Snow MF front mount snow blower / FEL change?

[Don 57]

I'm ready to buy a MF 1643 with FEL and front mount snow blower. I asked the salesman how difficult it is to swap from the FEL to the snow blower and back and he has no idea. He said with the quick attack features each comes on and off quickly but he has no idea about going from one to the other...anyone out there have any experience with this swap-out. The reason for having both during the snowy seasons is to be able to use both attachments easily (this is one of the reasons I was first looking at a rear mount snow blower but reading the comments on this and other forums, it looks like the majority opinion is that the inconvenience of looking back to blow snow is not worth it...and tractor tires are designed to "drive" forward). Thanks.

 

[Bever22]

I have the rear mounted and I like it that way because I can use the loader during the winter. If there is something that the blower cant move then I use the loader. I dont think it is that bad looking back while blowing snow, unless your doing it for several miles at a time. :confused2: The 1600 series is a nice machine, if I got one it would most likely be with a cab :drool:.

 

[irvingj]

Don-- price is certainly a factor to consider, rear PTO blowers go for much less than the front-mounts.

Once you pay ($$!) for the front-mount quick-hitch business, however, the swapping goes very quickly. When I need the FEL, I can drop the blower in about 2 minutes (really!), then, I leave on the mid-mount PTO driveshaft, quick-hitch, and sub-frame, and mount the FEL. Mounting the FEL takes about 10-15 minutes for a relative newbie like me; I still have to refer to "the book" each time.

After I get the FEL on, I only have to worry about large stones or other obstructions sticking up in the ground- the sub-frame does hang down low. If I need to remove that, however, it adds only about 12 more minutes. If you don't have to worry about that, no problem-- switch from blower to FEL takes me total about 15 minutes or less.

I'm guessing that the set-up on the 1643 is the same or very similar.