plowing snow with the 8n

[michfarmer]

i plowed snow yesterday for the first time with my 8n. it wasent very fun. it has a back blade and when you drop the blade all it did is set in one spot and spin. what is the best way to get tracton. chains, weights, or load the tires. i had the blade turned around so it would push going backwords.

 

[Bob]

"what is the best way to get tracton. chains, weights, or load the tires."

Chains, weights AND loading the tires sounds like a plan if you are going to do some SERIOUS work with the blade.

With the blade turned around and pushing backwards it's REAL easy to catch the ground making pushing difficult, especially since your setup likely has no runners.

How deep was the snow you were attempting to rearrange?

 

[michfarmer]

the snow was around 6 inches deep. it is a 7 foot blade. i have a lot of grading and dirt pushing to do with it this spring. after plowing snow i dont know if it will do it. i had to do alot of raming to push the snow.

 

[Pauls9N]

Turn the blade so the curved side is facing the rear, that should make it easier to push. Use stablizer bars to keep the plow straight.
A 7 foot blade may be a bit much for an 8n.
Load the tires and add chains for traction in this icey wet snow. Chains make a real difference when you have ice under the snow!
You should be able to move dirt around in the spring, as your tires will be able to dig in for traction.

 

[D Squared]

My N with loaded tires will just barely handle 6 inches of snow with a 5 foot blade. Had to pull it out with my 4WD after getting stuck in some ice last snow (about 7 inches)

 

[sfurn52]

(quoted from post at 07:28:33 03/01/10) i plowed snow yesterday for the first time with my 8n. it wasent very fun. it has a back blade and when you drop the blade all it did is set in one spot and spin. what is the best way to get tracton. chains, weights, or load the tires. i had the blade turned around so it would push going backwords.

I have an 8n with loaded tires here in northern Indiana.

I can handle that much snow if there is not ice under it.

For higher snow loads I push it in reverse with the blade turned to an angle & the cutting edge of the blade facing the front of the tractor. If needed I will lift the blade a little on the first pass & then clean up the rest with later passes.

I think the weight is pretty important and I'm going to look into some chains for next year because this year I had to fight ice under the snow enough. When I do get stuck I can use my FEL to get me out most of the time but shoveling out a tractor is less than fun.

(added -- I have a 7' blade)
YMMV

 

[sfurn52]

Another thought -- what are your rear tires? I would think lugged would be the only type that would push snow but that is all I've ever had on mine.

 

[TL (Va)]

This was my first year plowing also, I have an 8n with 7' back blade and loaded tires. Mine does much better pulling the snow than pushing. Angle your blade enough to keep moving the snow to the side rather than piling up more and more. My biggest mistake was not opening up a wide enough path after the first snow, after several more snows the sides of my drive were so high I couldn't push it over the top.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I tried plowing without chains for the first time this year. That lasted about 2 minutes. I realized FAST that chains are required for using a Jubilee in the snow.

 

[HCooke]

Ag tires have much better traction going forward than in reverse.

 

[Danny in CO]

I have used my 48 8N to plow snow here in Colorado for about 8 years now with just chains, not loaded tires. 6' back blade.

Danny

 

[Charles Krammin]

For a rear blade pushing backwards, I had good results with either Ag tire or turf with road chains and depth pads on blade, to keep it from digging in with unfrozen ground. With a front blade I now have added chloride to tires. Angled running in deep heavy snow with back bade, requires pushing and lifting to the sides every so often also with front blade. In light snow aand with good depth pads I run with sherman in steptup and 3/4 throttle. Trip springs on front blade help in not damaging mounts. With no trip springs on backblade, I welde the turnpost twice.
Charles in SW MI

 

[JW Axtell]

I have chains, loaded tires and an additional 500 lbs weight on my back blade.
I still have issues going in reverse sometimes.
Then there is the issue of all snow not being created equal. Some is wet, heavy, packing and slippery. Some snows are good traction some terrible.
This last dump the snow was 8 inches over the top of my front Dearborn blade.
I got it but it took a long time and my clutch leg still hurts.

 

[Mr. Bob]

'46 2N, loaded 12.4 tires, wheelweights, 6' rear heavy duty blade; 8-10" of snow no problem.

Mr. Bob

 

[Jerry9N]

I"ve found that pulling the snow down the drive into a few long piles works pretty well. After I make my last pass, I pull out into the road, turn the back blade around, and make one or two short pushes up into a pile. Much easier than sitting looking backward the whole time, and I can plow the drive pretty quickly. Chains are a must around here, the ones with the big double loops work great. I put them on after Thanksgiving, and take them off after Easter!
Just a thought, did you have your tractor set in position control? Without my Zane thang mine would spin a lot when pushing, (the 9N only has draft control)

Jerry

 

[John in Mich]

I moved my snow, too, as we just got back from Texas. 8N, loaded tires, no chains, Wagner loader and back blade going forward. The 5" snow was very wet and heavy. I hung up a couple of times but could back out or lift and drive forward. I keep my blade at an angle. When snow got too deep, I used the loader to push it out of my way. The one thing I always do is to push back far enough to have room for the next big one. St.Patricks day is too often good for lots of snow. Got a lot of melt off today.

 

[chevyNford]

My 8N pulling with only chains and the 7' blade angled does real well. I found that with the blade angled as much as possible and a little speed to get the snow rolling out of the side, instead of just pulling a big pile until the tractor stops moving forward, works best. I have a FEL also but when using only the 7' back blade I will not drop the blade to the ground on the first pass I will make a couple passes so that I am not expecting it to pull more than a small 2wd tractor should be able to handle. When the tractor starts to slow I will begin to raise the blade to keep the tractor moving and get the rest with another pass.
The 3 pt. is made to pull not push, I have pushed with the back blade but only small amounts.

 

[DanH01]

Since you don't have pads on your blade use the position control to keep your blade a little off the ground for the first pass. Still might spin some but at least you won't dig in to your drive. Then turn your blade around and pull the rest out. Loading the tires, weights and chains will all help except on ice. You just have to experiment and find out what works for you. Most likely it will be a combination of all of the above.

The weights and loading the tires will help with spreading dirt and gravel. I've done my 800 feet of gravel drive that not only goes uphill but is also a big U shaped drive with two entrances. I've got a 47 2N w/loaded tires. I had to use limiter chains to keep the blade from digging in, had to make several passes but otherwise had no problems.