Why Add Pipes To The Bottom Of A Snowplow?

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

To purchase PLOW PARTS - amzn.to/3VLPrV1

[@davidshettlesworth1442]

WOW! You Michiganders are just "Tough!" I did a computer install in the thumb of Michigan and it was so freezing dang cold and lots of snow and ice. Tremendous respect for how you folks don't miss a day. You just wrestle the snow and ice into submission and get your day done. Carry on Gentlemen and Ladies of the frozen north. I salute you (I live on the Gulf of Mexico) . Be safe.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Well, you get used to it................sort of!

[@philburke1902]

The dog barking everytime you say snowdogg is cute the first couple of times but ridiculous after 10 times. My dog was like "what the hell is going on lol

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

noted

[@tdotw77]

Yes I agree 100%. 1st few were ok....then not so much.

[@Peterswarahed]

🐶🐶🐶

[@merlinjust4753]

The first snow, I just set the feet lower and leave some snow. That then packs down and makes a solid base so future snows you can put the plow clear down.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Yes it can help to do that. I've experimented with shoe height also.

[@Davids-cc9sn]

Ya I do that too, but I also use the pipe. Been doing that for about 40 yrs.

[@Makete100]

I like those pipes. Every spring we have to go around and gather up the sod that our snow plow man digs up and put them in the divits. This sure would eliminate all that damage. Another great informative video, thanks.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

I'm liking them too!

[@yooper9062]

@@KnettersPracticalOutdoors Are you from the Yoop? Can you add the pipe and leave the plow shoes on? I noticed my plow shoes will dig into my gravel road.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

@@yooper9062 Yes central U.P. When I put the pipes on I raise the shoes up as far as they go. Seems to work for my plow. With some plows maybe even remove the shoes all together would be the best option with the pipes.

[@toddsmalley3369]

Been plowing for over 30 years and never seen those great idea

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

First year for me using pipes after plowing 20 years.

[@Knotyourbusiness]

Nice info, although my wife disagrees she said she prefers one long pipe for plowing.

[@SCJ-up2ob]

🤣🤣🤣

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

No you di int!

[@hodagtrapper4167]

Will have to show this video to the guy who plows my driveway as every spring there is a cubic yard of gravel spread in our front yard. My wife sometimes develops blisters raking it all back out! 😄

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Get her a pair of gloves!

[@rackman5111]

Right on I can see the pipes making a difference for sure on a gravel base il have to keep them in mind 👍

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

They help.

[@tomarmstrong4156]

Last year I had to plow about 14" of snow two times. All I have is a D4 Cat dozer. I ended up plowing up a lot of our gravel. It all ended up in the snow piles and I was able to spread it out later. Next time I need to plow I am going to try PVC pipes on the cutting edge. Good information in this video.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

cool

[@roberttaylor8261]

Waite of Time ! Pvc on heavy blade will be broke in a matter of Minute! Your Tracks are Guna tear just as much as the Dozer? Just float blade up a bump! Leave inch snow but tracks still will tear up gravel unless frozen?

[@quarter-py4nr]

I made mine out of pipe years ago. Still working fine!

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Very cool!

[@ForgetU]

1/2 pipes are designed so it can also be used for V shaped plows as well.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

True

[@jeffseppala8921]

They work great! I take my shoes right off and leave them on all the time for plowing.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Do you get much build up over the season without the scrapping of the cutting edge exposed?

[@jeffseppala8921]

@@KnettersPracticalOutdoors No I do not, the trick is to plow before you pack new snow down.

[@bcdwalleye6242]

Good for keeping your gravel in place when we get that 12” in may.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Sad but true.

[@roberttaylor8261]

I have been Useing an making these pipes for yrs! I use 1-1/2” black pipe.. This yr I bought a Boss V-plow an built a set of square tube that has wall thickness of 1/4” an 2” square tube. They work great!

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Thanks for adding in.

[@Terk131]

I have used pipes for 20 years on my Western plows. I don't put them on the blade itself but make an 8ft pipe 3" diameter and weld 2 tabs where the "shoes" mount and keep the blade 1/2 inch to 3/4 of an inch off the ground and it plows awesome, clean, no damage to gravel, grass or dirt and easy to remove when no longer needed. Pipe is very popular here and we get 250"+ a year of lake effect snow.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Thanks for the info

[@migm7428]

Sounds great. Can you provide a picture of your installation?

