Jump to content
ebinmaine

Plowing snow. How about your tips, tricks and advice?

Recommended Posts

Tankman
13 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

Awful flat down there.

Not much for mountain hiking.

Nice and toasty though....

 

And I love conch fritters too.

 

Grew up on Eastern Long Island, love the ocean and, could push sand dunes with any Horse!  :ychain:

  • Like 2
  • Haha 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
LengerichKA88

Had a question, and I figured this would be the best place to ask it: What does moving this bar and changing the angle of the blade do when pushing? Would you adjust this one way or the other if you had 1-3” v 3-6” to make things easier? Do you guys set it to a certain position and leave it all season? Figured these would be questions to ask BEFORE it snows 😂

image.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
LengerichKA88
On 11/17/2018 at 11:47 AM, SPINJIM said:

Anyone have opinions on the TILT of the blade top-to-bottom?   Most WH blades I have seen have the tilt adjustment in the second hole from the top.   But the big trucks that the highway dept uses, don't push the snow.   They lift the snow from the road, and throw it to the side.   I adjusted my 48" blade at max tilt, and found it did a better job on that sloppy snow that we just had.   Along with wheel weights and chains and some momentum, it seemed to lift and throw instead of push.   

 

Also, tri-rib tires or chains on the front help to keep the plowing straight. 

 

Jim

I guess I should’ve gone all the way back through the thread. Just for clarification, to achieve the tilt you’re talking about, you moved the bar the the bottom hole, correct? 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
WVHillbilly520H
53 minutes ago, Lengerich8 said:

Had a question, and I figured this would be the best place to ask it: What does moving this bar and changing the angle of the blade do when pushing? Would you adjust this one way or the other if you had 1-3” v 3-6” to make things easier? Do you guys set it to a certain position and leave it all season? Figured these would be questions to ask BEFORE it snows 😂

image.jpg

The top link (as I call it) when pushing snow you would want it tilt/curl forward to help the snow to "roll" off the blade better, when doing dirt/gravel dozer work you would tilt it back or straight up to help move more material with out rolling off the blade make sense now?

  • Like 3
  • Excellent 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
LengerichKA88
1 minute ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

The top link (as I call it) when pushing snow you would want it tilt/curl forward to help the snow to "roll" off the blade better, when doing dirt/gravel dozer work you would tilt it back or straight up to help move more material with out rolling off the blade make sense now?

Perfect! I knew what I wanted it to do, just not which way to move it to achieve that😂 Thanks!

  • Excellent 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
ericj
On 11/21/2018 at 8:30 AM, Lengerich8 said:

Had a question, and I figured this would be the best place to ask it: What does moving this bar and changing the angle of the blade do when pushing? Would you adjust this one way or the other if you had 1-3” v 3-6” to make things easier? Do you guys set it to a certain position and leave it all season? Figured these would be questions to ask BEFORE it snows 😂

image.jpg

that's the hole I use, from my experience when I role the blade more forward you have to be very careful or it will dig in, and when you are plowing snow from your yard you don't want to dig in AT all lol

 

 

 

 

eric j 

  • Excellent 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
chrisjb
On 11/17/2018 at 10:31 AM, AMC RULES said:

Typically, you just replace your sector Eric. 

From this...

 

to this.

 

 

See here though...

IMG_0849.JPG.1ece4558bc985104e11f14cbb342d074.JPG

should be room to just add another hole to your current three hole sector. 

 

Hi, new to site and Wheel Horse (89 312-8 working, and a 84? 312-8 for parts).  While on the questions of plows, anyone have any luck in locating shoes for these snow plows?  I'm assuming that is what the holes in the bottom of the plows are for.

 

I got to plow for the very first time in the recent snow fall....on the very same day I got my leaf vacuum/bagger up and running :-) - and then removed to mount the  snow plow.  Needless to say since I didn't have any wheel weights or chains, I went no where fast.

 

I'm looking to avoid using chains so I'm cleaning up the old rims on the '84 and mounting snow tires. 

From what I've heard, narrower tires give better traction in the snow.

The '84 has 5" rims so I'm going with 22x7x12 ATV tire I found on amazon - should get the set today.  I've already cleaned and repainted front rims and am ready to start the remounting process. (I've never unmounted/mounted tires before, so it's been fun...).

 

So time for a few questions, if I may:

 

-How can you tell the number of "pins" in the differential?  I was planning on filling the tires for some antifreeze for weights (I ordered tubes as well, and since I'm learning, I might as well make it as difficult as possible :grin:.  In looking through the resources here, it is either recommended or discourages based on the number of pins.

