Snowblower Size

[nokiddin]

Hey all. Hoping to get some opinions on how a particular size of snowblower will work on my tractor.

The tractor is a 2120 JD, with 68 HP, and 60 HP at PTO. Looking to put a 3 pt snowblower on it. One issue I am having is that the outside width of the tires is 7 1/2 feet. Therefore, I'd need about an 8 foot blower to cover my tracks. Most of the blowers that wide seem to have a HP rating of 90 HP or more. So it is a bit of a dilemma.

I have read on here that a lot of people seem to be running snowblowers with tractors that are underrated for the snowblower and doing fine. I also understand that if I can go slow enough, it will probably be fine. The tractor has a geared transmission, and the manual says the slowest reverse speed at PTO RPM will be about 1.2-1.4 MPH. Do you think this will be slow enough to work well with the blower?

I am fine with going slow, because I only have my yard to clear out, and can take only partial cuts when I can, but there are some areas I need to clear where I will need to do full cuts.

Thanks for your help! Hoping to get some opinions or experience.

 

[D7E]

It will work , Just depends how much you have to do . I used to have a 84 inch blower on a JD 2130 and it was painfully slow and underpowered . Right now I have 88hp on a 96 inch Schulte because bigger tractors are loading grain and again it is not enough 110hp is more comfortable . Clearing a yard we find loaders are faster and only use blowers for driveways where you don't want ridging to occur .

 

[JerryK]

I ran a 78" with my old John Deere 2240 [ 51 PTO ]. It was a reverser trans, with the reverse speed being a little faster than the forward speed like most other JD reverser trans. I don't think you would have any problem with an 84" with wings to make it cover your tracks, or even a little wider one. Most of the folks running big blowers on smaller tractors have a HST trans where they can slow their speed to make up for the lower HP. Another option for you is an Erskine blower. A front blower that is powered by the rear PTO.

 

[George2615]

Welcome to TBN.............

As mentioned, the 8' blower will work. You could also get the 7' blower and add 3" wings on each side to make as wide or wider than the tractor.
Another option would be a QA snow plow for the front. A plow would be faster than a blower.

 

[Fallon]

Welcome to TBN.............

As mentioned, the 8' blower will work. You could also get the 7' blower and add 3" wings on each side to make as wide or wider than the tractor.
Another option would be a QA snow plow for the front. A plow would be faster than a blower.

Plowing is almost always faster until you get to the drifts that are just to big to push or build snow walls you can't push out of. Here in the Denver area snow melts off quick so we only have drifts to worry about.

Make sure you have a little extra width on the blower to turn. My 62" blower on my 60" tractor was a bit tight at times when turning.

 

[shui5612]

Consider the forward slowblower also called inversed, yes it's more expensive but if you can go slower forward it may be an option. It does make chewing through piles impossible since you'd need to drive over it.

Personally I think you should be fine. Just get something with a big auger and impeller, it will help with momentum, and snow has to load the whole blower for you to start bogging down, if you go 3/4 width you should be fine. And slower.

Snow shouldn't be an issue it is wet snow and ice that would eat up HP. If you have dry snow usually you can probably go 12ft with 50hp. If it's wet even 100hp light struggle with a 5ft blower..
Just get something that covers your tracks and slow down or speed up depending on conditions

 

[Farmer495]

It will play with a 78" blower. Narrow your tread setting in.

 

[nokiddin]

Thanks for all the great replies everyone. I do have one question. For those suggesting to add wings to a 7 foot blower, would this not be very similar to the 8 foot as far as how much horse power will be required because a similar amount of snow will be going through the fan?

 

[leonz]

Another option you should consider is a single stage snowblower from Westa or AEBI as they have a wing that funnels all the snow to the single stage auger. These units have long chutes and spouts to direct the snow further away and up from the tractor and it improves visibility in the process.

The angled plow portion of the snow caster allows you to funnel all the snow to the single stage auger/impeller without wings.
The main consideration for this unit is whether your three point hitch can lift the 3,000 pound weight of this unit

Both Westa and AEBI have two stage snow casters for tractors used in snow removal which are available for sale in the United States.

These machines are built for the harsh snow conditions in the Alps.

The Westa and AEBI two stage snow clearers have a much more effective cross auger system that cuts the snow to its smallest portion before it is pushed to the impeller housing.

The cross augers on these models rotate faster and cut the snow pack into finer pieces before the snow is moved to the impeller housing.

These units also have an open side design where a disc is used to break the snow pack making it easier to clear more quickly on both sides of the cross auger.

They have eliminated the need for side weldments by having the cross auger supported by the snow cutting discs.

The WESTA folks also have videos of their clearers removing massive amounts of snow.

This open cross auger design also prevents the snow from building up in front of the snow clearer as well.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Hey all. Hoping to get some opinions on how a particular size of snowblower will work on my tractor.

The tractor is a 2120 JD, with 68 HP, and 60 HP at PTO. Looking to put a 3 pt snowblower on it. One issue I am having is that the outside width of the tires is 7 1/2 feet. Therefore, I'd need about an 8 foot blower to cover my tracks. Most of the blowers that wide seem to have a HP rating of 90 HP or more. So it is a bit of a dilemma.

I have read on here that a lot of people seem to be running snowblowers with tractors that are underrated for the snowblower and doing fine. I also understand that if I can go slow enough, it will probably be fine. The tractor has a geared transmission, and the manual says the slowest reverse speed at PTO RPM will be about 1.2-1.4 MPH. Do you think this will be slow enough to work well with the blower?

I am fine with going slow, because I only have my yard to clear out, and can take only partial cuts when I can, but there are some areas I need to clear where I will need to do full cuts.

Thanks for your help! Hoping to get some opinions or experience.

If you have only one yard, then just about anything reasonable should work. I run a twin auger 86" wide McKee 720 on 49 PTO hp. It bogs on heavy stuff but is a pretty good match for my tractor.