Power Angle For A 125 Snow Plow?

[Red Dave]

I have a 125 with a snow plow that I have been plowing snow with for many years. A few years ago I located a Narrow Frame hydraulic lift and installed it. It works great!

Now, I'm getting older, knees are getting creaky and getting on and off the tractor multiple times to change the plow angle has sparked another thought: Has anybody ever put power angle on one of these plows? I know there is no factory kit for this, so there will be some fabrication involved.

I haven't discovered an easy way to use the hydraulics of the lift to power a blade angle cylinder, and I don't know of a way to get hydraulic power out of a hydro unit of this vintage, so I've been thinking about electric linear actuators. I know that it seems like a lot to ask of a linear actuator, but Burden Supply lists some with fairly high force ratings, 500, even 1000 lbs. Would one of them hold up? How strong would it need to be?

My thoughts go along the lines of anchoring it on the left side of the plow bracket and push/pull as far out the plow as it will reach (Burden has various lengths too).

Has anybody ever tried anything like this? I'm strictly in the conceptualizing stage right now, Haven't bought any materials yet, so any thoughts or advice you may have would be quite welcome.

Mr Moderator, if this should be elsewhere, please move it as appropriate.

[R Bedell]

On the later model of tractors, they "Tee'd" into the hydraulic lines, added a Spool Valve, and front couplers. I suppose with some thought and ingenuity, that fabricating something like that for a NF Cub, could be done.

[Cub Cadet 123]

You could possibly run your lift off of your NF hydraulic unit and run your angle actuator off of the port for your rear end. With a cylinder (possibly with an extension attached to it) attached from the subframe to the blade, you could control the angle.

Anything is possible with some ingenuity and careful planning!

Cub Cadet 123

[Red Dave]

Originally Posted by R Bedell

On the later model of tractors, they "Tee'd" into the hydraulic lines, added a Spool Valve, and front couplers. I suppose with some thought and ingenuity, that fabricating something like that for a NF Cub, could be done.

Are you talking about the hydraulic lines on the Hydrostatic unit?

[Red Dave]

Originally Posted by Cub Cadet 123

You could possibly run your lift off of your NF hydraulic unit and run your angle actuator off of the port for your rear end. With a cylinder (possibly with an extension attached to it) attached from the subframe to the blade, you could control the angle.

Anything is possible with some ingenuity and careful planning!

Cub Cadet 123

The problem is that I haven't discovered how to get hydraulic pressure out of the hydraulic lift unit. The valve to control the lift is built into the unit.

I could tie the existing valve in one direction or the other, then put a pair of external spool valves to run both the lift and the power angle. But I'm not sure that the lift would supply enough flow or pressure to operate a cylinder for power angle. I read in the book somewhere that the unit only runs at 400 PSI. Then there is the problem of getting the return oil back to the unit.

What "port for your rear end" are you referring to? Might be something there I'm not aware of.

[R Bedell]

Are you talking about the hydraulic lines on the Hydrostatic unit?

NO, external to the unit.

[IHinIN]

A simpler option would be to add a mechanical angle mechanism. I built this for my blade but since I now have front hydraulic remotes on both of my Cubs, I have no need for it anymore. It uses a choke cable to pull the lock pin and a push/pull motion angles the blade.

[Cub Cadet 123]

Originally Posted by Red Dave

The problem is that I haven't discovered how to get hydraulic pressure out of the hydraulic lift unit. The valve to control the lift is built into the unit.

I could tie the existing valve in one direction or the other, then put a pair of external spool valves to run both the lift and the power angle. But I'm not sure that the lift would supply enough flow or pressure to operate a cylinder for power angle. I read in the book somewhere that the unit only runs at 400 PSI. Then there is the problem of getting the return oil back to the unit.

What "port for your rear end" are you referring to? Might be something there I'm not aware of.

I'd have to look again at my 149. My FEL is run off of the ports for the rear end and not from an external pump. I was thinking that your hydraulic pump could take care of the lifting of your front blade and you might be able to rig something else up from the hydraulic pump on the rear of your cub for the angle cylinder. IHinIN has a novel approach at your situation that may also suffice for your needs. I used to angle my blade out to the right (looking from the driver's seat) and make my first pass in the middle of my large area to be cleared. Then I would leave my blade angled the same way and make my return pass, slightly overlapping my original pass and still pushing the snow off to the right. Then with each pass, I would continually push it out further until my area was cleared with each pass getting further and further out from the center. Never had to worry about angling my blade that way. Good advice from Eric Clapton, "It's in the way that you use it..."

Cub Cadet 123