# Skid shoe design



## Chasboy (Mar 7, 2021)

Hi folks, I just joined because I’m seeking advice regarding skid shoes. My ST28DLE has the standard metal shoes and they are ok for open areas but my 105’ driveway is lined with Belgian block and when I get close to them the shoes constantly catch on the rough surfaces. I‘m trying to find a way to stop this. 
I had thought about tapering the stock shoes so the front end would not be hitting the blocks at a 90degree angle, but before I did that I was wondering if the various plastic shoes already available would help in that regard. 
I then started thinking about alternatives:

Buying blocks of Delrin and machining them to a taper that would allow the blower to slide along vertical obstructions.
Fabricating a bracket for vertically oriented skateboard wheels that would provide a smoother action, however I’m wondering if the wheel bearings would freeze up when really cold. 
I did google snowblower skids and found a variety of designs. I would appreciate any recommendations and experiences other owners have had. (btw, I’m a former Metal Shop Teacher)
Thanks everyone!


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## drmerdp (Feb 9, 2014)

Your best bet is a polyethylene skid shoe. Arnold sells a universal that’s nice and long. Ariens has a nice poly shoe as well.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

I have sidewalks that are lifted so I welded on long metal strips with a curve, no difference. I also put on standard plastic skids, no difference. Maybe if they were long plastic might might make a difference. It may not work, consider wheels, possibly roller blades wheels, or even larger. I would think wider wheels would be better for your application, check out Harbor Freight.


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## Smokie1 (Sep 17, 2019)

I added poly shoes to my 24” Platinum SHO this year and love them. I wanted to take the machine on my deck without it catching on the cracks or damaging it. They work great. I do a neighbors drive with some rather large cracks and uneven concrete that occasionally would catch with the standard metal shoes. The machine glides tight over the gaps much more easily now. We also have a weird dip here between our driveway and the street that would give my metal shoes problems in sone types of snow which has improved with poly shoes. There’s an unforeseen benefit from the plastic shoes I never anticipated. They have really eliminated the metal to concrete contact in my garage, thus getting rid of the rust marks on the concrete as the machine sits.


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## Chasboy (Mar 7, 2021)

Has anyone tried Armorskids? They have a tapered end which would seem to deflect the contact with the curbing.


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## oneboltshort (Dec 16, 2019)

I agree the current typical "flip when worn" skid design leaves anyone wanting that smooth sliced edge disappointed. You either stay 1-2" away from a hard edge or have a tumble in behind bottom edge you as you run a sidewalk. They do tend to keep the bucket sides looking nice for longer with no scrapes though.I have just cut off the "shoe/slider" section and kept the slotted plate, welded a slider (easy to bend to conform from 1" cheapo stock) and tucked them inside the bucket. Manufacturers used to have these for years or run rear ones like Honda. I think they noticed if the user didn't see them, they never replaced them until they were stuck grinding the auger into the middle of the driveway.


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## Big_6 (Dec 16, 2020)

Chasboy said:


> Has anyone tried Armorskids? They have a tapered end which would seem to deflect the contact with the curbing.


The Armorskids work well. The metal is thicker than anything Ariens has to offer. Your machine needs the we in weight up front to keep from floating up on the hard packed snow.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk


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## Chasboy (Mar 7, 2021)

I also saw ones on Ebay made just over the border in Pa. 
Heavy Duty Steel Snowblower Skid Set Universal Skid Shoe for Gravel Adjustable | eBay


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

we use armorskids on a husky at the shop where there is a paving stone drive way, no issues at all with catching nor do they show any major wear after 2 years .infact it's night and day better


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## mobiledynamics (Nov 21, 2014)

My vote is for Poly.

I had the newer design AS with the tapered tip. Hated them...kept riding up. Ended up selling them and never looked back. It's just too dang long IMO. It's like a pair of ski's


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## Chasboy (Mar 7, 2021)

mobiledynamics said:


> My vote is for Poly.
> 
> I had the newer design AS with the tapered tip. Hated them...kept riding up. Ended up selling them and never looked back. It's just too dang long IMO. It's like a pair of ski's


Did you find that they contributed to riding up on the snow? Did the tapered tip help with curbing?


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## mobiledynamics (Nov 21, 2014)

I only mentioned newer tapered tip just in case someone said - do you have the newer design-
They're too dang long IMO

I get zero riding with the shorter skids, whether it be the OE steel ones or the -poly- that is on them right now. To your OP, when I hear the word blocks, Poly is the 1st that comes to mind


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## Rooskie (Feb 12, 2015)

Chasboy said:


> Hi folks, I just joined because I’m seeking advice regarding skid shoes. My ST28DLE has the standard metal shoes and they are ok for open areas but my 105’ driveway is lined with Belgian block and when I get close to them the shoes constantly catch on the rough surfaces. I‘m trying to find a way to stop this.
> I had thought about tapering the stock shoes so the front end would not be hitting the blocks at a 90degree angle, but before I did that I was wondering if the various plastic shoes already available would help in that regard.
> I then started thinking about alternatives:
> 
> ...


