber shop. Can't say it enough, WHAT A MACHINE!!! ....

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oneace
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1490 south central pa
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2005-01-21          104582

Check out my pics 8,9, and 10. ....

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jarndt
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 351 Northern Virginia
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2005-01-21          104586

That looks like it would put a serious hurtin' on a couple feet of snow! Nice setup. Yours? ....

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oneace
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1490 south central pa
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2005-01-21          104626

No it is not mine. I just installed the blower on it. ....

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ampebob
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 16 piedmont ohio
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2005-01-21          104630

About a month ago one of the guys from up north suggested a 2" pipe slotted to fit over the FEL blade.He suggested welding a couple of nuts to the pipe and inserting bolts for semi-permanent attachment. Tried it and have to say it solved my gouging problems.
Bob ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-01-21          104632

Your welcome.

....

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botamac
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 71 MI
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2005-01-21          104646

I installed a piece of ¾ rubber that you use on my rear plow blade and sandwiched between the blade and a piece of ½ x 2 bar stock, I’ve been using it this year to clear snow from the drive. My drive is asphalt and my sisters is gravel and it works great and when I’m done with snow, I’ll put the cutting edge back on the blade and use it in the summer. I did find the rubber piece at that OTHER Green tractor store it goes on a blade the deer uses and it’s 5 feet long just the right size for your blade. ....

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Garycorn
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 17 eastern Nebraska
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2005-01-21          104648

Murf,

When I went to your picture #15 I got a picture of a map with Florida in the north. What is in the picture you are refering to?

Oneace,

I also didn't get the right pictures in your photo album. Your pics 8,9,10 are a close up of part of you tractor. I can't find your pics of a John Deere with a snow blower.

Gary ....

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botamac
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 71 MI
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2005-01-21          104649

Had to put the FEL on so while I was out I took two pictures of my rear blade ( pic 15 & 16) with the rubber blade on. Works great and leaves no marks on drive way. ....

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oneace
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1490 south central pa
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2005-01-21          104651

Gary your have cached pages on your computer. Your have to hit the refresh button on your browser. ....

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lbrown59
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2005-01-21          104652

I took two pictures of my rear blade ( pic 15 & 16) with the rubber blade on. Works great and leaves no marks on drive way.
botamac
============
Nice pictures.
Could you tell us the story behind the stuck B20?
Wish now I had buit my building 30 by 56 rather than 30x52.

....

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botamac
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 71 MI
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2005-01-21          104653

Well lbrown59
That was my neighbor; he was very upset after paying for a survey and found out that many of his neighbors on the other side of him had built sheds, swing sets and above ground pools on his property and not just a foot or two, the shed was twenty five feet on his property, And these people were ticked off that he sent them a letter to remove the items in question. So he started to install a 800 foot long fence between him and them, well after about 750 feet we found out you can stand on the ground but your tractor can sink very quickly and since he had the post hole auger on the tractor and not the back hoe he could not move, I my self don’t in the swamp w/o the back hoe on. The best part to this whole story is, he laughed when I got my BX23 because it was so small, well he does not laugh any more, when I have pictures of pulling him out. ....

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lbrown59
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2005-01-22          104717

Last nite we got freezing rain.
just plowed the drive.
It was a combination of snow ice and slush.

The main problem I had on the ice was the front end wanted to go sdieways.

Loading the bucket with snow and raising the fel a little helped when ever it wanted to go sideways. ....

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grassgod
Join Date: Apr 2004
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2005-01-28          105104

for about a hundred bucks you can buy a rubber cutting edge & remove your metal one till spring. They are thick & strong but wont harm the asphalt. You can buy them at www dot rubbercal dot com ....

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denwood
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 542 Quarryville PA
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2005-01-29          105187

Something I do with the scraper blade is remove the tilt pin and let the blade float as is goes over the drive. I tried setting the 3 point arms to float laterally but it does not work as well. You can only do this on the higher end scrapers that actually have tilt adjustment. I was worried that one end would stay dropped and gouge but it seems very balanced and only dropped one time when a large chunk of snow stuck to the blade. As soon as it fell off, it leveled right out. ....

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Paladin
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 81 Eastern Pennsylvania
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2005-01-30          105219

I got more damn good ideas from this thread. I plowed snow for the first time with my L3010 with FEL and Bushhog rear blade. I wish I had read the thread before. I found the blade more productive than the loader bucket and I wound up reversing the blade and plowing in reverse to clean off a parking lot. I think that I will try the rubber edge concept for next year. I have part of my driveway in Belgian Blocks to look nice and authentic (it's a 1790 home) and I don't want to gouge them up.

Of course, I won't be plowing any more until I can unfreeze the tires, which was the subject of another thread.

My bucket uses the standard skid steer mount (Great Bend FEL). How would I go about putting a truck - type snow blade on the front of the 3010 to replace the bucket? Used plows are often available for cheap around here once winter is over. ....

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denwood
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 542 Quarryville PA
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2005-01-30          105228

some people weld ears in the bucket and pin the plow right in the bucket. Otherwise, you just need to weld up some sort of frame and weld a quick tach plate to one side and ears on the other. I think the plates run around $100. My bobcat's cost $90 a few years back. Make sure you can allow for free floating that is seperate from boom float. The boom float may add too much weight on the plow. ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
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2005-01-31          105286

Paladin, look at my picture # 15.

Basically all you need is a pair of heavy tabs on each side with holes to accept the plow harness and a method of connecting the lift chain, for the older style blades, to the top of the FEL bracket.

If you have access to a welder, or someone who will do it for you, you can buy heavy steel tabs with the right size hole in them already, they are sold as weld on ends for hydraulic cylinders. They range between 3/8" & 1 thick with holes that vary from 1" to 1.5" in diameter, generally they are all about 2" from the back side to the center of the hole, just about perfect for this use. Weld 4 of these to a spare quick-tatch plate (or make another one as I did) and have the use of forks and other stuff (see my picture # 18, same bracket as in # 15) the rest of the year.

Best of luck. ....

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