 

-Is it possible to put on too much weight?   I was going to add wheel weights as well to avoid using chains.

 

-Is there a way to stop the drive belt from slipping?   The night of the snowfall was a bust, but the next day when every got slushy, I was having a lot of fun...until I pushed a big enough pile that the drive belt began to slip.  Any thoughts.

 

And while I'm at it, is there a user area to learn about the site, like how to upload pics in the gallery?

 

Thanks very much, and I hope I am not derailing...and some pics

Front Snow Finished.jpg

AWH with plow.jpg

Tires 950 versus 750.jpg

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
ebinmaine
4 minutes ago, chrisjb said:

Thanks very much, and I hope I am not derailing.

No worries there.

We're all here to learn and share.

Welcome to Redsquare!!

 

13 minutes ago, chrisjb said:

since I'm learning, I might as well make it as difficult as possible 

Good sense of adventure!!

 

Soo.....

There are several different differentials over the years..

Yours may have the smaller of the 2 axle diameters that year but don't be too concerned.

I run a plow on my B80 and it's fine.

 

Weights.... Too much? I don't think so.

I have over 355 pounds of extra weights all around and plowing is about being able to stick to the ground.

 

Belts... If you don't know when was the last time yours was replaced, just go get a new one. It's probably over due.

Be sure it's the cloth sided equipment type, not a rubber sided automotive belt.

 

There is a learning area if you scroll down called finding your way around Redsquare.

If you're on a phone the site is different from being on a PC.

For me sometimes doing a half decent search From the phone is tough but the folks here are very helpful and always lead me in the right direction.

 

Glad to have you on board.

Always ask more questions.

And... We all like lots of pics.

Become a supporter and you can post all the pics you want and the ads go away.

 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
peter lena

I see that you don't have the steering quadrant area LUBRICATED  on this plow, that would help on its rotary function , you could also add snow chute spray or silicone to front blade area for quicker  release. if you were going to plow a flat smooth driveway that would be simple and easy, just over plow the edges so you  will have future space for more snow. l agree with more weight and traction , that is basic stuff when plowing. Learn from your trial , surprised to hear about drive belt slip, have you ever replaced the belt? I regularly look over my belts for wear , and replace them as needed, never let them fail. glad to see the safety clips in rear plow mount levers. if you have a neighbor that plows you might share ideas, I add bicycle  LED  flashing  rear lights  for road side plowing , I plow and throw snow , depending on what its like , learn from your experience . good luck pete 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
chrisjb

Thanks for the info.

 

And your right - my plow is dry.  Something else to add to the list.:)

 

I'll also look into replacing the drive belt.  From the looks of how the other areas were maintained - air filter, brake band, trans boot, other belts, etc, the drive belt is most likely original.  I'm blaming the drive belt since, at the snowfall, I would lose forward motion but then look down to see the drive wheel(s) spinning.  Day 2, no spin but forward motion stopped, but no wheels spin, strange tranny noise, or change in engine rpm - just no more forward motion.  So I'm assuming (hoping) it was belt slip.

 

Unfortunately in my case, over plowing isn't an option.  I don't have a large property in the land of "shoehorning in as big as house as possible on a lot" and have a 60 foot run where the snow has to removed - 9 feet wide with house wall on one side and a 3" drop down right into my neighbors property.  I'm always afraid if I put snow on the neighbor side, I could risk flooding his basement which would not be a good thing.

 

Picture below (see the truck up in the top left) shows part of the area described.  Yeah, it was a tight squeeze getting the plow between the trailer and the mustang.:)

 

 

Tight Squeeze.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
TunaSlayet

I owned a 414-8 that was pully swapped for a little more ground speed.(about 11mph). This might not be the greatest for the tractor but man did it help with plowing. I never had problems, but it must stress the trans a little more. In 3rd high, it would really toss the snow, and it greatly shorten the time plowing. It gave it more momentum. I had wheel weights, 2 link HD chains, roller chain on the front tires for steering, and a 48” blade. 

A4705124-2EFC-4C98-AF40-6F458E90B21C.jpeg

  • Like 4

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
Walt
On 11/22/2018 at 10:44 AM, ericj said:

when you are plowing snow from your yard you don't want to dig in AT all

When I transition from drives or sidewalks I tend to grab the lift handle and ease it up leaving layer of snow on grass helping to protect the lawn.  

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
ebinmaine
10 minutes ago, Walt said:

When I transition from drives or sidewalks I tend to grab the lift handle and ease it up leaving layer of snow on grass helping to protect the lawn.  

Good tip.

