Blower questions for a kubota l3540

[arsenix2001]

Im a snow blower virgin, infact never even used a walk behind lol. I have plenty experience handling snow, but all by blade and loader. Used to contract 5 highschools in virginia back in the day.

Im interested in getting a blower for my 3540 to do residential asphalt drives and make myself an option for removing piles created by trucks.

1) is 28 pto hp enough to run a 66 or 72 inch blower without taking all day and would it have the arse behind it to chomp into truck plow made piles?
More or less will it get anything done quick enough to make money?

2) how far could i expect to throw an average wet snow, i live in md so we can get anything from powder to heavy stuff. And how close can a blower clean asphalt?

3) any brand reccomendation?

4) i have one rear remote and definatly plan on getting a hydraulic chute rotator, but am on the fence about an electric or electrohydraulic deflector. Im thinking it isnt needed on big lots but may be nice in residential drives as to not blow snow against a house or into the trees in tight spots.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[mjncad]

I suggest you look for threads by 4Shorts as he uses his Kubota exclusively for snow removal work in Newfoundland. I know he has a rear mounted blower, and a large snow bucket.

Plus you can see what an expert craftsman will do to his rig to make it more like home so to speak.

 

[leonz]

About your snow blower questions;

1) only if you have powder snows


2) you will cast the snow further if you
are moving slowly but the warmer it gets the
shorter it will be thrown even at full engine
speed at 540 R.P.M. without an impeller kit.

3) please contact Ken Sweet and ask him about his
Allied Farm King snow casters as he is a forum
advertiser in good standing.


4) it will help you with heavy wet snows as you
will be able to better control them with the
discharge being dumped directly in front of
the snow caster to allow piling at the end
of the cleaning run.


All of your issues are going to involve your cleintele
and when or how fast they want thier corner of
paradise opened up so the can go to work, shopping,
attend church, go on with their business or at the top
of the list how the H.E. double hockey sticks are you
going to open my driveway in the middle of the night
in a snow storm so I can take my spouse to the hospital
or allow an ambulance ingress to my home?, AND are you
going to screw up my driveway with your snow chains?
(the snow chains are a must in deep heavy wet snows
that are stuck and melting). In order to make up time with your
L3540 you will need a wider snowblower much wider than the track of the tractor this way you can crawl through the snow on the first pass and take faster half cuts on the following passes.


The issue of you available budget is big consideration as a Pronovost sidewalk snow blower attachment mounted on this tractor would be more effective with your snow falls which can be extremely heavy and dense in wieght at times due to the ocean air currents which are heavy in moisture.

I will explain his further with greater detail in this example.

At one mile per hour you are traveling at 88 feet per minute.
At two miles per hour you are traveling at 176 feet per minute.
At three miles per hour you are traveling at 264 feet per minute.



The wieght of the snow entering the snow caster before it enters the impeller drum will be between 21 and 54 pounds per cubic foot with the wieght of snow plow dumped piles in the mix.

SO the snow caster must remove 101 to 270 pounds per foot of advance of the snow caster.

A snow caster with an open auger configuration will only accept what the tractor is shoving into it in reverse at speed.

The snow caster impeller will only take in what it physically accept when under load.

The snow caster will only adequately dispose of the snow that enters it and can be removed by the impeller at the engine setting 540 R.P.M. speed.


The snow caster impeller is the business end of a snow caster as the open auger is nothing more than an a poor mans auger which does not provide full loading of the auger which will not deliver an solid mass of snow to the impeller.

The open auger is a compromise between cost versus efficiency as the faster one travels when doing work the auger still does not load the impeller efficiently where a solid auger would load the impeller at a flat rate of discharge allowing the impeller to work with a continuos loading versus the high and low loading rate of an open auger snow caster.

As a result the impeller is flooded and starved depending upon the snow load and snow condition. This would not occur if the auger was solid or a snow propeller was used.

The BIG issue is snow fall wieght and snow melt during daylight hours.


Fresh snow fall can wiegh between 21 to 25-pounds. Fresh heavy wet snows will surpass 50-pounds with high moisture content and wiegh more with the passage of time and the daylight hours and will become mush and much more dense.


You have to have available to you the tractive effort to move into heavy snows(chains and loaded tires) to be able to dispose of the snows efficiently and have the mechanical force and torque to cast them efficiently away from the work site.


