Skid shoes for rear mounted blades

modirt · Jan 13, 2019

Skid shoes on a rear mounted tractor blade used to move snow around seems like such a good idea, you might think they would be standard issue. But most tractor blades don't come with them. At least most of the smaller ones don't.

Any clever ideas on how to rig up a set?

Geo-TH,In · Jan 13, 2019

I put skids on my 7 ft blade. My tires don't have ballast. I use
chains. I never let my blade come in contact with the ground, so
blade is rear ballast.

Skids sounds like a good idea, but my rear tires just spinned
when I used skids. I need the weight of the blade on rear.

ss55 · Jan 13, 2019

Have you tried putting a slit pipe over the cutting edge?

grizz02 · Jan 13, 2019

like geo said I adjust my blade to stay 1 1/2 in off the snow no use tearing up my gravel

tim s · Jan 13, 2019

I have made them out of old truck leaf springs,,they already have a bit of a curve to them and they are tuff..

Russ from MN · Jan 13, 2019

I made a set for our blade, but I'm 2,000 miles away, and I don't have a picture with me. I kind of copied what I had seen on snowplows
for pickup trucks. No need to re-invent the wheel! Mine are kind of worn out from grading a gravel road, and I don't have access to the
equipment I used to make them. I cut out about a 5 inch circle of 1/2 steel, and then I pressed a dish in it in a 50 ton press, so it
wouldn't catch on rocks. Some people split a pipe and put it over the cutting edge so it won't dig in when moving snow. Here is what
Northern tool sells, you might have to make the mounting bracket.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200321748_200321748?cm_mmc=Google-
pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Snow%20%2B%20Ice%20Removal%20%3E%20Snowplow%20Replacement%20Parts&utm_campaign=Buyers%20Products&u
tm_content=10374&gclid=CjwKCAiA4OvhBRAjEiwAU2FoJfYvAVwXaXlEotdV98lyoCjGuZDM8hw51HpPBsUI0rxsPbfsWYpI8xoCIS4QAvD_BwE

KCTractors · Jan 13, 2019

ss55, The pipe over the cutting edge works really well. I have 3" pipe on a 8 ft. Meyers plow and I can plow right onto the front lawn with-out cutting the sod and it takes the snow off good.

Traditional Farmer · Jan 13, 2019

For snow a light blade with a dull cutting edge works pretty good, usually cheap at auctions.

IowaJohn · Jan 13, 2019

Worn out truck brake shoes??? They've got
a curve

Rkh · Jan 13, 2019

I snow plow 800' driveway with 2B stone so I bought 2" steel pipe, had cut down the middle, & put on the end of my 7' back blade. Doesn't scrape blacktop all the way, but works great on the stone driveway.

Geo-TH,In · Jan 13, 2019

I attached a 4 inch pipe to the bottom of my 7 ft back blade. Then I listen for the sound of the pipe hitting the gravel and lift up. Most of the time, the 4 inch pipe sends some snow downward and lifts the back blade up so I don't have to do anything. If I had a larger pipe, I would try it.

My Red Green blade has a 4 inch PVC pipe. Because it light, it floats over the snow and doesn't disturb the grass or gravel.

gab · Jan 13, 2019

Both of my IH blades have two bolt holes in each corner, the manual shows a flat bar like a leaf spring might be that I think bolts on the front side and bends back under the blade, haven't seen the manual in awhile though. I cobbled up some skids made out of a piece of angle iron with a flat plate welded to the bottom but they need to be redone, they're wore out.

modirt · Jan 13, 2019

(quoted from post at 12:54:59 01/13/19) I snow plow 800' driveway with 2B stone so I bought 2" steel pipe, had cut down the middle, & put on the end of my 7' back blade. Doesn't scrape blacktop all the way, but works great on the stone driveway.
<img src="https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto9492.jpg">

To clarify, that is just a 2" pipe, with slit cut down the one edge, then drive it on? Slit small enough so pipe spreads open, but with enough spring in it to stay put? What wall thickness of pipe?

And full length.....not just on the ends? If just on the ends, I could see a loose fit sliding off an angled blade.

MarkB_MI · Jan 13, 2019

I ordered my Woods HBL84-2 with skid shoes. They look
just like truck snowplow shoes, but heavier. I'm sure
any Woods dealer can order you a set, although plow
truck shoes would be cheaper.

Note that my shoes are cambered out a few degrees,
probably to accommodate tilt and swing.

Janicholson · Jan 13, 2019

12" adjustable wheels makes a real tool out of a back blade. Mounted so they swivel is mighty fine. Jim

Rkh · Jan 13, 2019

It's sch 40 steel pipe. If u look at the picture, there is a pin with potter key on
each end so I can take off if I need to.

Rkh · Jan 13, 2019

This is the specs on sch 40:

modirt · Feb 20, 2019

(quoted from post at 12:54:59 01/13/19) I snow plow 800' driveway with 2B stone so I bought 2" steel pipe, had cut down the middle, & put on the end of my 7' back blade. Doesn't scrape blacktop all the way, but works great on the stone driveway.
<img src="https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto9492.jpg">

Found a similar reference to using a slit pipe on another forum, those were made with pvc or abs schedule 40 plastic pipe.

Found a 5' piece of pvc scrap, so tried it and it worked perfect!!! Just drop the blade and go......no worries at all about digging.

Only problem was the still exposed 1 1/2' on the ends would dig in now and then on uneven ground. Have since upgraded to a new piece that runs the full 8' length.

Skinny is the 2" size pipe works best on average. Smaller in the range of 1 1/2" is more aggressive on a hard surface. Larger works better on soft spongy gravel. The plastic pipes are temp until I can get to the farm where we have a big pile of 2" steel pipe and a cutting torch to cut the slit in it and can weld on some tabs for the end bolts.

kcm.MN · Feb 20, 2019

...where we have a big pile of 2" steel pipe and a cutting torch to cut the slit in it and can weld on some tabs for the end bolts.

That's what I did with my truck's snow plow, only I used 1 1/2". Is the only steel pipe I had on hand, but works great on the frozen ground.

modirt · Mar 4, 2019

Update......

Tried moving about 4" of fresh dry snow using the abs black plastic pipe others suggested would work and preferrable over PVC. It lasted about 2 minutes before falling off. The slit on one end opened to over 1" and stayed that way.

Switched back to the piece of scrap pvc plastic. It lasted about 15 minutes before one end shattered......temp was 15F....and dropping. Finished with it, but it was digging gravel on one side.

Long term solution is a steel pipe.

But this method does produce excellent results. No digging of gravel or grass, yet it gets right down to the ground, removing almost all the snow and moving no material with it.

Skid shoes for rear mounted blades

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