# Bucket vs Box plow vs Plow on skid steer



## drmiller100 (Jan 26, 2005)

so i've run a box plow. and I currently run a big snow bucket. and I've seen a plow, but never run one on a skid steer.

so maybe a discussion of advantages of each????

The plow is the tool of choice for large parking lots. You can start at one end push to one side, and get teh snow off the parking lot. boxes and buckets do not angle.

The box plow has the advantage of pushing more snow, and having the rubber edge. This is good and bad. Rubber edges work if the ground is not frozen, or the ground is presalted. But if you have a snow floor, adn push a rubber edge across it, pretty much you are guaranteed to raise teh snow floor. OTOH, it really sucks heading across an unknown parking lot and hitting a manhole cover with a bucket.

The bucket is the best for residential. You can push as much as a box plow, but you can pick it and stack it somewhat easier. Further, you can backdrag, or just flip the snow to teh back of the bucket to get that last 3 inches of crumbs against the garage door.


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## ProWorkz.com (Nov 29, 2004)

*Dozer Blade*

I run a 84" dozer blade on my skid steer with wings.





































Works much better than a plow. Is more durable. And will cut throught hard packed ice with ease....

Dave


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## ALEX516 (May 24, 2003)

*wings*

What brand blade is that on the track machine?
Are the wings something you fabbed or is it oem or?

Is tehre a trip system when you encounter the manhole out of nowhere?
Is it as bad hitting one as when driving a 10wheeler with a municipal plow?
(It spills your coffee and wakes the laborer up REAL quick)


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## fernalddude (Feb 15, 2004)

*Cat's kick A$$*

One of my subs runs one of those beast..:yow!: what a machine


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## ProWorkz.com (Nov 29, 2004)

*Dozer Blade*

Alex the wings on the side un bolt. I am actually am a dealer for these plows. The plows are made on the West Coast.

No trip spings on the dozer. No more issues with the Dozer blade vs. a loader bucket. I have had zero issues with man hole covers. But 99.9% of the man hole covers in my area are slighlty below the street level so you do not have to worry about hitting them.

Best attachement I own. And it will work circles around my High Flow blowers and 94" GP skid steer buckets. Don't get me wrong, my blowers work excellent. But for getting up the ice and moving mass snow quickly, the dozer blade is the winner every time.

Dave


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## rob1325 (Jan 6, 2000)

Snow Wolf makes a very nice heavy duty plow in different sizes that trip too. Also, you can turn it into a snow pusher by adding there side plates that pin right up in miutes and can be removed in minutes with no tools. IMO it is a nice setup.


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## snowinjoe (Nov 23, 2004)

These are nice blades. http://www.horstwelding.com/snow_items.php?id=93 The boss has the 12ft. blade with the manual side boards on a TV-140. Ive seen an 8ft with the same set up. It has a trip edge and the side boards trip also. Its a good set up. Next year my blade is being replaced with the 10ft. Check out the auto side boards. I cant see a box blade plowing quicker then this blade


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## rob1325 (Jan 6, 2000)

snowinjoe said:


> These are nice blades. http://www.horstwelding.com/snow_items.php?id=93 The boss has the 12ft. blade with the manual side boards on a TV-140. Ive seen an 8ft with the same set up. It has a trip edge and the side boards trip also. Its a good set up. Next year my blade is being replaced with the 10ft. Check out the auto side boards. I cant see a box blade plowing quicker then this blade


Though are nice! I never seen that company before. Thanks for the site.


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## sharpercut (Oct 5, 2004)

I wouldn't use a plow with a skid. One of my subs does this, and I find them, for the most part, not effective. If you have a truck and a skid working, definatly do not use a plow on a skid. If you only have a skid, then a plow might be a choice. 

We use plows on roads and parking lots where it only takes 5-6 swipes to get to the edge. If the lost is bigger than this, we use pushers on the machines. But in the lots were it only takes 5 swipes to clear (basically long and narrow), I would always use a plow truck than a skid with a plow. The truck is going to be much faster. 

The problem with plows is that they can only hold about a yd of material in front of the plow. A pusher for a skid can hold between 5-7 cu yds, depending on many factors, but this is the average for the different sizes. 
A snow bucket can hold between 1-1.5 yds.

To have an effective job, all roads and small (in width) lots should be done with a plow, but on a truck, not a skid because the truck is faster. 

Any decent size lots should be done with a pusher and then cleanup work with a bucket.

The best place for a truck ( in terms of productivity) is clearing and cleaning roadways. But do not get me wrong, trucks can be used in bigger lots, and will be in bigger lots. But they are not as effective as a pusher.

Also sometimes it is usefull to have both a plow and a box. At one site we have sidewalks along the road on both sides of the road. They go for about 600 ft. We have trucks plow is to wards the middle, and then the loader pusher comes in and picks it all up. and none gets on the sidewalks. If we had just trucks, we would had to push about 100 times, since each push will only hold a yard. Or use a bucket, but that only holds a yard.

One machine is not better than every other in every application. But a truck and pusher would be the best bet. Also add the bucket just to do some clean up work, like back drag from around buildings, but not for plowing.


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## Tri-County INC. (Dec 5, 2005)

*skid steers*

we use protechs with a back draging box works great. however one draw back is that the edges wear to fast.


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## drmiller100 (Jan 26, 2005)

hmmmm. i've got an 8.5 foot wide bucket. 2 foot sides, 4 feet deep.

if i fill the bucket, i am at 64 cubic feet, or a little over 2 yards. 

but, it will stack a lot higher then 2 feet, and I can push a LOT more then i can lift.

so how is a pusher better hten my bucket? 
well, you can't backdrag with a pusher.
i get more downpressure with my bucket, as i can fill the bucket, tilt it, and dig the edge down using the weight of the snow.
a bucket can stack higher quikcer then a pusher.
i cna put a bit of lift on the bucket, adn get more traction then the pusher.
otoh, my steel edge will catch on manhole covers and stuff.


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## StuveCorp (Dec 20, 2005)

We plow with blades only. Have a Snowwolf thats 10' total, can angle so for windrowing that gets the advantage. The idea with a skid is to do the set up for the loader so it works in areas that other equipment can't. We also can stack snow much higher with the blade than with the bucket. Backdragging with a blade probably even compared to a bucket (if it is as wide). The skid can be a effective weapon compared to a truck, if the machine has a 2 speed. The skid also can plow down, spin, plow back up. If you have to travel alot the skid may be slow. It just depends what you want to plow with.


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