Pros/Cons of Front Mount Snowblower vs Rear Mount

[grsthegreat]

Ive had a hydraulic front blower since 2011. Love it and would never go back to rear mount. My neck issues forced me to quit driving backwards for 4-6 hours at a time moving north idaho snow. The unit requires about 2-3 hours installation time at beginning of season. This is spent installing chains on all 4 wheels (which takes more time than the blower does). The hydraulic unit installs pretty easily as it consist of a pump that attaches to drawbar and a 3 point tank. There are 2 - 1” hoses that route under tractor and up alongside loader arms to a plate i attach on arms. The blower unit has electric over hydraulic chute deflecter and rotation using control mounted on bucket control lever. I can swap between blower, bucket or plow in a few minutes.
The chains arnt necessary for blower but are for plow. I use the plow when ground is not frozen enough or when we only get a few inches of snow.
The chute rarely clogs and throws wet snow or dry. I can blow snow piles 5 feet high if i need to. When my barn sheds and horses cant get out i can easily blow down the piles. There are NO shear pins.
There is a hydraulic bypass device to stop rotation if clogged. Man i hated shear pin replacement with my old blower. The plow is twice as fast moving snow, but the blower eliminates side berms.
Oh...and i move snow facing forewards. Worth every penny.

 

[FatTire]

There are NO shear pins.
There is a hydraulic bypass device to stop rotation if clogged.

Maybe shear pins have some sort of internal mechanism that causes them to break considerably more often in the dark, extreme cold, high winds, or when you're under some time pressure. Yesterday was warm and blue sky, and I spent 15 minutes to blow back a few small drifts. Mostly recreational. Never ever break a shear pin on a casual day like that. So do I understand the value of hydraulic bypass?? You bet.

 

[K man]

I have a 66 inch hydraulic front mounted snowblower on my CK30 HST and love it. It takes 1/2 hour 2 guys to take off the blower and quick attach frame or 1 hour alone. Then it takes me 15 minutes to install the FEL. I have a soft cab on the tractor but looking into a new Compact Kab with heat. Then it will be perfect for blowing in my t-shirt at -30.

 

[Z-Michigan]

This is the age-old snow question, isn't it?

I was debating this a year ago, and went with rear (PTO) mostly for cost, but also so I could have FEL use all winter. For me, it was the right decision. Rear blower is just fine for the fresh, deep snows where it is needed and useful. The loader bucket was great for quick clearing of light snow, stacking piles, pushing back banks that were too old/tough for the blower, etc. Perhaps most importantly, when I broke a shear bolt on the blower and just wanted to be done, the loader was still there and operational for doing some rough clearing to get on with my day, and change the bolt later like in the evening.

I'm looking at getting a FEL-mounted blade or pusher for next winter, so I have better, faster options for clearing lighter snows while keeping the blower for heavy snows. I would still be several thousand dollars ahead of a front blower if I do so. (We have snow 4-5 months of the year, and during the winter it never melts enough to go away, just enough to harden and become un-blowable, so I have to clear any snow over 2" or so.)

 

[K man]

I have a back blade that I use to push some of the snow in tight area. I have tried to do some snow removal with the FEL and found it a nightmare and took forever to do my driveway. The snow blower has not let me down yet and my driveway does not have any banks as I blow away into the bush or fields. I may break a pin or two during the winter and usually cause by hitting a small stone or a really hard crusty piece of ice. Even with a pin broken I can still blow a bit without the auger working but the fan still blows pretty good.

 

[majorwager]

Rear snow blower without a cab is a looser. 25 years of wearing more snow than the machine tosses toward the snowbanks is a less than fond memory.

EDIT: heated winter cab - pure bliss!!

 

[K man]

I hear you when I first purchased my Kioti with front mount blower I ate a lot of snow and froze to death looked like a snow man. lol. Then I bought a soft cab which kept the snow out of my face but was still cold inside till the body heat started to fog up the plastic windows. This is why this year I am going with the heated cab and comfort.

 

[KenBike]

Building a cabin with 600 ft gravel drive that goes up a hill from the road 50 ft in north west lower MI.
In the snow belt so it will get so big dumps.
Have 2 acres of grass so planning a 72" finish mower 3 point.
Thinking a Kubota 2650 with FEL and 61" rear blower. Really don't want a cab, but wondered if I will get more snow on me then off the driveway?
I use a 26 hp Grasshopper front mount with a 60" blower at my home in Ohio and get pretty covered when the wind blows?

 

[K man]

Update post. I had a hard factory cab installed this Spring. My machine is a lot quieter inside now but no AC. I used it this summer with the heater fans on and windows open and it was cool inside. Can't wait for Winter so I can blow in comfort with the heat. Bottom pic is the soft cab you will also see the Kioti 66" dual stage hydraulic front mount snow blower in the background.

 

[leonz]

The Reist Series 1000 single stage snow thrower with wider gathering wings would work well for you as it has fewer moving parts and the snow thrower rotor rotates at up to 700 RPM at the 540 RPM engine speed.
You would need 2 sets of remotes for the hydraulic rotation of the chute and the double acting hydraulic cylinder for the spout angle control-unless your rear window pushes out to reach the chute crank if you do not need to have hydraulic chute and spout control.

The Pronovost TRC800 with the rotating impeller housing that lets you bypass the chute and spout and discharge heavy wet snow to the left or right is an option but it will cost twice as much as a Reist single stage with the crank for chute rotation. You can add hydraulic controls to the Riest series 1000 unit later if you wish to.