[@Terk131]

@@migm7428 Where do you want it sent to. I don't have videos on YT.

[@robertknowlan3970]

Have run a pipe on my JD 54in tractor snow blower for years.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

cool

[@ronyerke9250]

Another benefit of the 2-piece design is the pipes work on V-blades too.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

yes

[@SCJ-up2ob]

Definitely would save a guy some work/money in the spring fixing plow damage

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

yes!

[@kevinhanley2012]

Schedule 40 electrical conduit (1 1/4 ID) works just fine on my UTV plow. One cut on the table saw and drive it on with a dead blow hammer. Much less expense and removes easily after the snow season is over.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Cool!

[@gc1172]

Sixty plus years ago we used rounded "shoes" on our plow mounted on an WWII six by all wheel drive that would tear roads up like crazy if we didn't protect them. Got the snow pushed great and didn't dig up any type of roads.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

noted

[@boomer2095]

I bought a 60” ABS pipe to put on my 52” Polaris glacier plow. The guy at Lowes used his PVC cutter to cut it down to 50” and I used a hand circular to cut a grove down the length to slide it over the end of the glacier plow blade using a rubber mallet , to avoid pushing off gravel, and destroying your sprinkler heads if you want to keep from pushing gravel off your driveway or breaking off sprinkler heads on a grass lawn . Unfortunately metal pipe is better because the gravel wears away the plastic on PVC or ABS pipe. However if you are using a wench plow a pipe on the edge of your blade causes the blade to float up if you are pushing a big drift of snow, or snow that’s been allowed to freeze. So you would need to weight down your plow if you are using a wench; with cinder blocks, and remove and put on any time you need to lift and drop blade , otherwise your only taking off the top layer of a tall snow fall because when you are pushing the heavy snow it you use the pipe on your blade, it starts riding on top, of the snow, or just rides on top of the iced snow. The pipe works fine on about 4-6”of fresh snow, but the pipe doesn’t allow the pipe to grab the snow or ice like the plow is designed to do without the pipe. Also, the PVC or,ABS plastic pipe wears down more quickly then the blade guard, and Amazon sells inexpensive blade guards that you will spent a lot less then PVC or ABS pipe; unless you spend more upfront on the metal pipes. I found a workaround on the PVC and ABS, by using the skid plates adjusted,to where they touch the PVC or ABS pipes and the skid feet will keep the PVC or ABS from wearing down and it’s the feet right against the PVC or ABS as right as you are able to push the cotter pin through, you are almost at the same depth as the pipe, but your blade can’t knock down high spots on your gravel road or push off gravel. I would recommend you first try out the PVC or ABS pipe before investing a lot more money in steel pipes, and permanently welding them to your blade.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Good stuff

[@roberttaylor8261]

You don’t have to weld steel pipes to the blade just need tabs with holes to use in bolt holes at each end of plow blade. I have built many for Truck plows an atv plows an Utvs they work great! I usualy use 1-1/2” black pipe! The bigger 2” pipe will float the plow up more as your atv did. I put set of 1-1/2”. On my son polaris atv an he said works awesome for the last 4-5 yrs now. I just built set out of 1/4” thick 2” square tube for my Boss V-plow an work great and should last for couple years being 1/4” thick. They have tabs welded to each end of tube so can take off if want to keep scraped down after freezing! I live in Upper Michigan an we plow snow 4-5 months a yr so they are Proven! If Plastic PVC was an option all big plow makers would use them at qaurter the price. PVC waiste of time!

[@hughjair133]

I have a metal pless blade, going to try something like this thanks!

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Let me know how it works out for you.

[@mhepping]

I put a piece of 2” schedule 80 pipe on my 5’ UTV plow and man what a difference. Say goodbye to the old cutting edge unless your are plowing heavy wet snow.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

cool

[@7t2z28]

I'm tempted to permanently affix a piece of pipe to my plow blade now. Down here under the bridge doesn't seem like we get built up hard pack hardly at all if ever, and all my drive surfaces are concrete anyway. It'd be a lot easier on the grass and any uneven concrete joints.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Yes, if you don't get a ton of snow, then it can't build up much.

[@jamestoth1256]

Looks like a great product. Think it will ever get spring? Thanks for another good video.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Lots of snow needs to melt this year.

