# skid shoe alternative...



## ZINOM (Nov 27, 2015)

Hey all,


Just had a thought and I wondered if anyone has adapted roller blade (or Razor scooter) wheels in place of skid shoes.

I have some lying around and wondered if it might be worth the time to fab up some brackets.


Any thoughts would be appreciated!


John


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## ou2mame (Dec 23, 2019)

I've seen some shoes with wheels, but reviewers said that the wheels were plastic and flat spots wore into them quickly. I mean, it can't hurt to try something more sturdy than plastic.


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

actually there are quit a few who have done it, Do a search for skid shoe wheels and it should come up with quit a few options to try.


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## penna stogey (Nov 25, 2019)

I switched to Arnold universal skid shoes recommend by member 1acer and can purchase online or box stores....So far no issues...Glides on asphalt like butter...


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

I made up a pair that are on my cub cadet and out of uhmw poly and they have lasted over six years with little to no wear.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I have the ones from Arnold like these, and have used them a couple times with no sign of wear. I have them on most of my machines now. They work just great for me. Plus the machine rolls around great while not running. Not to mention, at 20.00 for the pair, and just bolt on, its a win win.


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## RC20 (Dec 4, 2019)

My driveway is breaking up, cracked and heaved (well it is 56 years old with some patching by the previous owner) 5k to fix and I quite work so its a dilemma as to tapping the slush fund. 

Grabs the skids something awful.
I have the steel roller bearings from the 007 fix on the way. 

Not sure if I can get them to work with the existing skids of I will have to cut plates but will be trying that.


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## 2.137269 (Nov 15, 2019)

56 years on a drive way up there? that for sure is feat against mother nature alone.


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## Jersey joe (Jan 1, 2020)

I bought the roller skids at Lowes, didn't like the plastic wheels. I turned a pair of wheels out of steel, they should wear better then the plastic. I also thought about using scooter wheels , I have several from my kids.


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## malisha1 (Nov 16, 2018)

I drilled a hole into a worn out skid shoe and installed a kids roller blames wheels. Works well


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## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

I sure did 5 years ago! Best idea I ever had.


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## RC20 (Dec 4, 2019)

Details as to what the round thing is and the hardware to go with it?


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## RC20 (Dec 4, 2019)

87powershiftx2 said:


> 56 years on a drive way up there? that for sure is feat against mother nature alone.



Well the house is that old and the driveway was seriously patched when we bought it (23 years ago) 

Not complaining, but money as always is tight. I though we were doing ok and ready to have at it this spring and I had a root rot out on a tooth. I think that was $2400 or so to fix. Down in flames. 

Still it needs doing and simply falling apart (open gravel spots now) instead of just cracks. So will take it out of saving come spring I think and get it done. Kind of annoying as I will probably be gone before it needs it again.


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## Sgthawker (Nov 19, 2019)

One thing you want to consider, if you use something with steel bearings, rust and or salt residue may cause them to lock up, that is where the flat spots come from, not being able to roll.


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## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

Ceramic bearings solved this.


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## penna stogey (Nov 25, 2019)

Coby7 said:


> Ceramic bearings solved this.


Nice job....problem solved!!! Well done.


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## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

I thought the weight would crush these but so far so good.


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

Jersey joe said:


> I bought the roller skids at Lowes, didn't like the plastic wheels. I turned a pair of wheels out of steel, they should wear better then the plastic. I also thought about using scooter wheels , I have several from my kids.


you can buy UHMW and cut what ever size wheel you want out with a hole saw. This stuff wears great and wont rust. I use 1" thick for mine.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

@Coby,

No adjustment on those., correct … like having them on an adjustable skid shoe plate like the 20.00 pair. 

I would also think having the entire front of the machine weight on just a single bolt hole (one on each side), would flex the side bucket material without the support of the double holed skid shoe thick material being double bolted against the side material.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Someplace I've seen where they used a metal bearing as the wheel in place of the plastic one.
The old Craftsman DriftBreakers came with large metal wheels.

.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I would think a large metal wheel would surely break into blacktop, and certainly be no good on any other surface, as it would not glide over as a skid would. 

