Steep snow performance of Toolcat 5600?

   / Steep snow performance of Toolcat 5600?
  • Thread Starter
#21  
@ruffdog The only info QuickAttach provides is that it is a 2000 series Eaton Char-Lynn motor spec'd for 24 - 28 GPM, but they don't say which size it is. If I ever have to take it apart, I'll take note of the motor specs.
 
   / Steep snow performance of Toolcat 5600? #22  
great Job, my Bobcat blower is high flow and shear pins, had it stop many times even found the 14 inch adjustable wrench last fall and stopped dead but never sheared the pin, would be quite the job to fix in the field

clogging happens and a pain to clear, when the blower starts to throw the snow way less I back off even reverse of its out with a hockey stick

have fun and enjoy,
 
   / Steep snow performance of Toolcat 5600?
  • Thread Starter
#23  
A couple more "firsts" last weekend:
  • Drove the toolcat on sheer water ice on steep roads. Similar to the packed snow experience, the chains worked great going straight up or down, but slid when side hilling. For next season, I'll upgrade to chains with crossbars going in both directions and/or v-bar studded chains.

  • Used the blower to clear 12" - 18" of settled and frozen hard snow / ice that was hard enough to not leave footprints in it when walking on it. All of the blowing this weekend was while driving up steep access roads. It was slow going, requiring a few passes to get the first full-width cut through. After the first cut was done, I was able to take full-height / 1-pass cuts by taking a bite that only filled ~1/3 of the blower width.
The dirt road surfaces are uneven, making it hard to find the sweet spot between hitting/blowing dirt versus leaving too much snow and getting stuck.

I was impressed with the toolcat's ability to move 12" - 18" of frozen-solid mank going uphill. It's not quick, but it gets the job done.
 
   / Steep snow performance of Toolcat 5600? #24  
Keep up the good work.....Spring is coming!
 
   / Steep snow performance of Toolcat 5600?
  • Thread Starter
#25  
@Cycledude I saw your post about edge tamers.

Will they work on the cutting edge of a snow blower?
Will they work on uneven dirt roads, or do they only work on smooth surfaces (road beds, lawns, etc.)?
 
   / Steep snow performance of Toolcat 5600? #26  
My old Lorenz blower only has 2 small puck type skids and they don't work good. What I would do is mount a couple nice big skids on the sides like these guys sell:

Snow Blower Skids
 
   / Steep snow performance of Toolcat 5600?
  • Thread Starter
#27  
My old Lorenz blower only has 2 small puck type skids and they don't work good. What I would do is mount a couple nice big skids on the sides like these guys sell:

Snow Blower Skids

Interesting, I'll take a look. You're right I'm currently working with 2 puck-style skid shoes. I've adjusted the skid shoes to raise the cutting edge up, but I either haven't found the right height, I just need more experience (likely), or another type of shoe/guide would help.
 
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   / Steep snow performance of Toolcat 5600? #28  
the issue I find with the pucks is they are at the back of the blower frame so depending how you tilt it will allow the cutting edge to dig in and still ride on the pucks, just my opinion the skids should be beneath the edge that way it would rock on the skids without the edge digging
 
   / Steep snow performance of Toolcat 5600? #29  
The shoes I made for my rear blade are the size and shape of the ones on plows for pick-ups. They glide over uneven ground much better because of their size. For shoes, I think you just need a bigger footprint.
 
   / Steep snow performance of Toolcat 5600?
  • Thread Starter
#30  
This is better.

Guided by this discussion, I bought three 6" bolt-on Edge Tamers, and mounted them on the cutting edge of my blower. Each one installs by simply replacing one of the OEM cutting edge mounting bolts with the longer bolt provided with the Edge Tamer. The edge tamer gives the blower a steel ski to ride on and raises the cutting edge ~3/4" off the ground.

I gave it a quick try, clearing a road we hadn't yet opened this winter, blowing through about a foot of frozen, settled snow going uphill. They seem to do their job, allowing me to apply a lot of down-pressure on the blower to cut through the ice, but (mostly) preventing me from blowing dirt. TBD if they take away too much bite in tough conditions, but I think they'll be great.

I need another big storm to truly test these out.

Thanks for the suggestions!

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