More prep, just got this old warhorse running, calling for freezing drizzle, wind and 12-18" by me d Thursday
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Never did any rough terain snow removal, but for years did Commercial snow removal in Ft Wayne In. I run a winch truck with a 10' custom blade I fabricated for it, then when I wasn't pushing snow, I designing mounts and blades for tractors and skid steers, even a sidewalk machine for large additions common areas.
14' and 16' Daniels baldes in blue, with a old Meyers 10' on a custom mount for one complex, each machine had it's own area depending on the size of the area to be cleared. That smaller blade became the go to for truck docks and the rear of Businesses maneuvering around dumpsters and such. We were all about clean to the pavement, and Time was critical. Trust me, in the bigger cities, you don't want to be cleaning up with the masses start motivating!!
These were are war machines for a 5 story office complex. I built the mount and blade for the Tractor from a couple older Western 10' blades, finished at 14', the L60 loader ran another Daniels, in 18' configuration, and then a 14' daniels skid steer blade. 3 lots total below surrounded this complex with a huge open overflow lot where the picture was taken.
Another build for a lone Wall-Mart lot, this was to be the main plow for the open lot with trucks using 10' and 8' blades to get the areas that were less open. Only a 10 foot here in it's pre paint prototype but added 1' wings to each end for the following season, after we found this little Kubota had more UMPH than we thought.
Then after a lot of prototype work and testing, I came up with this for big additions streetside side walks, it don't look like much, but with the speed of a zero turn it had enough speed to throw a 4 foot walk clear in one pass, way faster than snow blowers, it covers a lot of ground in a hurry.
I have long retired from going after the money in the snow, but these machines are still going strong and they haven't found better replacements for them. Daniels Snow Blades in Canada is where I got a lot of my Ideas, and later built a couple more 14'ers out of old 10' blades we would buy at sales, But started addin the wings like the Daniels came with, it was amazing how not widening the blades, but adding this wing would increase the size of a row you could clear on longer pushes.
We also ran a couple skid steer machines with 9' boxes,, them pusher boxes would work the machine hard, but take big bites that left the wider 14' blades easily clean up in one pass following them up on deeper snowfalls. But when it got wet and heavy, that 9' box was bigger than you wanted on those NH Turbo skid steers!
I've made far to much money to ever want to see an end to snow!!! I also have found hunting in the snow is the absolute most enjoyable way to hunt. I refuse to hunt in September when season opens, and hardly ever hit the woods before mid October, I refuse to sweat, fight mosquitoes and biting flies, plus, I hate sliding around in the wet slop and dragging deer in mud, much prefer a skiff of snow, and even heavy snow is easier to drag deer in when you have a jet sled in any weather, but on snow, way easier. Most guy's would change their minds about hunting in the snow, if they did it right for one season.
And when it snows, these machines are ready, never leave the lots their on all season, with 8 different trucks mobile, from stake beds with 10'ers to pickups with 8'ers as well as some rear hitch pushers for residential drive ways.
