Snow Orange on Red

[Langanobob]

No, you don't want to pick up gravel with the blower. On pavement, most use float and let the blower slides follow any grade changes.

If blowing over gravel you have a couple of choices, many will slice a length of pipe to fit over the blower scraper blade. This can be steel pipe with a lengthwise slot (two cuts). Probably the easiest way to cut it would be a plasma cutter, 2nd choice oxy-acetylene, or an angle grinder with cutoff wheel (slow but doable).

Heard some will get a good layer of snow packed down by driving over it, then just blow what comes on top or that to avoid picking up gravel.

Since I don't have gravel to deal with, I've done neither of the above.

The slotted pipe over the scraper blade sounds worth trying, thanks. I got to try my blower out a couple of hours ago. Float worked fine in the heavy snow. I made some larger ski shaped shoes because I thought the original ones were too small. Sort of shot myself in the foot, it turned out that the longer shoes made it about impossible to turn when in float mode. I had to lift the blower to turn it. Chains, which I have but didn’t install, would’ve helped too. I see that we’re almost neighbors. I’m a few miles up Mt Rose Hwy, south of Reno.

 

[Langanobob]

I have a paved drive, and use float for the most part. Once in a while I will go into non-float to add down-pressure on certain trouble spots.

Float seemed to work fine earlier tonight going over heavy snow. The first test of the blower went real good. I made the adapter brackets myself and I was a little concerned something would go wrong.

 

[irvingj]

Ditto what others have said. If you use float on non-packed snow over gravel, you're likely to shoot rocks all over the place... until you shear a pin. (Keep plenty of replacement shearpins on hand.)

I finally got my driveway paved, but prior to that I'd pack down the first few snowfalls.

PS-- got married back in 1975 while viewing MT Rose.... we were at Emily Griel's ranch on the east side of Washoe, where my brother was caretaker/ranch hand. Pretty country, but a lot more crowded now!

 

[PILOON]

I just got my front mount snowblower hooked up and I値l be trying it out soon. Do you guys with front mount blowers use the float hydraulic position, or set the blower a fixed distance off the road? We have some gravel sections and a few rocks so I知 wondering about the need for keeping the blower up a little bit rather than letting it ride on the shoes. I値l be figuring this out for myself soon enough, the way the snow is coming down.

All blowers front and rear have the same problems with gravel drives.
Probably the simplest is to widen and lengthen the skids (shoes) that come with the blower.
I have made a few for myself and friends.

Basically flat steel about 2.5 or 3" wide by about 10" long with the 2 ends bent at 45 degrees to look like small skis with tips at both ends.
You weld them to the bottom of the existing factory skids.
You then adjust the height to always leave about 1" of snow which will compact and form a base but you will never blow stones again.
Once you have a good hard frozen base you can always remove the skids if U wish, but I never do so.

This has worked for me for many years now.
If you don't weld any small shop could do that for a modest fee.

Size suggested works on my 60" rear blower as well as friends 48" front mount.
And never rake any stones come spring nor replace shear bolts all winter.

And a blower has to run in float position as you will find out.

 

[irvingj]

You're right, PILOON, I had forgotten that-- yes, you have to use float, all the time, or sit there and (try to) fiddle with the height to avoid digging when the tractor rises & falls on a surface that's not perfectly level. It's darned near impossible, I've tried it. A packed base is definitely what you want over the gravel -- then use float.

Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[Langanobob]

All blowers front and rear have the same problems with gravel drives.
Probably the simplest is to widen and lengthen the skids (shoes) that come with the blower.
I have made a few for myself and friends.

Basically flat steel about 2.5 or 3" wide by about 10" long with the 2 ends bent at 45 degrees to look like small skis with tips at both ends.
You weld them to the bottom of the existing factory skids.
You then adjust the height to always leave about 1" of snow which will compact and form a base but you will never blow stones again.
Once you have a good hard frozen base you can always remove the skids if U wish, but I never do so.

This has worked for me for many years now.
If you don't weld any small shop could do that for a modest fee.

Size suggested works on my 60" rear blower as well as friends 48" front mount.
And never rake any stones come spring nor replace shear bolts all winter.

And a blower has to run in float position as you will find out.

Piloon, your description of the shoes is exactly what I’ve already done. Works well to keep the blower a reasonable distance off the gravel. Makes it want to go straight when I want it to turn, but I think a set of chains will help. Last resort I can modify the shoes so they pivot like casters. Thanks.

 

[Langanobob]

Well, the chains didn’t help much. Still have to get out of float mode and raise the blower a couple of inches when I want to turn. Have to modify the shoes.

I made my own brackets to mount the blue New Holland branded blower to my GC1720 and when I checked this morning every nut on my new brackets was loose. Must be lots of interesting vibration modes going on between the tractor engine and blower drive. Some red Loctite should hold things together. Thought about starting a new Blue on Red thread but decided to just keep it here

 

[Langanobob]

Sorry Langanbob - I haven't checked this forum in a while.

The mount is referred to as the Quick-Hitch subframe. It has a lift cylinder, hoses and a mid PTO shaft.
Looks like this:View attachment 537402
Front implements, Snow blower, Rotary Broom, Blade all have a female receiver:
View attachment 537404
I got the sub frame, minus the mid PTO Shaft, when I bought my MF 2330 Rotary Broom
The Mid PTO Shaft was a bit difficult to locate at the time. (I was able to order it from Jack's Small Engines)
The same Canadian company makes the Subframe, Snow Blowers, and Rotary Brooms for Red, Orange, and Blue tractors.
The Red Massey Blower is MF2360 (older design)
The Orange is BX5450 (new design)
and The Blue is 50CS (new design)
All are 50" snow blowers and are interchangeable tho I've been told there is a slight difference in Mid PTO rpm's and so the gearing of the chain driven augers are slightly different.
While that may very well be true, my Orange Blower mounted on my Red tractor does a fine job now in it's 3rd year.
What you are looking at in a New Holland 63CS is.... a 63" Blower which is not made to function on a 22-25hp subcompact tractor.
Different (bigger) animal

Just as a reference point for anyone who might be considering a 63 inch blower on a GC1700 series or other similar sized tractors, I have used my 63CS through two storms now and I cannot find any fault with it. If I dive too hard or fast into a windpacked drift, the motor will change pitch a little bit and I know to back off. Pretty sure the same thing would happen with a 50 inch blower.

We are at 6,000 feet and even with the elevation de-rating the GC1720 has plenty of power for it. I did not intentionally look for a 63 inch blower, the only 50 inch blower I found was a worn out POS and then I ran across a New Holland 63CS in great shape so I bought it. Actually glad I did. I have a little more than half a mile of road and the extra width makes a big difference and saves me from having to make three passes. Note that although I wish I owned half a mile of property, I do not own the road. It is a non-county maintained acess road to our neighborhood. We all share the snow removal chore.

 

[Langanobob]

Here are a couple of Blue on Red pictures. The blower is a New Holland CS63. It took a little bit of fabricating to the mount bracket working right. The mounting system is longer and reaches underneath the tractor, in contrast to the standard MF2360 mounting bracket that bolts to the front of the tractor frame. It all works pretty good. I have some fine tuning to do on it but it will wait 'til spring.

 

[dnw64]

Here are a couple of Blue on Red pictures. The blower is a New Holland CS63.

I assume that's a 63" blower? How's the power level of 1720 handle it?