snow plow soft edge

[Ashful]

Snow will (hopefully) be here before we know it, and I wasn't real happy with my plow setup the last few years. With the skid shoes set 1/8" to 1/4" below the hardened steel edge, it manages to get the driveway pretty clean, but the steel edge really wrecks the top coat any place where the driveway has a bit of crown or contour... which seems to be a lot of places in my slightly hilly drive. I was also constantly worried about chipping my exposed agregate concrete walks, where they meet the driveway.

I switched to a 1" thick x 6" wide stiff rubber edged, clamped to the plow with a 1/4" x 3" piece of stainless steel, which was much friendlier to the asphalt. But it failed to get the driveway clean in our so-frequent ice or frozen rain storms. When it wasn't just skidding over what I wanted to scrape, it tended to push up between each of the half dozen carriage bolts that clamped it to the plow, leaving gaps between. Not ideal.

I'd like to find a stiffer plastic edge, but obviously something that won't just shatter when the plow catches a seam in the pavement. Any ideas/suggestions?

Here's the rubber edge I ran in 2021, removed out of frustration in the middle of last season.

 

[ABMax24]

UHMW PE is the only way to go. Lots of shops can cut UHMW sheet on a waterjet or router table.

It's a pretty common upgrade for snowblades.

We also use it extensively on the bottoms of shallow water jet boats to protect the aluminum hulls from scrapes on rocks.

I'm sure you have access to CAD to provide the cutting shop a .dxf file, should be easy.

 

[Ashful]

UHMW PE is the only way to go. Lots of shops can cut UHMW sheet on a waterjet or router table.

It's a pretty common upgrade for snowblades.

We also use it extensively on the bottoms of shallow water jet boats to protect the aluminum hulls from scrapes on rocks.

I'm sure you have access to CAD to provide the cutting shop a .dxf file, should be easy.

That's interesting. I've seen lots of UHMW PE edges for buckets, but honestly had never personally seen one for a snow plow, to the point where I thought maybe it just wasn't as suitable for use on-edge as it is "on the flat".

Yep, CAD is no problem, in fact it was while waiting for a CAD file to save that I read your message!

 

[ABMax24]

As long as you get a thick enough sheet it should be fine, of course the trade off being a thicker sheet probably won't scrape the driveway down as well.

They work fine around here, but we get a lot less wet snow and freezing rain than you do. Being colder our snow is generally fluffy and easier to remove.

 

[Ashful]

No issue, I should be able to just order a sheet of flat stock, and handle the machining myself. My plow edge is just held on with 6 carriage bolts, and capped with that stainless steel edge, which is narrower than the UHMW.

My biggest concern is that, while my driveway is smooth seal-coated asphalt, my street gets oiled and gravel-chipped every few years. It's the perfect rough texture grab, break, or shave the bottom of any plow edge. When I transition from driveway to street, while pushing a big load of heavy sticky stuff at speed, I have to be careful about the plow grabbing at the subtle transition in contour and texture. If I break a plastic plow edge, that will be the place where it happens.

 

[ABMax24]

Should be fine, UHMW doesn't really seem to break, it'll bend and tear, but not break. But of course it will wear some on that chip-seal.

Bobcat even offers a very similar cutting edge for their skid steer blades:

96

Polyurethane cutting edge for snow blades and snow pushers are designed for reduce damage when clearing snow from concrete, asphalt parking lots, submerged lighting systems, pavement markings, and other delicate surfaces. *Snowblade not included. Quiet in operation making them ideal for...

shop.bobcat.com

Edit: Nevermind, I can't read, that bobcat blade is PolyUrethane.

 

[Ashful]

Yeah, that's what my old one is, 1 x 4 x 72" polyurethane, and what everyone seems to be using. Didn't work as well as I had hoped.

Will look at UHMW again, but as I said, I remember it being only suited for bucket edges, where it's run on the flat and under less shear stress.

