Grass strip winter maintenance options

[digits_]

Hi all,

I'm wondering what most people do for snow removal on small grass strips.

Up until last year, I used a tractor with a pretty beefy snow blower on it. That worked quite well, but driving in reverse for 2 hours at a time, in combination with dealing with shear pins, makes me wonder if there are better options out there.

The most commonly used tool on concrete runways steems to be a snow plow, which creates a nice curl at a certain speed. I'm not so sure this would work on a somewhat uneven surface though. I'm also afraid of damaging the grass below, due to the relative high(er) speeds while clearing.

A grader seems to work good on snow covered gravel runways, but those are huge machines for a small grass strip.

What would be the best solution?

[goldeneagle]

[digits_]

Are you actually using one of those? That would take a looooong time...

[Adam Oke]

My local strip owner uses a blower too. Only blows 2/3's of the runway which leaves about 2000'. More then enough and we run 8.00x6 tires on our 170. I haven't heard him bitching about shear pins mind you.

[photofly]

I have a snow blower on the rear of my tractor that works in the forward direction, so no looking over the shoulder. Haven’t used it on a grass strip though. The only time I blew a shear pin was when I ingested half a tree. Changing a shear pin is a whole lot less hassle than replacing the PTO drive.

[fish4life]

Just buy an old pickup truck and throw a blade on it. Start the year with a much wider runway than you need

[Bede]

Why clear the snow? Why not pack it. Its much faster.

[digits_]

Why clear the snow? Why not pack it. Its much faster.

I haven't tried that, but I'm worried that this would make the unrway unusable for months during spring. If you pack it, I would expect it would create a strong slate of ice and snow, which will take a long time to melt. And while melting, you would likely get potholes, making the runway unusable during melting.

If someone has tried this, and if it works good, I might be convinced to give it a try though

What would you use to pack the snow? A roller?

[digits_]

Just buy an old pickup truck and throw a blade on it. Start the year with a much wider runway than you need

Have you tried it on a grass runway?

I'm concerned that, especially during the first snow, that it would destroy the grass if it cuts into the soil at a higher speed than a snowblower. But boy, I am very tempted to try this....

[l_reason]

You may want to try a plow but modify it with 4 longitudinal runners on the bottom of the blade. 12-18” long 1” solid bar runners with the ends bent up a bit. Weld them at an angle to match the blade angle. That will keep the blade from ripping up the grass and should only leave an inch of snow. I don’t know if you can keep the blade spring kicker working. Total investment above the cost of the blade will be $50 in steel and a case of beer for the friend that welds it on if you can’t do it yourself. This would work under a snowblower used on grass too.

[fleetcanuck]

If you get a snowmobile trail groomer you can haul it behind a tractor and it will process and pack the snow. We use one at our airport and have very good results. For most of the MB winter the runway is useable for wheels. In the spring, the runway generally clears off more quickly than the surrounding fields and drys nicely. If there is a particularly heavy snowfall we may have to do some snow blowing.