Welcome to the Snowblower Forum!

There is a vast amount of information, even concerning the use of Delrin, on this site. Rolling wheel options are also discussed.
Enter 'skid shoes' into the 'search community' box at the top of the page and you will find hours worth of reading.
Have you a metal brake available to you? You could make a small fortune building Chute extenders for Honda snowblowers.
Oh, and I use Armorskids, skinny end leading. I can, with minimal effort on the handlebars, clean to bare ground or blow my gravel driveway.
But you aren't going to get to ground with Belgian blocks, no matter which you choose.


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## Chasboy (Mar 7, 2021)

Rooskie said:


> Welcome to the Snowblower Forum!
> Oh, and I use Armorskids, skinny end leading. I can, with minimal effort on the handlebars, clean to bare ground or blow my gravel driveway.
> But you aren't going to get to ground with Belgian blocks, no matter which you choose.


thanks, My concern about the Belgian blocks are that they are the CURBING on my driveway and the stock skids catch on them all the time.


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## Howie A B (12 mo ago)

Chasboy said:


> Hi folks, I just joined because I’m seeking advice regarding skid shoes. My ST28DLE has the standard metal shoes and they are ok for open areas but my 105’ driveway is lined with Belgian block and when I get close to them the shoes constantly catch on the rough surfaces. I‘m trying to find a way to stop this.
> I had thought about tapering the stock shoes so the front end would not be hitting the blocks at a 90degree angle, but before I did that I was wondering if the various plastic shoes already available would help in that regard.
> I then started thinking about alternatives:
> 
> ...


I made skids out of a 1" thick nylon cutting board. Mills like wood. About 6" long, with a boat hull profile on the front to get me over the 2" lip on my driveway. Works great, cheap to make. Used them for one season so far, seems to be durable.


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## Chasboy (Mar 7, 2021)

Thanks again folks, My skids needed to be reversed so when I took them off I also ground a longish taper on the forward end. My only trouble now is that the mounting bolt sticks beyond the skid and it’s been too cold to deal with them now. 
Howie, do you have any pix of the ones you made in place?


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## Howie A B (12 mo ago)

Chasboy said:


> Thanks again folks, My skids needed to be reversed so when I took them off I also ground a longish taper on the forward end. My only trouble now is that the mounting bolt sticks beyond the skid and it’s been too cold to deal with them now.
> Howie, do you have any pix of the ones you made in place?


sure thing.


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## Chasboy (Mar 7, 2021)

Howie A B said:


> sure thing.


Nice! how “tall’ are they?


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## Howie A B (12 mo ago)

It is 8" long, 2.5" tall.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

These are just one of the pairs I made out of poly for a JD 826 I restored, ... they work great.


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## Cutter70 (12 mo ago)

Chasboy said:


> Hi folks, I just joined because I’m seeking advice regarding skid shoes. My ST28DLE has the standard metal shoes and they are ok for open areas but my 105’ driveway is lined with Belgian block and when I get close to them the shoes constantly catch on the rough surfaces. I‘m trying to find a way to stop this.
> I had thought about tapering the stock shoes so the front end would not be hitting the blocks at a 90degree angle, but before I did that I was wondering if the various plastic shoes already available would help in that regard.
> I then started thinking about alternatives:
> 
> ...


The best thing you can do for yourself, and the blocks you speak of, is the Ariens Poly shoes. Before I had these, I didn't really like my Ariens blower; it was a man wrestling a Grizzly Bear every time I used it, despite the fact that it was a Cadillac compared to my old one, but once I put the Poly shoes on, it became the best blower ( Caddy) I have ever owned.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Once you go poly, you will ask yourself why you did not do it sooner ....


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## Howie A B (12 mo ago)

Oneacer said:


> These are just one of the pairs I made out of poly for a JD 826 I restored, ... they work great.
> 
> View attachment 190874


Very nice. Have you had any issues with keeping them in adjustment? I ask because the ones I made tend to want to ride up on the bolts and keeping it properly adjusted is a hassle. So much so that i ended up putting the stock skids back on (Honda - skids on back of auger housing) to prevent getting too low.
Works but now I am back to the scraping of the metal shoe on the driveway.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I don't have an issue, but if you do, then just place an external star washer between the skid and bucket.


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## Hogan773 (May 14, 2021)

Oneacer said:


> Once you go poly, you will ask yourself why you did not do it sooner ....


