How do you like the snowblower when you get less than 6” of snow? I have a new Kubota with a cab and I’m thinking about getting a snowblower. I do like a plow on the front of a tractor. Does the blower throw stones?
Really want to stay out of gravel with a blower- first it is a mess come spring second beats the crap out of the impeller and the shoot and if something catches just right one busted gearbox $$$$$$$. even after every thing is frozen solid you will still pick up chunks of gravel. just the nature of a gravel drive. with the plow you end scraping it to the side instead of flinging it willy nilly and course come summer now you are moving gravel with a mower hard on those blades. either way you need to set the scraper blade or the shoes high enough to avoid picking gravel. I did commercial snow removal for many years got to the point I plain would not take a gravel account. Just to much down time repairing the damage from same. shear pins hydro hoses gear boxes impellers busted plow frames ect. And I was not one of those 90mph plow jockies either. I miss the income now some what, but I do not miss any of the headaches or the extreme stress involved or the dreaded phone call that someone in-appropriately dressed for the weather slipped and fell ( those are other stories)
I got a rear blower.. Works fine on gravel once it's frozen.. Before frozen leave an inch or so on it.. Not much different than plow..
Most gravel drives end up with a high crown in the center if not properly maintained every year ( which most aren't) so that means the lower track areas eventually turns to 2 strips of ice as a home owner you can deal with it however you like- on the commercial side that don't cut it of course. Last gravel drive I did was brand new #2 gravel. Company that put it in just did a dump and run never packed it down. I got about half way in and just sunk to the frame of the truck, on a 30 deg list to passenger side had to call one of my other drivers off another job to assist. There was 18" of clearance under that truck on a hard surface.
Hey guys. I love it! Only had it last season and it surpassed my hopes. I only had a few times where it threw stones...it was an area where I put in new crushed stone for my 'shack' driveway which is right off the main gravel road that has been there forever. My main road has good drainage and has at least 2 feet of bank run as a base from an old gravel pit out back. When it first went in it was just the bank run, then for a lot of years we got a number of free truck loads of #1 crushed limestone that dressed it, that got packed in pretty good over the decades with rain and tractors on it, then for a few years we got free stone dust is what I call it...it's the stuff they put on the roads here when it snows, pretty small and fine....so snow blowing on that is pretty good and has not been a problem at all. I have a lot less damage to my road now, really none at all, and it is a hell of a lot faster and easier than a back blade. I just take my time and kinda creep along feathering the hydraulics up or down as needed. I keep the shoes about an inch down. Love it. Soooo much better than plowing with a truck or a back blade. I do my one neighbors drive way and it's paved, and that is quick and sweet! The blower is 5.5 ft wide and going up and back twice is quick...huge time saver and nothing to fix in the spring. It has been a game changer for me.
If I ever go back to commercial snow clearing it will be by blower only on the front of truck, still have to have a blade for some of the little stuff or quick clean of light drifts before deicer applied. limitations of the blowers in very light snow falls or slushy stuff back to the blades.
I keep a back blade on the tractor too. I turn it around so the curve faces the cab, so with the light stuff I just drag it at an angle and it doesn't beat the road up.
I feel for ya! The same thing happens on my point well for outside water. I went through the whole system too. New tank, new lines then I took the pump apart. I have to clean the jet semi yearly depending on it's usuage. It sucks up clay and other junk and the pump won't build good pressure. I usually lower the cycle pressure untill I decide to clean it. Dirt in the line can do it.... (Mine)It's Gould's pump, they're pretty good at air handling and seem to last forever. They will build pressure with air leaks, but they work to do it .Unless the jet is boogered.
As much as it's gonna get resolved for this year unless an emergency rears it's ugly head. Everything works, just lower pressure than the pump is capable of. My bank account is tapped out, and wife had to pull money from her IRA to replenish savings acct. Once hunting is over, it'll be dark and snowbound by the time my normal shift ends, I'll hit up the boss for OT, not like I do much outside in the dark anyway. Replenish the coffers till spring, then implement repairs and upgrades. Only 6 short months away. I think we have a calcification problem with the jet. Our water is clear as can be, no sediment, but it's "hard" as a rock. Ultimate goal is to trench an underground line and power to the other well, so that I can feed the house system from either well. It's not something I entertain doing at the moment due to potential freezing concerns. Furthermore, I've not figured out the simplest method of lifting the jet assembly and water lines out of the well, which is enclosed in a room.. yet.
back in the 50's we had a house , well was inside in the basement in a corner. pump motor was above well. 75 ft of shaft down to the impeller/ foot valve. solid shaft with couplings every 20 ft ceiling was 6.5 ft that was fun pulling that out as I had to cut the shaft every 5 ft. with a hacksaw.
We have our well in a little bump out room off the side of the basement...it has the "hole" (mortared shut) in the concrete roof (sidewalk basically) for well access.
I recently had to work on a house set up like this, I wanted to kick the well driller in the nut$ for doing that. Had to remove a section of concrete slab, 5x6 foot. I guess it could of been worse though reading chris's story
This is the black EDPM(?) water line in the well, so it's somewhat flexible. It should be a solid section of pipe. Ironically, this may be the way it's done. They extended the roofline over the pump room, but did it extremely poorly. It's an unused space, if necessary, I can rip the roof decking/shingles off then redo the truss work, along with new decking & shingles. This would allow for a hole to be cut, and the line pulled straight up out of the well. More costly option though, with roof repair and all. Nope.
Do it like a stack install, cut a hole between rafters/truss's remove shingles where the hole will be before hand. Than scab a piece of wood back over the hole when done. buy a bundle of shingles and reshingle what you removed. Shouldn't have to cut truss/rafters as there should be enough flex in the pipe to get around the rafter. less work and more economical
