Snow Attachments Pro/ cons and issues with front-mounted Snow Blower for Compact Tractor

[kco]

When I bought my Kioti I also bought the front mount blower for it. ($8,000.oo)
I found that heavy wet snow and snow blowers do NOT get along. They plug up and I found that I spent more time clearing chute obstructions than actually blowing snow. I haven't used my front mount for three years and have no intentions of using it this year. In fact it is for sale the first 4 grand takes it AND the harness and drive shaft away. A bucket is better IMHO, because IF you get stuck you can pry yourself out with the bucket. You can't do that with the blower on the front.

I have a 72" MK Martin pull-type on my DK35SE HST. I can avoid heavy wet snow (we get a lot of it) plugging as long as I keep a good volume of snow going through it. I do that by adjusting the ground speed to ensure there is a continuous thick column blasting through the chute. If I need to stop or slow down I first raise the running blower so small amounts of snow are not entering it. When I lower it again I make sure I have it moving fast enough to keep the blower very busy. It seems that as long as it is pushing a continuous column the blower will not plug.

I do find the blower will occasionally plug if I leave it too long while raised but not blowing snow. When I start up again it can instantly plug. I think the snow on the side of the chute settles at the shelf at the lower end of the chute and the column of snow can't force it out when I start blowing again. It won't happen as long as I don't pause too long. It happens perhaps 2 to 3 times in a year. I carry a tree planter's spade ( Planting Shovels ) to clear the chute.

 

[finn1]

I bought my Kioti specifically for the front mounted blower and cab.

We get ~300” of mostly lake effect (dry) snow, with typically a wet storm early in the year and around St Patrick’s Day.

Plugging isn’t an issue (except when I break a shear pin).

I wouldn’t own a rear mounted blower.

The plow truck is faster until mid season when you run out of space to stack the snow. The truck also has a tendency to back into things like trees. Most plow trucks here have scars from backing into things.

 

[grsthegreat]

My front loaded unit is hydraulic....so no shear pins. Just that alone sold me.

 

[pmsmechanic]

When I bought my Kioti I also bought the front mount blower for it. ($8,000.oo)
I found that heavy wet snow and snow blowers do NOT get along. They plug up and I found that I spent more time clearing chute obstructions than actually blowing snow. I haven't used my front mount for three years and have no intentions of using it this year. In fact it is for sale the first 4 grand takes it AND the harness and drive shaft away. A bucket is better IMHO, because IF you get stuck you can pry yourself out with the bucket. You can't do that with the blower on the front.

I have cleared snow with both a front end loader and a front mount snow blower. I've found I can blow about the same amount of snow in one hour as it takes me to push in 4 hours. We rarely have trouble with snow sticking in the chute. Spraying the chute with Pam goes a long ways towards resolving snow sticking.

 

[hube2]

I guess that makes me an idiot due to not minding backing about anything up.

Me also. I have never minded backing anything up.

I don't want to unhook/hook up anything if needed. With the rear blower I always have the FEL and the blower for whatever the snow calls for at the time. I have to get out of bed by 5:15AM in order to give myself enough time to get the tractor started, warmed, and clear whatever snow finds it way to my driveway in time form my wife to leave and get to work on time. Since I never know what I'll wake up to if I needed to plan extra time just in case I need to switch implements that would mean an even earlier wake up time (and I hate getting up early) plus taking longer to get the job done. I spend more than enough time out moving snow without adding to it. There are days when I need to move snow 3 or 4 times even when it's not snowing due to the wind where I live. My driveway is only about 150' long, but I also need to clear half my front yard to defend against the 4 to 6 foot drifts that will appear if I don't. At 30 to 90 minutes a pop + warm up time, on bad days I spend most of my free time moving snow.

I love where I live, but you can't live here if you're not prepared for snow management.

I have thought about hiring it out. I got an estimate for the entire winter once. Lets just say that my new tractor will pay for itself long before the warranty expires.

Like others have said, it really depends on your conditions and what you will need to deal with. If I could put on a front blower and know that I would not need to take it off I'd probably have gone that way, but there are always times when I need to be able to dig rather than blow and I'll never know when that will be until I get out start working.

As far as backing up, I find that a lot of people don't like backing up because they find it difficult to steer in reverse, I can understand that as well, most people have little experience going backwards. I have relatives that can't back their car out of my driveway without going into the ditch. I once had a job driving fork trucks, as some will know, these usually steer from the back. It's like backing up everywhere you go. Drive one of these long enough and you find that you can back a car up as fast at the reverse gear will let you go.

 

[grsthegreat]

Me also. I have never minded backing anything up.

