Quote:
Originally Posted by Wild Bill
I've seen farm tractors with 3 rib tires digging clear down to the stones in the driveway-or the grass in the yard...yet the front end is being shoved around by the blade.
I've also seen 4x4 trucks, locked in, and the blade is shoving the front around, so the driver is having to fight the front , and have the wheels turned into the side the snow is on.
There comes a point, when physics kicks in, and tire tread design makes no difference. The weight of the snow that you are trying to push, and it's resistance to being moved, overpowers the weight of the tractor (and the front tire tread design), and the tractor loses. Shoving snow straight ahead is a different ballgame. However, depending on depth and type of snow, even pushing straight ahead can be nearly impossible.
Having the blade angled in 6" of snow isn't a problem. Taking a full cut, and trying to shove 12" or more with a 54" blade angled is a hassle....and if you can't take a full cut, you might as well be using a 42" blade.
The next time it is windy, go outside and hold up a 4'x8' sheet of plywood straight into the wind. It's fairly easy to brace yourself, and keep the plywood pretty steady. Then, without moving your feet, quickly turn the plywood to 30*, you will get shoved sideways and you will have to move your feet to keep from falling down. Then walk towards the wind as fast as you can, with the plywood at 30*...and try to walk in a straight line.
I get drifts that are 175' long, and just as wide, and anywhere from 18" to as much as 45" deep (one year at Christmas we had 27" of snow fall in 24 hours, the drifts in the morning were 45" deep. My Farmall H with FEL had it's hands full that day!). Like I said, when the snow gets 2' or more deep, the blade (of any size on a GT) has met it's match.....and it's time for a thrower or blower.
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I agree there comes a point were the tire does not matter. But why people think that AG's are snow tires I will never understand. I have been plowing snow with trucks semi commercially for nearly 20 years. And I have tried to push more than the truck can control. As for the guy you saw in ( 4lock) that really does not matter. And in fact if the front wheels are spinning (no traction) they will slide easier than if they weren't. The reason 4x4 is good for plowing snow in a pick up is because when you raise the blade it takes all the weight off the rear wheels and you cant back out of the pile. There are plenty of plow trucks out there that are 2 wheel drive and do just fine, with enough weight in the back. Look at your township or city dump trucks, they are rear drive and pushing 10 plus feet wide.
Your question of the sheet of ply wood is exactly my point. The ply wood is like the treads on your AG tires. Is it easier to walk into the wind with it full face or turned sideways ? So how much resistance do you think the AG's offer in a side load situation like said.
I live just below Erie in the snow belt, so I get just as much if not more snow than most. I push it all with my 1211 and 54' blade. I use it at home because it give me some (me) time, and gives the truck a chance to thaw out. I clear about a 150 ft run with a 50x50 parking area at the end. I have no problems.