Little to no grass here. We don't cultivate it at all.

What we do have is a lot of rocks and stumps in the forest and I tried to plow the path a little bit near the shed and working area. Helps a lot to raise the plow and do it in a couple different cuts.

I learned that one by trial and error over the last couple storms.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
chrisjb

Rims have been sanded, primed & painted.  Tubes are in and new shoes are on.  Time to get some antifreeze.  Still have one or 2 more rounds of leaf pickup to do, and have to mount the new drive belt, so I have a little time to procrastinate on the liquid filling.

 

Mounting was, um......., fun, yeah,  that's it.....fun.:blink:  Only tore one tube on the first attempt.  (Front view only....)

 

1664810061_TiresNewMounted01.jpg.fc4adafb6abe60a1a0cfe12c25c0d8f2.jpg

 

Hopefully the treads are aggressive enough to avoid chains.  I was happy to find out the the rears are UTV tires, so operating psi is 7 versus being 3-4 as is the case with most ATV tires, or so I've read.  All tires are over pressurized to max right now to test for leaks.

146052926_TiresNewMounted02.jpg.47fc5bb7ee1efa2fb977e541e2bf7e43.jpg

 

Rear is sized at 22-7.0-12.  It makes the narrow 22-7.5-12 look fat.  Hopefully the down pressure will be helpful against slip.1899105399_TiresNewZside02.jpg.2aa12b8760310a89bc075c8c6d2f298d.jpg

  • Like 2
  • Excellent 1
  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
ebinmaine
1 hour ago, chrisjb said:

Hopefully the treads are aggressive enough to avoid chains

keep us posted on that. I probably am not the only one who's curious to know how they do.

 

 

1 hour ago, chrisjb said:

Mounting was, um......., fun, yeah,  that's it.....fun

Time for you to go buy an HF tire changer.

That will allow you to break the beads on any tire but also will be able to mount the Rears.

Best 40 bucks you'll ever spend...

To mount the fronts you get a 3/4" piece of threaded Rod about 12 inches long and some nuts and spacers and mount it in a big bench vise to be able to hold the rim while you're working with the tire.

 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
chrisjb

I will.

 

I did purchase the HF mini tire changer after fighting to break the rusted bead on the first tire - definitely made tire removal much easier.  It was a little less helpful for mounting - in the end I needed to use spoons to coax the bead over the rim.  Inexperience didn't help the situation either, nor the fact that I didn't permanently mount the changer. :)

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
ebinmaine
1 hour ago, chrisjb said:

permanently mount the changer

That would have helped you for sure but from what I've seen and experienced you probably are still better off using spoons in combination with the mounted rim.... At least on the smaller tires anyways.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
Pullstart

@chrisjb I am hijacking Eric’s plowing tips thread to give you a tip on liquid filling your tires...

 

use a a portable air tank...  pull the gauge out of the tank, fill it up, replace the gauge, charge it with 20-50 psi or air,  turn the tank upside down, hook up the tire to the tank and let the air pressure push the liquid into the tire.  You might need to purge the air pressure in the tire a few times, but my liquid filled tires have virtually no air pressure in them.

Edited by pullstart
Dumb auto correct...
  • Like 4

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
RJR49

Weight is great. As a teenager I plowed my father's driveway with a 1045 and no weight. It worked, but beat the hell out of the frame. As an adult I have always favored blowers for that reason.  

 

But, as with most Medicare aged horses, the frame and seatpan need the tender loving care of steel and a welders torch. I Put a larger pulley on the drive shaft to increase impeller speed, hopefully, shooting snow farther giving the impeller a little less work to do.  Slush can jam the shoot, I use a stick to clear the jam so i don't have to shut it down. 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
WHX??
On 11/17/2018 at 6:00 AM, ebinmaine said:

I know this subject has been covered multiple times over the years. We have a lot of new members and many of us like to refresh ourselves too.

Please feel free to post links to old posts as well.

 

 

So what can you share with everyone about plowin' the White stuff??

 

Quote

 

Whatever you can / care to share.....

I find it helps alot when I talk to myself. ....after all I'm the only one who will listen to me. Most times it involves quite a bit of french  like blow mf blow...or git the four letter word out of my way or when the tires don't steer till I lift the blower I'll mumble now steady big fella. My wife often asks who were you talking too? Even over the roar of the Onan she hears me.... course she's outside with a she shovel and I am in a nice warm cab. Most of the time if the talking to myself gets old I will just start singing to myself .....whatever tune is stuck in my head at the time. If that gets old I'll flick on the cab lights pull out in the road and pretend I'm helping land a jumbo jet.  Hope this helps guys. 

