November 29, 2017
Wedge vs Post: Things To Know About Your Snow Pusher’s Sides
Highlights:
- Snow Pusher sideplate supports help to hold the sides in position if an obstacle is struck
- Two most common kinds are post and wedge style
- Wedge distributes forces over a greater area of the sideplate, post style is concentrated in only one or two areas
- Wedge protects the most vulnerable area of sideplate: the lower front corner
- Pro-Tech’s wedge supports have fully welded seams, eliminating corrosion
- Having inadequate side supports can cause damage if striking an obstacle or when stacking snow
An important but often overlooked feature of your snow pusher are the side supports. These supports usually come in the form of a post or wedge/gusset style. The supports help to hold the sides in position if an obstacle is struck.
Both styles of sidpelate supports may seem similar but they are actually quite different. Pro-Tech’s original Sno Pusher design, which was introduced in the early 1990’s featured post side supports. While the supports worked, snow would often build up behind them adding extra weight to the Sno Pusher and limiting the amount of snow that could be contained while pushing. Also, the post supports only concentrated on supporting one specific area of the sideplate. While now inferior, this style support is still being used by some manufacturers within the industry.
For a number of years now Pro-Tech has built our Sno Pushers with wedge/gusset supports. The most important benefit of the wedge support is that it evenly distributes the load over a greater area of the sideplate than post-style supports. The gusset support also provides protection to the the most vulnerable part of the sideplate, the lower front corner, which is the most exposed and susceptible to impact. Pro-Tech’s wedge supports also have fully welded seams, blocking any moisture from getting behind the steel where corrosion can begin. Note to customers: Not every manufacturer who offers wedge-style snow pushers fully welds the seams.
The durability of the wedge support can be very beneficial to those customers who often experience heavy snowfall and need to stack snow. If a containment plow’s sides are not properly reinforced, serious damage can occur when stacking snow into a large pile of snow that is compressed and has hardened.
Pro-Tech’s wedge gusset in combination with our structural steel chassis make it easy to see why so many customers say our Sno Pushers are built like tanks.
Please contact us or your local dealer if you have questions about snow pusher side supports.