# Plow wheels/casters



## Dr Who (Dec 16, 2010)

I see the city and state trucks have caster wheels on there plows, I am assuming this is because they are trying not to have metal on the blacktop, and the wheels would not shoot sparks.. 
But would there be any advantage to this on a plow used for only lots and drives? 

I run feet, it came with them and I use them.. But would there be any more of an advantage to me switching to casters then the steel feet?

Just an idea I had when I was siting at a red light..


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## wild bill (Feb 10, 2007)

*casters*

they are a neat idea but kinda complicated for a small plow ,making they robust enough not to rip off the first time .i made some a while back for a 10ft western hd man it was a pain .


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## bighornjd (Oct 23, 2009)

Mostly used to help with cutting edge wear due to muni plows being so heavy. Also they are covering a lot of miles at higher speeds. A heavy plow going fast across asphalt all day will take its toll on those big expensive cutting edges. On a lighter plow like on a pickup just doing lots and drives, the cutting edges tend to last a little longer and don't cost that much to replace. I think you will find most guys doing mostly hardtop surfaces don't even run shoes because it makes for a nicer job. I wouldn't waste my time, but then again i don't even like the shoes or 'feet'. JMO.


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## Dr Who (Dec 16, 2010)

I know that the shoes/feet taken off will do a cleaner job, but I always figure that I would rather just leave a bit of snow, then salt it then take a chance in damaging the surface.

people around here are so funny, they don't want you to use any type of ice melt, afraid it will destroy there surface. I have talked to people that don't want to have you scrape the lot as they are afraid that it will hurt the finish on there black top, or scrape off the seal coating. Which by the way, most of the time washes off after the first rain were they cut it down so far....

Then you have the crap that you hit, I hate hitting things, about would reather run a little higher off the ground and hit something then hit it with the whole blade on the ground. This is all my preference, nothing more..

as for the wheels, I thought that I would make them myself, but I did not know if they would benefit the small plows of not...

My next thing was to make a set of wings, since all the ones I look at on-line say not to use on a poly blade....


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## Dr Who (Dec 16, 2010)

wild bill;1194409 said:


> they are a neat idea but kinda complicated for a small plow ,making they robust enough not to rip off the first time .i made some a while back for a 10ft western hd man it was a pain .


I never thought about steel wheels, I was thinking pneumatic. I would had thought that they would not get that much abuse, I thought that the blade got it all and the feet/shoes just kinda tagged along, that is unless you got them caught on something...


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## Kenyou (Oct 13, 2007)

I have tried using the feet on my CP-8 but it doesn't clean well at all. Then to make matters worse, when you back drag, you dig trenches in a gravel drive and scrape gouges the black top. I'm not about to take them off every time I back drag. Just my opinion.



Dr Who;1194657 said:


> I know that the shoes/feet taken off will do a cleaner job, but I always figure that I would rather just leave a bit of snow, then salt it then take a chance in damaging the surface.
> 
> people around here are so funny, they don't want you to use any type of ice melt, afraid it will destroy there surface. I have talked to people that don't want to have you scrape the lot as they are afraid that it will hurt the finish on there black top, or scrape off the seal coating. Which by the way, most of the time washes off after the first rain were they cut it down so far....
> 
> ...


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## Dr Who (Dec 16, 2010)

Kenyou;1194786 said:


> I have tried using the feet on my CP-8 but it doesn't clean well at all. Then to make matters worse, when you back drag, you dig trenches in a gravel drive and scrape gouges the black top. I'm not about to take them off every time I back drag. Just my opinion.


You know I have never (yet) had a problem with them making places in the blacktop, I have had them make places in the gravel, but that is an easy fix. It may be the type foot I run, or maybe I am just lucky....


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## pohouse (Jan 26, 2009)

Most of the municipalities around here take the casters off. As was mentioned, they are used on muni plows to reduce cutting edge wear, not to save the pavement. For most municipalities its more important to scrape clean than to save on blade wear. Full weight of the plow helps pull up hard ice, snow pack. Also, if the plow has casters, they need to be adjusted continually as the blade edge wears. Otherwise, the blade eventually will not be in contact with the surface at all.

Backdragging is a real problem with casters. They rotate and lift the blade. Nearly impossible to backdrag clean with casters.


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## bighornjd (Oct 23, 2009)

pohouse;1194987 said:


> Most of the municipalities around here take the casters off. As was mentioned, they are used on muni plows to reduce cutting edge wear, not to save the pavement. For most municipalities its more important to scrape clean than to save on blade wear. Full weight of the plow helps pull up hard ice, snow pack. Also, if the plow has casters, they need to be adjusted continually as the blade edge wears. Otherwise, the blade eventually will not be in contact with the surface at all.
> 
> Backdragging is a real problem with casters. They rotate and lift the blade. Nearly impossible to backdrag clean with casters.


Yup, like I said the only reason for the casters or shoes is to slow cutting edge wear, but a lot of places don't even worry about it as much anymore. They are more concerned with scraping clean to reduce salt usage. If every truck uses a couple tons less salt each storm, that's enough savings to buy a lot of cutting edges. Plus it makes for a cleaner and safer surface. I run a 10' Valk with a 42" high moldboard (heavy) on my 33k GVW dump and took the shoes off altogether for contract plowing town streets. I run a double cutting edge instead, one regular steel one and one carbide edge. Lasts alot longer and scrapes clean, but expensive. My dad works for another municipality and they also run carbide edges on their plows. They have shoes also, but keep them cranked up off the ground. They basically serve only as jack stands when the plows are off. They cover a lot of miles and generally have to replace cutting edges at least once a year, sometimes twice.


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## Dr Who (Dec 16, 2010)

pohouse;1194987 said:


> Backdragging is a real problem with casters. They rotate and lift the blade. Nearly impossible to backdrag clean with casters.


I never thought of that, I guess it would be a waste to run them on a small plow then, even if they helped out since I do alot of back draging...

it was a thought, but I have been convinced that its not a good idea....


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