I don't want to unhook/hook up anything if needed. With the rear blower I always have the FEL and the blower for whatever the snow calls for at the time. I have to get out of bed by 5:15AM in order to give myself enough time to get the tractor started, warmed, and clear whatever snow finds it way to my driveway in time form my wife to leave and get to work on time. Since I never know what I'll wake up to if I needed to plan extra time just in case I need to switch implements that would mean an even earlier wake up time (and I hate getting up early) plus taking longer to get the job done. I spend more than enough time out moving snow without adding to it. There are days when I need to move snow 3 or 4 times even when it's not snowing due to the wind where I live. My driveway is only about 150' long, but I also need to clear half my front yard to defend against the 4 to 6 foot drifts that will appear if I don't. At 30 to 90 minutes a pop + warm up time, on bad days I spend most of my free time moving snow.

I love where I live, but you can't live here if you're not prepared for snow management.

I have thought about hiring it out. I got an estimate for the entire winter once. Lets just say that my new tractor will pay for itself long before the warranty expires.

Like others have said, it really depends on your conditions and what you will need to deal with. If I could put on a front blower and know that I would not need to take it off I'd probably have gone that way, but there are always times when I need to be able to dig rather than blow and I'll never know when that will be until I get out start working.

As far as backing up, I find that a lot of people don't like backing up because they find it difficult to steer in reverse, I can understand that as well, most people have little experience going backwards. I have relatives that can't back their car out of my driveway without going into the ditch. I once had a job driving fork trucks, as some will know, these usually steer from the back. It's like backing up everywhere you go. Drive one of these long enough and you find that you can back a car up as fast at the reverse gear will let you go.

well, for me i have absolutely no issues with backing up anything. i have a 30' horse trailer that i can back thru anything. the problem lies in driving backwards for 6 hours to clear snow after a heavy storm. after 14 years of doing it with my old tractor and blower setup i had enough. also, what used to take 6 hours to totally clear in the past takes less than half that time now with new setup. as an example, when my barn shed i would have a pile of snow 4-6 feet high that would trap the horses outside their stalls. with the old setup i would have to pull down a section of snow with bucket, turn tractor around and blow snow away, turn and repeat. this would take hours for each side of barn. with new setup i simply raise blower up to top of pile and blow until tractor starts climbing hill, back up and lower blower, go forward and repeat. what used to take hours can be done in 20-30 minutes.

 

[hube2]

well, for me i have absolutely no issues with backing up anything. i have a 30' horse trailer that i can back thru anything. the problem lies in driving backwards for 6 hours to clear snow after a heavy storm. after 14 years of doing it with my old tractor and blower setup i had enough. also, what used to take 6 hours to totally clear in the past takes less than half that time now with new setup. as an example, when my barn shed i would have a pile of snow 4-6 feet high that would trap the horses outside their stalls. with the old setup i would have to pull down a section of snow with bucket, turn tractor around and blow snow away, turn and repeat. this would take hours for each side of barn. with new setup i simply raise blower up to top of pile and blow until tractor starts climbing hill, back up and lower blower, go forward and repeat. what used to take hours can be done in 20-30 minutes.

Nope, that does not sound like fun. These are the conditions that you have to work with and what works for you.

I used to have a front mounted blower on a tractor that really wasn't up to the task but I have been there hacking the snow down and then blowing over and over again, I can understand that. When I had to do this it was always because of the depth and wetness of the snow that would just snap shear bolts if I tried to blow it without making it more manageable. Let's say that I will probably still have to do this for the nastiest conditions, and I already know this. But it's also one of the reasons I clear half my front yard because it helps prevent needing to move 4 to 6 foot piles. This will be my first year with this setup and I'll just need to see how it goes, but after 25 years of living here I put a lot of thought into the decision. Between my own experience and by watching my neighbors using various types of equipment in the same conditions I'm hoping I made the right decision. I guess we'll see how I feel in April

 

[MoMower]

Have a MF gc1723 SCUT. Did it with a rear blower and bucket for about 4 years, mile of paved driveway. Last year found a used front mount. Would not go back to a rear mount if you paid me. Much easier and quicker.

 

[BrkMstr]

Had a GMC 2500HD with a Hiniker C-Plow, did a nice job but ended up with banks all around property - the Kioti does a much better job, and like most I have no issues with backing up, but given the choice, much happier looking forward, the Kioti set up works very well, no issues with it clogging, shear pins are easily replaced, the only one I've had to do is when I hit a tree limb that had fallen / was buried, the blower is definitely a quality made unit, makes the job quick and easy..... -

 

[Dmacleo]

Had a GMC 2500HD with a Hiniker C-Plow, did a nice job but ended up with banks all around property - the Kioti does a much better job, and like most I have no issues with backing up, but given the choice, much happier looking forward, the Kioti set up works very well, no issues with it clogging, shear pins are easily replaced, the only one I've had to do is when I hit a tree limb that had fallen / was buried, the blower is definitely a quality made unit, makes the job quick and easy..... - View attachment 675024

this brings up a point I wonder about.
I plow my own road (2011 silverado 2500HD Boss 9.2 XT v blade) and end up creating 10ft high banks. been clearing using a gc1710 or MF1532, this year will use my own GC2400. wondering if front mount blower lifts high enough to allow "climbing" a bank to blow it down. or does a rear lift higher for this?

