# Gravel driveway



## RickGP (Feb 12, 2013)

Ariens sno-tek 920404


What happens if/when pebbles/gravel from driveway get into snowblower? I am scared to death of them and have made custom wooden skids to get my blade about 3” off the ground. The municipal trucks w/plows sometimes toss some pebbles along with snow into driveway when passing by, and pebbles can appear in driveway after hand shoveling a clear path to house from garage. . . anyway . .my question is, can small pebbles/gravel (average 3/8”) damage snowblower?


----------



## Spectrum (Jan 6, 2013)

It should take it in stride. I have 12,000 square feet of crushed geravel with stone up to 3/4" some of that gets chucked especially when the ground is soft.


----------



## Saewoody (Nov 7, 2013)

It's the windows on your house, and your cars, you need to worry about!


----------



## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

they will put a dent or two in the machine. and your wallet.


----------



## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Had an old MTD I used, to clear a 150 yd. gravel driveway. Never hurt the machine but the occasional rock would be sent into orbit. As was said, be more concerned for windows etc than your blower.


----------



## RoyP (Oct 16, 2014)

RickGP said:


> Ariens sno-tek 920404
> 
> 
> What happens if/when pebbles/gravel from driveway get into snowblower? I am scared to death of them and have made custom wooden skids to get my blade about 3” off the ground. The municipal trucks w/plows sometimes toss some pebbles along with snow into driveway when passing by, and pebbles can appear in driveway after hand shoveling a clear path to house from garage. . . anyway . .my question is, can small pebbles/gravel (average 3/8”) damage snowblower?


This is my impeller housing after the previous owner thru stones with it.


----------



## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

And for the extreme cases:
http://www.snowblowerforum.com/foru...tsman-trac-plus-5hp-ingested-rock-damage.html


----------



## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

You need to have it 3/4" up and let the ground freeze. That 3/4" is what works for me and I never blow in the direction of the house. I'm lucky, I don't have neighbors so I don't have to worry about that.
At 3" you're just leaving way too much behind IMHO. I also upgraded to stock Ariens skids on my Troy which are a little wider which help "float" it on top of the gravel instead of it digging in.
If you have the time and skills, you can also go with lawnmower wheels as some have done.


----------



## RickGP (Feb 12, 2013)

WOW! a lot of info here . . just wanna thank all you guys for being so helpful.


----------



## AriensSnowman (Dec 9, 2014)

You need Armor Skids ideally for gravel, because it will smooth out the unevenness on the surface and float better. Stock skids like to dig in. Approximately 7/8" height on the wear bar is about perfect. 3" is insane. You'll get some chipped paint, but that's normal wear and tear.


----------



## Bob E (Jun 9, 2014)

I started the season with about 1" of clearance at the scraper bar. After the left behind snow got packed down good I lowered it to 1/4" or maybe it was 3/8". I've only noticed a couple stones and one half eaten walnut shell that were picked up.

-- angling the front of the stock skids works pretty good too, but I suspect it will wear the backside out quicker


----------



## RickGP (Feb 12, 2013)

Thanks again guys . . . I just put the stock skids back on; snow's coming down now & will probably need the blower again tomorrow. I have it at about 1/2” clearance now as there is a nice layer of ice all over the driveway . . lol.


----------



## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

It's just a matter of finding out what height works out best for you. That and knowing you need to be careful where you aim your chute as it can toss a stone a good ways further than snow.


----------

