Skid Shoes

[HuntIL2]

So I ended up buying a rear blade to use for snow removal on a gravel driveway. With not skid shoes on there will I just end up tearing up the gravel? Are these a must have?

Thanks

 

[ve9aa]

I mostly use a snowblower, but sometimes the rear blade is the right tool for the job as well.

The thing about a rear blade and not tearing up gravel is:
Base must be frozen
Reverse the blade (like buttering bread) to tear up as little gravel as possible early in the season before things are frozen solid and a good base is made.

IMO, it'll never be as perfect but with skill you can get close.

Skid shoes will definitely help, but with no (or a very soft) base, you'll still mess up some gravel here and there most likely

 

[je1279]

Replacing the metal edge with a rubber edge will also reduce the amount of gravel and grass that you tear up but it will also leave a base that can turn to ice with temperature fluctuations.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Yes, you should have them... There's a reason why snowplow blades have them....
As VE says , until ground is HARD frozen, you will 'rearrange' the gravel and make a 'must do Spring job', re-rearrange the gravel...ugh......

 

[jyoutz]

So I ended up buying a rear blade to use for snow removal on a gravel driveway. With not skid shoes on there will I just end up tearing up the gravel? Are these a must have?

Thanks

I bought em, used them once, then never again. Unless the gravel is frozen hard, the skid shoes dig in and are worthless. I just turn my blade around backwards and it works perfectly to remove snow without moving gravel.

 

[allis15]

Replacing the metal edge with a rubber edge will also reduce the amount of gravel and grass that you tear up but it will also leave a base that can turn to ice with temperature fluctuations.

One thing I have learned when plowing a gravel driveway or other area.

Never plow from a gravel area to a grassy / mowed / lawn area.
You'll regret it in the Spring when you have to rake all of that gravel out of the grass.

 

[jkrubi12]

'Reverse the blade (like buttering bread) to tear up as little gravel as possible early in the season before things are frozen solid and a good base is made.'

Great analogy!

 

[Snowman7]

Like everybody else said, get her frozen first. You can adjust your blade so it doesn’t dig as much.

 

[Danl1957]

I am new to compact tractors and happy using the rear blade facing backward to move snow on paved driveway without damage, I would imagine it would be fine on frozen gravel

 

[jyoutz]

I am new to compact tractors and happy using the rear blade facing backward to move snow on paved driveway without damage, I would imagine it would be fine on frozen gravel

Reversing the blade also works well on unfrozen gravel.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

I bought em, used them once, then never again. Unless the gravel is frozen hard, the skid shoes dig in and are worthless. I just turn my blade around backwards and it works perfectly to remove snow without moving gravel.

I can see how a pair of regular disc shoes would dig in to gravel.

I use a pair of these on my bucket, and they don't dig in. Work great. Might be something like this available for a blade.

 

[jyoutz]

I can see how a pair of regular disc shoes would dig in to gravel.

I use a pair of these on my bucket, and they don't dig in. Work great. Might be something like this available for a blade.

View attachment 92592

Those seem pretty good for a bucket and something like that got a front mounted blade would be great. For a rear blade the solution is free: just reverse the moldboard.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I am new to compact tractors and happy using the rear blade facing backward to move snow on paved driveway without damage, I would imagine it would be fine on frozen gravel

You do understand, they are reversing the blade and driving forward, not in reverse.

 

[je1279]

@Mark_BX25D I can tell you from my JD X585 days that the long narrow shoes are infinitely worse than the mushroom shoes when angling a blade on gravel.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

@Mark_BX25D I can tell you from my JD X585 days that the long narrow shoes are infinitely worse than the mushroom shoes when angling a blade on gravel.

Oh, yeah, I forgot about the angling.

 

[armylifer]

I bought these. They were cheap enough that I don't mind spending $15.50 for the experiment. I have them mounted but have not had an opportunity to try them out yet.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0BMTVR6DK?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

[jyoutz]

Oh, yeah, I forgot about the angling.

I haven’t found any skid shoes that work on gravel unless the gravel is frozen solid. The reversed blade is the best option. For a forward plow, maybe not dropping the blade all the way and leave a few inches of snow. Skid shoes are designed for hard surfaces such as asphalt or concrete. In gravel, they just cut two trenches and then the blade sinks in and scrapes the gravel.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

In gravel, they just cut two trenches and then the blade sinks in and scrapes the gravel.

Sounds like a great plan!

 

[DustyRusty]

I bought these. They were cheap enough that I don't mind spending $15.50 for the experiment. I have them mounted but have not had an opportunity to try them out yet.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0BMTVR6DK?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Those look like they will bend quite easily. The ones on the Kubota plows are 5/8" solid steel uprights and each one weighs about 8-10 pounds. Heavy washers are how you set the height by sacking them on the shaft before inserting them into the holder on the plow and a linchpin at the top.

 

[armylifer]

Those look like they will bend quite easily. The ones on the Kubota plows are 5/8" solid steel uprights and each one weighs about 8-10 pounds. Heavy washers are how you set the height by sacking them on the shaft before inserting them into the holder on the plow and a linchpin at the top.

I don't think that they will bend too easily. I attached a picture of one side and how it is mounted. They fit close to the bucket in a position that allows me to have the piranha tooth bar mounted without interference. The tooth bar is not mounted in this picture. I think that they will allow me to be able to push snow without tearing up the driveway and grass. They are also tight enough to the bucket that they should not bend. Also, they should not interfere with any other work that I do with the bucket so I should be able to leave them mounted permanently.

As I said earlier, it is an experiment that is cheap to try. We have not had any snow yet so I have not had the chance to try them out.