 

[Ashful]

So, I did some digging. Here's what I had before, 1" x 4" x 72"

Home - Polyurethane Snowblades

Polyurethane is up to 5 times stronger than Rubber. Fast Shipping. Shipped from the manufacturer. Ship in 1-3 business days. Any questions call (419)-693-7400.

www.polyurethanesnowplowblades.com

But unlike two years ago, now I'm finding some hits on UHMW plow edges, even from Good Works Tractors (used to watch his YouTube years ago).

I haven't found any info on the stiffness (eg. flexural modulus) of polyurethane plow edges for comparison, but the UHMW seems to run around 110,000 psi, likely sufficient to avoid the problem I had with the polyurethane edge. Using the equation I could find for 3-point deflection, I'm figuring something like 1100 lb. to cause 0.1" deflection between any pair of the carriage bolts holding it to my plow, or 5500 lb. to cause that deflection across the entire edge.

 

[ClintonH]

I've seen TREX or other composite decking used. No firsthand experience, however.

 

[Ashful]

I've seen TREX or other composite decking used. No firsthand experience, however.

That's likely worth a try, just because it's about 1/10th the cost of UHMW marketed for this purpose!

 

[blades]

Super cold weather will have an effect on the plastic, they get brittle. maybe they have come up with some better formulations now. I have been out of the biz for a few years. I have had, in the past, holes punched through the mold board and edges shattered on plastic units. Commercial plowing. No gravel , Those darn manhole covers due a number on you though.

 

[tlc1976]

Could you add a set of carriage bolts between the existing ones? To limit the span and cut down on the deflection.

 

[Ashful]

Super cold weather will have an effect on the plastic, they get brittle. maybe they have come up with some better formulations now. I have been out of the biz for a few years. I have had, in the past, holes punched through the mold board and edges shattered on plastic units. Commercial plowing. No gravel , Those darn manhole covers due a number on you though.

We're not as cold as you, here in eastern PA. We get a few nights below 0°F each year, but not consistently enough that I'm stuck plowing in it. I think the coldest day that I needed to clear snow in the last ten years was around 8°F, not exactly cold by your standards, I'd guess.

I searched for data on impact strength vs. temperature, and didn't come up with much useful. How do you think it will perform above 8°F?

Could you add a set of carriage bolts between the existing ones? To limit the span and cut down on the deflection.

That could help, but I'd prefer to keep that as the last result, if a simple material change doesn't resolve the problem. I'll be changing or flipping this edge as it wears, and going from 6 to 11 carriage bolts only adds weight and time. More importantly, I hand-filed the existing 6 square holes in the 1/4" stainless clamp bar, and it was a major PITA. Not looking forward to hand-filing another 5 between them!

 

[brenndatomu]

We're not as cold as you, here in eastern PA. We get a few nights below 0°F each year, but not consistently enough that I'm stuck plowing in it. I think the coldest day that I needed to clear snow in the last ten years was around 8°F, not exactly cold by your standards, I'd guess.

I searched for data on impact strength vs. temperature, and didn't come up with much useful. How do you think it will perform above 8°F?

They use uhmw for hyfax and ski skins on snowmobiles...it'll be fine. The only shortcoming vs steel is that it does not peel ice off as well.
Trex will split/break too easily IMO.

 

[SpaceBus]

Have you considered putting pipe on the edge of the blade? Some guys do that around here for rough drives and gravel.
Edit: FWIW I spent the last three winters doing commercial snow removal.

 

[SpaceBus]

They use uhmw for hyfax and ski skins on snowmobiles...it'll be fine. The only shortcoming vs steel is that it does not peel ice off as well.
Trex will split/break too easily IMO.

I've used UHMW snow shovels, and they are awesome on smooth stuff, so so on rough or uneven pavement, but better than a metal edge either way.

 

[Ashful]

Have you considered putting pipe on the edge of the blade? Some guys do that around here for rough drives and gravel.
Edit: FWIW I spent the last three winters doing commercial snow removal.

View attachment 298732

I've thought about it, but haven't ever tried it, as it seems to be preferred only by those clearing gravel driveways. My own driveway is as smooth as asphalt can be, after 30 years of re-coating every third year, although it's got enough contours in corners and around edges that the steel edge finds its places to bite in.

