ruffdog
Super Member
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It would be hard to "pull" through this....
Skid steer snow blower on tractor loader?
- Thread starter hayden
- Start date
OP
hayden
Veteran Member
Interesting. It's always been a challenge for me, even when the blower precedes the tractor. It's especially difficult after the banks have been around for a while and been through some freeze/thaw and have hardened up. The skid shoes want to ride up on the residual snow rather than cut into it.
Anyway, I'm dropping a pull-behind from my list of options. In my situation there are just too many places where I'll have to be looking back at the blower, which is exactly what I'm trying to get away from. If I only hand long, straight, and flat runs I would probably feel differently, but I don't.
OP
hayden
Veteran Member
That's exactly what I face for much of my clearing work. Thanks for the picture.
jkb7810
Member
Not sure if anyone has brought this up yet.
www.zuidbergna.com
Front 3-point Hitch + Front PTO - The Performance Pioneers
Zuidberg is the world leader in front 3 point hitch and front PTO solutions. Offering OEM quality through aftermarket channels
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metalbender
Veteran Member
ERSKINE front mount tractor blower. Pricy though.
bennatti
Bronze Member
Yes..I also use it when bush-hogging and when using the grader blade (in the winter I often push the snow in reverse with my grader blade.) I got camera system from Rearviewsafey.com. Even though I have a cab my installation required no drilling of holes in the cab. Flagship Backup Camera System
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JWR
Elite Member
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That is usually seen only on very large tractors. I found when travelling that a large % of the machines in Austria and the Alps use the front end pto on very steep ground with bush hogs and even hay cutters. In this country that's a super expensive feature limited to only a few tractor types (and not any of the smaller ones we have been talking about.) But that is THE WORLD BEATER ... if you got the money and the desire, a full blown front end PTO and 3pt will cure any snow blowing issues once and for all. And of course could run a blade on the back concurrently.Not sure if anyone has brought this up yet.
Front 3-point Hitch + Front PTO - The Performance Pioneers
Zuidberg is the world leader in front 3 point hitch and front PTO solutions. Offering OEM quality through aftermarket channels
ptsg
Super Member
Yes, it's very common in Europe to have front 3 pt hitch plus PTO, even on 20 HP tractors.
Around here, I'm pretty sure it would come up a lot cheaper than the proprietary stuff that Kubota and JD sell. 3 pt implements are cheap compared to that proprietary hitches.
Here is a channel of a guy in Belgium I believe, with a Kubota B2261 with front 3 pt + PTO. He uses it for mower, blower and broom. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVLwyPBEkywtB2XB-ZrxC6A/videos
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hayden
Veteran Member
Well, here we go. I bought a lightly used Erskine snow blower that is front mounted on my loader's skid steer mount, is hydraulically powered, and includes a PTO powered hydraulic power pack. So come along for the ride to see how well it works.
New, these seem to go for around $15k, and I got this for $6500. I had to drive 8hr each way to get it, but I think it will be worth it.
The big issue with this arrangement for a blower is getting enough power to it. Sizing the hydraulics I think is the key. The power pack is 24 gpm at a pto speed of 540 rpm, and it can develop up to 3000 psi. In rough numbers that's 48hp which is a good match for my tractor's 50 pto hp. So the power pack should be able to extract all the power my tractor has available. Then the blower motors are sized for 22-25 gpm, so at 24 gpm I'll be driving it at the upper end of it's speed rating. In theory, this is set up as a perfect match for my tractor. This will inevitably be lower net power vs the push-behind pto driven blower I've been using, but I'm willing to give up some power so I can work facing forward instead of in reverse. Worst case, I just slow down a bit. Now we get to see how all this matches up to reality.
So far I just have the equipment laid out in my shop. The hydraulic hoses are set up a bit funny from the previous install, and look like it as powering something else in addition to the blower, including an extra return hose fitting. I have removed all that so it can be connected as intended.
Stay tuned.
New, these seem to go for around $15k, and I got this for $6500. I had to drive 8hr each way to get it, but I think it will be worth it.
The big issue with this arrangement for a blower is getting enough power to it. Sizing the hydraulics I think is the key. The power pack is 24 gpm at a pto speed of 540 rpm, and it can develop up to 3000 psi. In rough numbers that's 48hp which is a good match for my tractor's 50 pto hp. So the power pack should be able to extract all the power my tractor has available. Then the blower motors are sized for 22-25 gpm, so at 24 gpm I'll be driving it at the upper end of it's speed rating. In theory, this is set up as a perfect match for my tractor. This will inevitably be lower net power vs the push-behind pto driven blower I've been using, but I'm willing to give up some power so I can work facing forward instead of in reverse. Worst case, I just slow down a bit. Now we get to see how all this matches up to reality.
So far I just have the equipment laid out in my shop. The hydraulic hoses are set up a bit funny from the previous install, and look like it as powering something else in addition to the blower, including an extra return hose fitting. I have removed all that so it can be connected as intended.
Stay tuned.
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