Using a Back Blade to Plow Snow at Kettle Haven Ranch Homestead

[@kensmith1663]

Voice over works very well. Thanks.

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thanks!

[@spankymagee]

Thank you for a multitude of things. For not talking over a tractor while your working. For leaving in the stuff that didnt work well And for giving lots of detail on stuff I wouldn't have thought of. Great video. Thanks a lot.

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thanks for the nice comments Chris. Thank you for watching! Stay Safe and Healthy!

[@11spitdms]

Good format

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thank you! Thanks for watching!

[@MarvinMcKenziePreacher]

I like it! My first year in Republic - just trying to learn how to clear snow on our property.

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Hi Marvin. Welcome to Ferry County! Thanks for the comment.

[@JimVincitore]

Great videos! Very cool!

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thank you Jim! Thanks for watching!

[@tmartino9863]

I have a titan. Using it with forecart and horses is one thing. Using with my truck backing up it squirrels all over!

[@kennyp507]

I love my back blade, honestly I think its one of the most underrated implements I have, I plow on a paved surface so for me its important to make sure my moldboard is angled more forward so the cutting edge drags vs cuts, this prevents pavement damage since there's no relief trip springs if you bite into something.

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thanks Kenny! You make an excellent point on the angle and pavement damage. If I happen to scrap a little gravel, I consider rut removal! The closest paved road is just over three miles away. Thanks for the comment and for watching!

[@larryhasard3989]

You can also reverse the blade, to eliminate/reduce the aggressive cutting action of the rear blade. The leading edge curl becomes a trailing edge. That trailing edge helps when plowing a gravel drive, that isnt frozen rock hard, as you don't dig in. You pull snow off the top. I set my top link to keep my blade scraping, when the blade curl is forward, and then reverse it if I want a less aggressive cut.

[@elkinsmowing184]

I like the property that you have there sir! We use rear blades on our tractors for our driveways. If we are plowing gravel we turn the blade backwards so we don’t remove too much gravel, or if we plow the grass we do the same so we don’t tear the grass up. Great video tho!

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Hi! Thanks for the tip. Thanks for watching!

[@elkinsmowing184]

@ of course!

[@WestlyEdell]

Yes, the voice over without the tractor noise is very nice.

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thanks Kimball! I'll use voice overs in future tractor videos.

[@brucebaer1208]

Thanks the voice over is great. I have already heard a tractor running.

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thanks Bruce! I've always thought a person could make a mint designing adjustable hearing protection that the end user could fine tune easily in the field. Filter out the tractor BUT not hinder the ability to hear those first odd noises before something destroys itself... ie The Wobble Box on the swather! Take Care!

[@PKMCCOY-xt6jl]

Great , Practical and Yepper...Liked the voice over. Be safe. from Iowa 2/2021.

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thanks for watching and the nice comments Kent! Stay Safe and Healthy!

[@robertmcneill6362]

Well narrated. Voice over mode made listening easier to learn lessons. Just purchased my first compact tractor (25 hp) with front loader and five foot rear blade. This video just answered over a dozen questions I had brewing. Thank - You Very Much.

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thank You Robert. I'm glad we could help. Have fun with you new tractor. You'll be amazed at what you can do with them. Thanks for watching and commenting. Stay Safe and Healthy!

[@christophersawtelle2558]

Looks good thanks.

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thanks Christopher. If you are using one, I hope you have the same success that we have had! Stay Safe and Healthy!

[@TheDustbinofHistory]

Nice vid and tips. Missed the model of tractor.

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Hi! The black blade was mounted on a Kioti RX 6010. Thanks for the comments and watching! Stay safe and healthy!

[@robburke5577]

Awesome video. Good information!

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thanks Rob! Thank you for watching. I'm glad you found it valuable!

[@kevinhunter1324]

Very good video

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thanks Kevin. Thank you for watching! Stay safe and healthy.

[@hellogoodbye3129]

Great video, I just picked up a 7ft rear blade by land pride. Haven't used it on snow yet. But glad I watched this video, love the format.

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Have fun plowing!