How would you adjust it? Is that bucket with an oblong hole?


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## RC20 (Dec 4, 2019)

> Ceramic bearings solved this.



Colby: Would it be too much trouble to list specific details? Make, model, SN, date of birth etc.


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## RC20 (Dec 4, 2019)

Sgthawker said:


> One thing you want to consider, if you use something with steel bearings, rust and or salt residue may cause them to lock up, that is where the flat spots come from, not being able to roll.



In his case we got ceramic bearing out of him, I think we are going to need the FSB or the Gestapo to get the rest of the details.


In the case of the steel bearings, fully sealed both sides.


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## RC20 (Dec 4, 2019)

oneacer said:


> I would think a large metal wheel would surely break into blacktop, and certainly be no good on any other surface, as it would not glide over as a skid would.
> 
> How would you adjust it? Is that bucket with an oblong hole?


Well in the case of a skid wrenching and tearing (in the case of the Yamaha on back) of the housing or a skid doing the same on the side that is iffy logic vs some rolling action. 

How it would break into blacktop is beyond me, let along the already broke blacktop and seams, breaks I have. 

If it cuts into grass then the skids are still there to float it as would be in gravel. 

Looks like a good solution to me, possibly better than the bearings as it has more surface to roll with.


I have the bearing son the way, will document and report and see if Colby will give us the wheel id in the meantime as a fall back.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I would not put a round metal disc on any of my blowers, I'll stick with the Poly Wheel Skids.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

IIRC it has multiple holes for adjustment and it pretty much sucks on anything but concrete or asphalt. The discs are narrow and sink into gravel.
Back in the city with an asphalt drive I didn't have a problem with it cutting in but it did leave scrape marks if you tried to turn without lifting the bucket off the pavement.
I can't use it out here with gravel unless I augment them with some form of skid. I'm still working on mine as it has a couple broken ears on the transmission (geared) and I haven't done that repair yet.
The picture I stole is someone else's DriftBreaker. I didn't have a photo of mine that showed the wheels :sad2:

.
Mine
l
\/


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## skutflut (Oct 16, 2015)

RC20 said:


> My driveway is breaking up, cracked and heaved (well it is 56 years old with some patching by the previous owner)


I am well over 56 years old, I also exhibit breaking up, cracking and heaving, and thats just trying to get out of bed in the morning.... without vehicles rolling over me even.


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## RC20 (Dec 4, 2019)

I am over 65 so we share that.


Its why I am a bit snappery with Colby, list the data for crying out loud, I don't have time to play teasy.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

RC20 said:


> Its why I am a bit snappery with Colby, list the data for crying out loud, I don't have time to play teasy.


For God's sake, it's just a roller blade wheel... Appears to be 72mm diameter with 8mm ceramic bearings.


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## RC20 (Dec 4, 2019)

And I am supposed to know that how?


Its not like I am an in line roller blader nor are they laying around on droves from crashed roller bladers.


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## toromike (Aug 20, 2018)

RC20 said:


> And I am supposed to know that how? Its not like I am an in line roller blader nor are they laying around on droves from crashed roller bladers.


I too have no experience with rollerblades. When I first saw a reference to wheels on snowblowers in place of skids I used a search engine and within minutes found that there are several kinds of wheels used for this purpose, rollerblade wheels, scooter wheels, etc. I also found articles on how others had added these wheels to their snowblowers. Any time I have a question, I ask the www. I'm constantly amazed at the vast amount of information that is available. It even knows the "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything".


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

RC20, I would assume you'd know what it is and I guess that's just because you are here talking about mechanical things. That's our mistake, sorry.

Here is a bunch of different wheels available at Walmart. https://www.walmart.com/browse/sports-outdoors/skate-wheels/4125_1224931_7628560_8241867_5339242

.


