# IH 674 Reverse steering advice needed



## TellGRBill (Nov 4, 2009)

Hi, I have just purchased a V snowplow that is too heavy to mount on the front of my IH 674 farm tractor. I have designed and built reinforcements for the 3 point hitch on the rear of the tractor to handle this snowplow, and the abuse that plowing in reverse will put on the 3 point hitch points. I have plowed snow on a commercial basis for many years with tractors, and have used a snow blower on the rear of a tractor too. However, I would like to improve the tractors ease of steering while operating in reverse. This "new" snowplow will only be used, on the back of the tractor, when the snow conditions are such that the front plows are not able to handle the accumulated snow, so a permanent conversion is not needed. I will use this setup to plow many miles of alleys in the city off Grand Rapids, Michigan. When snow accumulates excessively, there is nowhere to put the snow except along the edges of the alleys, so a V plow is an advantage over a straight plow because it lifts the snow and keeps the plowing equipment going straight.
Any ideas on how to make steering easier for the driver when plowing in reverse?


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## TellGRBill (Nov 4, 2009)

*Thanks to all who commented*

I would like to thank those who read, thought about, and made comments about our effort to mount a very large V snow plow to the back of a 60 hp diesel farm tractor to plow snow from city alleys while driving in reverse. Applying our effort to actually plow very deep snow, where our normal snowplowing equipment is having trouble performing, will be the ultimate test of our planning, designing, and constructing the plowing-in-reverse setup.
Thanks 2COR517 for suggesting the mirror, it should save me some muscle pain. I have installed a school bus rear view mirror that can be pushed into a less blocking position when plowing and driving forward. I've backed a tractor with a large snow blower down narrow city sidewalks after a big snow storm successfully, so backing down the center of a straight alley that has banks of snow on both sides with a V plow should be very do-able when our other equipment can't get through without damage.
Several people stressed the need for additional weight on the front of the tractor, and suggested that carrying our normal front plow for a counter weight would make the vehicle too difficult to maneuver. Therefore, I have prepared the front of the tractor plow frame to carry two 150 pound cast iron elevator weights. The front tires are already filled with chloride water to add weight.
Again, Thanks to all who commented!!:grinz
Oh...The people at my local International Harvester tractor dealer have reviewed the photos and approve how "we" did the setup.
For more discussion on this issue, check out the Snowplowing section of this Tractorforum.com web site

See more photos of this project at: http://www.letstalksnow.com/forums/showthread.php?p=250281#post250281


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