What size blower for a 30-35 HP tractor

[CobyRupert]

Respectfully:
Yes, the 5hp/ft is a rule often stated, but it only applies if going x mph, with y inches of snow that is z (lbs/ft) density. See, there's a lot of other variables.

If you want to go twice as fast, or are okay with going 1/2 as fast, or if snow is twice as high or 1/2 as high, or twice as dense, or 1/2 as dense, adjust according. Or basically, 5 hp/ft means nothing, or maybe it's is a starting point, but there's a LOT of other variables. Same for brush-hogging.

 

[DaveOmak]

I have a Jubilee.. ~30HP... Last summer I bought a Braber 72" blower... Did some mods... Best investment I ever made... Previously I back bladed my snow.. Every snowfall it took from 2 - 4 hours to clear the drive, depending on snow depth... On days it was drifting while snowing, it was a never ending job.. I couldn't keep up... 3" of snow seemed to be the depth I could handle comfortably... Now, I don't shove the snow off to the side of the drive.. I have to PUSH it to a "storage" location until it melts.. So, what happens is, I push snow for 40 feet or so until the blade is full... then continue on for several hundred feet to the winter "storage" location.. 80% of my time and driving was doing nothing, absolutely wasting time and fuel....
With the new blower, in 40 minutes, everything is done... NO, storage piles, very little wasted driving, and no snow in the face.... I put an electric discharge chute rotation on the blower.. I put an electric back blade device on the blower...
Now when it's snowing, I wait until it quits.. wait until the wind quits blowing... In 40 +/- minutes it's done...
I don't mind looking behind me for 40 minutes... I'm smiling all the time thinking how cool it is to have a blower...

 

[aczlan]

If you want a front blower, don't settle for anything else.
I have one, and wouldn't have it any other way.
Drive forward/faster. No piles of snow. I can blow in 1/2 (or less) the time it took me to plow with a pickup/Boss plow. 800' driveway plus turnaround areas in about 1/2 hour.

39HP, 74" wide. It's one size larger than "recommended" for the L3940, and I'd be ok with a few inches wider. Hydrostatic is a must to control load.
Back blade works for pulling away from the garage and scraping down whatever buildup there may be.

We have a 84” Loftness front blower on our Kubota L3830 and it works well, but it is very heavy and requires rear weight. It is a little too wide for how much horsepower the tractor has in heavy wet deep snow, but otherwise its been great.
I used it on the 3 point before I used it on the front and it is MUCH more useful on the front. The only 3 point blower I would consider is a pull type blower.

Aaron Z

 

[aeblank]

We have a 84” Loftness front blower on our Kubota L3830 and it works well, but it is very heavy and requires rear weight. It is a little too wide for how much horsepower the tractor has in heavy wet deep snow, but otherwise its been great.
I used it on the 3 point before I used it on the front and it is MUCH more useful on the front. The only 3 point blower I would consider is a pull type blower.

Aaron Z

Nice A to B comparison, front and rear.
I'm not surprised on the weight. I've a (little) bigger tractor and loaded tires.

Heavy snow, go slow. Beauty of an HST.

 

[crazyal]

I've got the same blower on my L4240 as aeblank has. A few things you need to remember. First if you are going front mounted you will loose some HP. The power has to make 2 90 degree turns, one to go down then a second to go forward. Each rob a little HP. Kubota didn't recommend the 3940 with the front blower as it didn't meet their HP requirements. I live on top of a fairly steep driveway so going down is real easy. Going back up, not so much. In heavy wet stuff I find it's faster to back up the driveway and make my second pass also going down hill. Between the power needed for the blower and to drive up the hill it slows things down a lot. I think something like a BX with as much HP as you can get would probably do just fine (I assume you can get a front mount blower for one).

 

[aeblank]

I've got the same blower on my L4240 as aeblank has. A few things you need to remember. First if you are going front mounted you will loose some HP. The power has to make 2 90 degree turns, one to go down then a second to go forward. Each rob a little HP. Kubota didn't recommend the 3940 with the front blower as it didn't meet their HP requirements. I live on top of a fairly steep driveway so going down is real easy. Going back up, not so much. In heavy wet stuff I find it's faster to back up the driveway and make my second pass also going down hill. Between the power needed for the blower and to drive up the hill it slows things down a lot. I think something like a BX with as much HP as you can get would probably do just fine (I assume you can get a front mount blower for one).

Gears are incredibly efficient, power transfer wise. Very very close to 100%.

Also, Kubota recommended the blower one size smaller than what I have, not *no* blower.

Of course, I dunno what any specific dealer says. My dealer would put the 74" blower on a L3240 (so 32ish hp vs my 39ish hp). So obviously it's not an exact science.

 

[leonz]

It sound like your dealer is more interested in making a sale than helping you as a hydromule needs lots of power due to the fluid drive losses that are inherent in the systems they have.

What you need is the reserve of power in a larger horsepower hydro tractor or smaller cut snow caster with your current mule.

By simply adding slick sheet material to the chute and spout and wings to the side weldments of a snow caster it will make it more efficient in the use of the power you have.

And long as you have chains and or loaded tires you will gain more traction/adhesion.

 

[aczlan]

It sound like your dealer is more interested in making a sale than helping you as a hydromule needs lots of power due to the fluid drive losses that are inherent in the systems they have.
What you need is the reserve of power in a larger horsepower hydro tractor or smaller cut snow caster with your current mule.
By simply adding slick sheet material to the chute and spout and wings to the side weldments of a snow caster it will make it more efficient in the use of the power you have.
And long as you have chains and or loaded tires you will gain more traction/adhesion.

Just a note, the L4240 claims 36.5 hp at the PTO for the gear version vs 35 hp at the PTO for the HST version (per: TractorData.com Kubota L424 tractor information ). That's a difference of less than 3.6% of the net engine HP.

Aaron Z

 

[leonz]

The hydro units still lose a lot of power from both heat generation and the fluid drive system in a hydro mule especially the low end lawn mower junk that is sold.


The JDLA115 junk with a 19 horse Briggs & Stratton vertical crank engine. I have only has 2.5 horsepower available at one axle stub at any time with the Tuff Tork 46 transmission. With the belt drive to the mower tand the snowblower I lose a huge amount of usable power and the mower and snow blower belts are almost $300.00 combined so.

Buying a smaller rear mount snow caster and adding wings to the side weldments will save him a lot of aggravation and his mule will have plenty of power.

 

[aczlan]

The hydro units still lose a lot of power from both heat generation and the fluid drive system in a hydro mule especially the low end lawn mower junk that is sold.

Except that the person that made the post has a 46 horsepower Kubota tractor not a lawn mower. It's a different class of transmission then the junk in your typical big box store hydrostatic tractor and will probably hold up to anything you can throw at it as long as you keep clean fluid in it.

Buying a smaller rear mount snow caster and adding wings to the side weldments will save him a lot of aggravation and his mule will have plenty of power.

Hogwash. I have a 7 foot Loftness snowblower that I ran on the back of our Kubota L3830 and now run on the front of the same tractor with a geared drivetrain running underneath the tractor. The blower is much more useful and easier to use on the front and it was in the back.


Aaron Z