[@JimJr1962]

Great video young man, many valuable lessons on the back blade, Thank you

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thank you Jim! I have a lot more Tractor Talk planned. Right at the moment, I'm swamped with winter lambing (not my choice). Only a few more to go and I'll be back with more videos. Take Care and Stay Healthy!

[@tlm3574]

Works fine

[@joanettemurch9040]

Nice video 👍

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thank You Joanette! Thanks for watching.

[@larryhasard3989]

I like the audio much better when background noise is muffled/muted.

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thank you Larry!

[@FrostyTheBeerMan]

*Awesome* video ! Thank you ! from Canada. Very enjoyable and you gave a lot of great tips ! Looking forward to more snow videos ! 🎅😁

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thank You! I use the back blade for moving a lot, quickly, when I don't worry about a berm. Front driveway is a great example. More snow vids are in the works! I checked out your channel. I feel homemade pizza in my near future!

[@gunther4598]

Very insightful. Thanks for the tips. One question, sounds like you said an 8 foot blade on a 60 hp tractor? What size blade would you recommend for a 23 hp compact?

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Hi Gunther. Sorry for the delayed response. At best, for light snow and assuming your have 4 wheel drive, I'd guess 5 feet would be the max. You'll probably need a steep angle so it sheds the snow as opposed to trying to push it. Thanks for the question!

[@jensgoldgrabe7052]

Thank you. Great video. We just moved to northern Alberta, Canada. I have a 75hp 2W/4W tractor. What type of tire are you running and do you need to chain -up?

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Hi Jens! Thanks for the question. I posted a quick video with my opinion on what works best. Honestly, I love the chains. On the big tractor that I plow with, I run 4wd and Ag tires. After that, our 33 hp 2wd Mahindra with chains really works great. Thanks for watching!

[@pepster60]

Do you ever push the back blade as apposed to pulling it? Also, once or twice a year we may get a 4 foot dump of snow, will the back blade work on that depth?

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Hi Mike. I don't remember who told me, many decades ago, to avoid pushing in reverse. I was told it has to do with the geometry and strength of the three point attachment. The top links strength is in being pulled away from the rear of the tractor and not compressed into it. Whether or not that is a valid point vs ole farmer lore, I have never tested! On snow depth, I've never had a problem with my 60 hp tractor. In deep, fresh snow, I've found the ag tires do much better than on shallow snow over previously plowed snow. I made a follow up video, using the bucket to help reduce the snow load on the back blade. kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYjRpYxnbJyLhtE Thanks for watching and your questions. Stay safe and healthy.

[@larryhasard3989]

We get drifts that are 3 ft deep, in a 12 inch overall snowfall, and they will overwhelm my 18 inch high rear blade. They overwhelm my loader bucket too, on the first pass, but once you break through, you can adjust how much you tackle in each pass. If I got 4 ft of snow often, I'd invest in a 3 pt hitch snow blower. Pushing with a rear blade is not consistently possible with chain and turnbuckle sway braces. Old tractors had them, and you cant push a chain. Newer style telescoping sway braces solve that problem, and you can safely plow backing up, but you can't ram into big or frozen piles going backwards. Driving your tractor through the snow, limits the load on a rear blade to the depth of snow that will fit under the tractor. When backing up, the load on the reversed rear blade is potentially unrestricted.

[@pepster60]

@@larryhasard3989 Thanks Larry, I have a 60 in snow blower on the PTO but it only works in perfect snow conditions. I was thinking the rear blade may be a better option. I think I will just keep the snow blower and the FEL on the tractor and put a plow on my truck. Thanks again.

[@michaelstorm8578]

Thanks for the video. My tractor has 3 positions for the top link. What position do you recommend for snow?

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Thanks for the question. I've used both the middle one and lower one with my particular back blade. With either, I have enough play in the top link to get a nice "scrape" without digging into the surface below the snow. For my smaller tractor, I only have two positions, and with the box scraper on that tractor, I use the upper one. Hope that helps.

[@cooperjensen9003]

What model brand hp tractor

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Hi! Kioti RX 6010. 60 hp. It’s been a great tractor. Thanks for watching!

[@johnjaco5544]

You in Montana?

[@KettleHavenRanch]

Nope. Washington State.