# O-U-C-H That's going to leave a mark!



## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

I was out yesterday blowing snow (or should I say attempting to blow snow) with my GT5000....because of the rain and thaw period we had around the holidays I have an ice rink for a drive...so the last few snows I didn't blow so I could get some traction...

Well we had about 8-9 inches of fresh snow that needed to come off..I got the blower going and as long as I stayed on the flat I didn't have to many problems...when I started up the drive towards the road it was still O K..it was coming back down that it wanted to drift off the crown and no matter how hard I tried it drifted off the side and got hopelessly stuck..breaking through the snow pack and spinng on the ice...

After a couple hours of a great cardiovascular workout and a steady stream of profanities it just wasn't coming out on its own...on to plan "B"...went back to the shop and fired up the NH1715...it hadn't been run since fall, and it had just gone through a couple of -20* nights, so it wasn't being the most cooperative, but finally got it running...let it warm up and went in the house for a coffee....called the wife at work and reminded her how much I hate winter any more...grumbled at the dogs for trying to make me feel better and pretty much wallowed in self pity for an hour...By now the wife has come home and I remind her again about......she smiles at me and puts her coat on and says lets go get it unstuck....

I take a chain and hook it to the drawbar of the GT and the corner of the bucket...it pulls out like a dream...The wife drives it down by the house and goes in...I park the 1715 and get going on blowing some snow...I get it stuck 4 more times....Now I'm pissed off at everyone and everything on earth...finally get it over to the shop and park it...get back on the 1715 and start pushing snow...there is quite a drift against the door side of the shop so I maneuver the bucket close to the wall...

I focus completely on the bucket so as not to hit the wall....what's that tearing noise....I look over and uuuugggghhhh I just caught the corner with the side of the tire.

<img src=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/Argee/General/DSC00592.jpg?SSImageQuality=Full>

I just started laughing...what the hell...I built it, I can build it again. I stayed out for the next hour pushing snow with the bucket...Not the way to go but it will do in a pinch...gotta take some time this week and get the chains back on the GT.


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Don''t feel bad Argee......I really think it has to do with Fords and house corners.
Really........For some reason Fords ike tearing up house corners. Back in anout 1988/89 I had access to a TW35......Normaly it had duals mounted on it. 

I had just resided my house with vinyl siding, and had to lay brick at the front porch area yet, and had ordered them. Well here comes this tractor trailer with my 3000 brick, and no way to get in the driveway........I say wait a minute, so I run up the road and grab the TW35, and head back with it. Used the forks on the front end to offload a position the bricks, and tractor trailer was on his way. I pulled the tractor up and around the corner of the house, shut it off went inside to eat some lunch. Fell asleep, after the snack, and woke up and remembered I needed to run that tractor back to the tractor barn, so out I go, jump in the tractor, fired it up, and cut accross the corner of the yard between the house and apine tree. I always looked for my outmost dual to clear, and seen I had lots of room, and next thing I knew, I had curtains wrapped up around the wheel and axle, as well as the entire corner of house tore out. The tractor at this time had single wheels on back, but had one hell of a stub axle I never thought about, which never even groamed when it went through the corner of my house. Siding was only on about 4 days as well as the new window that was now trashed..........I sure did not laugh like you, but I kept going, as I hads to get my truck so I could go and grab some materials to close it up again, so it meant a trip to town. Got the truck, and ran back home, and there was the wife standing there in bewilderment not knowing what had happened.............Like I said, Fords like house corners.


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Argee _
> *gotta take some time this week and get the chains back on the GT. *



that sucks man... 

hey i always wondered.. why dont you just use the bucket? 

id have thought that would be quicker than blowing?


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## leolav (Sep 16, 2003)

I took out the side of my garage this fall with my tire on my garden tractor. Tore the crap out of the bottom row of vinyl siding.


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Argee........Its gonna be a "REAL BIT%#" to repace that corner piece, as it looks like vynil siding. I had a golden retreiver thaat used to like to lay behind my shrubbery and also liked to chew on the bottom run of siding and the corners. Needess to say for about 3 feet up on 5 corners on the house got chewed up pretty darn bad.......I kicked it around for awhile on how I was ever gonna fix it, as my siding was not quite as flexible as it was hen first installed. I bought replacement corners, and cut off the lip that the siding goes over, and just snapped the new corners over the old chewed corners. You can;t even tell the corners were ever damaged Thats been about 4 years ago abnd they still held their shape and ook like originals. I had intended to peel back the siding son I coud instal and nail fast a new corner, but that was more work than I cared for and a bucket of worms for sure. I think you can manage the same way. I also only went up about 4 feet on some of them and used super glue or was it pvc cement to stick the top edge against the old corners face. Can't even see the joint. Even if its not 100% sealed with a over lapped spice you will not get any amount of water down inside it, and any that does wil run down inside and out the bottom justys like condensation does.


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

*Re: Re: O-U-C-H That's going to leave a mark!*



> _Originally posted by simple_john _
> *that sucks man...
> 
> hey i always wondered.. why dont you just use the bucket?
> ...


Because a bucket doesn't have the pivoting motion of a snowblade it just doesn't do a good job of snow plowing in a timely manner. When plowing with a blade you literally push the snow off to one side. When plowing with a bucket, your pushing the snow straight ahead leaving trailers on each side once the bucket has filled. It does O K in a pinch. As long as you watch the entire machine.


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

Chipmaker

Yeah it's a pain to replace a vinyl corner....you just need to do it on a hot day (so the vinyl siding bends readily) with the assistance of a zip tool (which assists you in unzipping the siding).


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## slipshod (Sep 19, 2003)

Tractors are always looking for ways to eat houses. Don't even want to tell you how I know this. There are eight corners on any machine to think about when you get in close.


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## ducati996 (Dec 27, 2003)

Argee,

I would have to assume you are getting stuck because 
you have no chains on? I think its time to reconsider putting the chains back on. So far for me my AG's on my Cub and 294 lbs
of weights are doing a good job on the small snow fall we had this past week (4-5" inchers). If I ran into as much trouble as you were having I would slap the turf tires and chains on in a heart beat, and just be gentle in regards to spinning...

Ducati


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

I put the Mud & Snows on the original rims so putting the turfs back on is not an option at the moment...I'm going to see if I can get chains on these tires.


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## ducati996 (Dec 27, 2003)

Another set of rims, tires and chains overall dosent cost all that much...lots of ebay deals and such

It sounds like you suffered way too much already...

Good luck either way

Duc


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## Ernie (Mar 18, 2004)

Well it looks like your house was all roughed up...I could hear my wife saying W/ hands on hips GET rid of the tractor or get someone who knows how to operate it..:furious: 

Really sorry for your misfortune..Hope its repaired before I stop by this summer for that smoked pork roast...


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Ernieg _
> *
> Really sorry for your misfortune..Hope its repaired before I stop by this summer for that smoked pork roast... *


I was pretty much going to wait for you to give me a hand!!


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## Ernie (Mar 18, 2004)

No no...I will help in the devouring of the little piggy:furious:


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## catmando (Dec 18, 2004)

*Snow*

I will say one thing about the bucket. It is a lot harder to get stuck with the bucket, because it can do a good job of pushing you back out.

I just plowed the 12" of snow that we just got. True the bucket isn't nearly as good as a blade. BUT it sure beats shoveling by hand! 

I have taken out the corner of our garage with the riding lawn mower a time or two. So far have avoided running into the house or car with the tractor. I think it is as much luck as skill. I just don't drive them enough to develop the situational awareness of where all the destroyers on the tractor are.


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