Trying a Rubber Wear Plate

[PhanDad]

Saw this ad on the local Craigslist:

and decided I'd give it a try this year since the one edge of a fairly new OEM wear plate is almost used up.  

There's a pre-drilled version to fit the 46" blade.  5/16" longer carriage bolts are included, but I decided to clean up the drill bit exit side of the strip and use 3/8" bolts.  Drill pattern was dead on.  Some pics:

Now all I need is a couple inches of snow and see how it works.

Link to 46" Simplicity Specific wear strip:

 http://rubberwearstrip.com/BoltPatterns-46.html

 

 

[GregB]

I have  seen those also.  Next year when we get our driveway repaved I will probably be spending some more money.

[fishnwiz]

I will be interested on how well the edge holds up.

[ShaunE]

Seems like it would make one heck of a squeegee. I will also be interested to see how well the edge holds up.  I guess it's no different then Toro snow blower paddles.

[fishnwiz]

So  as it wears you just flip it over or is that not possible? 

[Talntedmrgreen]

I had one...granted it was probably an inch and a half thick, on a 6' blade and I didn't notice any wear at all, after two winters of use.  I would really like to do this for my Legacy 5' blade now.  I've seen folks cut old tires to accomplish this, but that sounds like a PITA to me.

 

I would really like to give that blue blade a new home...I could replace it with any other color you like!

[PhanDad]

59 minutes ago, fishnwiz said:

So  as it wears you just flip it over or is that not possible? 

Yes, it'll flip over just like a steel wear plate.

I'd say it has about an inch (counting the diagonal that will wear away more quickly) of rubber before it's worn down to the blade steel.  

 

[PhanDad]

1 hour ago, Talntedmrgreen said:

I would really like to give that blue blade a new home...I could replace it with any other color you like!

Hommie lover.  

Are you saying you don't have an OEM Hommie blade??

(And I do have the un-altered matching Hommie hitch - found an NOS 7000 series angling hitch on Craigslist a few years ago, so the Hommie hitch just rests)

Edited December 19, 2018 by PhanDad
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[PhanDad]

Got an inch of snow yesterday so I was able to see how the rubber wear plate worked.

It did fine; I'd say no better (or worse) than the steel one (no squeegee effect).

No wear noticeable - but it didn't get much use.  

 

[Talntedmrgreen]

I ran one for a couple years on a blade, and it had been used by the previous owner for who knows how long.  The edge was barely rounded and I never noticed wear in the time I had it.  I would imagine it will take decades for me to need to flip the one Im putting on the XL

[MikeES]

3 years ago  I resurfaced my 1/8 mile blacktop driveway.  Like the highway the contractor laid down a layer of hot tar and applied fine rock and rolled into the tar.   Usually pea gravel is used, but around NW Wisconsin they use "dresser rock", it is dark grey and looks nice...but it is the stuff that you could make grinding wheel  out of. 

I had to weld on a new layer on my blade and snowthrower shoes half way through the season.  I didn't watch it close enough and got into the wear bars on both. 

The steel wear bar on my blade has been there for many years, and I had just flipped it over, the new flip side was gone in one year.  Since then I have watched them closely and keep adjusting the shoes so the wear blade and bar do not touch.

That said, I bought the above rubber wear strip installed  and the shoes not touching the surface.  I  have done the whole driveway a 1/2 dozen times so far and see almost no wear on the rubber.  

[maxwood]

Hello. I ordered one for my 48" plow blade , should be here sat or Monday. 

 

Thanks Ken in Mi

[Talntedmrgreen]

1 hour ago, MikeES said:

That said, I bought the above rubber wear strip installed  and the shoes not touching the surface.  I  have done the whole driveway a 1/2 dozen times so far and see almost no wear on the rubber.  

 

Mine goes on tomorrow morning (or tonite).  I don't think we're getting the snowfall to justify taking my broom off though, and I like the clean sweep it provides when the weather has no plan to warm up.  I will be listening to everyone else's experience with this until we get a bigger snow, or a warmer stretch of weather.

[Bill725]

Thank you PhanDad for posting this. I placed an order and received yesterday just in time to install before the snow we received today. I like how it is easier on my concrete driveway joints and it cleans up just as good as a steel scraper blade. The only downside is beacuse it is 1" thick, snow likes to accumulate between the top edge and the blade. Overall I am very happy with it's performance.

[MikeES]

38 minutes ago, Bill725 said:

I like how it is easier on my concrete driveway joints

And it is sooo quiet.

[Talntedmrgreen]

On 1/19/2019 at 3:26 PM, MikeES said:

And it is sooo quiet.

True!

[Talntedmrgreen]

I put my wear strip on Friday evening...it was actually sorta disappointing.  Half the holes were off by 1/4-1/2”.  These holes were only on one sode of the blade...the other side lined up perfectly.  Having to redrill the holes was kinda a pain and a setback I didnt expect, so I finished in the dark with a flashlight in my mouth. It will probably be the last time I touch the thing though, as it looks more durable than I expected.  

I picked up a driveway to clear, at the neighbors place, so this couldnt have shown up at a better time 👍

[Talntedmrgreen]

 

 

ready for anything...

[PhanDad]

5 hours ago, Talntedmrgreen said:

.it was actually sorta disappointing.  Half the holes were off by 1/4-1/2”.

Sorry to hear; as I said above, mine were perfect.  

Did you tell the supplier about the problem?  If so, was he responsive?  I'm thinking he had some "extra" orders in the last month for Simplicity wear strips due to this post.  

 

[Talntedmrgreen]

Ive had no contact other than through my Citibank card.  Sure showed up quick though!

[MikeES]

9 hours ago, Talntedmrgreen said:

...it was actually sorta disappointing.  Half the holes were off by 1/4-1/2”.  These holes were only on one sode of the blade...the other side lined up perfectly.

Mine were drilled with the correct spacing...but it came with 5/16" carriage bolts while my blade has 3/8" carriage bolts.  I had to clean up  the holes on one side as the hole was partially closed up.  But again the hole spacing was perfect.

[Talntedmrgreen]

I had forgotten the small bolts.  I did use 3/8” also.  Came up one short with what was on hand so I have to refresh my carriage bolt stash. 

[fishnwiz]

As stated above. ...someone please contact the seller and let him know the shortcomings of this product as we as a group can and do enhance their sales but ONLY if we can send sales their way with confidence that they are suplying a quality and usable product in the 1st place. 

[maxwood]

Hello, When i ordered mine  , I ordered a plain undrilled  48 " piece.  My bolt pattern was not in his inventory  . He contacted me after the purchase  to ask how I liked the product. 

he used this E-mail (steven@rubberwearstrip.com)

   I will drill my holes by laying the cutting edge  bar ovoer the rubber strip and drilling the holes to match.

Thanks Ken in Mi

[bowhunt4life]

I used a piece of horse stall mat. Cut to length and width, drilled the holes and am 2 years in and have not had much wear so no need to flip for awhile.