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## SimplicitySolid22 (Nov 18, 2018)

CarlB I searched under images on google under roller skids for snowblowers and found your thread and pics.
https://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/general-snowblower-discussion/619-roller-skids.html


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## RC20 (Dec 4, 2019)

Ask me about Detroit Diesels 2 cycles (or Generators or switch-gear r) and a font of knowledge, show me a picture of a wheel like thing with no details and I am lost.
No roller bladeing in my former facility was allowed. We sure supported motors and conveyors and power though. 

Just been through that with a rolling steel door spring. Took me 10 days to get coming what I needed. Now I have worked with door springs, a few garage and more big rolling steel doors. I know the lingo, I can talk dirty cycles (and when was your garage door spring last replaced, it is life limited you know?) 


But there are worlds withing worlds and mini warehouse door springs are one of those. People promise to order it and its not done. Another outfit says it can cut them from stock but they are wrong, their stock is the wrong diameter and wire type and you can't substituent. He was sorry and that is ok, he tried, but that is 3 days wasted. 



So in the end I ran a search string with what I had picked up on the specific spring and found an outfit that supplies them at a reasonable cost and shipping is not killer. 



10 days on a subject I am fairly well versed in. Roller Blades? Clueless other than they are wheels on the bottom of your feet with a shoe. 



So if you present a project , make mode and SN of the parts or as good mfg ID as you can that goes into it gives you a huge help (called a build list) 



Then its, ok, you have a starting point. Hmmm, I have to order the Wheel, none to be had in town, bearing, ditto, but I do have some half inch bolts (metric size likely but it may be close enough to a US Standard ) and the washers in the nuts and bolts bins I can substitute for now. They are not stainless but they are plated and I can trial it. Then if it rusts I can put stainless on and if not 

maybe a good long term solution.

I will do the same thing when my roller bearings get in, I think the In Line wheels are better for what I am dealing with but I have those on the way so will show where I attached them, what hardware I used and then report on how it worked. 

I had not see In Line rollers in any of my looking for skids soolutions, but its all in how your write the search parameters and what pops up. 

I had seen the pre mfg skids with poly wheels and they looked totally cheap and tacky and no apeal for a failed setup in time wasted and some money.


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## SnowCat in Bend (Feb 10, 2017)

Starting my 3rd season with the Arnold Roller Skid on very rough terrain. So far they have worked great and I have not needed to re-invent the wheel ~ yet.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I'd been concerned the snow would stick to them and make them not spin, but it sounds like that's not an issue. Very cool. 

I would consider these for my next skids replacement. But I'm using the thick machined Ariens UHMW poly skids at the moment, so that probably won't happen for quite a while. And I've been trying to use my SS whenever I can. 

Great to know that the wheels are working well for people! And I like the ceramic bearings idea. 

Admittedly, it does start to pose the question of how essential the bearings really are, vs something like round-cut UHMW with simple holes drilled in them. We aren't that concerned about rolling resistance.


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## SnowCat in Bend (Feb 10, 2017)

RedOctobyr said:


> I'd been *concerned the snow would stick to them and make them not spin, but it sounds like that's not an issue. Very cool.*
> 
> I would consider these for my next skids replacement. But I'm using the thick machined Ariens UHMW poly skids at the moment, so that probably won't happen for quite a while. And I've been trying to use my SS whenever I can.
> 
> ...


What I think happens is ~ if they do freeze up and not spin, they act just like a typical skid. I have never noticed them not spinning when going back to the garage after throwing snow.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Nice. In that case, it would probably matter more what the material is, if it's going to just be sliding against the ground. 

I've had the rigid plastic wheels on my single-stage get snow stuck to their contact surface and stop spinning, on the wooden deck. Maybe asphalt or concrete would be grippier, and would help keep the wheels spinning. Granted, mine have mainly gotten stuck in certain snow conditions, like when it's sticky, packable snow, but it's happened multiple times. Glad to hear it doesn't seem to be an issue with these!


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

@Snowcat,

I have put the Arnold Roller Poly Skids on mine as well, they work great.

For those that are not aware, the Arnold Poly Wheel Skids (20.00 for a pair), are an actual Poly Skid, with the poly roller bolted in the center, so even if in an uneven surface is encountered, the skid actually takes over. A brilliant design thats working fantastic for me.


