Snow Attachments 3pt snow blower question

[Mike5252]

I'm in the process of moving from central ohio to cleveland (yes in the snow belt). As a result, I'm in the market for a good snow blower for my JD 2520.

For the cost, I'm a little hesitant to buy the JD front mount system since it does not even cover the width of the tractor.

From reading other posts, and doing a little research on my own, I've decided I definitely want to get a 3pt blower. To be honest, I think I like some of the Erskine pull models the best, but also like the more common push types.

Here's the question: I see a Lorenz 66" model on Ebay that seems lightly used and in pretty good shape. Any thoughts on whether this is too much snow blower for my JD2520? I believe I run exactly 20hp at the rear PTO. I was thinking I could either just take less than full passes with it, or would just move slower with it. At the end of the day, 20hp should be able to move about the same amount of snow regardless of whether it is hooked up to a 60" or 66" snow blower. Does anyone take issue w/ my thought process?

Thanks in advance,

Mike

 

[Ray2210]

I can tell you that a 3pt 48" blower on the back of my 2210 is about right. I believe the pto HP on that is something like 18. I can cut through 3 ft of blown in hard snow really well but the going is slow. I was really impressed as this stuff is dense enough for me (175 lbs) to walk on. A 66 might be a little big for 20 pto Hp but probably not by much. It will depend a bit on the kind of snow you typically blow too. If it's light fluffy stuff you will not have a problem. Wind blown and packed or wet and heavy 3ft deep might be different.

 

[Ford850]

I look at it this way...
If it's a bit too wide you will have to take it slow to open up the drive on the first pass, but only when the snow is deep. Otherwise you can cuise through most snowfalls (a foot or less) and can rely on the "less than a full pass" routine for deep snow (after the opening pass).
I'd rather have the width to handle the majority of the snows and worry about a slower process for the exceptions.

 

[herringchoker]

I run a 72" rear blower on my Kubota B7800, which is HST with 22 HP at the PTO. I've handled some very wet salt-laden snow rolled up to 3 ft. deep by the town plow with no problems at all. Just as others have said, slow down in the heavier stuff so you're not forcing too much into the blower. A hydrostatic transmission is perfect for that.

 

[number two]

I recently traded in our Kubota B1750HST with B2660 60" front snowblower for a B3030HSDC cab model. The B1750 is 15.5 PTO horsepower w/hydrostatic drive. I was really happy with the snow blowing performance considering the hp vs. blower width. I could normally go flat out in low range-3 mph-unless the snow was really deep,extremely wet,or I was reblowing previously blown snow. The hydrostatic trans was great when going slower was needed. I would also prefer the greater width for getting done quicker when good blowing conditions are present. The new 3030 has 23 PTO hp with a 63" front blower. 20 hp and 66" doesn't sound too bad at all. The B1750 used right at 2/3 gallon of fuel per hour at PTO RPM blowing snow. I'm expecting 1 gallon/hr with the B3030. I always found the more snow I could keep going into the blower,the farther it would throw the snow-keep it's mouth full. The old tractor was good,but I just had to have that cab! Good Luck.

 

[DrainPondDesign]

Just for comparison information.

Our JD 3320 with 59" front blower averages 1-2 mph going up our driveway at max throttle using load match when moving 12 to 18 inch deep snow. (see avatar) We use chains on unloaded tires & a weight box on the 3pt to ballance the blower.

Cleveland & its suburbs get "lake effect" snow which can really cause some deep snowfalls.

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