snow pusher vs. rear 3pt blower

nybirdman · Apr 12, 2016

Having lived and worked in Central NY;you do need a blower for sure.Perfect set-up would be a Quick connect plow on the front and a blower.People;they measure snow there by the foot.Pretty hairy to wake up and see that big lump of snow is the roof of your vehicle.

chim · Apr 13, 2016

For driveways and other places that aren't 40' wide the blower has been a great tool. I do a couple parking lots at the church. I can do some of it with the blower (cut a path in, some perimeter touchup, etc. The FEL is needed for pushing or stacking because the lots are too wide to throw the snow off the lots. I tried throwing the snow as far as I could, then hitting it again with the blower but the snow's density increased each time it was blown and it got to the point the shear bolts weren't happy.

Kubotafan · Apr 13, 2016

I used an open station B7500 and a 4' rear snowblower for 5 years. I bought a piece of Plexiglas about 4" wider on either side than the roll bar, and the height of the distance from the top link to the top of the roll bar. I drilled holes in the Plexiglas and attached it with 4 u-bolts. It wasn't a cab, but it made a BIG difference on how much snow the wind blew back on me. Face facts, you won't always be able to blow with the wind, and even in a cab there are times when the blowing snow will stick to the glass and obscure your view.

hutchman · Apr 13, 2016

chim said:
For driveways and other places that aren't 40' wide the blower has been a great tool. I do a couple parking lots at the church. I can do some of it with the blower (cut a path in, some perimeter touchup, etc. The FEL is needed for pushing or stacking because the lots are too wide to throw the snow off the lots. I tried throwing the snow as far as I could, then hitting it again with the blower but the snow's density increased each time it was blown and it got to the point the shear bolts weren't happy.

I learned the shear bolt lesson this year too. Unfortunately it was during weather that made the stores close so they were unobtainable for a day.

I picked up a used 6ft rear blower from a friend and got a few opportunities to play with it this winter. My real intent is to convert it to run off a hydraulic motor and put it on the FEL to save my neck!

JWR · Apr 13, 2016

hutchman said:
I learned the shear bolt lesson this year too. Unfortunately it was during weather that made the stores close so they were unobtainable for a day. I picked up a used 6ft rear blower from a friend and got a few opportunities to play with it this winter. My real intent is to convert it to run off a hydraulic motor and put it on the FEL to save my neck!

The hyd motor driven blower up front is a great idea. A dealer told me of a hyd motor driven blower being used at a small airport. Problem was they failed to realize the hydraulic flow required. Dealer had to put in all new hoses of a larger size. Unless you have heroic amounts of hydraulic flow from your tractor it may not run the snow blower well. Gearing may be a solvable issue too. Still should be a great project. I think you will have to use a PTO-driven pump & long hoses to do that one because the flow on your LS is not going to hack it I'm afraid.
Note: I ran a hydraulic motor driven, very heavy bladed, 5' bush hog on my FEL using an 81HP MF tractor. It was barely operable, bogged down often, lacking enough flow to make the cutter robust.

chim · Apr 14, 2016

hutchman said:
I learned the shear bolt lesson this year too. Unfortunately it was during weather that made the stores close so they were unobtainable for a day.................

I carry two zippered bags under the seat. One has a few tools and pins for normal operating. The other has a bunch of shear bolts and nylock nuts for the blower, along with wrenches to fit them. After snapping a few bolts for experience

I have been able to get out, replace the bolt, and back in without having to put my coat on.

hutchman · Apr 14, 2016

JWR said:
The hyd motor driven blower up front is a great idea. A dealer told me of a hyd motor driven blower being used at a small airport. Problem was they failed to realize the hydraulic flow required. Dealer had to put in all new hoses of a larger size. Unless you have heroic amounts of hydraulic flow from your tractor it may not run the snow blower well. Gearing may be a solvable issue too. Still should be a great project. I think you will have to use a PTO-driven pump & long hoses to do that one because the flow on your LS is not going to hack it I'm afraid.
Note: I ran a hydraulic motor driven, very heavy bladed, 5' bush hog on my FEL using an 81HP MF tractor. It was barely operable, bogged down often, lacking enough flow to make the cutter robust.

Yes, thers no way the remotes on my tractor would handle it. I'm going to bold face copy a newer model and what others manufacturers have done ... PTO pump with large hydraulic tank on the 3pt with hoses going up front. Might do electric for chute control.

The blower is a 6ft MK Martin and it really is for a lower horsepower tractor but that didn't bother me since I planned to modify it anyway.

hutchman · Apr 14, 2016

chim said:
I carry two zippered bags under the seat. One has a few tools and pins for normal operating. The other has a bunch of shear bolts and nylock nuts for the blower, along with wrenches to fit them. After snapping a few bolts for experience I have been able to get out, replace the bolt, and back in without having to put my coat on.

My other goal one day is a home made cab. I want to be able to move snow (we don't get it very often but our new place will have a 1/4 mile driveway so I need to be ready) while listening to tunes with the heat going sipping on hot chocolate.

GManBart · Apr 15, 2016

totouchantler said:
Cons for blower: It is very windy on the hill I live on (open work station snow blowing everywhere as it is), having to drive in reverse, having to add extra rear remotes at quite a good cost .

There is no need to drive in reverse with a 3pt blower if you get an inverted blower. They're extremely popular in places that get a lot of snow, and most of the good ones are actually made in Canada (where they're very popular). Some folks with small tractors (not your L3901) worry they won't be able to drive through the snow if it's really deep, and some folks think driving over the snow will compact it, but pretty much everybody who uses one says the blower easily lifts and throws the bit that gets driven over.

The only real downside is they cost a bit more than a regular 3pt blower, but it's still way less than a front-mount blower'

JWR · Apr 15, 2016

GManBart said:
There is no need to drive in reverse with a 3pt blower if you get an inverted blower. They're extremely popular in places that get a lot of snow, and most of the good ones are actually made in Canada (where they're very popular). Some folks with small tractors (not your L3901) worry they won't be able to drive through the snow if it's really deep, and some folks think driving over the snow will compact it, but pretty much everybody who uses one says the blower easily lifts and throws the bit that gets driven over.

The only real downside is they cost a bit more than a regular 3pt blower, but it's still way less than a front-mount blower'

No, I disagree, that is not the only downside. The inverted snowblower means you have to run the tractor over or through the snow BEFORE it is removed or blown. No doubt "inverted" blowers are effective in many places under some conditions and they do offer an alternative. But if you wade into very deep snow, especially snow that has settled and packed some before removal, a small tractor dragging a blower behind will simply get hung. Won't work. They probably work well with large tractors with lots of clearance but not with smaller tractors having less clearance.

Also, the only cases where an inverted blower would work well with smaller tractors are cases where the snow is not very deep and to me that is where you did not need a blower in the first place.