[@stitch1960]

I set the plow height with a slight upward tilt. It saves some much of the greef. on western v blade the pipe would work for straight blade

[@robertfrey3607]

That works if you are on level ground, but any variance in the surface will cause the truck to dip and diffin' the blade accordingly. This a good idea, but I'm not paying nearly $200 on something I can make for $50.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

that helps

[@thetravelingbeard7973]

Another great video Dave!

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

thanks my friend

[@ritchieschrein]

great idea

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

yes!

[@PBandJDIY]

I plow a lot of snow in New Brunswick Canada! First, you have your feet all the way up, the design is to use the feet to keep the cutting edge at the right height for your conditions. Second, your blade keeps flopping forward because your springs are not tieght enough or have been stretched by not taking tension off them in the off season. It is a safety design so if you hit a stump or my favorite, railroad tie along someones driveway, the blade folds to protect the plow assembly and truck from a forceful stop that could damage equipment. Fisher has a trip edge, it has springs applying downforce to just the cutting edge, hit something, it folds back and allows the blade to hop over the obstacles. Your lifting chain is too loose or not enough oil! Use Univis15 by Mobil. Your plow will fly! Lastly, sell your plow, you don't know how to use it properly! My son at 12yrs old sitting with an ammo can behind him on the seat so he could reach the clutch in my 1990 toyota truck with an Arctic snowplow, could drive, reverse, and angle the blade for the next pass all by himself and did it right with minimal passes.... AT 12 Years old! Now he is 19 and I don't get to drive my plowtruck anymore! I have replaced the ball joints and tierod ends once every 7 years, how many has that Chevy eaten up plowing? Your video was hard to watch!

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Well, were I live in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, we average 180 inches a year. So I plow my share of snow too. Sometimes the shoes are up, so I can scrape down build up, but then you also push off to areas that haven't been plowed yet and you might hit some dirt. Sometimes, when the shoes are set down, they dig into the dirt worse than the plow edge. Also, when you plow into a bank the plow raises up and the chain may seem loose when you go to raise the plow. But it's just picking up the slack from a plow that was raised by the bank or higher areas. If I was to shorten the chain, it wouldn't reach to the ground when lowered. I do understand they plow is supposed to lay forward sometimes, but less is better. This is just a video to show that pipes are an option. That's awesome that your son loves to plow and that he was so good at it at a young age.

[@PBandJDIY]

@KnettersPracticalOutdoors I actually welded an extra 9" to the top of my plow. If my chain was that loose, I'd be stuck on the A frame all day. I guess we have it better. The ground is always frozen here before any big snow falls. I saw that pipe, and all I could imagine was how smooth the ground would be, and when frozen, it would be slick! I just take care of myself and the neighborhood now. I used to do close to 50 driveways a storm. I don't think the pipe idea is for me. But, if it works for you, have at it! I know how I do things, and I should be more open to other ideas, too.

[@ArnoldsDesign]

Great idea.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Glad you think so!

[@Asperaetastra]

Hey! Thanks for the video! Quick question: how do you find your Snowdog plow? I found one on sort of a Craigslist analogue here in Russia and I'm thinking of buying it and putting it on Dodge Ram. Thanks in advance and Happy New Year to you and your family! :)

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

I have a local dealer so I'm not much help, sorry.

[@Asperaetastra]

@@KnettersPracticalOutdoors anyways, I thank you for your prompt reply.

[@PainterD54]

A better idea is a rubber blade bolted in front of the steel with about an inch lower thant he steel. That way is cleans off a concrete garage apron like a squeegee and doesn't dig up the grass along the driveway if you have to push snow off to the side.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

May work for some situations, but I get a lot of wear on my hardened steel pipe. I don't think rubber would hold up long for what I do.

[@kevinh5024]

Good info! Thanks.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

welcome

[@josephgould3832]

Would you put these back on for the melting wet snows/slush on semi-melted gravel/lawns?

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Yes I think it would help. So far this spring I haven't needed to plow and I hope it stays that way.

[@Camera1931-p5v]

You pack snow and make a lot of ice when you use the pipe!

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

yes, true

[@FordDude66]

Pipes like that would work good on my Cycle Country plow on my Honda Rancher. Todd from da U.P.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

i bet they would.

