my lawn mower snow plow project

[Onefastgsx]

So my dad gave me my first riding lawn mower this year. It's a 18hp Saber by John Deere. Here it is with the small yard trailer I built a few years ago:


I figured the first step would be to add a front bumper. This would give me a place to mount the winch I have for raising and lowering the blade. It would also give me a place to attach brackets to keep the frame for the plow centered.


Here it is with the winch mounted so you get the idea. The brackets coming off of it have since been tossed in the scrap bin and replaced with a different design.


Next I had to drop off the mowing deck so I could find points to add the main support brackets. Underneath I found a couple of mounting points from where brackets to raise and lower the deck connected. I didn't get pictures of these but I found this one on the net that shows where they are:


I then fabbed some brackets that connected to these points with arms long enough to reach out the front. These were made of 1/4" plate and 1" square tubing that's 3/16" thick.

After mounting them underneath I clamped them on the front end to keep them parallel.

And from here I took some 1/4" scrap and attached it to the arms and bolted to the upper bumper to keep everything centered and stable.


Now it was time to build the arm that the blade would connect to. On one end I needed it to attach to the brackets already on the mower and be able to move up and down. On the other end I needed a place I could mount to the blade, with the capability of swivling and locking in straight, left or right positions so I could aim the blade while plowing. Here is the main arm:

And is the arm with the bracket that will be welded on the back of the blade that can be locked in the 3 positions.



And here is everything bolted together (minus the blade)


As for the blade, the original idea was to cut a section out of a 55 gal. drum. But later I decided to use some cutoffs from scrap at work. First I welded 2 of these pieces together thinking I would keep it small and light.

But then I realized that the snow would probably just go right over the top, so I added 2 more pieces resulting in one nice big blade. Here it is sitting in front of the mowee




Now I need to just get the swivle bracket welded to the back of the blade. I have to do this at work because I have a 90 amp HF welder at home that isn't strong enough to weld this stuff and be able to trust it. I've mainly been using it to tack parts together and have been taking them to work to do the full welds with the welders at work.

More to come this week! I've never built anything like this before so I'd really love to hear what everyone thinks.
Thanks for looking
Craig

 

[airrj]

Nice little project you have there. I don't see massive snow piled up in the background of the last photo. Aren't you supposed to build these things when you should be using them?

Looking forward to see it working.

 

[turbowoodworker]

subscribed

 

[toddacimer]

I'm guessing plow shoes and a wear bar are next?

 

[imalexodell]

I didn't expect that as an end result! I would love a plow for my old wheel horse, but laziness has bested me this far and will probably continue to do so. Great work though!

 

[Onefastgsx]

Nice little project you have there. I don't see massive snow piled up in the background of the last photo. Aren't you supposed to build these things when you should be using them?

I've been praying I'd get it together before out first serious snow fall. Haven't had any real accumulation yet, luckily.

I'm guessing plow shoes and a wear bar are next?

Yes. Shoes will be fabbed tomorrow. Was looking at my options as to what I should use for a wear bar. I'm thinking I'll just cut a strip the same length as the bottom of the blade and drill it and bolt it on so it can be innerchangeable. Any recommendations as to how thick of material I should use? We have alot of scrap AR400 steel in 3/16" an 1/4" thickness at work. I know that would be strong but maybe too thick?

Thanks for the comments guys. Keep them coming!

 

[toddacimer]

I would do 1/4". Pretty sure most atv plow edges are 1/4 plus the added weight will be worth it for wear and impacts.

 

[James Aiello]

you will need chains for rear tires and some rear weights. looks great so far

 

[CNGsaves]

Curious why you did the V - plow when you built in all the swivel ability?? Effectively you'll only be using half of blade when you're trying to move snow to either left or right side of plow. Is idea for drift busting??

 

[jeff lary]

good job keep going it looks like it will move snow alright. Like poster above I was wondering about the "V" design as well. You will have fun but one straight blade will frustrate you less I think . In any case great job

 

[Showkey]

If your going to plow on pavement you do not need plow shoes. The shoes are used on gravel or dirt drives to avoid plowing the drive material. Your V design will help in pushing less weight to the side..........V is also good for that first pass in the deep snow.

Atv and even full size pickup plows now use nylon or urethane scraper blades. They do scratch pavement, better on brick drives, quiet, serviceable, adjustable and less cost.

Example:
http://www.fallline.com/store/Resul...b3SjUm5jmTTp_YFqADVx5eD8mRO2jr46_IaAmD38P8HAQ

I made a HDPE wear bar for my ATV plow. I leave my plow shoes off.

+ 2 on chains and add weight.

