I recently purchased this used 272D Skid Steer, never having operated a wheeled skid steer before (just a bit of previous experience on a tracked skid steer) & now have about 20 hrs of seat time on this one. I was impressed with how nice they are for doing finish work in dry conditions, even for a novice like me. Have run dozers a lot, but this is a new concept & really like how it operates. We will be using it for winter snow removal work & also a lot of time spent on gravel surfaces, so elected to go with a tired unit, in lieu of tracks. Any idea what would be an ideal width for a snow bucket, for a unit of this size? We plan to use it for loading snow as well, so will want to use an bucket instead of a pusher or blade. It is a 2013 model year with just under 700 hrs on it.
Very nice.
Nice looking machine. As for bucket size, go with what Cat recommends for a snow & litter bucket, they built it, they know. Ed
Paid by the hour - 72", by the job - 84 to 96". We like extra wide buckets around here especially for cleaning curbs. You could take a snow plow cutting edge and tack it underneath the teeth on that bucket in the pics. Works great. Grind off the welds in the spring.
Here is a 42" long extension boom we made up & welded to a purchased adaptor plate. A little hard to see the hook on the end.......it is a swivel hook fastened with a shackle. We made a larger version of this for our 580SM case last year (72" long) & it works well.
Good looking machine. I would warn against using a snow bucket though unless you know what you will be plowing will be very smooth with no big cracks, man hole covers, raised sections of the lot, etc. Buckets are very unforgiving when you hit that stuff compared to a pusher or a plow that will trip or the rubber edge will glide right over it. I would recommend a pusher and then a snow bucket, or make an extension for your current bucket and tack a smooth edge under the teeth.
I'm not sure of the operation you have before you but loading out snow by the bucket with a skid steer will be a slow process. There will be times the bucket will be 2/3 full with snow that won't release and you're probably talking a 1 1/2 to 2 yard bucket at the most. If you're looking to move snow efficiently a blower with a truck loading chute is the ticket, it will compact the snow 6:1 making the truck rotation much more efficient. For clearing snow a plow or pusher is your best bet. Buckets generally aren't wide enough to clear snow with decent production.
Skid steers can be very efficient clearing snow and get into places a wheel loader can't. See what Cat recommends and make sure to get a bolt on cutting edge. An angle blade is nice but you can't load with it. A good operator in a skid steer can load a truck pretty fast but a lot of times you just have to pile it.
I actually ordered a snow bucket yesterday......a 96" wide one. The reason for going with a bucket over a pusher or blade is we have a lot of small corners to back drag out out & I like a bucket better for that & which is a large part of why we purchased the skid steer, plus some pushing to common piles, plus a more minimal amount of loading. We have a larger 580SM case with a 9' bucket on it that we do most of our loading with. We also carry some of the smaller common piles to our larger stock pile with the Case. It seems that if the carry distance is 150' or less, it is more cost effective than loading into the dump truck & moving it that way. On our 580 case we have a 10' snow pusher as well as a 9' snow bucket & we find we use the bucket 85% of the time, as it is a better fit for us. I find that we can push deeper snow with the bucket on the Case as when the pushing gets harder going, if you lift slightly, transferring weight to the front wheels, that improves traction substantially. We use the snow removal equipment mostly for internal use at our place of business, clearing about 4 acres of area, but there is a lot of stuff clean around, not a lot of straight pushing. Much of our snow when it comes is very heavy & really hard to push.
I made a similar attachment except with a 2" receiver on the end. Very handy for moving trailers in tight spots.
I really would recommend a angle blade for plowing with on your machine to get it to a pile, then switching to the snow bucket, doesn't take but 5 minutes in the grand scheme of things to switch attachments. Been plowing snow for over 15 years with skid loaders, all it takes is hitting a curb or a manhole cover a couple times with a solid attachment like a bucket and you'll be breaking things, cracks will be showing up on components. Use a angle blade with a trip edge and save yourself some hassle later on. You can make one out of a truck plow super easy for it. a 9' blade would work the best on your machine. Not to mention its quicker and does a better job.
Ok, thanks for the advise on what your experience has taught you over the years. Our work is mostly on our company property (about 4 acres) & there are no curbs, but there a few catch basin covers to watch for. In our case it seems after the frost is in the ground we don't have trouble with the catch basin covers.....just rides over them. We have been using a snow bucket for a few years on our 580SM Case & (knock on wood) have not really had trouble hitting things. I like your idea converting a used truck plow though........may be worth looking into. Thanks
Make sure the snow bucket you ordered has an expanded metal viewing area through the back of the bucket to be able to see Bolt On blade edge. A friend of mine has a bucket without it and it make getting close to obstacles almost impossible. Remember you sit much lower in the skid steer that the 580SM.
Good stuff said already. I like a wide bucket or blade. Most of the time I'm pushing snow not so deep. In all cases I want the ground under the tires to be clean. Some will tumble in, and you need to turn sometimes. I want 18" wider each side of the tires, A 5' machine needs an 8' bucket, a 6' machine needs a 9' bucket. Snow is very different from summer work. Clean is what your tires need. I spend too much time dreaming of a way to sand while plowing. I want a device to meter a small bit of grit onto the top of the tires. Everything I've ever pushed snow with involves tire chains. Skid steers don't work as well with chains as a Jeep would. Willie
Yes, it does have expanded metal on its upper back area. http://www.hlaattachments.com/item.php?item=253&cat=Buckets&sub=Skidsteer&pltfrm=
Looks good you'll be happy with your purchase. Mines only 84" wide but does the trick.
I'm with you on this. I'm a big fan of my Kage plow. Drop the end plates to backdrag and clean up tight areas, hook the end plates back up and use the pusher to move all the piles you just created with the plow. 20 seconds and it's back to a straight blade if needed for more tight area cleanups. Being able to angle the blade as you back drag to keep snow with you even in tight spots is great. Need to use the bucket? Unhook 2 hoses, undo the skid steer coupler, and go grab the bucket.