Need wider blade

RandomGrin · Feb 23, 2019

Hey,
I have a 6' rear blade on my 8N, and the wife complains I'm not plowing wide enough. I'm driving with my wheels in the snowbank just to keep it the same width.

Driveway is 1/2 mile long, so I don't want to drive backwards.

Short story, I'd like to extend the right side of the blade 12" or so.

I can not find ANY reference or picture online that looks like my blade.

So, 1) Can anybody tell me what the make/model of this blade is? (assuming you can see my attempt at linking a picture)

2) Anyone know of any way I could extend this blade? (Ideally some kit that doesn't involve welding).

Thanks!

JMS/.MN · Feb 23, 2019

Just get a chunk of steel and bolt on an extension. Could have it formed in a press to match your blade. Use some cardboard to make a profile of the bends in your blade, so you don"t need to take the blade to the steel shop.

jCarroll · Feb 23, 2019

I extended mine by bolting on a piece of 12" rubber belting on each end of the blade.
A benefit is that the belting is more forgiving on mailbox posts, building corners, etc
than a steel extension.

SVcummins · Feb 23, 2019

That blade looks the perfect width for that tractor to me maybe the wife needs to plow snow for a few days and you can complain she?s not plowing wide enough see how that treats her 😂😂?

Hayfarmer · Feb 23, 2019

I agree with post below, I think you have enough blade for that tractor. The more you get sticking out to the side when angled the more it is going to pull the front of the tractor over also

matthies · Feb 23, 2019

Once you make a pass, then center the tractor on the windrow and keep making the drive wider. Its not rocket science.

Traditional Farmer · Feb 23, 2019

Buy a blade you can offset. On the complaining women just enjoy complaining about what men do and complaining about the snow is pretty harmless so just be happy the complaining isn't about something
important.

gab · Feb 23, 2019

A seven foot pass of deep wet snow will probably stop that tractor or turn it sideways with a longer blade. I'd just go down the lane, over lap half way and come back and do it one more time. My blade can be moved either way but I like the center best.

Had a lot of deep wet snow this winter over ice, that top extension on the front blade makes for some hard pushing.

ss55 · Feb 23, 2019

If that setup works well most years it may not pay to upgrade to a larger blade and a larger tractor for what is left of this winter. Can you hire someone to plow or snow blow a wider track?

JD Seller · Feb 23, 2019

I have made extensions out of steel, thick rubber, and Poly sheeting. So look at what you have locally to work with. Here is a picture of a small Garden tractor blade with bolt on extensions. This is how I have done them so you can take them off to do regular blade work. Your tractor will not handle a real wide blade in heavy material.

RandomGrin · Feb 24, 2019

Well thanks guys...I guess the idea I like best is thick rubber if I could find it....

I don't know what a, 'windrow' is, but if you mean drive with my wheels outside the snowbank, I can't do that, there is a ditch there.

I don't think adding 12" will turn my tractor sideways. Could be wrong, but I doubt it. But that is irrelevant if there is no way I can do it.

Can't use steel, whatever a 'press' is, I don't have one, so no idea how I would curve the steel to the right shape.

No one has any idea what make/model blade this is? Really? Is it that weird?

Maybe thick rubber would work, if I could find it, or maybe it wouldn't be strong enough, I don't know.

How the heck do you all think it is fine to plow with a rear blade that doesn't go past the wheels? Is that not obviously a problem? Every time you plow, the snowbank falls further in...your road gets narrower with every pass and you can't widen it. And driving those narrow wheels thru the snowbank is no easy task...and it still leaves the path equal to previous width at best, but generally narrower.

Anyway...if there are no better ideas, sounds like I have to pray rubber works if I can even find it...or I drive backwards in my one reverse gear for a mile every week. (Lotsa snow at 7000 feet in Colorado this year).

I think I'll be driving backwards. Oh well, not the worst I've been thru.

Thanks,
Random

RandomGrin · Feb 24, 2019

Probably not going to buy a wider blade (if one even exists) and certainly not going to buy a bigger tractor (or a giant pickup, I don't want to advertise my small thing-between-my-legs-that-you-can't-say-or-it-gets-censored-out!!)

