Go BottomCurtis Plow on a Kubota LA723 Loader
 | retcol
Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 109 Barron,wi 
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2007-08-03 144304
I was considering a Curtis plow to be put on the front of my Kubota Loader to plow snow. My salesman advised me not to do that because when I would have the plow angled it may put too much stress on my loader. Is this a problem? I am trying to come up with a means to plow snow where I don't have to look back. I really don't have too much luck just with a bucket on the loader since I have a gravel driveway. Any ideas without a lot of cost?
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 | candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1932 North Dakota 
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2007-08-03 144305
Retcol,
Your dealer is correct. Putting a snow blade on your loader will cause you all kinds of problems. Aside from possibly twisting your loader (usually this happens when you hit a curb, or some other solid object) you'll also find that you'll have very little steering control.
Have you looked at the blades that mount directly on the tractor frame, up front? These blades can be operated in two ways.
With the loader off, you can use the loader's hydraulic operating valves to control the angle and the hight of the blade.....up-down, right-left. This system uses hydraulic cylinders to control the blade angle and the height. This is the more expensive system.
The 2nd option is to mount the blade to the tractor's frame. With trailing arms extending rearward, you then use the 3-point position control to raise and lower the blade. These trailing arms mount to the belly mower attachment points.
With this option you will not be able to control the left-right angle of attack. You'll have to set the angle of the blade manually. It will not be adjustable from the tractor seat.
Additionally, the up-down controls, using the 3-point adjustment, are opposite. "Up" is down on the blade. Lowering on the three-point control would raise the blade. This will only work if you have a large amount of weight attached to your three point arms behind your tractor, as you'll need that weight to raise the blade when you set the lower the 3-point control.
The second option is the cheaper way to go, but it's not as convenient as having the ability to run all blade functions from the driver's seat, using the loader control valves.
Joel ....
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada 
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2007-08-03 144307
Retcol, I suspect your salesman needs some real world experience in this case.
If you look at my picture # 15 you will see that I plow with a full-sized steel snow plow on my LA682 FEL. I've been doing this, with several different machines over a period of nearly 20 years, only one of them is used for 'personal use' all the rest are used this way in commercial snow removal operations.
The biggest problem I've had so far was snow stacked so high it took till well into the spring for the pile to melt.
It is by far the easiest method of plowing I've come across yet.
Best of luck. ....
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| candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2007-08-03 144309
Murf,
I've tried using a blade mounted to the loader arms. It's never worked for me, nor for anyone else here in North Dakota.
Of course, our snow drifts get hard enough to drive over, due to the wind and cold. The drifts are very solid.
If our snow drifts didn't pack in like concrete, I'm sure a blade on the front loader would work great.
I now use a snowblower, due the fact that our drifts are so hard. My tractor's front tires just slide off to one side when hitting the drifts with a blade.
Joel ....
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 | cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York
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2007-08-03 144319
I had a Curtis on two different loaders and found it to be a PITA. I too thought it would be great on a gravel driveway but it was nothing but a big disappointment.
If you attempt to use the float position as soon as the loader meets some resistance, the front wheels come off the ground. If you use down pressure you dig up your driveway. Gravel driveways are uneven so leaving the blade a little high does not work either.
I sold the thing and good riddance. All you need to do is curl your loader bucket back a little bit and use that instead. I use both a three point rear blade and a snow blower for the rear, whatever I need, depending upon the weather. I wish I had purchased the blower in the first place.
If you do go the blower route, make sure you establish a bit of a frozen base in your driveway prior to firing it up or the neighobors will think they are under attack :)
....
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| retcol
Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 109 Barron,wi
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2007-08-04 144323
Which style and brand of a snow blower do you recommend? Do you recommend a front or rear mounted blower? With the rear mounted blowers do you recommend one where you back up or one that you drive forward? Do you recommend a single or dual auger? ....
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| candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2007-08-04 144324
Retcol,
If you live in a place in which you have a lot of obstacles to blow around, or a very small area to blow out, it might be better to have a smaller unit, as it makes things a bit easier to see around, turn, etc.
I prefer to put my blower on the 3-point hitch, going in reverse. It's the fastest way to mount and remove the blower, and it's better than having to drive through the drifts before being able to blow them out.
If I made my living blowing snow for other people, I'd clearly go with the front-mount blower.
Blowers are preferred over blades here in the Dakotas, simply because blades create piles of snow which cause huge drifts to form behind them when the wind blows.....and the wind always blows. Anything that sticks up into the air, even a few inches, will cause a drift to form behind it. Blowers prevent this problem.....or at least reduce it to a great degree.
The brand isn't necessarily important. I prefer a heavy blower that won't bump and bounce around. The heavier, the better. Put it in gear and get the snow out of the yard.....pronto. If your tractor will handle the bigger double-auger units, go with one.
You might want to invest in a set of chains for your tractor. This will help you get the traction you need to push your way through the hard stuff, if you have any. In those cases where I lose traction, I use my loader to help push. I rotate the bucket down (dump) and after digging it into the packed snow, I rotate back to the level position. This provides a tremendous amount of push.....and this is why I prefer to have a blower mounted on the rear.....the loader is very useful.
If you have a hydro tractor, you can easily go with a slightly bigger unit, as ground speed is one of the most limiting factors when selecting a blower.
Joel
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| Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2007-08-07 144413
Cutter, if you look at my blade setup and think back to how your Curtis was you will see one big difference.
My blade is free to pivot at the point of attachment just like it is on a truck.
This doesn't seem like much, but in fact it's huge, it means the only weight on the balde is the blade itself, and the entire weight of the FEL is still on the front wheels.
I talked to somone who had a SSL angle blade mounted on the FEL of a CUT, it too was a PITA, in fact they were rather astounded when they saw how well mine worked compared to theirs.
Best of luck.
....
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Add PhotoCurtis Plow on a Kubota LA723 Loader
| cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York
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2007-08-08 144487
Murf,
I agree totally with your recommendations, I use mine in similar fashion. Also, what you are describing relative to the pivot point is THE problem with the Curtis, that is, they don't have one :) ....
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