 

[grsthegreat]

my front loader mount will lift as high as my loader arms can lift, but thats because its fed by rear hydraulic lines. front mounted units that power off of mid pto's cant lift very far up.

 

[Dmacleo]

my front loader mount will lift as high as my loader arms can lift, but thats because its fed by rear hydraulic lines. front mounted units that power off of mid pto's cant lift very far up. View attachment 676555

HA that would work but not sure they make one for the GC series LOL
man could I clear a bank nicely with that unit, don't want to move to maine and be my friend do you ? LOL

 

[metalbender]

Sweet. I looked at the rear pump/ hyd blower idea. If you have to blow it from that high, thinkin you need a bigger tractor. I do enjoy watching vids from Europe, where they have mega snow chompers.

 

[grsthegreat]

i dont ever need to go that high, but when i clear the snow that sheds from barn roof it needs to go pretty high. if i dont clear it it melts and runs into barn, and the horses cant get in or out.



when i used to have to clear this with rear blower, i would have to use bucket to bring down some snow, then turn around and blow it. took about 4+ hours per side. with the front blower i raise unit up and drive until front wheels touch snow, back up and lower and go forward again. maybe have 30 minutes per side at most now.

 

[grsthegreat]

HA that would work but not sure they make one for the GC series LOL
man could I clear a bank nicely with that unit, don't want to move to maine and be my friend do you ? LOL

idaho snow is bad enough. actually my 45 HP is probably a bit underpowered for this setup. 55HP would probably be better, or 75 even. but i got a great deal on this tractor back in 2011. and it really has been a great tractor. for normal 6-8" snowfall days, this unit just speds along nicely and throws white junk far away so the wind doesnt simply blow it back onto the roads. when the snow is too wet, or early in season i run an 84" plow. is alot faster than blower. but leaves those pesky berms. and i truly hate berms.

 

[Dmacleo]

work it until it screams is my motto

 

[BrkMstr]

this brings up a point I wonder about.
I plow my own road (2011 silverado 2500HD Boss 9.5 XT v blade) and end up creating 10ft high banks. been clearing using a gc1710 or MF1532, this year will use my own GC2400. wondering if front mount blower lifts high enough to allow "climbing" a bank to blow it down. or does a rear lift higher for this?

I don't have a problem with the banks, I lift the blower and move into it, when the front lifts I back out move forward and repeat - we should be pretty close to the same temps, I'm not dealing with a lot of slush / frozen stuff, we stay pretty cold, so the banks drop when I undercut them - the blower set up is nice unit it cuts in well and moves it easily, at least twice a season I have to move back the road banks as the plows do not follow the contour of the road, neighbor is surprised how well the blower cuts it and moves it back as they are pretty high....

 

[Dmacleo]

I don't have a problem with the banks, I lift the blower and move into it, when the front lifts I back out move forward and repeat - we should be pretty close to the same temps, I'm not dealing with a lot of slush / frozen stuff, we stay pretty cold, so the banks drop when I undercut them - the blower set up is nice unit it cuts in well and moves it easily, at least twice a season I have to move back the road banks as the plows do not follow the contour of the road, neighbor is surprised how well the blower cuts it and moves it back as they are pretty high....

ok thats is helpful, thanks

 

[Rustyiron]

I'm considering the purchase of a front-mounted snow blower for my bx2380.


Any pros / cons or issues of a front-mounted snow blower, along with vendors / models?

It all comes down to your snow amounts and conditions. Where are you?
If you get a whopper 6" snow once a year, you're wasting your money. If you get 6" 3 times a week that's a different story. Blowers are a neat tool for the right conditions and don't get me wrong I have both, plows and a blower but plows just like blowers have their place in snow removal. It's your conditions that matter.
A guy in the middle of a wind blown field can get blown shut 6' deep with a "small" snowfall. grsthegreat has snow sliding off his barn roof ie; concentrated to say the least :laughing: and need's it way away for the next snow. These are just 2 "conditions". What's yours.?

 

[crazyal]

Since nobody asked how close are you to other houses (or other things that would restrict you from blowing snow in that direction)? IS it wide open and do you get lots of wind coming from multiple directions? Before I got my front mount blower I used a 2 1/2 ton 4wd dump truck with a 10' plow. By middle of January the banks got so big I had to borrow a tractor with a loader to push them back. It's not an issue now as the blower will throw the snow over a 6' bank. But at the same time it doesn't make snow banks like a plow. I have almost no use for my loader in the winter. In fact about 75% of the winters I've gone through I've left the blower on for the entire season.

I will caution about leaving 4" of packed snow. Rain will turn that snow into slush if you get a January thaw. The plunging temps that follow will turn it into a skating rink. Your location will make a difference of course but for me, I just keep the blower high enough to skim over the gravel. Once the driveway freezes I raise the shoes so I'm not allowing it to build up any further.

A snow blower is slow and a front mount might actually be even slower since you loose power if the PTO power has to go out the rear of the tractor then through a gearbox that changes it to go to the front. But you will not struggle to see both corners and with HST you can just set the pace that allows you to keep the PTO speed up.