Homemade Single stage Snowblower

   / Homemade Single stage Snowblower #1  

David Devuono

Platinum Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
847
Location
Brampton, On\lot Powassan, ON Canada
Tractor
Kubota B4200\MF 135\Kubota B3200
Up here in Central Ontario it has been snowing every other day for the past few weeks. A couple of weeks ago I had to work hard to drive into my camp as I have about three hills to climb on my 400 yard driveway. YouTube - Deep Snow Drivng
I spent 4 hours with a rear blade and with 15" of snow on the ground the tractor just wanted to go sideways when the blade was angled. I decided to build a simple single stage snowblower. I will post some pictures in the next few days but its basically a reverse V with a 16" diameter blower. The snow will be funnelled into the impeller rather then directed by an auger as in a 2 stage blower. There are some old Rotary blowers out there so if anyone has any experience to share with this style, that would be nice. As the blower is only 48" wide I plan to use it with my subcompact Kubota but in a pinch I can hook it up to my massey 135 though the tires will be outside the path.

Dave
 
   / Homemade Single stage Snowblower #2  
You don't need a snowblower, you just need a taller truck.:D Seriously, I have a friend just north of Woodstock that used to have the old V type blower, it worked fine for him if the snow was powder, but the heavy wet snow didn't work well at all. He has since traded for the auger type blower and it takes care of everything.
 
   / Homemade Single stage Snowblower #3  
I've seen a handfull of old (like 50 yrs old!) single stage blowers around here that are exactly what you are looking to build. The PTO shaft turns the impeller as the snow is forced in via the wedge shaped design. I borrowed a couple pics from elsewhere on the net to show what i'm talking about. Most of these old blowers around here have rusted into lawn art, but there are a few still working. Looks to me like they work pretty well !
 

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   / Homemade Single stage Snowblower #4  
geez - wouldnt it be easier to put a v plow on your vehicle ? that way when you get home, just lower the plow and go home! :cool: then later you can use your kubota to widen, neaten up your driveway.;)
 
   / Homemade Single stage Snowblower #5  
Don't you have a Unimog?:D That might get through!:cool:
 
   / Homemade Single stage Snowblower
  • Thread Starter
#7  
I sold my Unimog S404 two months ago after 9 years of ownership. I did drive it in once when there was 24" of snow (or more) but typically I would not drive it in the winter as with a canvass top and tiny heater not to mention Road Salt. My driveway is to a remote cabin with no electricity or running water. If I lived there year round I could justify to the wife a nice snowblower (though we would build closer to the road too) I have built this uint for under $300. There is one modern Rotary 3PH blower on the net that shows it blowing lake water! Anyway I will be pushing my blower and I could add a propeller infront of the impeller in the future. I just had one week to build this thing, you know how it goes when you get "one of those ideas in your head".
Dave
 
   / Homemade Single stage Snowblower #8  
I share my laneway with one neighbor; he has an old Farmall with one of those old blowers. Like everything else on that farm it is held together with paler twine, spattered welds and the wood bearing blocks had been worn to double the shaft size. Everytime he would pass near our house I would yell for everyone to get away from the windows.:eek: That's a lot of steel flying around.

Then he bought a Zen-noh (kubota) with a 540/1000rpm pto; I am glad he never tried that old blower on it:(
 
   / Homemade Single stage Snowblower
  • Thread Starter
#9  
I have about a week to build this blower. If it does't blow snow well, maybe I can use it as a wood chipper :) I made the impeller out of 1/4" plate. With no adjustible shoot in this inital draft, its probably a good thing I have no neighbours for a 1000 feet on both sides. Not to mention, no open fields to blow the snow back in my face. I have a few nights left to weld up the 3 ph attachments and I have to build an adjustable PTO shaft as I have no idea how far the PTO to lower link arm length is on my 12hp subcompact Kubota B-4200. I need to also consider that I may have to put the 4 foot blower on my MF135 if the (1,200lb) 4x4 Kubota with 4 tire chains can't push it. I believe the MF uses 14" PTO to lower link spacing? I am looking at a 24-28" adjustible shaft and bringing a hack saw. If both tractors have similar spacing, I can later weld up the shaft.

Dave
 
   / Homemade Single stage Snowblower
  • Thread Starter
#10  
Snowblower pictures. Approx 24" high by 48" wide.
 

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