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Snow thrower woes


Aldon

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I thought I would share the story of my snow thrower. I found one for 25 dollars in a junk pile. I bought it, took it home, cleaned it up, replaced bearings, and re-painted it. The clutch needed a control rod, easily made. In summer it ran like a song! Since I have a long driveway I thought I had it made!

Come winter and the first snow fall I put it on the old B-112 and drove out to clear some snow. I made it about ten feet before the rear wheels started slipping and the tractor went no where. I got off, pushed her back into shelter, and shoveled.

Next spring I got some buckets that fit inside the rims, some long bolts, a couple of bags of concrete and made myself some wheel weights. Then I went and bought some chains that fit the back tires.

First snow fall I fired Alice up and went out to clear some snow. Same story!. Rear wheels spun and dug holes but we did not go forward. The snow thrower worked perfectly though. I know because I threw snowballs at it just to watch it actually move some snow!

The snow thrower is now garage art. I bought a cheap walk behind at a big box store and use it instead.

Has any one else tried a b in the snow on gravel? If so did you have the same problem?

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quote:The snow thrower worked perfectly though. I know because I threw snowballs at it just to watch it actually move some snow!id="quote">
id="quote">

No answer, but have to tell you - that is funniest line I've read in a long, long time!:D:D

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Oops, I missed the word "gravel" in your post, so ignore most of what I wrote here.

I used to blow snow routinely for 10+ years with a B-110 and 36" snow thrower before moving on to my Homelite then to a 7100 series tractor to power a 42" snow thrower.

Traction issue has been the same with all the setups. First was wheel weights and chains, then Ag tires with even more weight. Since I'm in southeastern PA, much of the snow is wet. The key is getting the snow to flow evenly into the blower. You need "slippery" surfaces for the thrower housing, impeller, and chute. Good paint (basically no rust) and a coating of silicon spray usually works for me. However, sometimes with the wet snow, the snow will push ahead just like you were plowing it. End result is too big a pile and you lose traction.

Solution is to get the first pass made, sometimes much backing and fast forward into the "pile" and get it blown. Then on the following passes, take a part cut and keep the ground speed up to keep the snow moving into the blower.

I do several of my neighbor's drives and the worst for blowing are those that have a nice smooth seal coat. There's not enough friction between the bottom of the snow (with wet snow, the bottom is usually very slick) and the snow just "plows".

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It almost sounds like the cutter bar on the bottom of the blower is digging in. There should be shoes on each side of the blower. On a gravel driveway if the shoes aren't set up right, you will dig into the gravel and you will have a very hard time going anywhere.

PS Welcome to the club!

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Just like Bill, I live in SE PA 400 foot driveway (mostly crushed stone)I found that a LIBERAL coat of "Pledge" before starting (specially in the throat of the chute) helps. A "stinger" weight in the rear lift helps to balance off the weight of the Thrower. I use chains with "V" cleats on the cross bars, which will tear up paved/coated surfaces.Of course there is the somewhat frequent clearing of the chute.I used my '68 2110 (when it was running) to power the 36" thrower.Wayne

IM000437.jpg

Cheers,

IM000437.jpg.34203335807bad3d1e9a013f9f37f661.jpg

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On my gravel driveway I set the shoes so that the bar sits 2 inches above the gravel. Once you have a smooth base of hard packed snow you can lower the shoes so the bar scraps the hard pack.

You don't want the blower throwing gravel.

Rick............

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I also had some limited experience using both a blade and snow thrower on my Mom's gravel driveway. What was said above about setting the shoes on the side of the blower is right on. I had to set them higher than I would have liked on the blower since the drive had some areas of deeper loose gravel compared to most of the drive. If you set the shoes for most of the drive, when the shoes hit an area of deep loose gravel, the blower would "dig in" and you'd either stop or be blowin' gravel.

I had better luck setting the blade shoes lower since they are at least twice as wide as the thrower shoes. I always wanted to get a wider piece of plate welded to the bottom of the thrower shoes and see if that would have minimized the "digging in" problem.

In south eastern PA it rarely stays cold enough long enough to make a permanent snow pack as Rick suggested. I would think that would work well if you can do it.

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I've got a gravel driveway with a pretty decent slope. We get some pretty heavy lake effect snows that are wet and heavy. I've used my B series and blower without much issue. I've gotten impatient and burned up a belt, but traction has not been a problem. I just set the shows as high as they go and use wheel weights and chains. Are you using 2 link chains or 4? 2 link is much better. I've not found AG tires to be very good on ice or hard packed snow; they just don't bite like chains do. You might also think about filling your tires.

As others have stated, spraying some silicone in the shoot does wonders. Non-stick cooking spray also works ok, though your wife might smack you if you forget to put it back.

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600 foot gravel drive here..

15 years of successful blowing..

What works best after trying numerous combinations:

23x8.50x12 ag treads

tire chains

wheel weights and/or stinger/rear weights of some sort addig up to around 100 lbs or so

shoes set about 1-2" below wear plate

Ag tread grip in the snow. Narrower ag treads work better than wide treads. Wide ones like 10.50's tend to try and ride up on top of the snow rather than digging in.

Chains are necesary to grip on iced or hard packed surfaces.

Like stated by others, the wear plate will dig in and act like a brake if your shoes are not set properly. Also if you drive has a pronounced crown in the middle you will need to keep a shoe up on the crown. Putting the blower centered on the crown will just stop your tractor as the wear plate digs into the crown.

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I've never had issues with snow on gravel using rear wheel weights and chains. I think others are spot on when they say it is the set up. Having that height right is critical so you don't throw gravel and dig in while still clearing snow. All my blowers (simplicity 42", craftsman 38", and my Toro 520) have these on them:

http://snowblowerskids.com/

They really help with riding on the gravel, especially if you are doing anything but going in a straight line with the blower down.

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Hmm! I may have to try it again this winter. I never did set the runners up, just assumed they were where they should be.

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I have at least 100 ft of gravel driveway. I don't blow the first snowfall (under 5-6") and just pack it down with the cars. Then I've got a frozen "base" that the snow blower will slide over easily and something the chains can dig into the next time it snows.

If the first snowfall is deeper, I'll keep the snow thrower a couple of inches off the gravel.

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quote:Originally posted by 427435

I have at least 100 ft of gravel driveway. I don't blow the first snowfall (under 5-6") and just pack it down with the cars. Then I've got a frozen "base" that the snow blower will slide over easily and something the chains can dig into the next time it snows.If the first snowfall is deeper, I'll keep the snow thrower a couple of inches off the gravel.


id="quote">
id="quote">I do the same if there is the luxury of 5-6 inches of snow. This year the ground never did freeze so there was much gravel (sand in my case) blowing. It did polish up the chute nicely though.:DKen
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Besides the shoe setting don't forget the stinger weight that "Grinchey One" suggested. The weight mounts on the rear lift sleeve to counter balance the snowthrower, this will help to prevent the blower from digging into the gravel driveway.

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Depending on the age of the tractor and how the rear sleeve lift is hooked up the stinger weight may reduce the weight of the snow blower making it easier to pick up.

Rick.......

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