It's unfortunate that the road is so different from my driveway, being very rough chip. What's ideal for my smooth driveway is not for the road I must push the snow across at the end, and vice versa.

Already sent out a few RFQ's for UHMW, I believe I can buy it at half the price advertised by any of the tractor equipment retailers, although getting a 6' length is a bit of a challenge.

 

[tlc1976]

Have you considered putting pipe on the edge of the blade? Some guys do that around here for rough drives and gravel.
Edit: FWIW I spent the last three winters doing commercial snow removal.

View attachment 298732

Guys do that here too, but more for not tearing up the lawn when the ground isn’t frozen.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

1" neoprene works pretty good. That's what I have on mine. It's hardly worn. We have a 1/3 mile gravel driveway and I plow for a few friends. The plow has seen plenty of use at -30*F.

 

[Ashful]

1" neoprene works pretty good. That's what I have on mine. It's hardly worn. We have a 1/3 mile gravel driveway and I plow for a few friends. The plow has seen plenty of use at -30*F.

Thanks Isaac! I think there may be a few factors contributing to my failure, or your success:

1. You're probably pushing more white fluffy snow, and I'm pushing more granular frozen chit, which may have come down and frozen overnight on a too-warm driveway from yesterday's sun.

2. I'm trying to scrape asphalt clean, whereas you're plowing on gravel, and likely have the plow edge set up an inch from the surface. So, when my rubber edge fails to apply any pressure on the pavement between the carriage bolts (see photos), I really notice it.

What those of you who get powdery snow have to remember is that here the northeast, we get a lot of storms that ping-pong back and forth between frozen rain, sleet, snow, rain, and back to frozen rain. It might be sunny and 38F the afternoon before the storm starts, ensuring the asphalt is nice and warm, and then just for good measure the temperature will drop 20F when it's finished, to make sure the whole wet mess freezes real good to the driveway. This doesn't happen with every storm, in fact more often it all happens in reverse, but it happens often enough that it's a real issue.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

I don't have any plow shoes. It rides right on the ground. I like it because I don't have to worry about peeling grass or stones. My steel plow would find anything to dig into, even with shoes. It got caught on the railroad tracks in our driveway one day and that was that. It always went right over, but that day.....who knows.

The new one will push a ton of snow without a lot of drag. The old one was like a lead brick.

 

[Ashful]

Okay. I'm convinced to give the polyurethane another try, without shoes, before I give up on it and buy another few hundred dollars worth of UHMW.

I have the same problem with my steel edge, especially the corners. It'll ride over a given feature (like your railroad tracks or the seam at the end of my driveway) a dozen times without any issue, and then wham! I find it popping marble-sized stones out of the surface of 30 year old and well-topcoated asphalt, buried stones that plows have ridden over hundreds of times without any issue, until one random day when I must've come at it from a slightly different angle. It really makes plowing a lot less enjoyable.

 

[blades]

we get that freeze thaw stuff as well , a storm a few years back started out as nice fluffy stuf got wet almost slush then the temp dropped to -xx and the wind came up futher reducing temp. as you cleared a lot what was left was turning into instant ice . Adding to that the snow was so wet it was difficult to even move it. The 1/2 ton trucks were having a terrible time . Literally sliding right off the face of a run and getting stuck. I spent half the night pulling trucks out with the my big truck - out the door when we started at 18,000 lbs. Not a fun night and well into the next day to get it all cleaned up. Spent the next 4 days repairing damaged equipment. Some of it mine and a lot of others as well. Not blaming the guys/gals it was just that kind of storm.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

There are times to keep plowing through the storm so you can keep up and there are times to just wait it out. The problem is our society is in so much of a hurry to get places. I have sat by the wood stove for 2-3 days waiting for a blizzard to pass and then found 4+ ft of snow in the driveway. You have to know when to wait

 

[Ashful]

There are times to keep plowing through the storm so you can keep up and there are times to just wait it out... You have to know when to wait

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