Snowblower Shoe Mod./UHMWP

[RCW]

Long while back I tinkered with my BX2750D snowblower shoes.

They're damned butt-ugly, but have been great. They also don't match - tried 2 different designs and never figured both would last this long.....

www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26494&highlight=shoe+modification

At the time, bearbait and 1 or 2 others suggested UHMWP for the shoes.

I did a good-sized brick patio this year, and want a non-abrasive/smoother plate on the shoes. I also think an additional 3/8-1/2" of lift would be good.

I ordered a 0.5x12x12" UHMWP piece from Amazon....gonna try to bolt 6x6" shoes to my shoes.....for $22, I guess it's worth a try, and if I screw it up, have enough to do it right the second time....!

Never worked with it, but just thinking some carriage bolts...counter-sink the heads on the underside and call it good?

 

[SRG]

That .5" is gonna be pretty thin, by the time you counter sink those carriage bolt heads, huh? It might work out great, i don't know. I'd think about double that thickness, to 1", might be a little more ideal though.

 

[G.rid]

It machines easy but it's grabby! When you drill the holes be sure to clamp it down, the drill will pull it self thru in a hurry. The countersink will be the same. A drillpress with a stop would be ideal.
Let us know how long they last.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

There are better bolts than carriage bolts, you need bolts that have flat tops, Elevator bolts, .5 is pretty thin to have to countersink anything into.

 

[JeffL]

Take a look at 3/8-16 flat head machine screws with the hex socket. These work very well with UHMW and the 1/2" thickness you have. When you cut the countersink leave at least a quarter of the overall thickness for the shank of the bolt. This will allow some wear before the bolts are exposed. You can use 1/4-20 bolts just use more of them!
Also, put the UHMW in the freezer overnight before machining or drilling. Makes it a little easier to cut with conventional cutters.
Jeff

 

[RCW]

Thanks, guys.
Appreciate the tips for bolt choice and sticking the stuff in the freezer!
I didn’t want to go too thick, because essentially I’m making a liner for the shoes. Maybe I should have gone 3/4”....oh well...
Jeff and Wolfman, I’ll be looking at TSC and Lowe’s for bolts...first type found wins![emoji12]

I really NEVER figured my modified shoes would last this long....at the time Daren Todd said sometimes bad looking welds last the best...
.... I said some of these should be winners!!


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[RCW]

These are what I’m looking to line....

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[North Idaho Wolfman]

How much do you pay for your pellets up there?

 

[RCW]

How much do you pay for your pellets up there?

They’ve been running $225-275 or so. These were $250.

Burn 5 ton/year.

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[thirdroc17]

I put a couple of trailer jacks, with wheels on mine. Never understood dragging skids once the wheel had been invented. The quick and easy adjustability is fantastic to boot.

 

[D2Cat]

RCW, are you adding this material to make the foot smoother, or to make it taller? What is the weld on the bottom for?

 

[RCW]

‘Cat, kinda both...

I cobbled these “extensions” up a few seasons ago. Intent was to widen/lengthen stock shoes because I have a stone driveway.

I think that year my new supplier brought me 20 ton of a much smaller driveway stone. Stock shoes are very small, and I was looking for more surface area.

A little more height would help as a general rule too, especially early and late winter when stuff isn’t frozen.

Also, I did that brick patio this year. Lots of sweat and blood back there.
I have historically wandered back there to blow that out, as well as part of the lawn back there so the puppy dog has a potty spot.

I was hoping for a wear surface that wouldn’t scrape up my new patio, if possible. I can, and have, shoveled there before. But sometimes we get a lot of snow for a long time.

I can easily take the blower out of float, but just hoping to kill 2 birds with 1 stone, and have a little fun building it.....[emoji106]

The ugly welds in the bottom are for some 1x1/8” straps lining the bottom of my extensions for reinforcement, which are 6x8x 1/8”, and welded to the stock shoes.

For as ugly as they are, they’ve been great....

 

[SRG]

I put a couple of trailer jacks, with wheels on mine. Never understood dragging skids once the wheel had been invented. The quick and easy adjustability is fantastic to boot.

How do those hold up? I can't think the bearings in those wheels are rated for any kind of extended abuse. But alas, i'm thinking plow, not blower.

 

[RCW]

Hmmm....

Thinking something along this line.
Not sure what I should do for length or position front/back yet.

I found 3/8”-16 flat head machine bolts first....

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[Yooper]

I like your idea and I think it is a good one. Do you have a countersink for those bolts? They are 82 degrees if you have to buy one. I would locate the bolt holes so you can rotate the pad 180 degrees to extend the life of them. Guessing that they will wear down in the front first. Good luck with your project.

 

[bearbait]

Hmmm....

Thinking something along this line.
Not sure what I should do for length or position front/back yet.

I found 3/8”-16 flat head machine bolts first....

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That's pretty much the same as what I used with not much success. I made the skids out of 4"x4" angle 19" long using 5/8" UHMUP. Even at that size I was still picking up way too much gravel (class A) and the UHMUP started to wear quickly. Maybe with a lighter blower it would have worked and as RCW mentioned not a whole lot of money invested so worth a try. Another member here mentioned he was using old metal snowmobile skies with success. You wouldn't thing they would be hard too find but to date no luck.

 

[D2Cat]

I made some skids for a Western Snow plow out of stainless steel. Easy to work and weld, and lasted as long as I owned the plow.

 

[RCW]

I would locate the bolt holes so you can rotate the pad 180 degrees to extend the life of them. Guessing that they will wear down in the front first.

Great idea - reversible. I'll see if I can work that in.

My junky shoes work very good versus stock.

Just trying to make an improvement....I hope...sometimes my redneck engineering has the opposite effect, but I do enjoy it!

 

[07wingnut]

When I got my BX23, part of the package was a sweeper, and it has gauge wheels. These are now shared with the front mounted snowblower, and used initially when the snow starts and the ground is not hard. When there is a frozen surface later in the season, they are raised and the the skid shoes do the job.

 

[bearbait]

When I got my BX23, part of the package was a sweeper, and it has gauge wheels. These are now shared with the front mounted snowblower, and used initially when the snow starts and the ground is not hard. When there is a frozen surface later in the season, they are raised and the the skid shoes do the job.

Nice setup, just have to find the parts.