Need advice on 3pt snowblower, brand and size questions.

[mikenmichele]

Hi guys. I have a J/D 4100 and a 48" track width. I was looking at 3pt snowblowers and the three I have to choose from by me are farm king(allied) , Blizzard and meteor. Now the next question is size. 50,51 0r 54" and could I go bigger such as 60" without slowing down my machine? I believe tractor is around 19 hp with 15-16 at pto? The only drawback to farmking that other dealers say is the dry gear vs oil bath on blizzard and meteor. thanks for the advice!!

 

[mark in da soo]

I have the 51" meteor for my 4100. It works very well and is nice size- sticks out just beyond the tires. I think you could get away with a 60" most of the time but depends on amount of snow you're dealing with- Not sure where you are located.

 

[mikenmichele]

Thanks for the reply! Im upstate new york. I was just about to give up on this post lol. Either way I've narrowed it down to two models. Blizzard or the farm king. Now the question is how wide. im told stay with the 50 inchers but if I go 60 and not take as big a bite Id be ok too?? I like the idea of more area behind my wheels but I want to buy this once and not regret getting something else! Thanks again for the reply!!

 

[grsthegreat]

I have been told by many people that the blower nneds to be AT THE MOST only 2-4 inches wider than the rear tire width. If you go too big, your tractor wont power it thru deep snow. I had a 60" farmking unit on a 28 hp Tractor and at times the TRACTOR really bogged down.

I Loved my farmking blower, but i did have to add a few gusset supports to the edges of the augar. Without these supports my augar tended to bend. I have rocks that grow out of the ground here.

 

[mikenmichele]

Well i take that back, Im between the meteor and the blizzard. The farm king has a cable chute drive vs. a worm gear on the blizzard. I like that better.

 

[grsthegreat]

Well i take that back, Im between the meteor and the blizzard. The farm king has a cable chute drive vs. a worm gear on the blizzard. I like that better.

Mind you, if you ever want to make the chute a hydraulic rotator, the farm king offers a kit for about $100.00 plus the cost of the cylinder. The cable rotator transition to hydraulic is sweet. After using the hydraulic rotator, you'll never want to go back.

 

[devildog1]

Go with the largest or widest you can run with your tractor. Either of the brands your speaking about are quite good. Only thing I would ask is do all have adjustable shoes on blowers? Blowers need to be about 1" + or _ above ground or driveway so they are are not picking up stones or other items not ment to go through augers.
DevilDog

 

[lungdoc]

With that power I'd probably go 54. Cable rotators work very well so don't let that be a huge factor, very fast. Is your tractor gear or hydro - easier to slow down with hydro and keep the blower spinning at full rpm's so might be able to get away with a bigger blower. I have a 74" unit with a 40 PTO HP hydro tractor, I don't bog down but feel it's sized right for the job.

 

[90cummins]

I have a 60" snow blower mounted on my 1720 12x12 gear with 23pto hp and the first pass down the driveway to the main road after a heavy snow storm will overwhelm and stall the engine requiring me to use the clutch excessively.
However after the first pass I can take smaller bites and not overload the tractor.
My friend had a smaller 1520 hydro and it handles the same snow blower just fine, well better than mine actually, the hydro makes all the difference.
If your tractor is a hydro go with the bigger one.
As far as dry gears my first snow blower had exposed dry gears and it was fine and it was used when I got it.
The only thing I did was spray them with WD-40 then lithium grease in an aerosol can to keep them from rusting during the summer. I also gave them a shot or 2 during the winter and the gears looked fine when I sold it.
I cured my 1720's HP problem with the addition of a turbo and a bit more fuel so the first full pass down the driveway should not be a problem anymore.

Tim

 

[mikenmichele]

Thanks for the replies. I purchased a 54" blizzard and am working on the parts to make the chute an electric rotation. I will post pics when I get it .Thanks again!!