Can you spread gravel with a front plow blade?

[CaptainShwammy]

Hello guys! I just recently got myself a '74 108 in hopes of taming the much neglected property and driveway at the house my wife and I are moving in to at the end of this week.
I have a sleeve hitch and a rear blade for it (tested well on our current driveway with an old winch mounted as a weight) and it's hit me that I will need a couple loads of gravel to finish it once it's all graded out smooth again.
Much of the length of the driveway can be drop spread and then finished off with the rear blade but I know I'll at least have a few spots where a pile will need spreading.
I'm wondering if the front mounted snow/dozer blades are up to the job. And if so, where the heck do I get one in central NC?
I've scoured ebay and craigslist and the best I found was gonna cost $250 to ship. The guy only wanted $35 for it but couldn't find a way to ship it at a reasonable price.
If anyone is interested it was on ebay, I think in Ohio and (after some research) it's a narrow frame plow that fits the quick connect (not my wide frame but I work in a metal fab/laser shop so everything fits one way or another).
Anyhow, do they work for spreading a gravel pile or am I wasting my time trying to find one here in the south?

 

[mgonitzke]

Yes, with enough wheel weights it will work. I use mine for things like that more than I use it for snow.

 

[zkoester]

It will work but suck...unless you have alot of weight and good traction in the loose stone. I use my rear blade for everything. You should be able to turn the blade around and use it to push, my brinly one spins 180. Also works alot better flipped around for grading out the low/hight spots and not digging in

 

[CaptainShwammy]

I have antifreeze in the rear tires, which are also of the tractor tread variety , so that plus my 285lbs of manliness probably has it covered weight wise.

 

[dschwandt]

Take your time and take small bites.
As the blade loads up, it will pull down and you cannot correct soon enough and will wind up with a washboard effect. Then, If/when you spin, the ass end goes down and the blade will tent to rise.
With a manual lift, this will be a real PITA, not so bad with a hydraulic lift as you can easily "feather" it.
You may want to experiment with installing a lockout pin in the linkage inside the tunnel to allow a little more feel.
You have to get a feel for this and constantly feel for and counter the expected drop or rise whichever the case may be
Floatation front tires w/higher pressure will help counteract this this effect some but it will tire your arms in no time.
Anyone who has operated an old cable blade on a dozer will know of what I speak.

Good luck and have fun!!

 

[CaptainShwammy]

It will work but suck...unless you have alot of weight and good traction in the loose stone. I use my rear blade for everything. You should be able to turn the blade around and use it to push, my brinly one spins 180. Also works alot better flipped around for grading out the low/hight spots and not digging in

I can't turn my blade around. I got the one from extreme motor sports. If you search that plus cub cadet you can find the site easy. They make lots of cool stuff for the cubs. It's a real sturdy piece but it only tilts to one side or the other. I just didn't like the reviews on the brinley blade, it looked weak in comparison. Although I kinda wish I'd went that way now as this blade is too tall which leaves the hitch at an angle and makes it to where it tilts to the side and down a bit. I plan to cut a couple inches off the bottom and remount the cutting edge up higher to fix that. Easy to do when you run an industrial laser for a living. I'll post a picture of it when I get home today.

 

[CaptainShwammy]

Take your time and take small bites.
As the blade loads up, it will pull down and you cannot correct soon enough and will wind up with a washboard effect. Then, If you spin, the ass end goes down and the blade will tent to rise.
With a manual lift, this will be a real PITA, not so bad with a hydraulic lift as you can easily "feather" it.
You may want to experiment with installing a lockout pin in the linkage inside the tunnel to allow a little more feel.
You have to get a feel for this and constantly feel for and counter the expected drop or rise whichever the case may be
Floatation front tires w/higher pressure will help counteract this this effect some but it will tire your arms in no time.
Anyone who has operated an old cable blade on a dozer will know of what I speak.

Good luck and have fun!!

Thanks for the tips. If I can ever find one around here I'll give it a shot.

