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Let it Snow
Yawn..., Time to fire up the coffee and tractor. Looks like about 8" of white stuff, no freezing rain.
Good Luck to all snow movers.
bliz
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Let it Snow
Blower is holding up well. I will probably make a few changes when mud season arrives though. The adjustable skid shoes are not shaped for my pit run drive, I'll replace them with Fisher 'mushroom' ones so they slide in the turns instead of fetching up and lifting rocks. Probably weld on another wear plate under the auger so the unit floats over the stones better.
I've gone through a handful of shear pins, mostly my fault trying to 'widen out a little'. Not all grade 2 bolts are the same. One batch could bog the engine if I went too fast, the ones I am eating now are as durable as spagetti, got to be real careful not to overload the auger.
Some 'standard' wear on the auger, fan and shroud. Those little stones are very abrasive. No problems at all with the gearbox or chain.
I clear a 1600' drive plus about 10,000 sq-ft combined parking and work areas so it does get a workout for a non-commercial unit.
Keep warm and dry.
bliz
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WigglyBridge,
Did you get to play in the snow with your new chains this weekend, or did you get rain. I sure feel sorry for all the folks south/west of New England, seeing they are deprived of Four (or more) seasons/year.
bliz
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Murph,
I noticed that on my Puma 64" blower the cutting edge is set at a fairly aggresive angle. (Pic#17) Adjusting the skid shoes and shortening the top link does raise it but it still tends to dig in as the machine changes attitude. One modification I'm mulling over is to weld 1/2"X2" bar in front of the cutting edge, flush with the bottom of the reinforced side plates. I'll bevel the leading edge so it won't catch as readily. One mod I did make yesterday was to weld some beveled 'pucks' to the bottom of the factory skid shoes (no Pic yet). They were wearing quite a bit, plus hanging up in turns.
Please let us know what ideas you come up with. I'm thinking of a permanent solution as my drive is quite long and not glass smooth and I'd hate for something to come loose and get tangeled in the auger or blower.
Good Luck,
bliz
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Grinder,
The roller would be ideal, if it wasn't too expensive. I'll check when I do summer maintenance. The drive was in pretty good shape before the December storms, but the wet, heavy snow followed by warm torrential rains took a toll. Pic#20 is a 'puck' I welded on the factory shoe. This seems to make blowing a lot 'smoother', not hanging up nearly so much on turns and gliding over most rocks rather than dislodging them. I thought about wheels, but was afraid that they too would hang up when turning. May give them a try after the next fix, replacing the factory 7/16" shoe bolts with 5/8" or 3/4" ones, doesn't help. The adjustment slots in the shoes are much wider than the bolt diameter, and no matter how tight the bolts are, the shoes tilt after some use, so the curved leading edge tends to catch instead of riding over the stones. Of course, some of the problems are of my own making... I just can't resist the urge to 'widen it out a tad' even though I know TROUBLE lies under that snow (;>
Have you noticed any wear on your skid shoes? I don't think they are very hard 'cause there was noticible wear on mine after only 5(?) or so miles.
Even with these little problems, the tractor/blower is just incrediably better than my pickup/plow. Not having to plow wide to leave room for more storms saves a lot of time and frustration. Not having snowbanks along the drive keeps drifting to a minimum. Not having to climb up the seat to get out the passenger's door after sliding off the drive, priceless....
Keep warm, and thanks for the ideas,
bliz
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Grinder,
Using a spare pair of Fisher shoes was my first choice, but I cut some beveled pieces out of 1/2" plate for this prototype. Maybe weld some brackets up and put the Fisher rotating ones on during mud season. At least one more shoe of any type would help I think. As I posted earlier, I'm also considering a 1/2" thick by 2 to 6" wide plate or section of pipe welded in front of the factory cutting edge flush with the bottom of the side plates. Of course this summer I'll re-grade and remove some of the rocks along the edges, which cause the most problems.
Hopefully not much more snow this season, so I'll have time to think it over and round up materials. But one good 20" March blizzard would be nice, give WigglyBridge a chance to test out his chains
Balmy weather today, so blower is off, weight box on, gotta move some trees....
bliz
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WigllyBridge,
As you might have guessed, I did get a digital camera. I was
taking so few pictures besides ones to post it wasn't cost effective to use film, and the PITA process of snap, process, scan, and post was tedious. I was in the woods Sunday hauling logs and piling slash. The moderate temperatures contributed to excellent traction and very pleasant working conditions.
bliz
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Good Morning Grinder,
Looks as if I will have to give the blower one more feeding of sand and stones, oh yeah , and a little snow. Maybe this storm will keep south like so many this season, I'll gladly drive through a couple of inches of snow/slush for a while rather than churn up the drive any more.
Have a good one!
bliz
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Thank you, thank you Grinder.
My blower is still perched on its log stand.
Noticed National Weather Service cancelled weather advisory.
I'm going to watch TV and forget about the weather (;>
Waiting for Spring,
bliz
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