Works for me

Nice fabrication Eric!

 

I did a quick mock-up leaving the hardware loose, just to see if I needed the hand of God to lift up the plow with the lever. Nope, plenty of leverage there, even with the mower deck attached too I still have spacer bushings to make before everything is in its final location, and I’d like to beef up the lifting arm with some gussets at the bend locations, but I’m more than happy with the setup so far. ​

 

Very nice. You gonna fabricate a log splitter attachment for it?

 

Nice job on the drop down tongue. What are you doing with the sand?

 

The sand was the base for my 16’ pool I put up in 2020. I used the trailer to haul it to the backyard, but ended up renting a skid steer when it came time to building up the spot and topping it with sand.

 

X2

 

A coworker of mine owed me a favor so I gave him the actuating rod to weld a couple gussets in at the two bend locations. Before, the weight of the plow was trying to straighten the metal back out. This should stiffen it up a bit and prevent flexing. I’ll probably finish this up in the late fall when mowing season stops and I’m ready to mount the blade for the winter.

 

Nice work! That’ll keep things in check.

(Nice patriotic Crocks too!)

 

Lol I’m not a crock-wearer, patriotic or otherwise. Those were some late night pictures my coworker sent me as he was finishing up.
Yeah I do think this whole setup is going to work out just fine. I’ve wanted to ditch my snowblower for years now, and have one less engine to worry about.

 

On the subject of crocks, I only wear them around the house.

But back on track, this is a cool thread. Keep the pics coming. I always enjoy a good rehab/build thread. The fabrication is definitely interesting to see.

 

Nothing wrong with crocks if that’s your thing. At no point have I ever looked down upon a fellow lounging around his house or working in his backyard for wearing any particular kind of footwear. Sandals, crocks, skateboarding shoes, boots, whatever works.
Thanks for following along. What started 3 years ago as a simple riding mower thread somehow evolved into a mild build thread, and it’s been fun.

 

I’ve waited long enough ~ it was time to get the plow mounted on the tractor. Yesterday several snow squalls blew through, which was the motivating factor. It lifts very easily with the lever and I’m happy with the setup overall Now that it’s on, we’ll never see another flake of snow here in Connecticut, ever, ever, ever again. You’re welcome, CT hoarders

 

Hopefully you are correct. I dont mind the cold but hate snow.

 

Did you fab those brackets? Nice job and they look very stout.

 

Thank you and yes, I ended up fabricating all the brackets, rods, spacers, etc.

 

The one thing I'm leery about is the narrow spacing between these plates. I'd feel a lot better if they were outboard more, so the load would be transferred to the brackets mounted to the frame, rather than relying mainly on that 3/4" 4140 steel bar. I kind of worry I might bend the bar if I come to an abrupt halt with the blade down. That blade might be out too far in front, my steering might get squirrely, in which case I'll make a shorter mounting system with a wider footprint where it mounts to the bar. We'll see how it works out though.

 

I agree. Still a very "clean" looking job. Maybe the 3/4 bar will become cushioning or sacrificial in case you were to hang into something.

Looks like you have very good fab skills. I have an old Wheelhorse blade and one for my John Deere 400 that have the spring loaded, breakover mechism in case you snag on something big. When I've scraped the neigbors concrete driveway in the past, I've snagged pretty good on the joints.

 

I'll try to get some pictures of the spring mechanism.

Here's the 400

 

Are Those your welding crocs?

 

Haha nope, a coworker friend of mine welded those gussets on for me, and sent me that picture late at night while wearing those patriotic crocs
I've since acquired my own MIG welder (haven't touched one in almost 20 years now) but I doubt I'll be welding in highly flammable footwear anytime soon