[@marm842]

seen them made for loaders before. butt i think i can continue to drop my plow then bump my up switch couple times . that works for me .2 to $400 bucks is little much for me.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Yes, I have tried that too. My driveway has too much uneven surfaces so sometimes that doesn't work for me.

[@migm7428]

I don't think your bump up method is healthy for the lift ram. The weight of the blade during the plow function should be resting on the ground and not hanging from the Ram chain.

[@fishgrubblades1779]

Great video.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Thanks!

[@stepitupmorons8704]

wow great stufffff,, thank you, for the infor,, !!!!! thank you again, amen brother,,,

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Very welcome

[@paulb7334]

It's a light duty plow is another reason it's laying down alot more also

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Yes, very true.

[@Lifeinthe906]

A couple more months and we can put the plows and snowblowers away!!

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

I hope you are wrong.

[@williamkiheri8940]

Wouldn't a smaller version work for snow blower . Keep from blowing gravel

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

maybe

[@rcwatt9997]

My height adjustable plow skid shoes seem a lot easier and cheaper!

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Yes but those still dig into soft driveways.

[@robertfrey3607]

Do you manufacture these?

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

No, I just use them. I have no connection to the company.

[@philliplopez8745]

Every blade should have " shoes " on the ends of the cutting edge , you will not damage the curbs . ( For all of you pros )

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

noted

[@robertfrey3607]

Shoes don't work for gravel...especially when the gravel isn't frozen hard. They just dig trenches.

[@philliplopez8745]

@@robertfrey3607 the shoe covers the vertical end of the cutting edge . What the hell are you talking about

[@garyperrin8172]

i just use a 2" water pipe cut a slot in it and slide it on one end with a hammer no bults simple

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Nice!

[@clarencefoster7689]

This is old news local plow guys been doing this for 30 years even have one on my snowblower and the blade on the side by side has a blade that rolls back under full with shoe purchased through mu Polaris dealer and had to redrill holes not a big issue and longer bolts left the regular blade behind it

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Only new to people that haven't seen it before.

[@johnwasmuth908]

Use the shoes till you get a mat then take them off.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

noted

[@BobbyJames-fv9tn]

Plows are not meant for gravel and dirt driveways we use snow blowers or skid loaders or something like that for those type of environments if you are going to plow on a unimproved soft surface you need to lift your blade a half inch off the ground to avoid all the things that you are talking about

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Lifting a half inch on an irregular surface is impossible. As soon as you drive forward the plow isn't a half inch up. It's 2-6 inches up or in the dirt.

[@catfish3562]

they wear out WAY to fast. not hardened steel. just use shoes.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Noted

[@Maine307]

WHAT Fisher plows??? Fisher Vplows?

[@jac981]

Liked the video but the barking was painful

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

I know, I over did it!

[@jac981]

@@KnettersPracticalOutdoors these things happen. Great advice though. Didnt know such a thing existed and will definitely be getting one for next winter.

[@madisonbullock2337]

But the ability to clear away areas that you can only back drag away wont work very well with this

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

true

[@Davids-cc9sn]

Can anyone tell me why I would ever not want my plow to float? Just trying to figure out why my Boss by default goes stationary when I drop it. Have double click the button for float. Which often 2nd click doesn't seem to register, or requires long hold. Been plowing 40+ yrs, NEVER found situation I wanted the plow not to float. What the hell would I be doing with it to want that?

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

Only time I like them not to float is when back blading.

[@Davids-cc9sn]

@@KnettersPracticalOutdoors I don't know. Still gonna have to float unless ground is perfectly level.

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

@@Davids-cc9sn I know what you mean, just sometimes the plow raises up over the snow when back blading instead of pulling it back. But I agree, if it's locked and you don't realize it, you can beat up the plow and carriage pretty good.

[@TsunauticusIV]

40 years plowing and you’ve never used a plow out of float mode?

[@Davids-cc9sn]

@@TsunauticusIV Never. I don't remember any of the early plows that had anything other than float. So...why wouldn't I want the plow to float?

[@JK-ne4xy]

Just raise plow 1” and save $300 bucks…

[@jondahl3173]

Or build your own if you want them...

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

On a flat surface that will work, but almost impossible on irregular surface.

[@chrisg5253]

Only gives a half inch of play and a good crust of snow to drive on

[@KnettersPracticalOutdoors]

noted