I've had this idea for a while but the 20" of snow we got kinda kicked it back into gear. This may be a stupid idea so please do not laugh, but I am curious if it is possible.

I am not ready to set up all the gear needed to have a plow on the front of my truck, if it is possible at all. But is it possible, and feasible, to tow a big block behind the truck with chains and plow the snow out of the way? Just like a mule pulls a plow in farming. Obviously the block would be at an angle. What the block, or plow, would be made from is still a mystery.

This is only for personal stuff like your driveway so it wouldn't be a lot of work (plowing) and wouldn't be needed to be transported all around.

 

So you want to PULL the snow out of the way? So instead of a snowplow, you want to make a snowpull?

I think you will have a serious problem when snow begins to build up, and you pull too much weight, ruining your tranny/engine.

I would 86 that idea.

 

totally off subject, so my apologies..just wondering where the term "86 it" came from.

 

Snowpull, I like that. It would be at an angle thought so snow wouldn't build up. And it would only be for short distances. If I can tow a trailer 3k miles from California I would believe I can tow a snowpull for 15 feet. But you may be right on the tranny having a problem. Let's keep hearing em'.

 

Here are some ideas for you.

They all are kinda funny if you ask me. I picked it up when I worked in the food industry...

 

How about a high temperature pressure washer mounted on the back of the Runner. Of course, ice might present a bit of an issue when the water eventually freezes.

 

So, something like this is what you're thinking?http://www.snowmansnowplow.com/new.php

 

15 feet? Snow blowers aren't THAT expensive these days. And shovels are even cheaper... Am I missing something?:rolleyes:

 

I think the key word in the original post was "poor"

 

Sounds good to me!

I wonder how cleanly you could cover the whole driveway. Can you turn around at each end? You could have it be at an angle by using chains of different lengths. It might not even have to be something heavy. You might be able to use a blade that's tilted back so it stays under the snow and make a frame for it with some skids under it. The force of the snow could hold it down instead of the weight of the "block". I guess the chains would have to be attached to it just low enough so it doesn't just flop forward when you start pulling. You could also prevent that with skids ahead of the blade. The tranny probably won't care, especially if you use low-range. As I see it, on the snow the wheels would spin long before the tranny would care. If you can cover the area in a Zamboni-like pattern and angle the blade so it doesn't pile the snow where it's already been cleared, I bet it'd work great.

Why is it that all good inventors think their ideas are stupid?

Eric

 

Probably because it costs like $1000 to get your patent started.

 

I have seen the Amish around here using a team of horses to pull what looks like a couple of rail road ties with chains to clear driveways for people so they can get their cars out.

I have seen it work and I was thinking the same thing, but using my 4Runner instead of horses.

Now that Snow Man Pull Plow has got me thinking a bit...

Gadget

www.GadgetOnline.com

 

Us po folk lucky enough to have internet access, or even a libray card, have a wealth of examples to follow (or avoid like the plague). Original ideas are truely rare - different applications for old ideas and making old ideas better, cheaper and faster is where it's at.
Point of my first post is that with a 2" receiver hitch, some spare parts, a few tools and an imagination, you can fab up something to rival an attachment that may be worth more than the vehicle it's attached to. Heck, you might even make enough clearing the rich folks drives to break even on the project.
Don't mean to rattle anyone - us gov't folks had Monday off, so today was two days rolled into one. I need another beer.

 

A couple things...

If you did want to make one behind the truck, you would need a solid bar to keep the plow from moving side to side (kinda like what that snowmansplow website thing has). Also, the main reason most plows are in the front (besides the engine/tranny thing) is so the vehicle pushing the plow doesn't get stuck in the snow. I was at Mammoth Mountain for 2 months. We had two HUGE storms (the first was 5 feet before it was over and the second was around 3) and I got myself stuck twice (even with 4 low and mud tires). As long as there's not too much snow you should be fine though.

 

The funniest snowplow I saw this last week, was a guy driving an trans-am with snow chains. The nose on that thing worked great. Think of the scoop of a train. I passed the guy, and I figured he was going to be stuck soon, and it look like he had been backing up and going forwarded, but he was getting snow on the hood of his car. I wish I had a camera.