Plowing snow

[Ron B.]

I tried to search for the thread that gave me the tip on plowing snow. Today is a beautiful flying day but my grass strip has about a foot of snow on it. I have plowed it before but the plow digs in and cuts the turf and I don't want to destroy my strip. Someone told me they put a plastic pipe on the cutting edge. I just made a slit in a 2" PVC conduit pipe and slid it on . I have a vee plow so I made one for each side. There is a 1/4" over lap strip on the blade so I made a notch in the tubing and it holds the tubing from sliding. I tried to think of a way to tie the tubing on, but decided to give it a try first.
Worked perfict first try. I plowed a strip 30' X 2000' in about 3/4 hr including the taxi way and turn loops on the eastern end. Pushed the snow away right to the grass but never lifted one blade of grass off. There is probably one inch of snow mixed in with the grass left behind.
To whom was the tipster, sorry I don't recall who it was (last years tip) , Thank you.
I'll be using this method from now on. I took some pictures from the air if only I could figure out how to post them.
Ron

 

[Iflylower]

Thanks for the tip! I really hope to be able to use that someday....way down the road. My southern wife isn't as excited to move back North as I am.

 

[irishfield]

Thanks Ron.. worth the effort for me as well.. as my 1200 foot laneway I have to plow 3 widths onto the grass or by winters end I don't have enough room to plow a single width with all the lake effect snow we get. #1 son gets real tired of power brooming all the dirt and sod back into place come spring!!! Gives me something to think about for next fall... I'll be able to plow without feathering the blade until the plowed lawn surface freezes up good.

 

[Steve Pierce]

Ron, Look at he menu above the post you are making and you will see a picture with a tree in it. Click that and a browse button will come up where you can find the picture you would like to post on your computer. Click the picture and your done and it will show up in your post.

 

[courierguy]

I too had the same problem, and was working the hell out of my Kubota trying to keep things clear. And then, 3/4's of the way through last winter the berms were built up so high the bottom of the wings were going to make contact pretty soon, and it made for real tight landings and takeoffs. Then I got skis and all my snow removal problems went away!

 

[Ron B.]

Problem is we only have snow deep enough to be a problem once or twice a year. Most often we have no snow. I have a large concrete apron in front of the hangar and getting the plane in and out would be a pain. I contemplated wheel skis but decided on 29" bushwheels so the soft ground during thaw would not be a problem. The snow came on Thursday and last night we had heavy rain. It's not all gone but is now impossible to move and too slishy to land in. It will be OK once it refreezes tonight , but so will the bare grass where I plowed yesterday. I'm glad I flew yesterday as I inspected a friends cottage and noticed his door was wide open. Ended up it was droken into and the scum bags left the refrigerator door open also. He has the heat on so this will not help with heating cost. No damage, probably kids looking for booze.
Ron

 

[Ron B.]

My strip, CLE4 Lower East Pubnico

 

[King Brown]

Snow removal

Holy mackerel, Ron, that's some strip! Must be the best private in southwest Nova
Scotia or maybe the province. Things have sure changed since I made a CBC documentary film on the Little River Duck Dog down there 56 years ago. We hunted with a sort of crazy guy named Surette. (I can say crazy because there are thousands of Surettes including friends.) Stayed with a D'Entremont who was the Singer Sewing Machine salesman, near the church. I now wish I'd have swung a degree or so south for a look when I took the Bushmaster down to Art Prime's hangar for the winter.

 

[Ron B.]

Thanks King, it's a still in progress strip. Did you land on Art's strip or, are you on floats? I've thought about landing there but that where it ended, with a thought. It's possibily one of the best grass strips I've seen around here but there are a few private paved strips that I would trade for.

 

[King Brown]

David generously offered his hangar on Doctor's Lake but with saturation from previous floods rising water forced Glen to cut through ice to open water and fly to, I think, Steve's location where it was towed by truck to Art's. Art offered his assistance without being asked, which says the spirit of our fraternity is still alive and burning strongly. It goes without saying that there's more sports flying in southwest Nova Scotia than any other part of the province.

With economic challenges of the region, I often muse that something positive could come from greater general aviation promotion of Yarmouth airport and environs as fabulous tourist destination and, with Acadian skills and entrepreneurship, a production and service centre fitting nicely with Eddy's superb floats in Digby.