Lawn tractors plows have one problem when compared to ATV. Effective plowing needs the snow to curl off the plow. The tractor really does not go fast enough to curl the snow. The solution is get on plow several times during a large or wet snow. This does change with condtions and distance and surface area being plowed.

Tractors also can suffer transmission and drive belt problems depending on models and amount of snow being pushed. Hydrostatic trans can be better, but they can also be "over worked"....... they go from drive to reverse faster and smoother.

 

[Onefastgsx]

I went with the V shape because I figured if it didn't collect the snow like a regular scoop blade it would hopefully ease some of the stress on the drivetrain. I realize it will take little longer to plow my driveway with but I'm fine with that if it means my equipment will last longer because its not so hard on it. I've read quite a bit about problems with the hydrostat transmissions in these mowers.

 

[Daves69]

I've read quite a bit about problems with the hydrostat transmissions in these mowers.

Change the fluid in the trans to the 5w-50wt fully synthetic.

 

[sublime68charger]

Chains and weights will help you a lot

Www.plowsite.com has a lot of great snow plowing info as well

 

[Onefastgsx]

Change the fluid in the trans to the 5w-50wt fully synthetic.

I plan to soon. That's easier said than done tho. The trans is nit serviceable. There is not drain plug even. So I'll have to remove the rear axle so I can tip it upside down to drain it and replace the fluid

 

[ishiboo]

Go to Menards, pick up the 3/8 HDPE sheet. Cut it into strips for wear bars.

Fab work looks great, but with my experience with snow, IMO the V-plow design is less than optimal... as a fixed V blade, they are usually seen only on old highway plow trucks and are great for clearing a single lane road with deep snow at speed. But they would have a much steeper angle.

I would move any blade as close to the front of the mower as possible. To clear anything wider than the V-plow, you are going to have to use only half of it to continue to push to the sides. This will create leverage on the front-end, which will move the tractor in deep snow. I have a 4200 lb 4wd tractor with a 6' straight blade in back, and it will easily move the tractor around. I fill the bucket and chain the front tires if I have to use it.

 

[Onefastgsx]

The arm I made for the plow is too long right now. If you see it in the picture haging off the bracket, I'm going to be shortening it quite a bit.

I cut a couple of strip to use as wear strip out of some 1/4" thick plate. I have a gravel drive so scrapes aren't a concern. They will be bolt on though so other materials are always swappable. I may make some others just to have for times when I use my plow other places with cement and blacktop drives.

 

[mboss4]

Looks nice so far. How about fabbing a cab, or figuring out a way to make a heated steering wheel to keep you warm while you're plowing?

 

[p_mori7]

Nice fab work.

but it won't work properly to push snow.

1 - looks way too heavy. all that weight hanging off the front effectively removes weight from the rear of the tractor. even with chains the tires will just spin when you try to push.

2- V blade is the wrong style for your use...you need a straight blade.

3- It looks like your hinge points are too far back. Your design is similar to an ATV blade, but you don't have the same ground clearance.

Suggestions from a guy that has pushed A LOT of snow:

1- Use thinner guage sheet steel (or plastic) for the blade. Use the thicker stock as a scraper edge and as backer brackets for the actual blade. You won't ever be going fast enough for the V design to be useful (it will just keep windrowing onto each side) nor to justify that thick guage blade.

2- Fab up brackets on either side of the frame right at the front of the tractor ahead of the front axle. This will increase your pivot angle and allow you to lift the blade higher with the winch.

3- Fab up an A-frame at least to the halfway height of the grille to loop your winch cable above the plow. Will make it more efficient at raising the blade full height.

4- Use the thick stock to fab up a bracket to hang weight off the back of the tractor...kinda like a backwards "L". Use the bottom lip of the "L" as the resting point for the weight (box full of scrap iron, bucket full of gravel, stack of old barbell weights...whatever. The weight hanging off the back should be at least equal to the weight of the blade/winch/bracket hanging off the front. Preferably more because the weight of the snow you will be pushing ahead of the blade adds resistance.

5-The blade should be at least 2" on each side wider than the track of your tires so you can get a clear path for traction.

6- Install a set of tire chains.


The best plow truck I ever used was an old 2WD Chevy with a locking differential, winter lug nylon bias ply tires, tire chains, extra leaf springs, an 8' Fisher plow with 2' box ears on each side, and the 8' bed full of gravel.

Nothing could stop that truck. and the 2WD made for a tight turning radius compared to 4WD's.

Have fun playing in the snow !

I still do !