I added Detroit Thermo poly shoes to my Deluxe 24 and really like them. I think they may be better than the OEM Ariens Poly from what I had read before buying


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## Howie A B (12 mo ago)

Chasboy said:


> Thanks again folks, My skids needed to be reversed so when I took them off I also ground a longish taper on the forward end. My only trouble now is that the mounting bolt sticks beyond the skid and it’s been too cold to deal with them now.
> Howie, do you have any pix of the ones you made in place?


I ended up making a modification, the bolt goes through the angle brackets preventing the shoe from shifting up.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Doesn't that flat square stop block in the back catch on everything in reverse?


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## Howie A B (12 mo ago)

Oneacer said:


> Doesn't that flat square stop block in the back catch on everything in reverse?


I see your point, next version I will round it like steel shoes, although it has not been an issue so far.


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## Cutter70 (12 mo ago)

Howie A B said:


> I ended up making a modification, the bolt goes through the angle brackets preventing the shoe from shifting up.


\
Wouldn't it be better if you used Carriage Bolts with rounded heads on the outside of the shoe, and the protruding bolts/nuts on the inside? This would allow you to get closer to important obstacles.


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

i have 2.5" diameter roller skids on my1982 large frame Cub cadet for over 10 years that i made from 1" uhmw polyethylene and they work great.


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## Howie A B (12 mo ago)

Cutter70 said:


> \
> Wouldn't it be better if you used Carriage Bolts with rounded heads on the outside of the shoe, and the protruding bolts/nuts on the inside? This would allow you to get closer to important obstacles.


The issue is that there is limited space between the auger blade and the housing. I ended up cutting the bolt so it is just the right length.


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## Howie A B (12 mo ago)

CarlB said:


> i have 2.5" diameter roller skids on my1982 large frame Cub cadet for over 10 years that i made from 1" uhmw polyethylene and they work great.


Would greatly appreciate a pic of how you attached it without it binding up on the nut.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

CarlB said:


> i have 2.5" diameter roller skids on my1982 large frame Cub cadet for over 10 years that i made from 1" uhmw polyethylene and they work great.


Do you have a picture?


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

i posted pics on here years ago but all i could find is a short video.


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

Howie A B said:


> Would greatly appreciate a pic of how you attached it without it binding up on the nut.


I posted a whole series of the restore here but i cant find it anymore. I modified an old pair of skid shoes by cutting some of the skid bottom away and welded a stainless steel bolt to the skid. I used red locktite on the nut after installation so as not to bottom it out. you could also double nut it or use a nylock. a short vid but it really doesn't show the rollers.


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## kozal01 (10 mo ago)

I've ran wheels in the past and this year I tried the poly skid shoe kit from Ariens and was very pleased. I have a couple misaligned concrete sections that even the wheels would catch on at times, the poly shoes skid right over them.


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

Is it worthwhile to install wheels?


In all the years we have discussed this idea, I have only seen one real logical use for wheels..a guy needed to wheel his snowblower from the shed, across a good amount of grass lawn, whenever he used it. In that case, he installed wheels to get the machine over the grass. For any other...




www.snowblowerforum.com




carls pic


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## Howie A B (12 mo ago)

1132le said:


> Is it worthwhile to install wheels?
> 
> 
> In all the years we have discussed this idea, I have only seen one real logical use for wheels..a guy needed to wheel his snowblower from the shed, across a good amount of grass lawn, whenever he used it. In that case, he installed wheels to get the machine over the grass. For any other...
> ...


I have been told by owners that have the "automatic" steering "feature" the wheels greatly reduce the fighting with getting the machine to go in the desired direction. Obviously not an issue for Honda owners. I think it is in the nice to have category for us. What I would really like to do is put a rotatable caster wheel on it so there is no issue stressing the bearing on the wheel when you want to turn. I have seen it done but it involves welding braces, more than I am prepared to do for a not so serious problem to begin with.


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

Howie A B said:


> I have been told by owners that have the "automatic" steering "feature" the wheels greatly reduce the fighting with getting the machine to go in the desired direction. Obviously not an issue for Honda owners. I think it is in the nice to have category for us. What I would really like to do is put a rotatable caster wheel on it so there is no issue stressing the bearing on the wheel when you want to turn. I have seen it done but it involves welding braces, more than I am prepared to do for a not so serious problem to begin with.


you have been told wrong
auto steer works perfect when the machine is setup correctly 
I have a junkie driveway and the original higher down force bucket axle location of auto steer and it was laser straight and turned on a dime
auto steer issues=== machine not setup right or dopes for owners take your pick


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## Cutter70 (12 mo ago)

orangputeh said:


> Do you have a picture?



yes you are!


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