Running a front snowthrower off a mid mount PTO?

[Jerry1]

Was day dreaming about ways to run a snowthrower on the front of my JD 1070 tractor. I've got the mid PTO and the quick attach FEL bucket that JD offered back in the 90's, so it is quick attach but not like the modern tractors/skid steer type. So if I converted a used three point snowthrower to fit my FEL arms could I potentially run it from my mid PTO? The RPM's are 2100 from the mid PTO so would that need to be reduced somehow? What RPM does a "typical" snowthrower turn at - 540 like the rear PTO? Other issues - like would the drive shaft be too long or be out of position.

Thanks for input, just thinking up projects to begin working on.

 

[rmorey]

I asked the same question of my dealer the other day. "Why cant I just buy a regular rear mounted blower and mount it on the front, then connect it to my mid pto?" He said, "The regular rear mounted blowers run backwards to the real front mounted blowers, so it wont work. Thats why you have to buy the expensive front mounted blower". My reply....BUMMER!

 

[Smokey1]

A simple 4:1 single gear set gearbox would solve the speed & rotation direction issue.

 

[PILOON]

A simple 4:1 single gear set gearbox would solve the speed & rotation direction issue.

Problem is cost of that gearbox brings you up to the difference in price.
Most front mounts use crankshaft RPM's and rotation.

 

[Agent Blue]

Why not just buy a 59" John Deere blower and solve the mystery ? It will run the speed of your existing PTO and do a great job. I have one.

 

[Cord]

I actually did this once. Had a chain driven adapter that came off the rear pto and then brought the power to a point below the rear axle. Had a couple of universal joints in between to direct the power between the axles. Finally a bearing block up front with an short pto shaft to the blower. With the chain drive, the direction was reversed, but the blower was turned around so everything still worked. I then fabbed up a lift mechanism using a rod, lever and some chain so I could lift the blower with the 3pt. It worked good, but I had to replace the center drive shaft once. Turns out it was too slender for it's length and formed a smile the first time I went WFO with no load. Heck of a ride though! Sold the tractor and they guy had no interest in the blower. Shame because now I have no use for the parts and can't stand to throw them away. Short of hydraulics, I see no way to put the blower on the loader arms and transfer the power to it.

 

[mikehaugen]

With the chain drive, the direction was reversed, but the blower was turned around so everything still worked.

how does a chain drive reverse direction?

 

[mikehaugen]

Short of hydraulics, I see no way to put the blower on the loader arms and transfer the power to it.

This was my thought at one time. Using a pto hydraulic pump, a decent size tank, and then a hydraulic motor to drive the blower you could build a pretty good blower. If you isolated the auger and impeller, you could control the speeds of each independently with 2 motors and flow regulators... depending on snow conditions. This probably wouldn't save you any money, but would would be nice to have the speed control and ability to lift the blower to do really high drifts if you had to.

 

[harddock]

Erskine makes a front mount snowblower that runs off the rear PTO

 

[zzvyb6]

I'm not stomping your idea, but the loader elevation has the potential to tear up your front driveline. The normal front attachment pto drive has a bearing up front and a short pto shaft to the implement. The mid pto output is connected to this front bearing via a cv joint. I've seen a front pto kit for sale on ebay a few times. I also have a 1070 and run a 72" mower offset a few feet from the loader arms.

The best way to connect them up is with a long set of hydraulic hoses, a hydraulic motor and a pto aux. hydraulic pump off the back pto. You need a cooler, too. I also have the mid-pto, but have found it's only usefulness is for a small generator and an air compressor. I had a MMM on this rig, but it was a PIA to put on and off for doing hay and also cutting grass. So now the mower deck is hinged to the loader arms. I turned the gearbox around to have the input shaft face rearward.