Snowblower Skids For Gravel Driveways

Snowblower Skids For Gravel Driveways

Abby's Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > gravel drives and skid shoes

Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

fcarp Joined: Dec 22, 2003 Points: 21

gravel drives and skid shoes Original Message   Aug 8, 2005 9:47 am Hi Everyone: Just moved and the new house has a gravel drive. I know in the past there has been discussion about welding "skis" onto the standard skids shoes on a 2 stage machine�and raising the height of the skids about 3/4" off the surface. Please advise as to what material to use and any other tips . Thanks in advance.

ramit Location: Long Island, NY Joined: Jul 28, 2005 Points: 45

Re: gravel drives and skid shoes Reply #1   Aug 8, 2005 1:26 pm I lived with a gravel drive way for about 7 of the 15 years I had my little 5hp 25" craftsman. I didn't extend my skid shoes by welding on some extra long skies, but that does make some sense. I did leave about 3/4 - 1" of snow on top of the gravel by adjusting my shoes down. But occacionally I still ate some rocks and spit them back out. So don't assume your safe, always throw where a rock won't do damage. The plastic chute on my 5/25 is still in great condition, not a crack in it anywhere. Here's where I would start... assuming your skid shoes are steel. I would use some 1.5" wide steel flat stock about 1/8", turning the ends up. I would make them about twice as long as the original, center up the length to the length of the stock skid shoes and weld them to the bottom of the stock skid shoes. Mine couldn't have been more than 6"long and about 1" wide.. I never felt the need to give them more surface area. It wasn't until I finally blacktopped my drive way that I started wearing out shoes. The gravel was more forgiving. I spent 7 years on the first set. About 4� years after paving the driveway, I had to replace the shoes, that pair now needs replacing.

bontaiJoe If it's free, it's for me! Location: Saylorsburg, PA Joined: Jun 4, 2004 Points: 424

Re: gravel drives and skid shoes Reply #2   Aug 9, 2005 2:47 pm I fthe gravel is loose, the problem with throwing rocks is much worse. If it is solidly compacted, the snowblower will pick up a lot less, but still be careful as it takes only one stone to take out an expensive window. Not being familiar with your snowblower, I don't know if the addition of wider shoes will help, or if your unit has enough adjustment on it's own, but doing a gravel driveway does have it's own technique. "Man's mind stretched to a new idea, never goes back to its original dimension." -Oliver Wendell Holmes

ChrisS Appreciate what you have already been blessed with. Joined: Sep 16, 2002 Points: 2793

Re: gravel drives and skid shoes Reply #3   Aug 9, 2005 4:36 pm Hello, Just adjust the skid shoes down to lift the auger housing up as high as it will go for the first two good storms.� This will allow a base layer of snow to freeze over the gravel.� Once the base is there you can raise your skid shoes and drop the housing and let it scrape the rest of the season. Honda 928TA, Ariens 924 STE, Toro single stage S-620, 95 Jeep Wrangler with a 6 foot Fisher Plow, many shovels, one 14 year old boy.� Craftsman 01 1000 LTX pimp Gold LT 20hp Briggs OHV V-twin.� Tough as it is ugly.

robmints Joined: May 13, 2003 Points: 4691

Re: gravel drives and skid shoes Reply #4   Aug 9, 2005 10:23 pm fcarp, It might depend on if you have a good cold winter or not.� Good hard freeze, do like Chris.� Sort of cold then melt?� I like a piece of 1 1/2 or 2 by maybe 6 or 7, bend a little less than 2 inches fore and aft, leaves you about 3 to 4 inches of contact.� Set them where you are comfortable, maybe a piece of "one by" under the auger housing, gets you about 3/4 off the ground.� I would becareful and maybe drive the machine around dry (no snow) with no augers turning, and watch or have a friend watch and see if you pick up any rocks.�� I worry about the skids being too long or wide and flexing the sides of the auger housing.� So sort of close to what you have from the manufacturer, but just big enough to provide enough surface area to give you some "float" is perfect. IMO.