 

[justme-]

Great job on the plow.
In all honesty you put more design effort into that plow than JD did into the Sabre. From a PE mechanics standpoint it's a highly unreliable tractor and you may very well push the transmission over failure point very quickly with the stress of pushing snow (much higher stress than running a blower on the front). Syn oil change recommendation is good for the hydrostat, but it's still a poor design prone to failure. JD does not want oil messed with - the have no level indications or flush/replacement instructions.
We replaced on on a customers tractor this spring - hydrostat cost (not easy to get replacements) plus labor far exceeded value of tractor, but the customer wanted it done. Had to get oil level info from hydrostat manufacturer to ensure it was correct after shipment.

 

[Onefastgsx]

Nice fab work.

but it won't work properly to push snow.

1 - looks way too heavy. all that weight hanging off the front effectively removes weight from the rear of the tractor. even with chains the tires will just spin when you try to push.

2- V blade is the wrong style for your use...you need a straight blade.

3- It looks like your hinge points are too far back. Your design is similar to an ATV blade, but you don't have the same ground clearance.

Suggestions from a guy that has pushed A LOT of snow:

1- Use thinner guage sheet steel (or plastic) for the blade. Use the thicker stock as a scraper edge and as backer brackets for the actual blade. You won't ever be going fast enough for the V design to be useful (it will just keep windrowing onto each side) nor to justify that thick guage blade.

2- Fab up brackets on either side of the frame right at the front of the tractor ahead of the front axle. This will increase your pivot angle and allow you to lift the blade higher with the winch.

3- Fab up an A-frame at least to the halfway height of the grille to loop your winch cable above the plow. Will make it more efficient at raising the blade full height.

4- Use the thick stock to fab up a bracket to hang weight off the back of the tractor...kinda like a backwards "L". Use the bottom lip of the "L" as the resting point for the weight (box full of scrap iron, bucket full of gravel, stack of old barbell weights...whatever. The weight hanging off the back should be at least equal to the weight of the blade/winch/bracket hanging off the front. Preferably more because the weight of the snow you will be pushing ahead of the blade adds resistance.

5-The blade should be at least 2" on each side wider than the track of your tires so you can get a clear path for traction.

6- Install a set of tire chains.


The best plow truck I ever used was an old 2WD Chevy with a locking differential, winter lug nylon bias ply tires, tire chains, extra leaf springs, an 8' Fisher plow with 2' box ears on each side, and the 8' bed full of gravel.

Nothing could stop that truck. and the 2WD made for a tight turning radius compared to 4WD's.

Have fun playing in the snow !

I still do !

So all I have to do is tear it all off and redo EVERYTHING and then it will work.....
It may not be the best designed snow plow ever made but it's design was taken from looking at hundreds of pictures of lawn mower plows and this is very similar to alot of them. Im sure it will push snow in the direction I want to some extent. It's not like I'm plowing an entire field. It's just a short gravel driveway.

 

[Showkey]

So all I have to do is tear it all off and redo EVERYTHING and then it will work.....
It may not be the best designed snow plow ever made but it's design was taken from looking at hundreds of pictures of lawn mower plows and this is very similar to alot of them. Im sure it will push snow in the direction I want to some extent. It's not like I'm plowing an entire field. It's just a short gravel driveway.

^^^^^^
Sorry but Unfortunately........ yes think they are correct..........and the transmission is likely to fail with the first six inch snow.

Or just skip the JD and get a Honda ATV and mount that plow.

 

[48RON54]

Looks great! Let's see some pics of it in action already! I wish I had your fab skills

I would move some snow and see what happens as opposed to listening the doomsdayers about your design at this point

 

[tonydanzah]

this thing is awesome. I shared it with the Detroit mower gang.

 

[Onefastgsx]

I've gotten alot more done over the past couple of days. I made the mount for the backside of the blade to attach to the arm. I also got the arm cut to an appropriate length to keep the blade up close to the front.


Next came the springs. I went to menards to see what they had and came up with these porch swing springs. They aren't what you would normally find on a plow, but I'm sure they will work for this application.
For adjusting them I went with eye hooks and u-hooks. They can be raised or lowered to adujst the tension.


Finally, I added a hook to the plow arm and bolted the winch back to the bumper. Ran some wires to the battery and gave it a test lift.




Everything is working as planned. Now it's just time to take it all back off and get some paint on it. I also want to get the wires for the winch ran nicely and get the switch mounted somewhere easy to reach.

I am having trouble with the solenoid for the winch. It will go up but when I press down it just clicks. I reversed the wires to the winch motor and it would go down again but the other solenoid would still only click. Are these somehow serviceable? Is there a way of fixing one that's stuck or just clicks? Any help with that would be great.

 

[tonydanzah]

probably just buy a new solenoid.

 

[p_mori7]

You mention that you will be plowing a gravel drive.

