# snowplows on commercial walk behind mowers?



## BushHogBoy (Nov 30, 2000)

Was curious if anyone has or has seen in action, a small snowplow on a commercial walk behind mower. I am getting at least one if not two w/b's and want to put plows on them (that I will make). Just a couple inches wider than the deck so when angled there's room for the machine to fit through it's path. Leaving the mower deck on of course for weight. If they seem to handle it fine I might make wings for them. We usually don't get much snow here at a time, and I wouldn't use them for much but my driveway and a couple others'. Show or link to pics if you have any, thanks,
Eric


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## lawnkid (Feb 5, 2002)

Hey Eric, what's up? I just wanted to ask how you plan to make these first of all? I mean, they're gonna have to be strong enought to push heavy/wet snow. Also I don't think it will owrk unless you put like a 20 hp engine on a small 32" w/b. The mower just won't haveenought power to push the snow. Also, it won't be as easy as you think. Most guys run 4 wheel drive trucks as plows as I'm sure you know for a reason, tp get better traction. what will happen if you slide on some ice, end up going in the street, possibibly get hit by a car and so on. Or maybe you'll slide and hit a house or a garage. It's a great idea but would take lots of developing. Good Luck anyway. Peace


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## C&D LANDSCAPING (Nov 15, 2002)

hey eric 
I have used a walkbehind with a 42" blower on it, the deck comes of for it to mount. The machine had a 15 hp kawasaki twin on it, and had plenty of power, with chains on the tires traction was excellent. Overall a very efficient machine for walks and small drives. I know they make blades for them also but have never used one. If I were to fab one up I would take the deck off and make a harness to fit to the frame of the wb, just my advice though, either way it should work.

COREY


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## casey (May 14, 2001)

I put a Rad blade on my 52" Tracer w/23hp, so far I prefer the Toro 13/32 PS but but don't have enough time on it to be sure.


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## RAZOR (Dec 19, 2001)

Gravely has walkbehind tractors with snow blades, blowers, mowers and other attachments for them. I have only seen them in use at one house. The guys pulled up and each took a gravely and did the driveway. They seemed to do OK but I'm not sure how they would be in heavy snow, maybe you could put the blower on. You might be getting noise complaints if you are firing these things up in the middle of the night in residential areas.

Razor


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## Chuck Smith (Dec 30, 1999)

Tovar's Snow Plowing has a bunch of walk behinds with V plows.

We actually have a walk behind that had a 52" deck, that I swapped the motor onto another 52", and I am saving the chassis for a future walk behind sidewalk plow. Since it is a hydro mower, I plan on having power angle and power lift. All I need is an engine. With the 52" deck, it had a 20HP twin cyliner Kohler on it. For a plow, I would consider a 10 - 14 hp. 
You don't need to leave the deck on.

My old leaf plow (54" wide) pushed mountains of wet heavy leaves without problems, so I don't think snow would be a problem, and that machine only has a 12 hp Kawi on it.

Speaking of leaf plows, I built mine from scratch 5 years ago. Yesterday, I assembled and installed a JRCO leaf plow on a Scag mower at work. Talk about a flimsy plow. I was not at all impressed. In fact, I scrapped the mounting brackets that came with it, and fabbed my own HD mount out of some 1/4" angle iron. While assembling the plow, I cut myself twice. I always expect to get cut doing projects, but those plows have sharp edges everywhere.

Getting off topic here, but I would say with confidence that a walk behind will have no problem pushing heavy wet snow, and steering shouold not be a problem since each wheel drives independently from the other.

For a look at Tovar's, check out their web site.

http://www.tovarssnow.com/equipment.html

~Chuck


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## BushHogBoy (Nov 30, 2000)

Thanks all for the replies, i'll try to address each one's comments.

