Snow blade shoe height

[Flatbedford]

How high should I set the shoes on my front snow/dirt blade for the best snow removal results? Because I bought the tractor in April, I have only used for dirt work so far. I left the shoes all the way up so for dirt work, but I assume they should be down for snow work. Are the shoes there just to reduce wear of the cutting edge or do they somehow help in snow removal? Are they cheaper and or easier to replace than the cutting edge? It seems to me that I would be able to clear snow better without the feet down. What do you all think.

[Matt G.]

That depends on what you're doing. For an asphalt or concrete driveway, you won't get all the way down to the surface with the skid shoes extended. On a gravel drive, you might want them down a bit so all of the gravel doesn't wind up in your grass. I have a mostly gravel driveway that's paved near the garage, so I don't use the skid shoes. After the ground freezes, the gravel stays put for the most part. What doesn't just gets raked back into the driveway in the spring. I would say the steel to make a new cutting edge is going to be cheaper than new skid shoes.

[Flatbedford]

My driveway is asphalt. So, I guess I'll leave them the way they are.