C'mon man I am driving my Grandpa's 1940 tractor he used on the cranberry marsh back in Wisconsin! I'm not going to replace that!!!

Traditional Farmer · Feb 24, 2019

Looking at how that blade is bolted together it looks likes the blade part could be unbolted and moved to the right on the bracket its bolted to now.New holes would have to be drilled and probably the bracket extended,Then you'd be leaving tracks in the snow with your left wheel but you'd get the snow moved over where you want on the right.

Aaron SEIA · Feb 24, 2019

I know adding 18" to a 6' blade will turn an Allis Chalmers D17 with fully loaded tires sideways.
AaronSEIA

NEKS · Feb 24, 2019

Now before I start I have been around 8N Fords very little, but is there enough sway in the 3 point to maybe chain it over to the right side about 3 or 4 inches and that would give you 6 inches or more at the blade.

Leroy · Feb 24, 2019

First thing you MUST have sway bars on both sides, withoyt them you are likely to bend the lift arms if not break something even with that 6' blade and with them it will handle your problem better than a 7' blade without them. And a 7' blade is just too much load for any N series Ford, I have 9N & 2N. Some blades you can bolt the blade to an offset position and if it does not have that provision just move the blade left holes to right in bracket and drill new holes in blade. But thenyou will need to have at least a 6:00x16 tire filled with fluid, not the standard 4x19" tire as that size blade will do nothing but pull you into the snow bank that you are now driving in. I have bent many a lift arm over the years, Did a bit of grading 2 evenings ago with my 7' blade and did not have the stabilizer bars on and was afraid was going to bend lift arm I had just put on. By 4000 with13.6x38 rear and 7:50x16 front and twice the power of the N could not have handled my 7' blade in the offset position. So first thing is get those stabilizer bars on and try it.

SVcummins · Feb 24, 2019

If you ange it a little less it will cut a bit wider and it won?t slide the front of the tractor as much either .

Ultradog MN · Feb 24, 2019

I've had Ns, Hundred and Thousand Series Fords.
Ive Never used sway bars on anything.
Except, I tried them on my 3000 for a short time with a real heavy Bush Hog.
They made the tractor/mower one long solid unit with No flex between the tractor and mower.
I bought the sway bars new, used them a couple of times and now they've been hanging in the shed for a few years.
Waste of money imo.

Leroy · Feb 24, 2019

For like that bush hog that has NO sidedraft then you do not want them. Now with something with a lot of side draft that your mower did not have then you need them so the blade side draft is not trying to bend that lift arm just in mack of the limiter chain from all the side draft pull. Your mower automaticly stayed centering behind tractor, a blade does not do that. and by pulling off to the side like it does without the extra bars it looses a foot of cut with the blade. I just had my 7' blade on my 2N that is just an earlier version of his 8N and that 7' blade without that bar and if you only have one put it on side of blade with the front part of the angle. Left side to push to right, right side if pushing snoe to left. With one bar it will stand more that way but best is on both sides. My 7' blade without the extra bar did not reach out as far as toe outside of the tire, now the 6' with those bars will reach out to just the outside edge of the tire.

SVcummins · Feb 25, 2019

A metal shop will be able to bend a piece of metal that matches the curve of your blade then you could just bolt it on to right hand side of the blade

Adirondack case guy · Feb 25, 2019

Why don't you just lengthen the LH brace arm from draft bar to the swing/boom arm and shorten the RH brace arm?? It does not appear to be a welded assy., but if it is forget my suggestion.
That will offset the whole blade to the Right.
Loren

Russ from MN · Feb 25, 2019

Those blades really aren't made for snow, they don't work very well. Fine for smoothing a driveway of making a small ditch. I have a 7 foot and I put it on in the winter mostly for weight, I use the FEL for the snow, maybe use the blade to smooth things up when I'm done.

SVcummins · Feb 26, 2019

Pushing when the snow gets that deep works a lot better anyway and I spend ten hour days going backwards moving snow and you wil get a lot more done that way than trying to pull it

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Leroy · Feb 28, 2019

If youdon't already have them look on this site and order a set of stabilizer bars and brackets and use them, you will see more of a difference than going from a 6' blade to a 7' blade and do it easier on the tractor. You just need a half inch longer fender bolt to put them on.

Need wider blade

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