Snow/Dozer Blade

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

A while back I posted I made some of these skid shoes, Now that I have moved on/up at work and don't have direct access to the machines I used to make these I'll pass along how and what I used,  if anybody has the tools/skills to do so or has a favorite fab shop...first up the to scale blue print then some pics of the final product, also I made mine with more adjustments than the factory Toro  ones, I used 1/4" wall 3"x8" rectangle tubing cut to size and then drilled 4 holes and mill cut the slotted holes, next I bent a weld filler rod to the angle of the original shoes (short black in pics) approximately 15° angle as a guide as I set the "L" shaped parts long side in the vise jaws then using the "blue wrench" Oxy/Acet torch heated along the bend till dull cherry red using a large adjustable wrench to slowly work the foot to the angle of my guide wire may have to repeat this step multiple times till desired results then quench in water, bead blasted and ready for paint powdercoating...Jeff.

[Horse Newbie 7,052]

3 hours ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

A while back I posted I made some of these skid shoes, Now that I have moved on/up at work and don't have direct access to the machines I used to make these I'll pass along how and what I used,  if anybody has the tools/skills to do so or has a favorite fab shop...first up the to scale blue print then some pics of the final product, also I made mine with more adjustments than the factory Toro  ones, I used 1/4" wall 3"x8" rectangle tubing cut to size and then drilled 4 holes and mill cut the slotted holes, next I bent a weld filler rod to the angle of the original shoes (short black in pics) approximately 15° angle as a guide as I set the "L" shaped parts long side in the vise jaws then using the "blue wrench" Oxy/Acet torch heated along the bend till dull cherry red using a large adjustable wrench to slowly work the foot to the angle of my guide wire may have to repeat this step multiple times till desired results then quench in water, bead blasted and ready for paint powdercoating...Jeff.

@WVHillbilly520Hwhy do you have different sizes/ heights ?

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

@Horse Newbie, the shorter black ones are the factory Toro WheelHorse version the taller unpainted ones are the ones I actually made giving more adjustments for options on moving stone, dirt, snow ect... Like how I have them set here would work well moving gravel/stone without digging in the ground your trying to spread it over actually leaving about 1.5"-2" of material vs snow removal on pavement where you would adjust the wear edge to 0-1/4" clearance removing most if not all the snow in a single pass also if you have a gravel drive using the skid shoes set at say 1" clearance one could push snow without removing slot of the gravel and another benefit is when the blade is angled the leading edge usually digs in and the skid shoes helps keep this from happening, hope this helps, Jeff.    BTW here's a pic of what I made these from before cutting and bending...

Edited December 30, 2017 by WVHillbilly520H

[Horse Newbie 7,052]

6 hours ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

A while back I posted I made some of these skid shoes, Now that I have moved on/up at work and don't have direct access to the machines I used to make these I'll pass along how and what I used,  if anybody has the tools/skills to do so or has a favorite fab shop...first up the to scale blue print then some pics of the final product, also I made mine with more adjustments than the factory Toro  ones, I used 1/4" wall 3"x8" rectangle tubing cut to size and then drilled 4 holes and mill cut the slotted holes, next I bent a weld filler rod to the angle of the original shoes (short black in pics) approximately 15° angle as a guide as I set the "L" shaped parts long side in the vise jaws then using the "blue wrench" Oxy/Acet torch heated along the bend till dull cherry red using a large adjustable wrench to slowly work the foot to the angle of my guide wire may have to repeat this step multiple times till desired results then quench in water, bead blasted and ready for paint powdercoating...Jeff.

@WVHillbilly520Hwhy do you have different sizes/ heights ?

1 hour ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

@Horse Newbie, the shorter black ones are the factory Toro WheelHorse version the taller unpainted ones are the ones I actually made giving more adjustments for options on moving stone, dirt, snow ect... Like how I have them set here would work well moving gravel/stone without digging in the ground your trying to spread it over actually leaving about 1.5"-2" of material vs snow removal on pavement where you would adjust the wear edge to 0-1/4" clearance removing most if not all the snow in a single pass also if you have a gravel drive using the skid shoes set at say 1" clearance one could push snow without removing slot of the gravel and another benefit is when the blade is angled the leading edge usually digs in and the skid shoes helps keep this from happening, hope this helps, Jeff.    BTW here's a pic of what I made these from before cutting and bending...

@WVHillbilly520HQuestion ?...With the longer slots you made for the longer adjustment travel, it looks like the top of bracket would hit the horizontal cross bar right above the brackets. Or is there a space between the bar and the back of the blade that allows it to pass by ? I was just thinking if it hit, it would limit how " shallow" you could adjust the skid brackets.

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

@Horse Newbie, the horizontal bar that I believe you are referring to is what the skid shoes actually bolt to, and at the angle plus distance from the moldboard (the large rounded part of the blade) as it slides up it doesn't hit I made sure of this while working out my design and final product, working as a machinist can't let anything get out that doesn't fit/function as intended, Jeff.

[Horse Newbie 7,052]

@WHHillbilly520H I see what you did. Looks great and I am sure it works as intended. Thanks for showing me the pictures.

[ebinmaine 67,266]

11 hours ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

@Horse Newbie, the horizontal bar that I believe you are referring to is what the skid shoes actually bolt to, and at the angle plus distance from the moldboard (the large rounded part of the blade) as it slides up it doesn't hit I made sure of this while working out my design and final product, working as a machinist can't let anything get out that doesn't fit/function as intended, Jeff.

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A great design improvement Jeff.

I'd love to make up a set on my own but I have no milling machine and only a small torch so...

 

If you or someone else will be making/selling these I'd be interested to know the $$$

I will be using my C160 for the above mentioned gravel/dirt/snow tasks and these feet would really help.

 

[Sarge 3,463]

I can make them easily enough - maybe a good winter project if I can get that stupid Clausing back together . I need something similar for the D - it's moving the parking lot out into the yard far too easily since the 1055 cutting edge goes down into the frozen gravel like it's not even there....tough to finesse the hydraulics on that thing too .

 

Sarge