Snowblower: Width vs PTO hp

[pak7819]

Looking for advice from other TBN owners. Have a 2006 4wd NH TC40DA rated at 33 PTO hp, w/super steer front axle and hydro trans. In market for a rear facing 3pt snowblower and have question about selecting the right width.

My 1400 ft driveway has some tighter turns, and I'm concerned about selecting a blower that just covers my tracs vs. oversizing, say up to an 84" (which is my preference), so i can turn my front wheels without dragging into the side banks. I know, not the end of the world,... I just don't want to deal with it if I can avoid it by going a little bigger on the blower width.

As I see it, my options are to find a good ~72" model out there and put some wings on it, or just go with an ~84" model right out of the gate. My concern is PTO hp, and overloading the tractor. My trans is hydro so I have infinite speed selection, but I don't want to be crawling at .2 MPH in low range either. I fully understand the variables I'll see due to snow conditions being wet or fluffy etc...

I've heard the rule of thumb, "5hp for every foot of width", but would like to hear from people with actual firsthand experience. Does that refer to flywheel hp or PTO hp? If assuming "at the PTO" I would be just barely overloading my tractor with 33 PTO hp and an 84" blower (7 ft x 5' width = min hp of 35).

Do I play safe and run a 72" or go big with an 84"? Are there any users running an 84" blower with this type of PTO hp? Also, I'm curious if the double auger blowers significantly eat more power vs. a single auger, and also impeller dia.

Any advice/feedback is appreciated. If this topic is already covered somewhere, please direct me to it.

Thanks for looking....

 

[leonz]

Looking for advice from other TBN owners. Have a 2006 4wd NH TC40DA rated at 33 PTO hp, w/super steer front axle and hydro trans. In market for a rear facing 3pt snowblower and have question about selecting the right width.

My 1400 ft driveway has some tighter turns, and I'm concerned about selecting a blower that just covers my tracs vs. oversizing, say up to an 84" (which is my preference), so i can turn my front wheels without dragging into the side banks. I know, not the end of the world,... I just don't want to deal with it if I can avoid it by going a little bigger on the blower width.

As I see it, my options are to find a good ~72" model out there and put some wings on it, or just go with an ~84" model right out of the gate. My concern is PTO hp, and overloading the tractor. My trans is hydro so I have infinite speed selection, but I don't want to be crawling at .2 MPH in low range either. I fully understand the variables I'll see due to snow conditions being wet or fluffy etc...

I've heard the rule of thumb, "5hp for every foot of width", but would like to hear from people with actual firsthand experience. Does that refer to flywheel hp or PTO hp? If assuming "at the PTO" I would be just barely overloading my tractor with 33 PTO hp and an 84" blower (7 ft x 5' width = min hp of 35).

Do I play safe and run a 72" or go big with an 84"? Are there any users running an 84" blower with this type of PTO hp? Also, I'm curious if the double auger blowers significantly eat more power vs. a single auger, and also impeller dia.

Any advice/feedback is appreciated. If this topic is already covered somewhere, please direct me to it.

Thanks for looking....

About your snow blower issues:

I have written extensively about snow casters here on the forum.


It will not hurt you to purchase a seven foot (84" cut) snow caster for your snow removal duties.

Like a good flail mower it will outlive several tractors as it is a low hour useage implement.

You are depending strictly upon the horsepower rating of the gearbox and its available torque for the mounted implements intended use, not the horsepower per foot business as the cross auger is chain driven through gear reduction and the impeller is powered by the PTO shaft via the gearbox.

The wider cut will allow you to make one pass a slower speed and then half cuts at a slightly faster speed if desired.

The slower you travel the further the the snow will be cast and the impeller will not be flooded and reduce its efficiency to cast snow.

What you are looking for is the largest impeller drum size for your purchase as the larger impeller will allow the snow caster to throw the snow further at the rateed rear P.T.O., engine speed for 540 R.P.M.

Its no secret that i like the Pronovost snow casters as they are well built snow casters as are many other brands.


ANY snow caster you purchase will be improved by the purchase of one of Clarences impeller kits for the rear mount snow caster which will clean the impeller drum at each revolution to eliminate ice build up and slush in the impeller drum; for the $30.00 and the 90 day money back guarantee are win win for a purchase like this.