The smaller the impeller fan the smaller the volume of snowfall moved per revolution times 540 revolutions per minute times 60 minutes per hour.


The heat created by the impellers rotation within the imepller drum will melt the snow in the bottom of the impeller drum making slush reducing the efficiency of the impeller.

This can be eliminated by installing a slick liner material and or adding one of "Clarences impeller kits to sweep the impeller drum clean and throw the snow further and higher away from the work site. The $30 dollars for one of clarences kits is covered by his money back guarantee.

With regard to your L3540 you will need chains and loaded tires a front loader or front wieghts in order to maximise your tractive effort when using the snow caster as the snow will be very heavy.
Although a front loader would or could come in very handy it is something that will be sticking out that could and would clip a car or a lamp post.


A front loader will help with areas that are difficult for a snow caster to clear freely without open areas for the snow caster discharge.

A wider snow caster with a large volume impeller drum will work well but it will be required to work at a slower pace with your
L3540.

I am not trying to muddy the issue for you I want you to be an informed consumer of information as this decision involves time and the lack of it with regard to snow removal.

The issue of pricing is as sticky as heavy snows where a seasonal rate per driveway allows for more base income and the potential for more with added trips per snow fall occurance.

______________________________________________________
Once you to flail you never go back:thumbsup::licking::drool:

 

[arsenix2001]

Wow leonz, thanks for all of the information! Thats going to take a few hours to digest :confused2: Ill be looking into this more beggining of next week.

 

[leonz]

please be sure to contact Ken Sweet about this issue as you have to make a thorough investigation for your purpose.

The smallest snow width caster or a wider snow caster with the largest impeller drum size will be what you need as well as an impeller kit from clarence for your rear mount snow caster.

Please keep in mind the cross auger will be at a constant rotation speed at the 540 R.P.M., implement speed (due to the ring gear and spur gear) and the slower the rate of advance the greater the casting distance no matter the cutting width of the snow caster at all times.


Lay in a gallon supply of www.fluid-film if you do not line the snow caster with slick sheet material from Agricultural Supplies, Fabric Structures, Equine Buildings, Grain Storage, Livestock Buildings from FarmTek.
you will need to order order grain elevator bolts from mcmaster or farmtek to secure the slick sheet from farmtek.

 

[arsenix2001]

Leonz, thanks for the info. I contacted Ken and got a few prices. I have also shopped a new woods model SB74 that I got a pretty good price on, almost too good to refuse. Any thoughts of woods blower products? They have upgraded to a 24" 4 blade fan, and a heavier gearbox this year it seems. Either way you have me sold on clarences impeller kit and fluid film. If i decide on a blower I will be ordering those along with chains that same day. :thumbsup:

 

[leonz]

I am certainly glad you talked to Ken about your snow blower needs.

I am more inclined to refer you to Ken for your purchase as the
Woods snow blower is a "NEW" model and he has had great reliability
with the Allied Farm King snow casters and thier farm machinery.

As it is a NEW model and new year, the lower price is of course
a sales promotion.


Just be sure to buy a pair of snow chain binders for your
snow chain size as they love to slide off.


The last thing I want you to worry about is having a broken
snow blower because of a defective part in the middle of
a snow dump event in your area.


_________________________________________________________________
Once you go flail you never go back:thumbsup::licking::drool:

 

[crazyal]

You should be fine HP wise. Blowing snow is not the fastest way to remove it but it does a nice job. It's probably the best way to remove snow from pavement. But using a snow blower around cars, houses, and other stuff can be problematic.

You have to be aware of where the snow is going. The snow comes out very fast along with anything that's in the snow. If you damage your snow blower your customers are not going to care. If you damage something of theirs they will want you to repair it.

 

[arsenix2001]

Im starting to wonder if a 3rd function kit and plow would be a better option. The thought of being in a neck brace after a days work isnt too appealing.

 

[leonz]

You should have no isssues getting the high
end Kubota swivel seat for your tractor to
save your neck.

A lot of the folks just twist in the seat slightly
and use the left foot for the reverse side of the pedal
if you are set up that way on you 3540.

The issue with a snow caster is the control of the spout and
keeping it pointed down in front of the snow caster will
prevent anything from being blown at a car or a window
in narrow areas. The snow caster wont know the difference as
its just throwing snow outthe enters the snow caster.

They have to throw the snow that way in europe a lot because of
narrow streets and high snow banks.