Lawnkid- non PTO powered attachments such as snowplows, leaf plows, dethatchers, side catchers, etc, dont' really draw hardly any extra power. The catchers don't draw any (I mean the basket type not a blower powered one) and the other things don't take more than a couple hp at most. Traction is the main object of desire for this stuff. I have plowed with garden tractors for the past few years and I know what it takes to push 60" worth of plow and if you can push your plow you probably won't slide too much either. The drives I would use it on are level with the street so it's not going to slide at all. I might use chains on the tires. It won't take hardly any "developing". Peace 2 U 2 man, IM me sometime.

C&D - Thanks for the input.

Razor - The Gravely's are built alot different than a regular commercial walk behind. They're made heavier with larger tires for more traction and designed to do heavy work of all sorts. I don't plow till morning, as I said it's just for me and a couple neighbors that are elderly, none of us need out early morning. Once I do several drives (if) then I will put a plow on the truck that I will have then. 

Chuck - Thanks for the link and your opinion/input, I figured if a w/b can pull a ProSlide uphill it can push snow decently. I have used them before and felt confident that it could push snow.

All- I would leave the deck on so there's more weight (I know less maneuverability) and also less work, quicker installation with just a pin or two, that way I can use it for other small jobs whenever. The mowers are a 38" John Deere belt drive 14 hp and a eXmark TTHP 48"/15hp hydro, both are floating deck. The John Deere I will put a 40" straight blade on that i already have (needs mods though) with manual angle and a lever to lift it from the operator's station. The eXmark I will put my 48" Vplow on (fully adjustble like a big one but manual) with a lift lever up at operator's station. I might put wings on it so it will cover the mower width angled. Might put wings on the JD one too. Both mowers have sulkies. If I get the eXmark TTHP it wouldn't be till spring so I won't have it to mess with now. I might design them with the same hitch so that I can put the 48" Vplow on the JD if I wanted. In the scoop position the Vplow works great as a leaf plow too. It has a rubber edge on it. It was kinda tricky to design but even though it's more than a year old I wouldn't change a thing about it. 

Thanks,
Eric


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## Big Nate's Plowing (Nov 26, 2000)

> _Originally posted by BushHogBoy _
> *The mowers are a 38" John Deere belt drive 14 hp The John Deere I will put a 40" straight blade on that Eric *


Eric, I decided to put a plow on the deere, I cant make a 6+ hour trip to get that scag, don't have the time... I will take pics of my sidewalk plow build up for info 4 ya.

*~Nate~*


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## Joel B. (Jun 3, 2002)

Bushogboy,

I have been looking at Snapper walkbehinds and the sales brochure shows plows (as well as snowblowers, brooms, and blowers) as options. Don't know if this helps, but thought I would tell you anyway.

Joel B.


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## casey (May 14, 2001)

Chuck, the JRCO Leaf Plow is definately not what I would call flimsy. It is designed to push leaves across turf & hard surfaces period & is plenty strong & well designed for that purpose.

Personally I think Toro or eXmark should design a dual hydro residential snowblower from scratch as a stand alone unit. I don't like aftermarket attachments that arn't originally designed for a machine because the unit has not been properly engineeered for their application.


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## Ground Master (Feb 11, 2002)

I remember seeing a story a few years back in snowpro or perhaps another magazine with a story of a contractor who took the mower deck off his 36" hydro walkbehinds and mounted a v-plow in its place. They built the plows themselves.........


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## Chuck Smith (Dec 30, 1999)

Ground Master, that was Tovar's..........

~Chuck


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## Comet (May 23, 2001)

I myself rather not choose to use my summer equiment during the winter months for reasons;

1. Lawn mowers where built to cut lawns not push snow (why abuse summer equpment when your going to need it in spring) 
2. *The cold can harm and do damage to the the carberators* 
3. Snowthrowers were made for this use

this is just MY input because by the end of November everything is winterized and placed in storage over here


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## Comet (May 23, 2001)

I myself rather not choose to use my summer equiment during the winter months for reasons;

