Side wing plow project

[BeninCT 451]

Been noodling on this for a while and finally took a shot at a mock up today.  Hoping to catch all the stuff that seems to fall back under the rear tire plus widen my swath in an easily removable way.

 

It rides on the factory plow frame and I will replace the all thread with a smooth rod that just rests in the holes under its own weight.  The plow sits on the pavement out at an angle and you just reach down and lift it up about 1 1/2” and it will swing back and sit parallel to the tire.  Prob just drag against the sidewall….  Anyway thought I would share.  Weatherman got me all heated with the threat of .38” of snow Fri.  Wanted to get a rough look at it and try it in the light stuff before committing to drilling the plow frame.  Just used what I had- wish I had some C channel or smaller rect tube but the lower 2x2 angle should be fine and I think the upper 1 1/2” angle might need to be 2x2.  Will add a few braces/gussets if I go all in.

 

Thinking I would make 1 pass with it up then turn around and put it down and do the rest that way.  It will actually come off the ground when I lift the front plow with the factory lever but I think I may do away wiht that to avoid too much stress on the plow frame.  Going to need a centering stabilizer up front too.

[BeninCT 451]

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[BeninCT 451]

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[BeninCT 451]

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[BeninCT 451]

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[ebinmaine 68,887]

I like it. 

Excellent design. 

 

I've thought about doing this in the past. 

I went a different direction in that I now have a 60" wide plow originally made by @wallfish. I've strengthened it a little and added a beast of a cutting edge.  It's HEAVY. 

 

I tell you that to tell you this:

 

19 minutes ago, BeninCT said:

 It will actually come off the ground when I lift the front plow with the factory lever but I think I may do away with that to avoid too much stress on the plow frame

 

I don't think you're going to be putting too much stress on the factory frame. 

Unless there's a specific benefit to keeping ONLY the wing down, keep the lift/lower as one motion. 

 

 

Just an FYI... If you become a site supporter you can post all the pics in one window, eliminate the ads, and it helps keep the place going...

 

I'll be looking forward to seeing more of this project.   

[Pullstart 63,205]

Awesome build!

[Lee1977 6,873]

My only concern is if there is any change in elevation of your drive it could cause you to get hung up.  I had my grader blade on over at the farm it raises around 4".

I was going across a terrace and got hung up. You can't lift 650 or 700 pounds of tractor to get unstuck. It was a real pain to remove the grader and get it out from under the tractor.

You may need to made the side attachment real easy to remove and could still be hard to get it off if you get hung up.

[SylvanLakeWH 26,155]

Good point, but I think it floats on the sleeve up /down?

[BeninCT 451]

Yes it will when that all thread is swapped for smooth 3/4 rod.  My driveway is flat so very little elevation change and no lips to get stuck on.  Rod will be like a duplex nail so you can just pull it straight up and the pplow blade will be off.  Going to take some R&D lol.

Thanks for the comments and likes!  Will keep you updated.

[Moparfanforever 868]

Hope it works out good!!

[ebinmaine 68,887]

11 minutes ago, BeninCT said:

updated

Please do. 

I showed this to my local plowing partner aka BBT aka lotsofothernames and she wants one.   

 

What's the actual plow blade made of ?

 

 

[Handy Don 12,663]

Interesting and creative approach!  Good luck with it.

[roadapples 6,983]

@Ed Kennell and some of the others have done a centering stabilizer...

@cleat

[ebinmaine 68,887]

55 minutes ago, roadapples said:

@Ed Kennell and some of the others have done a centering stabilizer...

@cleat

I have one here done by @WVHillbilly520H Jeff. I believe he's posted pics in the past. 

[ri702bill 8,564]

Creative design - my concern is the ability (or inability) to steer with all that side force from the snow. Ever notice what the tractor does while plowing with the blade angled and you push into the berm of snow at the end - it scoots the tractor to the side. You MAY need to add more weight to the front of the tractor to be able to steer better.

