John Deere 44 inch snow blower

   / John Deere 44 inch snow blower #1  

leonz

Super Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2008
Messages
6,406
Location
NE USA
Tractor
JD LA115, WH 244, Troy Built Horse 8 HP
Good evening,


My John Deere LA115 was delivered this afternoon with the mower,
snow blower, rear suit case weights and snow chains.

The open station is very nice and there is lots of leg room.

I have a couple of questions:

This is the first lawn tractor I have owned with only key stock keeping the wheel in place to allow it to travel forward and reverse.

I am not a lead foot driver like the cat outrunning the dog in the GEICO commercial HA HA!! Wasn't that scene taken from "Bullit"? I thought it was anyway, and its hilarious.

Have any of you had the ket stock shear and what were you doing when it sheared? I plan on keeping the rear wieghts on simply due to the small slope I have to mow and my lack of traction there as it is wet for quite a few weeks into mowing season.

This is my first new lawn tractor in 20 years and I always had a speed control on the dash of the tractor.



I was wondering how many of you have the 44 inch snow blower and are you happy with its performance?

We get a mix of snow when we get snow and I am worrried about how it will hold up etc.

I guess I will invest in some slick liner material for the impeller drum and rear wall for sure to make it more efficient. I will be investing in the drift cutters for sure this summer so i have them and add the lights I have to install fo the rear. The rear lights will be one of my wet weather projects.


Do any of you have a strobe mounted on a pole clipped to the rear hitch for working near the road or when traveling to the next driveway etc? I have an SMV placard I will be using as well.

I will probably build a hard cab for it before winter comes as we get a lot of wind as well.




When we moved to my parents second home the tractor that came with the house was an original International Harvester 12 horse power Cub Cadet that had a 36 inch single stage snow blower and to quote Eric Cartman it was KICK ***!!!! with belt drive to a one to one gear bevel box for the single stage snow blower that it had.

The reason I ask is this that I see they have a 3 paddle plastic impeller
and I wondered how well it holds up?

I was going to install one of Clarences impeller kits on it to improve the snow casting ability but will not do it now because of the injection molded plastic impeller.

The flat rear panel on the snow blower will allow me to install pneumatic carrier tires (cylone vac brand dual pneumatic tires-not to name drop but the twin casters that Mcmaster carr has are more costly than the "cyclone rake" dual pnuematic casters) on the snow blower to make it easier to turn and place less stress on the LA 115 front end.


Thoughts on friday night.
 
   / John Deere 44 inch snow blower
  • Thread Starter
#2  
After seeing the videos of the numerous John Deere LA115 owners and their 44 inch snow blowers I am glad I bought one when I did. I might grt to use it next week as the weather outlook sounds naaaaaaaassssssstyyyyyyyy! :thumbsup:
 
   / John Deere 44 inch snow blower #3  
Do any of you have a strobe mounted on a pole
This is what I have for a strobe light.
johndeerebeacon1.jpg

johndeerebeacon6.jpg

johndeerelight3.jpg

johndeerelight10.jpg
 
   / John Deere 44 inch snow blower #4  
I mounted my LED Strobe light on a pole on my rear weight bracket. I bought a professional model light and it is important that it is above head height as it is blindingly bright. I couldn't get to crazy with mounting height as I have a storage barn where I keep it and the doorway is only 75" tall. I also mounted a halogen rear work light to the vertical pole so I have both work light and a safety light you can see 1 mile away in the snow.

Originally, I had made the light much taller and simply made the mounting pole two pieces and put a plug in the tube for the light so I could disconnect it by pulling a pin and sliding out the pole with the light attached to get in the doorway. I found after being in the snow for as long as 3 hours plowing, etc. THE LAST thing I wanted to have to do to put the tractor away is pull the pin and slide the light out. It is easy and no big deal in the garage at 70 degrees. Now, put on your heavy gloves and FREEZE your entire body and it becomes a challenge.

Been looking for a nice Cab for the 455. Anyone found one that wasn't either completely rusted out from being on a municipal tractor or $3,000+ dollars?
 
   / John Deere 44 inch snow blower
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Thank you all very very much for the help and ideas,

Markuda, do you install your pole in the forward port side mounting hole used for the snow cab/summer canopy kit?

I was told the 115 would not work with a hard cab because of the exhaust pipe location apparently.

I have been under the weather from having muscle strain due to moving the snow blower to storage and as such I have not been able to examine the tractor it further as the mower deck was installed.

It has not helped matters when the dealer delivered the tractor the mower deck was installed (I WAS NOT ABOUT TO START MOWING IN THE MIDDLE OF MARCH IN NEW YORK)and the snow blower and tire chains were not installed OF WHICH I SPECIFICALLY ASKED THE DEALER TO INSTALL THE SNOW BLOWER AND CHAINS PRIOR TO DELIVERY.


One would think that when one spends almost $3,700.00 U.S.D., on a new ride someone would be paying attention to what the buyer says and asks.

MY whinning is done and now my cheese waits to be stolen:(

Makes me wish I had stopped the check when I was told I would have to wait 2 weeks for delivery..................................
 
   / John Deere 44 inch snow blower #6  
I can not see why you can not have a hard cam I had a john deer LA the only thing I did not like is where John Deer put the exhaust pipe why put it where it might catch grass on fire. I got a Buddy to remake the pipe so it went out the hood not in front of the front wheels.

but as far as the snow blower goes they are great and will Handel almost what ever is throw at them
 
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   / John Deere 44 inch snow blower
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Thanks much Handy,

you have given me more incentive to build a hard cab for it now and install an all weather radio on it.:thumbsup:;)
 
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   / John Deere 44 inch snow blower #8  
np when you get your cab done can you take some pic's of it pls
might get some one to build me a cab for my tractor. and kind of looking for idea's
 
   / John Deere 44 inch snow blower #9  
I have a JD X300 with a 44 inch blower and mower deck. Worse tractor I have ever owned. I have had it for 6 years now and have spent over $3000.00 on repairs. The last was a new transmission. As for the snowblower it does a great job if you have a paved drive and no ice. I have replaced the plastic chute 5 times and today just blew out an other one. This is the weakest link on the 44 inch blower. I have seen a couple of videos on line that show a steel chute mod but I can not find any more info..DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN GET A STEEL CHUTE FOR THIS BLOWER?
 
   / John Deere 44 inch snow blower #10  
The last was a new transmission.
That is the weakest thing on that tractor.
The shoot is a form of plastic, you should expect destruction from rocks going thru it.
 
 
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