3 pt. leaf blower

[Don87]

I'm going to throw this out there(dunno if it has been discussed before)...........but I have a spare furnace blower............. Seems to me like it would work with a few modifications, and potentially save a person a buck or two as compared to a commercial unit.


Thoughts?

 

[SSdoxie]

Sounds interesting. Going to run off PTO or mount engine on it?

 

[Don87]

I was honestly considering PTO, and putting a pulley on the shaft to adjust blower speed.

 

[mjncad]

How fast does a factory made leaf blower spin compared to the furnace blower's normal speed?

If you have to speed up the furnace blower, will the bearings take the added RPM?

How are you intending to funnel the airflow so it does effective blowing?

If you build it, please post plenty of pics and let us know how well it works.

 

[Don87]

How fast does a factory made leaf blower spin compared to the furnace blower's normal speed?

If you have to speed up the furnace blower, will the bearings take the added RPM?

How are you intending to funnel the airflow so it does effective blowing?

If you build it, please post plenty of pics and let us know how well it works.

I'll answer the first two questions at once, I think the rated speed for the furnace blower will be fine(taking for granted that one uses a large blower).(they will take the hat off your head).

The blowers that I'm accustomed to working with actually use 'bushings' instead of bearings,...........but with that said.............considering the service life of a furnace blower(with yearly oiling), seems like it might be ok.

And the last question............funneling airflow.

Furnace blowers take air in from the side, and discharge from a rectangular opening facing 90 degrees away from the 'inlet', so I see no real problem there.(but I could be wrong, that's why I'm asking for input).

Thanks for the thoughts, they are very much appreciated.

 

[Don87]

I could have phrased that better I think............

If mounting the the furnace blower to the PTO, the 'inlet' would face the rear of the tractor, the 'exhaust', would face the left side of the tractor. One could possibly 'funnel' the air flow down some(to better direct blowing), but I haven't experimented............it's all just a thought.

 

[Don87]

I think I screwed up, this thread probably should have been placed in the 'build it yourself' forum.

Mods............can we move it?

 

[JoeBiscuit]

Don,

Good idea, nice project! Pulley system seems like a good way to go. I'd be a little concerned with the lightweight of the typical blower housing and make sure I had a decent sub frame for pulley mounts. I'd also want to the belts loose, to gradually build speed and slip on startup if I was gonna take the blower much past it's rated speed. That should help longevity and help make sure your tractor didn't tear it up.

Sounds like a good project.

Joe

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

Most pto blowers blow arround 150mph and 10,000 cfm displacement. I don't thik a furnace blower will work. It moves a large volume of air but at low velosity. I have been wanting to build on for about 2 yrs but can not find any thing that will move enough air at a reasonable price. I have been lookig at silage blowers lately wondering if they would work or if they would be to big.
Bill

 

[Al 2]

Not an answer to your question, just a video of another ''ride on" leaf blower that's a bit different. I haven't seen one like this before.
Lookhere: YouTube - EverythingAttachment's Channel


Al

 

[sandman2234]

Something to consider before this project hits the fab bench, is the air intake. I have a pto blower for my Steiner 525 and it has a slotted area all the way around for air intake. If I am blowing in heavy leaves, I tend to suck up some of the leaves on the bottom side of the intake, thereby restricting my air intake. It requires me to stop the blower for a second, which releases the leaves by gravity. Mine still works fine even with the restricted air flow, but it is something a good design would have considered. Blowing off parking lots makes this a waste of typing, as it only comes into effect when I am blowing large amounts of leaves across the yard (read as a foot thick, etc)
David from jax