Your blade (all blades actually) tend to want to dig into the gravel like a dozer.

There are a couple of ways around that.

1- Fab up some skid shoes behind your blade. These skid shoes should be set about level or even slightly below the scraper edge of you blade. They will ride atop the gravel as the blade pushes the snow.

2- Fab up a rounded scraper edge. That should work well with the heavy blade you have created. What most guys I know do is take some 1" or 1-1/4" iron pipe, cut it into 12" sections, cut a slit into it lengthwise, slip it over the scraper edge and tack weld them on. These pieces are sacrificial and might need to be replaced during the winter depending on how much plowing you will do.

Seeing the completed installation, your hinge points are OK, but I still think your winch cable routing should be looped higher, but what you have will work.

 

[RickP]

Nice looking plow - very good job fabricating that.

Could you move the attachment point for the lift cable forward to one of the plow attachment bolts? My ATV plow setup is similar to yours, and it's hard to adjust the height of the plow without overshooting. It ends up with a loose winch cable and gets overrides as a result. If your lift cable was a little farther forward you might have an easier time adjusting the plow height.

 

[Onefastgsx]

If you look closely you will see nuts welded on the bottom edge. This is where I was planning to attach "shoes" but I wasn't very happy with them installed. I like the sounds of the 1" pipe. Seems easy enough.

Moving the winch cable forward had crossed my mind. I just haven't come up with something else yet.

Snow is supposed to be here tuesday. I gotta hurry up!

 

[Onefastgsx]

Finally got to use my plow this evening. Everything was going great, until the eyehooks that the springs mount to snapped. So I guess I'll be installi ng larger ones tomorrow and will be back to plowing.

 

[kelpaso1]

^^^^^^
Sorry but Unfortunately........ yes think they are correct..........and the transmission is likely to fail with the first six inch snow.

Or just skip the JD and get a Honda ATV and mount that plow.

Agreed! Home over style lawnmowers make for a terrible plow vehicle. And yes, say by by to the transmission. Also there is no diff lock in the trans so he'll be spinning his wheel.

I plowed with my Honda 4X4 atv and that bike worked hard pushing anything over 4 inches of heavy wet snow. My lawn tractor would never have even come close to what my bike could do.

 

[Jim_No_Garage]

Finally got to use my plow this evening. Everything was going great, until the eyehooks that the springs mount to snapped. So I guess I'll be installi ng larger ones tomorrow and will be back to plowing.

OneFast -

I'm jealous of your fabrication capabilities - I have no ability to do any of that.

I do have a question on the "tilt spring mechanism". It looks to me like if the "point" of the V "catches" it's going to tilt as designed.

The issue I see is that since the "point" is in front of the tilting axis, the point is going to "catch harder" because as the blade it's tilting it's driving the "point" further into the ground. Maybe the arms "roll up" as the plow tips forward?

I'm not really familiar with snow plow equipment but the geometry doesn't seem right for a V-plow. Of course I shovel my driveway - so don't take anything I say as criticism.

Cheers

Jim

 

[404]

The JD trans has no drain plug because that saves 12 cents per unit. Nothing to do with it being "better" or "lifetime"

IF smaller diameter tires can be put on the back, the final drive ratio is reduced and the trans will see less stress. One way is to weld bed frame angle iron across the bead area of some old bare rims. Like a pet rodent wheel idea or a water wheel.

 

[404]

Wheels like this but use an old rim for the center part.

http://wfruijia.en.alibaba.com/prod...ini_Farm_Walking_Tractor_With_Iron_Wheel.html

 

[Onefastgsx]

I installed new eyehooks today for the springs and got my driveway plowed this evening.

I think people are seeing the V and thinking the angle is alot more sever than it actually is. There really isn't to much of an angle on it at all. And the point of the V doesn't really hook like some may think. My idea was to try and get the best of both worlds with the bit of an angle like a V plow, but its still a straight enough blade where I can turn it to the left or right and still get most of the benifits of a straight blade.

All in all I am very happy with how well it worked tonight. Here's a quick pic after I did some plowing. I have my wife and daughter to thank for the lovely yellow color. They insisted it was the color it HAD to be!

[/URL][/IMG]

I do still plan on adding a couple pieces of pipe to the bottom edge like was suggested. I just had to get out and try it tonight!

 

[RickP]

Nice job - looks like it's working just like you hoped it would.

You might try upgrading some of the bolts if any others break. My Cycle Country plow has a bunch of grade 8 bolts on it, and I still bend some of them, but I'm also pushing with a lot more weight behind it than you are (side-by-side ATV).

 

[404]

Well done. It is finished and working. Perfect.