1. Lawn mowers where built to cut lawns not push snow (why abuse summer equpment when your going to need it in spring) 
2. *The cold can harm and do damage to the the carberators* 
3. Snowthrowers were made for this use

this is just MY input because by the end of November everything is winterized and placed in storage over here


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## site (Oct 24, 2000)

I have a Toro 52" W/B that I convert to a plow for winter. Mine is belt drive- it works, but hydro would be much better. The belts slip if they get too wet. Also, the belts break if you work them too hard- and they are not cheap. I used an old 36" plow that was on a small garden tractor. I took it to a welder and had him weld on brackets which bolt on in the same location as the mower deck. He also welded on a shovel holder. Its no fun walking back and forth for the shovel, and we go pretty far with the machine. The shovel is necessary for those hard to reach nooks and crannies. He also welded on a place for some weights to keep the plow down when you give it some power. 
Tire chains are essential for traction. Also you must wire the tire chains tightly to the tires because otherwise they spin off and break the belts. We use this setup at one condo complex with about 1/2 mile of 4' concrete walks. If the snow is light or less than 3" deep it works great. What takes 3 hours to snowblow or 5 hours to shovel is done in 1.5 hours with the rig. If you put it in fourth gear and run it will plow, but watch out for bumps in the pavement or you'll go over the handlebars (ask me how I know) 
This macine does not like steps even one step will stop a small operator. A strong guy can force it up one step, but never two. Total investment about $250 would I do it again YOU BET.


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## BushHogBoy (Nov 30, 2000)

Thanks for the reply site, I don't see how the belts wear anymore than pulling a sulky uphill unless you're really stacking... anyway I beleive you though. I don't know if I would go in 4th unless I had a sulky and knew what was underneath the snow. I will put a rubber edge on it anyway to flex on bumps, I have done this before it's marvelous on garden tractors. 4th will wear the belts alot more too, dont' think i'd go over 3rd generally even though we have pretty thin snowfalls usually. I won't try to take it up stairs either  
Anyone got any pictures of these? Does everyone's always mount in place of the mower instead of on the mower? I want to mount it leaving the deck on so I can have front wheels, extra weight for traction and quicker switchover. I will have the same type of hitch on each plow so I can put any plow on any mower (40" straight plow or 48" Vplow) as I said the Vplow works good as a leaf plow too. 
"Site" do you run a sulky on that mower? 
Thanks and if anyone has pics thats good too  
Eric:waving:


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## ceaman (Sep 19, 2001)

Site .... 
Lets see some pictures!


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## site (Oct 24, 2000)

I'll work on some pictures. Never tried the sulky- I'm scared to. Somebody mentioned carberatours. If you dont shut off the fuel on the carb between uses it all leaks down into the crankcase. An important lesson I learned last year-then forgot. Now I have to drain the oil and start over.
Take off the mower deck for better handling and less risk of damage to the deck.


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## BushHogBoy (Nov 30, 2000)

What brand engine is that that leaks gas into crankcase? That shouldn't be happening on any brand..... I mean if you understand engines (like I do) then you know there's no way that should happen. Unless it is flooding and going through the crankcase breather, but it shouldn't be flooding to start with. I'd suggest you have your mechanic look at it....
Thanks in advance for the pics! 
Eric


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## dylan (Dec 21, 1999)

http://www.agro-tec.com/exmark2.shtml


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## WarriorLandscapingCan (Sep 22, 2016)

Hey guys, just revisiting this thread.

I have a 48" Ferris WB mower, hydro's and 18.5 horsepower Kawasaki engine.

Interested in this as well.


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## m_ice (Aug 12, 2012)

WarriorLandscapingCan said:


> Hey guys, just revisiting this thread.
> 
> I have a 48" Ferris WB mower, hydro's and 18.5 horsepower Kawasaki engine.
> 
> Interested in this as well.


There's some fancy explanation floating around here somewhere but to answer your question it will work mediocre but not set up to do it average let alone well.


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## WarriorLandscapingCan (Sep 22, 2016)

Thank you for your response.


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