Edited by WHX21
  • Excellent 2
  • Haha 7

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
ebinmaine
6 hours ago, WHX21 said:

Hope this helps guys

Of course it does!!

  • Haha 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
Pullstart
14 hours ago, WHX21 said:

 

I find it helps alot when I talk to myself. ....after all I'm the only one who will listen to me. Most times it involves quite a bit of french  like blow mf blow...or git the four letter word out of my way or when the tires don't steer till I lift the blower I'll mumble now steady big fella. My wife often asks who were you talking too? Even over the roar of the Onan she hears me.... course she's outside with a she shovel and I am in a nice warm cab. Most of the time if the talking to myself gets old I will just start singing to myself .....whatever tune is stuck in my head at the time. If that gets old I'll flick on the cab lights pull out in the road and pretend I'm helping land a jumbo jet.  Hope this helps guys. 

 

Sounds like a fun shop to be a fly on the wall!

  • Like 1
  • Haha 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
LengerichKA88

I may have asked this question elsewhere,  I don’t remember and I can’t find it if I did. If it is a duplicate question I apologize.  

Are there any places (local to central Indiana, or online) that anyone’s used to replace the cutting edge/wear bar (that’s what I’ve always heard it referred to) of their plow? I’m pretty sure we’re sporting the original. Ours is a 42in blade. 

 

1AFC30EA-E16F-47C9-89B6-C89EC17DCA94.jpeg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
LengerichKA88
On 12/4/2018 at 8:16 PM, pullstart said:

@chrisjb I am hijacking Eric’s plowing tips thread to give you a tip on liquid filling your tires...

 

use a a portable air tank...  pull the gauge out of the tank, fill it up, replace the gauge, charge it with 20-50 psi or air,  turn the tank upside down, hook up the tire to the tank and let the air pressure push the liquid into the tire.  You might need to purge the air pressure in the tire a few times, but my liquid filled tires have virtually no air pressure in them.

Dumb question: 

do you do this with regular valve stems, or are there valve stems specifically for liquid filling? 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
ericj
14 minutes ago, KyleLengerich said:

I may have asked this question elsewhere,  I don’t remember and I can’t find it if I did. If it is a duplicate question I apologize.  

Are there any places (local to central Indiana, or online) that anyone’s used to replace the cutting edge/wear bar (that’s what I’ve always heard it referred to) of their plow? I’m pretty sure we’re sporting the original. Ours is a 42in blade. 

 

1AFC30EA-E16F-47C9-89B6-C89EC17DCA94.jpeg

looks like the top side isn't worn so you can flip them over and use the other side, otherwise you should be able to get one from your local toro dealer. If you have know a good machine shop you can have a heavier one made up, thicker steel, some guys have put rubber or plastic on the bottom. try searching cutting edge. good luck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

eric j 

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Similar Content

    • Ifixoldjunk
      By Ifixoldjunk
      So I finally got around to finishing my custom bagger mount weight bracket conversion. It seems to hold weight really well.
      all that really went into it was a few pieces of steel tubing and a hunk of bar steel. The long bolts I used came with the weight off amazon. A Briggs and Stratton 50 pounder. I’d like to eventually find a nice cast weight, but for now this works great!
    • whamm511
      By whamm511
      Can anyone tell me if 23 10.50 12 Wheel Weights will work on 23 9.50 12 wheels?
    • Jack Oldham
      By Jack Oldham
      Hi All,
         I have a question regarding doing an electric mod on my Wheelhorse A800 Ranger. What I wish to do is install some front headlights, rear brake lights, and indicators on all four corners i would also like to install a horn a some point but that can come later. I'm unsure on the best way of wiring this, what gauge wire to use, do I need a fuse if so what ampage and where also what size amp hour battery is best to use if I'm running these additions so i don't drain the battery. I understand more how I'm going to wire the indicators than how I'm going to get the break light to work but really require advice on both.
      Thanks for you time in reading this.
      Jack Oldham
    • Horse's ass
      By Horse's ass
      After 65inches of snow in a few days, my horse keeps getting stuck with the blower.  I’m wondering if the 12in wheel weights sold by craftsman or other manufacturers are compatible with my standard rear wheels on my c161.  Will the holes line up?  Thanks and Happy New Year!
    • Petes Horse
      By Petes Horse
      I've been looking for a while. The bolt holes just line up and the wire is a little tight between the fender and light. No drilling though.
      They were at Rural King. I think about three bucks each. Optronics MC42RS RED  Marker/Clearance.
       
       



×
×
  • Create New...