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

SimplicitySolid22 said:


> CarlB I searched under images on google under roller skids for snowblowers and found your thread and pics.
> https://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/general-snowblower-discussion/619-roller-skids.html


yep that them. I forgot how long ago it was 2011. Originals still going strong no sign of wear. Scraper bar is adjusted high in those pics for initial fitup. Scraper bar is set at 1/8" since my driveway is very smooth. 

Since then i have added a folding sulky that can just be folded up under the handle bars when not using and an Arnold snow Cab that i got off amazon warehouse for 20 dollars


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## RC20 (Dec 4, 2019)

Good to get the reports. What I saw they looked cheap and cheesy.


I have the 007 Mod Bearings on the way, the skids stay as the bearing will go in the place the scraper bad end is turned up (Yamaha, not sure why they did it that way vs a straight bar across the bottom but it has a 90 degree end and the bar has slots as shoes the 90 degree end - you loose the two end bolts and the 5 bar bolts and move it). 



I will have to see how the bearings do, I can always pull the a seal and remove grease and add synthetic lube. 



Ceramic bearing do have less rolling resistance. A lesson when we put them in motors. Steel ball bearings you could tell how worn they were by how long it took the motor to wind down. Ceramic acted like worn out steel bearings as they just go forever wind down wise new (and they did have lube in them).


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## DickR (Jan 27, 2018)

I was considering getting the Arnold roller skids, but the specs say the bolt spacing is 2-3/4" and I need 2-1/2". Any alternatives out there?


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

DickR said:


> I was considering getting the Arnold roller skids, but the specs say the bolt spacing is 2-3/4" and I need 2-1/2". Any alternatives out there?


Just widen the slots or drill another hole. The MTD/Arnold/Craftsman roller skids are the only game in town unless you build your own.


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## SnowCat in Bend (Feb 10, 2017)

DickR said:


> I was considering getting the Arnold roller skids, but the specs say the bolt spacing is 2-3/4" and I need 2-1/2". Any alternatives out there?


They did not fit on my Husqvarna without altering the mounting slots. It is a pretty simple fix with a drill.


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## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

RC20 said:


> I had seen the pre mfg skids with poly wheels and they looked totally cheap and tacky and no apeal for a failed setup in time wasted and some money.



I agree, it only takes a few bad amazon reviews before I write something off. I'd rather take a chunk of uhmw and make my own or do the roller blade wheel. Wouldn't take much to use a flat piece of steel and bolt through one of the skid shoe holes and have the roller blade wheel go through the steel and through the other skid shoe hole.



Eh, what do I care I have a 225 amp miller a/c stick welder and a dual voltage miller mig welder and I'll just weld some more scrap iron to the bottom of mine when they wear out. That will be a while as I put some 5/16" on the bottom last winter 


Might even have some hard surfacing rod if I really wanted to go balls to the wall!!


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

RC20 said:


> I had seen the pre mfg skids with poly wheels and they looked totally cheap and tacky and no apeal for a failed setup in time wasted and some money.


 A number of us have used the MTD/Arnold/Craftsman Roller Skids for years with good results. I've had email exchanges with the inventor and he was kind enough to send me a set as well as the offset adapters for my Honda HSS1332. The important features are ease of motion/steering, non-marking of surfaces & non-wearing bearing surfaces that don't require height adjustment over time.

Here's what the inventor, engineer Bill Raftery, said about the genesis of the Roller Skid. MTD Products licensed his ideas, so I'm guessing they thought they had merit, as well:


"To make a long story short, I turned 60 and bought a snow blower thinking it was going to be like mowing the lawn. Wow, was I in for a surprise! I was faced with going back into the house after only half an hour and confessing to my wife that I just got my butt kicked. I was exhausted! That's how it all started. I spent the entire Winter mocking up quite a number of solutions that resulted in the Roller-Skid...

... to continue, I found that most of my exhaustion was caused because I was constantly fighting with the machine to keep it moving in a straight line. This was because the steel skids were scraping, grabbing and pulling me from side to side depending which skid was encountering the most resistance. This was because of areas on my driveway that had more or less snow covering the surface. Heaven help me if the right skid hit a bare concrete and the left skid was on ice. 

