Saskatchewan, Canada. Lots of snow, but rarely if ever wet. I would assume that would tax the tractor.
I've never ran a 3 pt hitch blower, and dislike having to baby the machine along because its underpowered. Lots of good info here, going to look at a 6 or 7 footer unless someone has specific experience otherwise.
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No, wet snow will not tax the tractor. The limiting factors are the snow casters impeller diameter and travel speed.
Its easier to take the first cut slowly and then take half cuts faster to get rid of it all.
You have to keep the motor RPM at the 540 engine speed range as the snow caster is limited by its impeller size.
The larger the impeller the better to cast the snow when an open cross auger auger is used as the auger paddles
flood the impeller and also spit out excess snow at the same time and the smaller impellers cannot throw it away fast enough.
Saying that Fluid Film, WD-40 and Mow Deck spray are great lubricants for an impeller, auger and and the snow blowers
inner steel plate body parts exposed to the snow. cooking spray can also be used in a pinch ansd works well.
A lot of it will depend on the three point hitches weight rating so keep that in mind
and buying a used one this late in the season may be near impossible unless you luck
into an estate/farm auction.
As long as you have chains and loaded tires/wheel weights and good tread
you can use a 6 footer with wings attached to gather snow.
What you have to understand is that the snow caster is fully dependent
on the rate of travel. The open cross augers are really a detriment for smaller
mules as they flood the impeller and also spit the snow back out.
The larger Berta Snow casters have two solid cross auger sections to meter the snow
into the impeller and have no plugging problems.
90 percent of this depends on your wallet as the guide.
A rear mount pull behind may be better for your use BUT
they require a higher horse power mule.
But understand that a snow caster with a chute extension and 3 pairs of remotes
are a must have to control the scraper blade, chute rotation and spout angle.
The chute extension keeps the snow out of your face at all times.
if you buy a standard rear mount you should buy all the bells and
whistles (including an extended chute) as the snow caster can be
used on a larger horsepower mule with the same width or you
can add snow gathering wings.
Something to think about:
A used 4 wheel drive sub compact with a loader, snow chains and a new 5 foot rear mount
with twin remotes may be more cost effective as you are looking at close to 12K USD for a new
wider one in some cases.
All depends on your wallet as it is already late in the snow blower buying season
You need to start calling implement dealers to find a used or new one quickly as any
existing inventory is already sold in most cases.
Just be aware that many used units have been abused when looking for used snow casters.
The more snow caster you buy and the heavier the snow caster the better as the heavier
build and frame will not be subject to the lateral stresses of packed snowmelt which will
put pressure on the side weldments of the snow caster.
