Large Scale Central

Home Brew Snow Plow?

General Discussion
#1

So Kitsap County is about to get dumped on with 8" or so of snow (which is rare that we get more than 2" in a winter) in the next 6-12 hours…As many of you know I have an on going saga of building a Snow Dozer. But at the pace I’m getting it done, my youngest kid will have graduated high school (he turns two in April).

I got thinking about how Dave Goodson bashed up a snow plow years ago using PVC pipe. Ah ha… I have a ~2’ section of 3" PVC pipe left over from my MIK mistake. And I have a drop end gondola sitting in the junk bin with trucks and couplers lost to who knows what. So, I’m thinking maybe I might have a chance to bash up a home brew plow in a few hours with assorted junk I have laying around the house. I’ve got enough locomotive weights laying around so that’s covered.

So I’m thinking, cut the PVC pipe in half lengthwise. Then run the pipe through the tablesaw with the blade at a 45 degree angle with the flat side of the pipe on the table. That would get me a 90’ inside bend with the plow being the curve of the pipe, right?

Then how the heck to attach said idea to the the gondola?

Hummmmmm

#2

Ready, set … go (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)Clock’s a ticking!

#3

Dan,

Does this work? I’ve got the plow part figured out and attached some USAT metal trucks. Now I’m just tinkering with the attachment method. Idea number one didn’t work, but idea 2 is working so far. And a quick test showed promise but I need some sort of spring mechanism to keep the plow from dropping too much because it’s hitting any odd rail joint.

#4

Well it’s ugly but it works… Video later.

Despite evidence that I never finish projects, I sure whipped this one out fast.

#5

Craig;

I did something similar to sweep leaves and shine the rail heads. The leaf sweeper did not work so well, but the Brawa track cleaner part did. I used a plastic sheet protector from a three ring notebook to make the curved deflector portion. Not as robust as your plow, but it did not need to be. Folks tend to call the car “Groucho.”

Regards, David Meashey

#6

Every time I try the Youtube embed method it doesn’t work, so you all get just the link.

https://youtu.be/Zqctvh4NT1k

https://youtu.be/3w_6q0ai-9E

#7

Craig, that’s what I call gettin’ after it (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)

#8

I just forgot rule #1 of snow service.

Leave equipment outside to prevent sliding wheels and icing. My garage was just warm enough with the propane heater while working on this project that when I tried to clear the newest 1/4" off the rail everything started sliding.

The snow in that video was staged onto the track. I actually added a few shovel fulls of snow on the track after I cleaned it with the locomotive earlier in the day when I had the bright idea to build the plow. But it still works.

Shoot I should I picked this for my MIK build!

#9

Well the National Weather service officially said that 12.5" of snow accumulated in Port Orchard. Sounds about right for what we got at our house. Sadly, the new plow couldn’t bust through the drifts with just one locomotive so plowing operations where put on hold once again. Not to worry, in less than 24 hours we will have rain and the snow will melt providing yet another glorious round of “Cascade Concrete” snow to melt away.

When these Snow events happen, I always have great plans to finish a working Snow Dozer by next winter. Ha ha. I’m going to make the goal that I have track laid around the layout. I am noticing quite a few rail projects that will need to be fixed in the spring time. Quite a few rail gaps with the rail getting as cold as it is. I must have laid the rail on a warm day because I don’t recall this much movement on the other layout ( and yes the rail can move on the hand spiked ties).

Now back to the regularly scheduled MIK build.