You have to remember that the snow fall will be 21 pounds per cubic foot per foot of width plus and that is what you are dealing with at all times and the weight will be greater when the freeze-thaw temperature cycles are encountered.


I wish the builders of these snow casters would build a rear mounted snow caster with a solid drum auger option with narrow flight distance which would meter the snow more evenly to the impeller to reduce the plugging which is always an issue when the implement carrier is driven too fast in reverse. The snow would be thrown further and faster if this was done as the torque created by the snow caster gearbox would be used to its fullest advantage.



:thumbsup:

 

[wny770]

I used to have an 84 inch lucknow behind a 50 horse tractor. A heavy snow would make it work. I now have a NH T1510 which I think is 25 horse at the PTO, and a NH64CSR rear blower. The match is real good. If you bought oversize, you don't have to take a full cut, but compare that with a smaller blower taking a full cut??? I know from experience that wings are terrible with wet snow. FWIW, I had a Lucknow, a Woods SS, and now I have a New Holland. I don't know who makes the New Holland blowers, but it is far better then the previous two I mentioned. Definately cover your rear tracks. Believe it or not, with the smaller blower, I can clear my driveway faster. It manuvers easier..... for me.

 

[flyingcow]

Pak7819,
Where are you located and how much snowfall do you get annually? Whats an average storm? If I had a 33hp at the pto tractor and put 84inch blower on, I would be in a big pile of snow(and no where to go) where I live. For my region, couldn't imagine it.:mur:

 

[pak7819]

Thanks for the replies. I live in Wisconsin, average snowfall is nothing outstanding compared to folks in lake effect bands etc, but we get the typical blows in Jan/Feb that can cause headaches. Been plowing with an old (beyond beat up) pickup and straight blade last 3 yrs and looking forward to finally being able to put the snow where I want to versus fighting the banks and the dealing with the spring clean up.

Seeing as how the typical snowfall we get is the 4-6" range, common sense tells me I can live with a smaller width. Hard to find good blowers around here, everything I've found is 300 miles away and not the brands that I prefer. Probably going to go new.

Found a local dealer who sells SB Select. The 75" with hydraulic chute rotation and adjustable skids seems like the right ticket. Is anyone out there familiar with this brand? Yay? Nay?

 

[dieselbill]

the sb select is meteor knock off and more money. i would get the meteor
75in is $ 2550 and 87in $2775 both with hyd chute rotor here in MN

 

[pak7819]

Dieselbill; can you recommend any dealers in MN that carry Meteor or that have any in stock? Looking for the SB75. Preferrably the furthest east since I'm from WI and would be driving a long distance unless I found something closer to home.

I found that Walco USA located in Randolph, MN, is the Meteor distributor for both MN and WI. Plan on calling them also.

I'm assuming quoted prices normally exclude the PTO shaft?

 

[brandoro]

With a rear mount blower you don't want to be going too fast. Better to be going slower and have good control.
Since you have a hydrostatic transmission wider isn't a problem in heavier snows because you can adjust speed to suit the load. In lighter snows you don't have to be flying to keep enough snow in the impeller for it to throw the snow some distance. I had a rear mount blower for years. It worked well enough just got too hard on my neck and back. Really like the setup I have now. An 8-10" snow is about perfect to keep the blower loaded without having to set any speed records.

 

[foggy1111]

Dieselbill; can you recommend any dealers in MN that carry Meteor or that have any in stock? Looking for the SB75. Preferrably the furthest east since I'm from WI and would be driving a long distance unless I found something closer to home.

I found that Walco USA located in Randolph, MN, is the Meteor distributor for both MN and WI. Plan on calling them also.

I'm assuming quoted prices normally exclude the PTO shaft?

We just bought a Meteor from Arnolds Implement in Kimbal. They have more stores in Mankato and ? and ? Look 'em up on the web. I think Meteor is carried by quite a few dealers tho...

 

[herringchoker]

I've been running a 74" blower on 22 PTO HP for the past 7 winters (used the same blower on a bigger tractor before that) with absolutely no problems. Unless I'm in the deep salt-laden bank rolled up by the street plow, I can go as fast as I would ever want to go backwards.