# Plowing deep, long drifts?



## bstout (Sep 6, 2007)

My driveway is one half mile long. Some places along its length, the snow gets much deeper than other spots. I do my first swipe in the shallowest spots then nibble away at these drifts until I get the driveway widened out.

One time this season the snow drifts were almost three feet high (and 100 yards long) in the middle but much shallower near the edge of the road near the ditch. As I went for the low spot I got pulled off the road and into the small drainage ditch and stuck. 

I try to plow with the wind and drifts to keep it down but sometimes it does get away from me. Would it have been better for me to raise the blade slightly and stay in the middle of the driveway away from either side or do I want to always leave my blade all the way down?

This situation doesn't happen very often but it does happen.


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## veggin psd (Feb 8, 2007)

It kinda all depends on what equipment you are using. If you have a half ton truck with a 7.5 foot straight plow then I'd say keep the plow up a little and just nibble at it. A heavy 3/4 ton truck or larger and a 8 foot v plow or straight blade should handle that. In fact that much snow for that length of drive would be a heck of a lot of FUN!!!!wesport


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

Work the drifts side to side .Just keep pushing a plow length to the sides.The make your straight runs and cut the piles back for the next time.


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## doh (Sep 23, 2003)

a V plow puts banks on both sides, try winging the bank down wind. Then if it snows and blows, ithe road will not fill in as high as the banks.

Go in straight, off the ground your first run, then wing everything to the down wind side.


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## Mick (May 19, 2001)

First rule - never let snow get in your A-frame. That's a sure way to get very stuck. Lifting your plow off the ground is a quick way to do that. Also plowing deep snow with the plow straight so the snow comes over the moldboard (technical name for the blade). Your best bet is plowing alternately to each side - in a herringbone fashion. You can try powering through with the plow at full angle. If it's too much for your equipment, you can still do the herringbone thing. When I ran a half ton with a 7.5' plow, it could usually handle 10"-12" even of wet and heavy snow, but it also depends on your tires and ballast. If you use the herringbone, you can push normally on each side to finish up. It takes longer, but not as long as getting stuck.


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

Mick,I couldn't think of the name.Herringbone:salute:.


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## bstout (Sep 6, 2007)

Great information gentlemen. I didn't know about keeping snow out of the A frame. These are the kind of things I need to learn and hopefully not from personal experience. 

So my best chances of making the first pass is to have maximum angle on the blade and try to stay in the middle of the drive (away from either ditch) with the blade all the way down while maintaining a moderate speed? 

I have learned that once you can't back up you're in trouble. I like the herring bone pattern. My understanding is to start in the middle and push towards the right ditch, then back up and push towards the left ditch and so on and so forth until you make your way down the drive. As long as you can always back up I would think I'd be alright.

I'm just trying to learn. One of my favorite Will Rogers quotes "Some men can learn from reading, other men can learn from watching other men, everyone else must pee on the electric fence for themselves".


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## Mick (May 19, 2001)

bstout;528431 said:


> ...So my best chances of making the first pass is to have maximum angle on the blade and try to stay in the middle of the drive (away from either ditch) with the blade all the way down while maintaining a moderate speed?
> 
> *Moderate, yes. But even more important is keeping a STEADY speed. If you have to give it more and more gas to keep the forward momentum, do that rather than let it slow down or - worse yet - stop. But learn when to give up rather than not being able to back out. This can happen when pushing downhill. You can't push forward any further, so you have to back up the hill. When you lift the plow, all the weight is shifted to the front wheels; so you're back to essentially 2wd. Without enough ballast; you're not going anywhere.*
> 
> ...


............


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## bstout (Sep 6, 2007)

Thanks, Mick! I appreciate the advice.

I'm flying by the _seat of my pants_ here for the most part.

I'm having a ball doing it though!


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## Mick (May 19, 2001)

bstout;529546 said:


> ...I'm flying by the _seat of my pants_ here for the most part.


Join the crowd. That's how I started plowing. Bought a plow and had it put on a 1/2 ton Dodge. Had to have the installer show me how to lift it to get it home. Practised mounting, dismounting and angling for about two weeks, till it snowed. Got a couple customers and started plowing snow. Got on here and drove a few good guys crazy with my questions - like "Why is this Fisher MM1 so hard to get hooked up?" answer " Push down on that yellow triangle thingy.".


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