Hi Folks,
I just walked in on this discussion and when I saw it was about front mounted snow throwers I had to chime in as I bought the JD 59" front mounted snow blower with a 4310 hydro this past November after having my driveway done with a plow for 2 years.
Another TBN user asked me a few questions on the snowblower and I am including his questions and my answers to contribute to the dialog.
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Just logged in this evening and saw your email. I can't imagine how I got along without the blower this past winter. I'll try to address all your questions the best I can. For reference my tractor is a 4310 hydro MFWD, R4 tires (no chains - didn't need them) and a
ballast box with 600lbs of pea stone.
<font color="red">How fast can you remove snow? </font>
<font color="blue">Not as fast as a plow but it does a really nice job (better than a plow). I can clear my 600ft. driveway (10ft wide) (paved and hilly) of 27 inches of dry snow (3ft+ drifts) and my 70ft turncircle in about 20 minutes. I was having so much fun I did my neighbors driveway as well. The best part is that there was no 10ft. pile of snow in the turncircle in front of my garage like the plow used to leave.</font>
<font color="red">Have you had any deep snow? How did it handle it? </font>
<font color="blue">The most snow we've had at once since I got the tractor was that 27 inches in 12 hours. The top of the blower enclosure is 27 inches so the blower was buried most of the time I was using it especially at the end of the drive where the town plow left a 4ft drift.
Obviously with 6ft of snow you'd need to do multiple passes as it built up but I'd say 3 at most, one for the first 3 ft and after another 3 ft. built up do it again. Maybe a third time to clean up the last flurries.
The tractor does fine in 27 inch of snow as long as you don't race through it. You will notice the RPM go down somewhat in a drift or if you go too fast but then the engine torque just kicks in and **** that's powerful.
The throwing distance is about 50ft to 60ft when there is about 8 inches but this goes down to 15ft or 20ft. in 27 inches. I'd say the 59 inch blower needs at least a 43xx powering it and would be really nice with the 44xx. A 42xx is simply underpowered. The TBN user Tanuke started with a 4200 and the 59 inch blower and ended up needing a 4300 to get the job done. You might check his posts out as well. </font>
<font color="red">Have you had any problems with the blower?
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<font color="blue"> In a word no. The closet thing to a problem that could be construed is if you have grill guard as I do and the chute rubs against it slightly at the 180 degree extreme of rotation. My dealer anticipated this problem and welded stops on the blower to prevent it from lifting the full 8 inches off the ground and hitting the guard. I might have lost 1 inch of lift but that is fine for me. The chute just barely touches the guard now in the most extreme position, just enought to rub a little green paint. But I'm careful and it's not a big deal. There is no issue if you don't have the grill guard.</font>
<font color="red">How difficult is it to install/remove? </font>
<font color="blue">Very easy to remove and install. The PTO shaft just snaps in place (pull back on collar to release) and the hydraulic lift cylinder can actually be used to get the blower into the attachment points. The blower weighs 450lbs and I store mine on a pallet in the garage so I have some prayer of moving it by hand if need be. All this said, I would not wait until it is -25 degrees, dark and blowing snow to attach the blower. I take my backhoe and loader off in late November and put the ballast box and blower on so I'm set for the winter season. </font>
<font color="red">Was the tractor's power sufficient? </font>
<font color="blue">Echoing the comments above, yes. I'm sure you might be able to go a little faster with 44xx but it is certainly a capable implement on the 43xx. I would not consider the 42xx. No sense spending $4,000 on an implement that won't be sufficiently powered. </font>
<font color="red">Did you need chains? Rear? Front? </font>
<font color="blue">I do not use chains because I don't want my driveway marred and I really don't need them even with my steep grade. I slipped in 4WD only twice and that was on an icy, not snowy surface. I'm sure the ballast box contributes to good traction I get. I would not and have not remove(d) snow without it. If you are going to be operating the blower on a very steep grade with curves and in frequent icy conditions I would get the chains (rear) for your safety. I always use 4WD when blowing snow. </font>
<font color="red">Any special maintenance requirements (greasing or silicon spray) </font>
<font color="blue">The blower has grease fittings for the auger shaft etc and my dealer recommends a graphite or silicone lubricant spray for the chute rotation bearing surfaces (I can't remember which but I'll stop by this Fall and get some for the coming winter). The 4xxx series low exhaust exit leaves the left hand side of the back blower box somewhat sooty from the exhaust, nothing some soap and water can't fix. </font>
<font color="red">Did you break any shear pins? If so how difficult are they to replace? </font>
<font color="blue">I did not break any shear pins but I make sure my driveway is as free of rocks, leaves and sticks as possible before it snows. The blower comes with a couple pins conveniently located in holes in the blower housing. I cannot speak to how easy or hard they are to replace.
The TBN user Tanuke has a gravel drive if memory serves and I think he may have replaced a pin or two but it didn't sound like a big deal. Replacing pins may be more of a frequent occurance with a gravel drive before you get the skid shoes adjusted to your liking.
It would have been nice to have a slip clutch instead of pins but I suppose it's one more (expensive) thing to break and a pin is relatively cheap. If you find yourself replacing pins often you might be frustrated at the lack of a slip clutch. </font>
<font color="red">Do you think a cab enclosure is a good idea?
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<font color="blue">It would be nice. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Nothing seems as cold as fine particles of snow blasting your face when the wind gets a hold of the stuff coming out of the chute and blows it back in your face.
I wear a hat with ear and cheek protection which helps and clever movements of the chute can lessen the effect but let's face it, there's no way you aren't going to get some snow on you unless you have a cab enclosure or there is no wind. If you are hesitant about spending the $4,000 on the blower itself you probably aren't going to want to shell out for the enclosure unless you already have one already or can get one inexpensively.
In sum The blower is worth it to me, the money for the cab is not. If I had a million bucks, maybe I'd get a cab enclosure. The cup holder is real nice for holding an insulated mug of hot chocolate or coffee and you sort of forget about the blowing snow when you drive by your neighbor (who is shoveling or using a walk-behind blower when you are sipping the hot beverage of your choice. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif </font>
In sum I think the blower would be a good choice given your environment and the tractor you have. I snow that is much wetter than what you have so I would expect the blower to perform better for you than me.
When there is a lot of snow to be cleared or frequent storms plows are a problem. I constantly had snow piles taking up space in my turn circle in front of my garage when we had the driveway plowed. With the plow there would always be these huge snow banks that seemed to fall back into the driveway. The blower leaves perfect, straight edges and never leaves piles of snow where you don't want them.
The blower also leaves less snow behind. The plow always left 2 or more inches of compacted snow beneath the blade. If you are expecting 6+ feet of snow and make several passes the blower should not disappoint. After getting the blower I would
never go back to a plow and I feel the money was well spent.
I hope I have provided you with enough detail that you can make the best decision for your situation. Let me know if there is anything you are still unsure of. All the best,
Sleepyhollow
