pfrederi 17,741 #1 Posted January 23 Anyone found a source for snow plow skids (prefer the mushroom style) with 3/4 inch shaft. Seems all the ATV Plows use 5/8" and the truck plows use 1" Good old WH put 3/4 tubes on the big 56" blade. The straight shoes like these ten to dig when yo are plowing with the blade at an angle...which is most the time.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 41,161 #2 Posted January 23 Wheel Horse used 3/4" round stock on everything but the seats! Can the 5/8" be bushed or cut off the 5/8" and weld on 3/4" stock? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallfish 17,014 #3 Posted January 23 What about welding a 2 1/2" pipe cap to a 3/4 rod? cap can be ground to give it some more curve 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 8,639 #4 Posted January 23 @wallfish think experimenting on a problem is what its all about , worth a try , if we all waited for the exact part fix , like waiting at a bus stop at 2 AM . over the fence , Pete 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tonytoro416 1,034 #5 Posted January 24 (edited) IMG_0551.webpI have an old style snow shovel head I found I’m thinking about making a skid out of. It is unbelievably tough metal. Also thinking of making a single shoe mounted in the center of the blade. Of course the shoe will be wider than most. Once I get over COVID it’s my next project I hope Edited January 24 by Tonytoro416 Picture Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tonytoro416 1,034 #6 Posted January 24 Something like this IMG_0551.webp Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pfrederi 17,741 #7 Posted January 24 1 hour ago, wallfish said: What about welding a 2 1/2" pipe cap to a 3/4 rod? cap can be ground to give it some more curve I made a few skids like that with pipe caps a few years ago. The wore out pretty fast on 48' plows. may have to resort to that again with a shorter life expectanccy with the heavier 56" blade. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pfrederi 17,741 #8 Posted January 24 2 hours ago, squonk said: Wheel Horse used 3/4" round stock on everything but the seats! Can the 5/8" be bushed or cut off the 5/8" and weld on 3/4" stock? will lok at Mcmaster for 5/8-3/4 sleeves... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallfish 17,014 #9 Posted January 24 1 hour ago, pfrederi said: I made a few skids like that with pipe caps a few years ago. The wore out pretty fast on 48' plows. may have to resort to that again with a shorter life expectanccy with the heavier 56" blade. Maybe heat treat and quench to harden them A layer of weld bead is very hard too. Did that for the hoe teeth edges 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
8ntruck 7,021 #10 Posted January 24 45 minutes ago, wallfish said: Maybe heat treat and quench to harden them A layer of weld bead is very hard too. Did that for the hoe teeth edges Heat treating an iron pipe cap won't get much. Not enough carbon in it. I've been looking for skids for my 48" plow. That pipe cap trick looks like a good idea. Most of my plow work will be over grass or gravel. Don't think wear will be that big of an issue. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed Kennell 38,240 #11 Posted January 25 I never tried it, but just thinking. If they were made to swivel with a ski type foot with a longer tail to keep them pointed forward. ????????????? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lane Ranger 10,968 #12 Posted January 25 This snow plow skid discussion is an appropriate one! The wear and tear on the Wheel Horse/Toro skids is real! About ten years ago I told my dad that the early skids were too thin on the cup used at the end of the 3/4 inch rod on the snowplow. My dad was a blacksmith that excelled at his forging using a 100 pond power hammer. Dad did his usual math formula for metal volume first. Figured what we need to do to make a heavier cup on the end of the skid. Took about an hour and half to contemplate the volume and then 45 minutes to make two sets of new snowplow blade skids. The skids we made are in the photos below. They actually could be made with a solid cup and a 3/4 hole to weld the 3/4 rod. The snowblower skids are also in need of more meat on the bottom. This is why I liked the original cast steel wheels in the original wheel horse snowblower s over the flat skids used on later models! ********** My advice is find a local blacksmith in you area who can configure a better skid. They need the work and they can make it better and cheaper than Toro. Lat time I checked they sold the skids for $55 each! 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallfish 17,014 #13 Posted January 25 On 1/23/2024 at 7:13 PM, pfrederi said: I made a few skids like that with pipe caps a few years ago. The wore out pretty fast on 48' plows. may have to resort to that again with a shorter life expectanccy with the heavier 56" blade. Instead of welding a rod directly to a pipe cap, weld the the 3/4" rod to a piece of threaded pipe then the pipe caps can easily be changed out as they wear. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,237 #14 Posted January 25 3 hours ago, Lane Ranger said: About ten years ago I told my dad that the early skids were too thin on the cup used at the end of the 3/4 inch rod on the snowplow. My dad was a blacksmith that excelled Why are you the only one smiling in this picture?! (And i love the subtle message on the hat, too.) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lane Ranger 10,968 #15 Posted January 26 9 hours ago, Handy Don said: Why are you the only one smiling in this picture?! (And i love the subtle message on the hat, too.) must of been the guy taking the picture! David is not smiling and dad is half grinning! Forget who took this picture! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
8ntruck 7,021 #16 Posted January 26 I checked the price of the Toro skids last summer - were something like $75 each. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cod 120 #17 Posted January 26 On 1/23/2024 at 7:13 PM, pfrederi said: I made a few skids like that with pipe caps a few years ago. The wore out pretty fast on 48' plows. may have to resort to that again with a shorter life expectanccy with the heavier 56" blade. Any chance that a cap from a different pipe schedule would be thicker? Don't know enough about pipe wall thicknesses, but if Schedule 80 was another 1/16" to 1/8" thick, they may last slightly long. Good luck! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed Kennell 38,240 #18 Posted January 26 (edited) Anyone tried these. Or this. Amazon.com: Buyers Products 1303005 Snowplow Shoe Assembly : Buyers Products: Patio, Lawn & Garden Edited January 26 by Ed Kennell 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