The original fix I came up with was simply attaching a wheel where the skid was bolted onto the side of the auger box. This was great until I hit just ice and snow... and then I missed the skid! It was at that time that it occurred to me: WHY NOT HAVE BOTH?!

Fact is, I'm not only trying to make my life easier... but I'm also aware that by rolling over the surface, I'm not damaging the surfaces any more. I learned this by talking to some contacts I made at Ariens. (Great folks by the way!) They informed me that equally important, the roller-skid design I was working on would protect surfaces. This was becoming increasingly important with all the stamped, decorative concrete driveways and walkways out there."​


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

notabiker said:


> I agree, it only takes a few bad amazon reviews before I write something off. I'd rather take a chunk of uhmw and make my own or do the roller blade wheel. Wouldn't take much to use a flat piece of steel and bolt through one of the skid shoe holes and have the roller blade wheel go through the steel and through the other skid shoe hole.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




if you felt how easily they glide on rollers you would never weld another skid shoe.

I can give my 270 lb large frame cub cadet and it will roll about 10 feet on smooth concrete. I actually posted a video here a while back.
I use UHMW and a 2 inch hole saw to make the set on mine and they have lasted 9 years with little to no wear.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I've welded material onto the bottom of my skids to rebuild them. 

But I definitely see the appeal of just rolling. It probably glides easier, but it must be really nice to also reduce the rate of wear. Now you don't have to adjust your skids height as often, to maintain the proper scraper bar gap. 

Not actually scraping over the surface is another nice benefit. 

Heh, you guys are very persuasive, but I can't quite bring myself to proactively replace my poly skids that still have tons of life in them.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

C'mon Red, at only 20.00 for the pair … indulge yourself ….


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## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

CarlB said:


> if you felt how easily they glide on rollers you would never weld another skid shoe.
> 
> I can give my 270 lb large frame cub cadet and it will roll about 10 feet on smooth concrete. I actually posted a video here a while back.
> I use UHMW and a 2 inch hole saw to make the set on mine and they have lasted 9 years with little to no wear.



That's what I said, I'd rather make my own than buy the $20 ones on amazon as they don't look that great compared to what you did with a chunk of uhmw. That said, my current driveway isn't that big and when I'm traveling I lift the front up anyway. My old machine doesn't roll that well on it's wheels and even if I had them on it would probably only roll a foot unless I gave a big shove so the less rolling resistance is a moot point for me.


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## RC20 (Dec 4, 2019)

And as noted in my post, that my issue as well. Any surface irregularity (and in AK they will get irregular) digs and grabs and its a tussle. 

Can't say as it ever defeated me but its always been good to get some ice down on the driveway to smooth it out. 

The street has a concrete gutter/curb and it grabs in there as well and even fixing the driveway will not cure that. 

Its certainly no fun.


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## TD-Max (Jan 2, 2020)

Curious if anyone has used these:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174081268085?ul_noapp=true


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## cpchriste (Jan 19, 2014)

Looks similar to my quicky mod for use on the wood deck. The screws run into the HDPE 1/2 way only


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## CTHuskyinMA (Jan 14, 2019)

TD-Max said:


> Curious if anyone has used these:
> 
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/174081268085?ul_noapp=true
> 
> ...


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## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

oneacer said:


> @Coby,
> 
> No adjustment on those., correct … like having them on an adjustable skid shoe plate like the 20.00 pair.
> 
> I would also think having the entire front of the machine weight on just a single bolt hole (one on each side), would flex the side bucket material without the support of the double holed skid shoe thick material being double bolted against the side material.


Sorry I missed this one. :sad2:
I did the adjustment by selecting the proper diameter wheel 78mm, I tried an 80mm but it was leaving snow and scrapper bar wasn't touching. The hole I use is where a bolt was to hold the scrapper bar so there is more steel inside to make it very solid. It's been 5 years and no distortion of the auger housing yet. Augers and bottom of housing show no signs of excessive wear.


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