Daigle-- don't forget: although the front mount blowers for our M-F SCUTs are wicked expensive, they work extremely well and it only takes a few minutes to swap from blower to FEL if you leave the front quick-hitch assembly/shoe and mid-PTO driveshaft in place; they do not interfere with FEL operation. That's what I do; the quick-hitch may get pushed into a snow bank when working with the FEL, but that hasn't been a problem with mine. I just brush it out and then can quickly go back to blower from FEL.
Dumb questions that deserve good answers.
- Thread starter AxleHub
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cdaigle430
Veteran Member
That's why I love this forum, I didnt know you can swap them out somewhat easily. I always thought it was a major PIA to mount the front snowblower which meant once you set it up for the winter that was it for the winter.
aczlan
Good Morning
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I don't have a front blower on our bx2660 but we do have a front blade which is pretty much the same mounting system except for the PTO shaft. I can take the front blade and tractor side mounting brackets off in 15 or 20 minutes. It's not really a big deal to do.
Aaron Z
Daigle, my blower has electric controls (not sure how the manual controls are to disengage), to which I've added a flat-four trailer connector under the hood to ease that part of the hook-up/removal.
I don't think it takes me more than 6-7 minutes to drop the blower onto a flat wheel dolly, and perhaps the same to re-attach. The FEL (also on a flat wheel dolly) takes me about 8 minutes to hook up, maybe 5 minutes to remove. Piece o' cake!
I don't think it takes me more than 6-7 minutes to drop the blower onto a flat wheel dolly, and perhaps the same to re-attach. The FEL (also on a flat wheel dolly) takes me about 8 minutes to hook up, maybe 5 minutes to remove. Piece o' cake!
coldsteelva
Veteran Member
I have the GC1720 and picked up a Martin Meteor 60-inch rear mount blower through Messicks. It works great and the GC handles it just fine. I have 900 feet of gradually sloping and curving gravel drive. As for blowing in reverse, it takes less than an hour to make a full width path (9-10 feet width/1800 feet). What I found works best is to sit side-saddle and hit the reverse pedal with my left foot. With the power steering it is easy to steer with my left hand. I didn't put a spinner on for winter last year, but I think that might make the grip and steering even easier while wearing heavy gloves.
OP
AxleHub
Elite Member
These flat wheel dollies must be quite large to accommodate putting your fel on it. Any pictures of that dolly? Where do you get them or do you make them?
fried1765
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Sometimes it takes courage to ask "dumb questions" (which could also be referred to as very learner type questions).
Asking those types of questions opens the asker up to jokes or mild embarrassment . . . but if you don't ask them you'll never know or end up guessing and repeating mistakes.
2 years ago I started the thread as a newbie tractor owner after many years of other types of equipment experiences. The idea of the thread was tapping into and sharing tractor knowledge or warnings to save the time and equipment of others having to experience it as well.
2 years later it's a good reminder for patience when new threads from new owners have problems that seem so obvious.
Take as an example a number of users on threads talking about their scuts losing power going up hills or the engine killing in the process. They don't think that high gear vs low gear makess a difference, or thick grass cutting up a hill makes a difference. To a new user, their unit is powerful and strong. But they forget they are cutting 54 inches or 60 inches wide instead of 38 or 42 inches wide with a lawn mower that weighs just 450 pounds.
Or they think high speed 's the primary speed and then they just use a little hst peddle instead of using low gear. One writer recently said on another thread. . . that they like going "fast" all the time. Lol.
So maybe a good dumb question for experienced users is "how come I get impatient with new users always asking simple questions? "
And the answer is "because you forgot what it was like to be new and trying to learn a pile of new things on your own. "
Patience to ask good questions when you're new is important and patience to give good answers when you're experienced is just as important.
There are several frequent contributors here on TBN, who SHOULD read your post, EACH time, before they respond!
Axle, probably using the wrong word for these things; some years back I had a car in storage that I needed to be able to move sideways. These wheel dollies fit the bill nicely, though I've since gotten rid of the car. Tire sits in the depression and the swivel casters are also steel.
Believe I got them from Northern Tool, maybe 10-15 bucks apiece or so. Use them for the blower, front quick-hitch assembly, FEL bucket... pretty handy. If the wheel are kept oiled, they roll --in any direction-- easily and can support a good deal of weight without issue.
Believe I got them from Northern Tool, maybe 10-15 bucks apiece or so. Use them for the blower, front quick-hitch assembly, FEL bucket... pretty handy. If the wheel are kept oiled, they roll --in any direction-- easily and can support a good deal of weight without issue.
OP
AxleHub
Elite Member
Well I'm still learning. Despite decades of Western Wisconsin winters, I didn't know it could snow at a 4 degree Fahrenheit temperature or less (plus wind chill factor) and it did it twice in the last 3 days. Now this isn't the snow of puffy large flakes floating down gently for Christmas memories. This is the super fine wind blown lakes that are cold and make for slippery walking even at a quarter inch deep. And these type of flakes need to be cleared on any inclined driveway or sidewalk because they make for slippery traction and no cling to concrete or blacktop.
So here I am starting the tractor at a -8 degrees and a feels like temp of -24 windchill because full sun won't melt or soften a 1 inch snowfall of these super cold flakes. The Snow Edge attached to the fel bucket removes this light but unexpected snowfall easily as long as the operator is willing (but not eager) to go up and down the inclines. Turf tires on a GC1715 are excellent traction but it still isn't how the 1st snowfalls of our winter are supposed to be in the end of December. Lol.
And my brand spanking new locknlube coupler I got for Christmas sits warm and unopened in the house because it's too cold to be testing it out in the kind of windchill. lol. It's already been a unique winter here while Mexico and Texas and Louisiana got the snows. Good thing they changed the fashionable phrase of "global warming" to "climate change" because we certainly have no "warming" here. So for now I'm reading my new coupler literature and imagining how nice it will work when we get a heat wave back up into the 30s. Lol.
So here I am starting the tractor at a -8 degrees and a feels like temp of -24 windchill because full sun won't melt or soften a 1 inch snowfall of these super cold flakes. The Snow Edge attached to the fel bucket removes this light but unexpected snowfall easily as long as the operator is willing (but not eager) to go up and down the inclines. Turf tires on a GC1715 are excellent traction but it still isn't how the 1st snowfalls of our winter are supposed to be in the end of December. Lol.
And my brand spanking new locknlube coupler I got for Christmas sits warm and unopened in the house because it's too cold to be testing it out in the kind of windchill. lol. It's already been a unique winter here while Mexico and Texas and Louisiana got the snows. Good thing they changed the fashionable phrase of "global warming" to "climate change" because we certainly have no "warming" here. So for now I'm reading my new coupler literature and imagining how nice it will work when we get a heat wave back up into the 30s. Lol.
We've had the same kind of snow here for the past few days... really cold (didn't get above zero Fri), and the snow is almost like ice crystals. So far we've gotten about 2-1/2 inches of that ^%$. And you're right on-- it's very greasy!
For my paved driveway, I've found one of those commercial grade garage-floor squeegees works exceptionally well, as long as the snow's less than 2" deep. Still have some leftover deeper stuff that I'll use the tractor/blower on... but had a heck of a time getting my tractor to start yesterday... but too late to do anything with it. Back at it today.
For my paved driveway, I've found one of those commercial grade garage-floor squeegees works exceptionally well, as long as the snow's less than 2" deep. Still have some leftover deeper stuff that I'll use the tractor/blower on... but had a heck of a time getting my tractor to start yesterday... but too late to do anything with it. Back at it today.