Reversing Using Mirrors With a 3PTH Snowblower

[Hilbilly]

Anyone do this with a cab tractor? I recall trying this with my previous open station tractor without much success. As I recall the mirrors would vibrate and get covered with snow dust, making them just about useless. But those were aftermarket mirrors and not securely mounted.

I now have a cab tractor with factory mirrors that are solidly mounted and they are higher. Wondering if I will have the same problems trying to use mirrors for monitoring the snowblower position or if this is a workable solution. I hate having to look over my shoulder for hours at a time and it isn't getting easier as I get older.

I would like to hear from people that actually do this or have tried it. I would prefer real life experience, not speculation.

 

[Citydude]

Well, if the snow gets blown on my cab doors, the mirrors are useless. Just ensure your throwing snow according to the wind. And yes, I use my mirrors however the first pass I look over my shoulder more than the mirrors.

 

[chim]

With the home brew / no mirror cab on the L3200 I have a backup camera. That allows me to check for something I might back into but not very good for finer maneuvers.

The L4240 has factory mirrors that work better than the camera in the L3200. Used it more for the RFM than the blower, but for precisely putting the implement where needed nothing works as well for me as turning and looking.

 

[shooterdon]

I am considering mounting a camera in the cab so the lens does not get a build up of snow on it. I have a rear wiper to get the snow off the rear glass.

But I have a pull blower so I am hoping the amount of looking backwards will be minimal and the camera will not be required. This will be the first year so keeping my options open as I learn.

If I had to drive in reverse all the time, a camera would be a must with my bad neck.

 

[zzvyb6]

Once you have a pull blower or front blade, you'll never look back ...

 

[mikester]

Heated mirrors help but are always prone to getting snow covered depending on wind direction. My windows are prone to fog too when they get coated with snow...especially the back window. I use heated 8" convex mirrors but find that there are too many blind spots and window fogging issues to rely on them 100%. I am still considering getting an automotive style window glass electric heating element for the rear window. The rear window wiper is the most reliable weapon. If you can mount a golf cart style multiple rear-view mirror in your cab that will help too.

If I was doing this commercially for several hours at a time I'd be considering a front mounted blower. Right now I only spend up to 1-2 hours to clean 4 driveways. I find doing it when the air temperatures are low i.e. early morning and the snow is powdery is the best solution all around and many times I can get it all done in 45 minutes. Cleaning with wind directions in mind lets me fly through the snow quickly with minimal fog and snow buildup.

I haven't tried a backup camera on the tractor. My experience with car backup cameras is that they become useless and prone to snow cover fast with a tiny viewing window. It could work if you have a way to wash and clean the lenses quickly and reliably.

A warm heated cab, a bigger HST tractor and a bigger blower has been my best solution to a sore neck.

 

[Katahdin]

I accidentally purchased these 12 volt heated West Coast Style mirrors for another project, I kept them because I think they'd work good for snowblowing. The heat would melt the snow and fog away, etc. I plan to attach them to my LX this winter.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BV1T8NW/

I might add, I've suffered from stiff neck issues and have been seeing a chiropractor for "adjustments" this past year, it has helped a lot. The tractor is not to blame for all my neck issues, however.

 

[5030]

With the home brew / no mirror cab on the L3200 I have a backup camera. That allows me to check for something I might back into but not very good for finer maneuvers.

The L4240 has factory mirrors that work better than the camera in the L3200. Used it more for the RFM than the blower, but for precisely putting the implement where needed nothing works as well for me as turning and looking.

Actually I have 3 cams on my cab unit. One facing back (wide angle), one facing right and back and one facing left and back. Use them when farming to watch the implements, especially the ones that run to the side. I used them to monitor the rear mount blower before I sold it and bought the front mount plow. All 3 run through one screen and I can put all of them on the screen at one time if I want to. Nest year, I'll add GPS global positioning and possible auto steer.

 

[Hilbilly]

So far nobody that has used or still uses this system has said it works well. I'm getting the sense that this is not a workable solution. I find the convex mirrors make it difficult to judge distances, even under ideal conditions. So using those mirrors to guide the tractor and blower under adverse conditions is not likely to work well, if at all. I was considering getting flat surface, heated mirrors but there would still be water on them, which would interfere with clear visibility but maybe it would be acceptable.

Rear cameras that I've seen are similar to the convex mirrors and distort the views, making it very difficult to judge distances.

Unless somebody responds to this thread, stating they have a method that works well with this system, it looks like I may be back to finding another solution.

 

[Reb954]

I use the mirrors some while snow blowing but not for the detail work. They do help some but aren't a reliable substitute for turning around to see what I am doing.

The biggest help I found from a visibility stand point is I fixed my snow blower chute so all the snow was blowing out the top of the chute rather than some spraying out of the joints. I also added a piece of thin wall pipe to the top plate of the chute. I molded it so it fit the square corners of the chute but the discharge end was still round so it channeled the snow where I wanted it to go and I ended up with less random spray. Those two fixes increased my throwing distance, improved my control over where the snow was being blown too and improved visibility. Picture in your mind water running onto a flat rock versus water coming out of a garden hose.