Jonathan I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man I keep his house. -Zsa Zsa Location: Near Albany NY Joined: Sep 12, 2004 Points: 320

Re: gravel drives and skid shoes Reply #5   Aug 10, 2005 8:28 pm Here is a not so great photo of skids I welded onto the regular shoes. I heated up 1/8" steel (Foot long pieces) and bent�each end�over a pipe. They worked well for me after I was able to find the best height; anywhere from 3/8 to 3/4" depending on the packed snow base. 2004 Ariens 11528LE, Troybilt Horse "Big Red" Tiller (original), Troybilt Tuffy Tiller (original), Sears LT1000 mower, Lawn Boy 7073 21" mower, Stihl FS55 RC trimmer, Poulan Countervibe 3400 chainsaw

ramit Location: Long Island, NY Joined: Jul 28, 2005 Points: 45

Re: gravel drives and skid shoes Reply #6   Aug 10, 2005 8:50 pm FCarp, Where we are on LI, we can't get a "base" to freeze... been no such thing for years.. So I was always dealing with the loose gravel. Where are you located?

fcarp Joined: Dec 22, 2003 Points: 21

Re: gravel drives and skid shoes Reply #7   Aug 11, 2005 2:44 pm I am in Litchfield, CT - Northwest Hills of CT - elevation about 1100 feet. Just moved there from further south in CT. Machine I have�is a Simplicity 1060E - 2 years old. Thanks!

AJace I have an Ariens 926 Pro because I like Orange Location: Near Gettysburg Joined: Points: 969

Re: gravel drives and skid shoes Reply #8   Aug 11, 2005 4:20 pm Good work Jonathan, you can still raise and lower the plates, very good idea.� That machine makes me long for some deep snow. Ariens 926 DLE Professional; Toro S200; Craftsman LT1000, Echo ES-230;

Dave___in___CT Deliberate often... ...decide once... Location: West-Central Connecticut Joined: Sep 17, 2002 Points: 3159

Re: gravel drives and skid shoes Reply #9   Aug 11, 2005 8:42 pm �����fcarp... We're neighbors... well about 15-20 miles anyway ! Whether you think you can or you can't... you're right. Henry Ford �� BCS Tractor & snowblower

MountainMan Overpowered is Usually Adequate Location: Connecticut Joined: Feb 19, 2003 Points: 1564

Re: gravel drives and skid shoes Reply #10   Aug 11, 2005 9:38 pm I am in Litchfield, CT - Northwest Hills of CT - elevation about 1100 feet. Just moved there from further south in CT. Machine I have�is a Simplicity 1060E - 2 years old. Thanks! Howdy. Always glad to hear from fellow� Connecticut members. Ariens 1128PRO- Honda Generator_ Husky 480-257 Jonsered 2050Turbo- Shindiawa T2500 SCAG Mower -little wonder blower-Sears track blower-Coleman Generator- Bombadier ATV-Stihl HS-45 Etc-Etc-Etc

mockswede Joined: Jan 2, 2008 Points: 2

Re: gravel drives and skid shoes Reply #11   Jan 5, 2008 5:28 pm Have been running over 1 inch crushed stone drive 45 by 24 feet for 15 years here in Eastern Maine. I�pick up and toss�the snowblown stones back onto the drive every spring. We have 18 inches on the ground right now from five storms so far this winter. I keep full bag of shear pins and socket set handy with first snow. I've used the strategy mentioned by Chris S about adjusting height of skid shoes to ride over.� Works well except for turns and doesn't help when tires are locked and you make a hard turn. The tire piles up some rocks to be caught with the next pass. Once a layer of snow is down I can be less cautious with skids and wheels but never blow toward anything I wouldn't want rocks flying toward and hitting. I'm in the process of fabricating flatter and wider skid shoes now for my new(er) Ariens ST11528LE; patterned off the size and adjustability of the stock items. I'm betting a 3 by 6 inch skid shoe, centered on the side of the auger barrel,�with all four edges turned up a 1/4 or 1/8, except maybe for where scraper blade will line up over it, should allow straight runs and turns to run over stone and should only have to worry about the locked tire piles. Currently have cardboard full size mockup for fabricator to copy. Will upload pictures and opinion of results in future, if people contact with interest. I'll be doing this drive for many more years, I hope; since my grandfather's Arien's lasted 40+ years and I don't want to move.

Snowblower Skids For Gravel Driveways

Source: https://www.abbysguide.com/ope/discussions/17139-A-1.html

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