I've been plowing with the shoes on to leave the crushed stone where it belongs and save the grass. Now that things are frozen up good I decided to take them off and scrap things down a little better. And make the kids a bigger sliding pile.
Kids oughta love that. If we ever get any snow here, maybe you've inspired me to make a ramp out back fer lil boy launchin'... ...
When I get the tractor out later this afternoon to move a few logs I may improve it even more with the bucket. I actually need to back drag where they come off of the snow pile and back drag that down the hill. Makes for a nice slippery surface for them to slide even further.
There's a park we went to when we were teens that had a hill with 3 slopes to slide down. The fourth side was the roadside, and fenced. The first slide was what was considered the kiddie hill, and opposite that one was the middle hill. However, the one opposite the road was massive and really steep. After getting to the bottom, you'd keep on going and if not careful you might end up in the creek. Loved that hill. It was/is on Hines drive....maybe some Detroit area folks know it.
I threw the shoes to my plow in the scrap pile on day 1. Even for gravel, I prefer to float it manually. Pavement. ..not even a comparison. Much cleaner barefoot!
I miss my plow truck. But I don't miss the repairs from getting it back broken. I absolutely hated driving in storms with that plow on. My driveway is paved. I was able to keep it cleaned off really well. I never used the plow shoes. All I wanted was those rods on the sides so I could tell where the plow was. I sold the truck to my brothers for half what it was worth. Then went to a f 150 which can't take a plow. Now have a snow thrower, but can't use it because I can't get around with this bum leg still messed up.
Our Jeep's 6' plow doesn't have shoes, but I think it's lighter weight (under 250 lbs) means they're not needed. Always had shoes on the other two 8' plows we've had... and I dug in plenty even with them on... scares me to think what I mess I could have made barefoot.
I have been using the shoes with one washer on them. It's been working nice. This is a pretty heavy plow and I wanted to avoid moving dirt and gravel. More work in the spring.
When I had a plow, I would only keep the shoes on until the ground froze. Much cleaner job once those shoes came off!
Miss my plow too, been 10 years now. speaking of which: RANT..... Why do so many guys drive the entire season with their plow on? I know it beats the front end of trucks up let alone with the plow off the truck. Too many close calls with plows and cars going the other way and plows trying to go around cars that are turning. I'm surprised the ins co haven't pushed to get them off unless it's snowing. I remember after a storm and I was finished I couldn't wait to drop that thing in the driveway.
That's becoming a trend on the newer half-ton trucks. The front suspensions are softer for better ride and handling, and the frames are lighter for better fuel economy and cost of manufacturing. Most still offer a "snowplow prep" package but it's not always standard equipment on half-ton pickups. I looked into a plow for my Silverado but honestly, I would have destroyed the plow on our (rocky) roads. The plows that are offered for half-ton trucks these days are intended for relatively light duty. The half-ton is becoming a daily driver Home Depot queen. They will pickup a few sticks of lumber and tow just about anything a homeowner has business towing. But plowing snow just isn't their forte any more. As long as the focus for new pickups in this class remains on fuel-economy and comfort, I don't see that changing.
I plowed snow for the 1st time yesterday. Don't remove the shoes but put it in the last notches. Works fine.