 

[lrkane]

With the front mounted blade you can also backblade with small bites. I think.

 

[CaptainShwammy]

With the front mounted blade you can also backblade with small bites. I think.

Sounds good to me. Just gotta find one.

 

[kashaver]

I have a front blade on a 70. I got another with a 124 a few years ago. I found both here in central NC. Neither are for sale however. I just want you to know there are some front blades down here in NC.

Don't give up on finding one here in NC, but you may have to be patient or advertise that you are looking for one.

My 124 has the big MTD wheel weights and fluid in the tires and it could do a fair job pushing 6" snow with chains on the rear tires. (Except that thawed and re-frozen snow that is so common in NC.)
I have tried the 70 in the garden and if you want to just scrape an inch or so its o.k., but it spins out if you really try to dig with it.

 

[CaptainShwammy]

I have a front blade on a 70. I got another with a 124 a few years ago. I found both here in central NC. Neither are for sale however. I just want you to know there are some front blades down here in NC.

Don't give up on finding one here in NC, but you may have to be patient or advertise that you are looking for one.

My 124 has the big MTD wheel weights and fluid in the tires and it could do a fair job pushing 6" snow with chains on the rear tires. (Except that thawed and re-frozen snow that is so common in NC.)
I have tried the 70 in the garden and if you want to just scrape an inch or so its o.k., but it spins out if you really try to dig with it.

Good to know they exist down here. Thanks for the info.

 

[lrkane]

I think an underlying fact throughout this thread is that these wonderful little tractors are not bulldozers or backhoes

 

[CaptainShwammy]

I think an underlying fact throughout this thread is that these wonderful little tractors are not bulldozers or backhoes

No but they are probably better than a shovel and wheelbarrow for spreading a pile of gravel. Or at least that's what I'm attempting to find out. If you have a bulldozer or backhoe you'd like to loan me that would be wonderful as well. Kinda overkill for tending to my driveway though.

 

[dschwandt]

Like I said earlier, you have to develop a "feel" for the operation of it and be able to adjust to the conditions and what the tractor is doing at the moment.

 

[lrkane]

I’ve had my 125 for almost 20 years and have never used the plow but am planning to do so this spring to push some soil around. The prospect of having a hydraulic lift instead of manual is attractive. Are they retrofittable? Not trying to hijack this thread just wondered.

 

[djkelley]

The wheelbase is too short - I can't drop the blade far enough when I'm climbing the pile.
I use an old bed frame with cement blocks on it for a drag harrow.
Don't have a picture of the bed frame sled.

 

[CaptainShwammy]

The wheelbase is too short - I can't drop the blade far enough when I'm climbing the pile.
I use an old bed frame with cement blocks on it for a drag harrow.
Don't have a picture of the bed frame sled.

Sounds like this driveway work will take me a little more hands on work. Thanks for the reply and the pics! Nice ride and sweet hat man! Livin' it up!

 

[CaptainShwammy]

Like I said earlier, you have to develop a "feel" for the

I’ve had my 125 for almost 20 years and have never used the plow but am planning to do so this spring to push some soil around. The prospect of having a hydraulic lift instead of manual is attractive. Are they retrofittable? Not trying to hijack this thread just wondered.

I was looking at my 108 the other day and noticed there was an unused pulley on the drive clutch side of the motor. It could easily be set up to run a pump. Might be better off buying a different cub than trying to customize your own setup though.

 

[dschwandt]

The 108 is a wide frame cub
You would need the hydraulic lift set up from a 1450 or a 1650 to complete the installation providing you could scare up a pump that would work and included a reservoir.
Better off to just look for a hydro cub unless you are good at "Cobble Crafting".

 

[podenbach]

Having been in the business I would ask the delivery company to tailgate spread it. If done right you only need to rake the edges. I’m pretty sure I could hand scoop and wheel barrel piles faster than a little tractor could push stone on loose surface. I currently maintain 4 miles of gravel private road and every other year the neighbors pitch in for 500 tons of road base. I want a 6 wheel motor grader so bad!