SB10 series snowblower skid shoe choice?

[Blue2Orange]

The SB1051 purchased with the BX2380 came with the outer skid shoes. The ones that look like a skid plate. Sort of double duty function. Outer wear bar and skid shoe. Relatively small surface area. Old NH 3pt snowblower was 100lbs heavier. Had similar style skid shoes double the surface area of the SB1051 and located in the inner skid shoe option position. Using the 3pt upper link tried setting the blower cutting edge upwards with blower more or less just riding on the skids. Never really worked until the frozen gravel driveway had at least solid inch or more of packed snow covering the gravel surface. Even then the relatively abrupt transitions going downhill from steep to flatter usually ended up sometimes gouging down to the gravel making the transitions even more abrupt over the years. This spring a few tons of gravel mellowed out the transitions. To stop throwing gravel into the woods. Eventually just set the skids to max height with blower box edge tilted upwards and set the blower elevated so the skids barely touched or were floating above the base surface.

SB1051 has the option for inner skid shoes. Ones that look like the disk shaped ones you see on snowplow. Tool free. Simple wire retainer. To adjust height. Just add or remove spacers.

Outside of tool free what advantage do these disk inner have over the plate outer skid shoes on gravel surfaces?

 

[Bearcatrp]

Just picked up a used 1051 for my 1880. Was hoping Landpride made the skid shoes with a few more notches to raise it up a bit more. Have a gravel driveway. Don’t want to dig into the ground. Planning on ordering the optional shoes.

 

[Blue2Orange]

Just from my experience with the old NH and Loftness snowblower. Until the gravel surface is rock hard the standard skid shoes just dig into the surface. The inner skid shoes look to have a much larger surface area. Maybe more float on less than rock hard surface? Decided against the inner skid shoes. Just do as have been over the past few winters. Hope for early light snowfall that allows packing down a nice hard smooth surface. If heavy first snowfalls. Just keep the cutting edge of the box elevated a few inches until a frozen surface form. Keep the gravel on the road and hopefully eliminate or reducing the need of paint maintenance come spring.

 

[Blue2Orange]

What is the 1880 rear pto hp? Only had a 60" blower on the NH. Which was close to max recommended. ~30% more pto hp than the BX2380. 1051 is 51", but the box looks to be shorter. Worse case if a bit underpowered in heavy wetter snow is just slower pace or elevating the blower and making multiple passes.

Sprayed down the chute and box with WD40. Most seem to like a product I think is called fluid shield to prevent wet snow constipation. Do have a coating of ReJex on the chute. Micropolymer "wax". Use it on the sailboat hull. Outside of mirror like shine. It is extremely hydrophobic. And makes for quick and easy end of season hull washing. Bit of an experiment. Haven't ever used it on a snowblower. Hopefully it works and last all season.

 

[Bearcatrp]

Went ahead and ordered the other shoes. Little over $200 for the set with mounts. Should be in next week. 13.7 hp at the PTO from what the specs show on Kubota web site.