[ebinmaine 68,887]

59 minutes ago, ri702bill said:

You MAY need to add more weight to the front of the tractor to be able to steer better

And roller chains if they aren't already on there

[peter lena 8,878]

@BeninCT interesting looking project , THE PLOW STEER EFFECT IS OVER RIDING YOUR  FRONT WHEEL GRIP ,   almost thinking about a separate lever  to only raise /  lower that blade , would have to see more detail of build . one thing I would do is to do a detail function check and lubrication detailing for every movement point . you might have someone else drive it in blade mode , low range , so you can see where its starting the plow over ride. YOU HAVE TO WATCH / SEE THAT ACTION , to devise a fix, pete

[peter lena 8,878]

@BeninCT  was just thinking about a  SPRING ASSIST  TO THE SIDE PLOW . maybe use 3/8  threaded eyebolts , from side plow frame to main  frame area . think about it , as the plow loads , the blade curve , pulls it to ground , if that drag was lessened with a spring pull , it would work to a lighter drag . you could always go back with a finish pass. I use CAR HOOD SPRINGS , for my plow frame and blower assist help . just an idea , but WATCHING THE PROBLEM START ,IS YOUR AWNSER , then you make a change to that . the side drag / imbalance  can be reduced with spring tension , brain fart , pete  

[peter lena 8,878]

@BeninCT   ben , been doing this type of stuff  for a long time , if any spring pulls  ideas help out , do it ,  pete

 

[BeninCT 451]

On 1/5/2022 at 8:56 PM, ebinmaine said:

Please do. 

I showed this to my local plowing partner aka BBT aka lotsofothernames and she wants one.   

 

What's the actual plow blade made of ?

 

 

I bought a plow from a guy on CL not sure what make it is but it was $15 so didn’t feel too bad plasma cutting it in half lol

[BeninCT 451]

On 1/6/2022 at 6:10 AM, ri702bill said:

Creative design - my concern is the ability (or inability) to steer with all that side force from the snow. Ever notice what the tractor does while plowing with the blade angled and you push into the berm of snow at the end - it scoots the tractor to the side. You MAY need to add more weight to the front of the tractor to be able to steer better.

Yes- working on this.  Esp since I added about 100lbs to the trailer hitch.  Roller chains coming in the mail @ebinmaine.  Lots to sort out or, maybe it will just work!

[BeninCT 451]

22 hours ago, peter lena said:

@BeninCT  was just thinking about a  SPRING ASSIST  TO THE SIDE PLOW . maybe use 3/8  threaded eyebolts , from side plow frame to main  frame area . think about it , as the plow loads , the blade curve , pulls it to ground , if that drag was lessened with a spring pull , it would work to a lighter drag . you could always go back with a finish pass. I use CAR HOOD SPRINGS , for my plow frame and blower assist help . just an idea , but WATCHING THE PROBLEM START ,IS YOUR AWNSER , then you make a change to that . the side drag / imbalance  can be reduced with spring tension , brain fart , pete  

Agree 100% and the lack of springs to let this flex a little is my biggest concern.  My driveway is new asphalt that is very flat so will see how it goes.  I have the springs from the plow that I could use if it proves to be needed but will see today.  Looks like 8” of snow fell overnight in SW CT so going to give it a test ride today.  Thx

[peter lena 8,878]

@BeninCT  yes today will be a good road test on that , that flat new driveway , can be tricky , traction , and  grip on a new finish.  you might even get someone else to  very slowly try using the blade experiment , SO YOU CAN WATCH WHATS GOING ON , think its imbalance and  function . anything that show's up , could be helped or worsen it , don't ask me how i know that ! done a lot of trials , hope you find the start of the fix , pete

[BeninCT 451]

Worked great!  Need to refund the lift/lower action plus make a latch to hold it back so it doesnt get flipped out when backing up in deep snow but aside from that it pushed some deep heavy stuff.  I would highly recommend this for someone with a long straight driveway because it really widens the path and need for 2nd trip to clean up all the lumps that fell under the tires.  Today was prob 10” of heavy wet snow and my driveway is big but has a circle so it requires a plan that I have yet to decide on but in practice the plow worked!  Need front weights/chains for sure though!  In the works….  I didn’t push me sideways or bind on anything except once in reverse and nothing bent so going to run it like this for a while and see what happens.  A spring release would be nice though.  Maybe in the future- have to run it some more to decide.

 

Here is a shot I took in the heaviest part.  You can see the snow is 3/4 of the height of the plow blade and its rolling back under the tractor and the little wing plow is pushing a mountain of snow.  Ideally I never push this much but didnt get out to do a 1st round in the snow since I was asleep :).  In 4” of snow you can use most of the front blade plus this = about 5’ wide swath.  

 

Also @ebinmaine the donor plow was an Ariens make.  Noticed a sticker on the other half this morning.  

 

 

Edited January 7, 2022 by BeninCT