Snowblower 3pt Snowblower - Adjusting

[DRFoster]

I was wondering what's the proper way to have a 3pt snowblower adjusted. By adjusting, I'm refering to the angle of the snowblower as it sits on the ground as controlled by the top bar (that screws longer or shorter.)

I originally tried having the snowblower sit level on the ground. What I find is that the snowblower leaves 1/2" or so of snow. If I readjust it so that its angled slightly lower in the rear, I get a clean scrap as I snowblow. I'm worried about wearing something out faster than normal using it at this (small) angle. Note that my snowblower doesn't have an adjustable scrapper bar underneath the way my old walk-behind Toro did.

Any opinions?

FYI: I have a 5' Farm King blower on the back of a Kubota B2710. The manual that came with the blower is no help in about this.

 

[PLanger]

One important consideration are the PTO shaft angles - the angle between the PTO/PTO Shaft and the PTO Shaft/Gear Box should be approx. the same. Any significant difference will induce premature wear of the PTO universal joints. If you don't have adjustable skid shoes and everything is adjusted correctly, you might end up having to add (weld or bolt) an extension on the leading edge. I take it you have a nice smooth paved surface you are trying to clear.....

 

[DRFoster]

The PTO angles on both ends are pretty much the same. I don't change it enough with my "adjustment" to change them much. I'm just eyeballing the angles, but they're pretty close.

Yes, everything I keep clear is smooth black top.

 

[Rch]

DRFoster, I've a 5' Lucknow and 1300' gravel road and another 250' asphalt drive. For the gravel I angle that lower edge up to leave a 1/2 to 3/4 inch layer of snow that hardpacks around the loose gravel so I'm not picking the gravel up and blowing it off. After that, I change the angle to a more aggressive angle like I use on the asphalt.

RCH

 

[DRFoster]

In reading through my snowblower manual (for about the 5th time), it does mention how to adjust it. It just talks about it in a section away from where I thought it should be.

Anyway, the adjustment I've made (tilting it slightly lower on the cutting edge than the PTO end) is exactly what the manual says. To quote the manual:

"Depth of cut can be partially controlled by tilting the blower forward or backward. Adjust the top link of the tractor hitch so the snowblower is just slightly tilted back when resting on the ground. CAUTION: Excessive backward tilt may cause the "U" joints to flutter resulting in PTR shear bolt failure."

 

[Von]

Ray,
How do you like your LuckNow snow blower? Do you find that the large chute diameter helps with clogging, or does it limit the length of how far the snow will be thrown? I just got the same blower but with all of this warm weather I haven't had a chance to use it yet. If you have any insites to this unit please let me know.

 

[Rch]

Von, I'm a little disappointed in the Lucknow snowblower. I've had it 11 years and I recall paying ~$1100. The chute rotation union promptly froze up but I fixed that with 4 zerts drilled around it to keep that space full of grease. The chain tightner for the horizontal gatherer (out on the right side of the machine) was a plastic shoe the lasted about a month. I replaced this with an idler gear like it should have had in the first place. I had to weld a piece between the chute rotational joint and the manuel cable crank to guide the cable so it wouldn't tangle and bind. The crank for the chute is too low to reach when the blower is down from the seat of my Ford 1910; I have to raise it to reposition the chute. I need a universal joint in the crank to angle the crank skyward to correct that. If your tractor is lower that may not be a ploblem. The gear box filler plug stripped it's threads and I run grease and STP in it for lubrication. The casting seems porous. The shear pin is a 1/4" bolt on the PTO joint at the tractor end that connects two lobes. The hole was drilled too far away from the center of the PTO shaft and sheared too easily. I had to drill a hole closer to the center line through the casting. Also, replacing that 1/4" bolt up under the PTO shield in the dark at 10 degrees F is a real pain in the keister. It will throw the snow only 15/20 feet but I'm going to try the Pam spray in the chute if it ever snows- a larger diameter 2nd stage for a higher tip speed is an important consideration. I have a gear tractor and it's difficult to go slow enough at full PTO speed.

RCH

 

[Von]

RCH,
Mine was made in 99' and does have an idler gear for the chain tightener. So the factory must have had enough complaints to make the same change. I have a B2710 and it does sit low enough to turn the handle when the blower is down. And there is a grease fitting for the chute so that must have been another upgrade the factory made. I have pavement so I hope to not have to repair any shear bolts, but they are not1/4" but are 3/8" grade 5. So this also must have been changed as well. If we get any snow I will let you know how it works.

 

[walterc]

"Depth of cut can be partially controlled by tilting the blower forward or backward. Adjust the top link of the tractor hitch so the snowblower is just slightly tilted back when resting on the ground. CAUTION: Excessive backward tilt may cause the "U" joints to flutter resulting in PTR shear bolt failure."

DR, that's the exact same setup I have (60" Buhler Farm King on a Kubota B2710) and I'm having the same problem. But all of my work is gravel surface, so maybe I just need to play with it a bit next time it snows. How far off of straight vertical did you set yours to get the right height?

 

[GoodGuy]

Walterc....
This post was from 2001 and DR hasn't posted since 2003. I probably wouldn't expect to get your answer. Maybe someone else will chip in here.

 

[EGo_SmAsH]

RCH,
Mine was made in 99' and does have an idler gear for the chain tightener. So the factory must have had enough complaints to make the same change. I have a B2710 and it does sit low enough to turn the handle when the blower is down. And there is a grease fitting for the chute so that must have been another upgrade the factory made. I have pavement so I hope to not have to repair any shear bolts, but they are not1/4" but are 3/8" grade 5. So this also must have been changed as well. If we get any snow I will let you know how it works.

I have a 5' Lucknow too, I bought it used so i don't know the age. I find it doesn't throw the snow as far as I'd like it to, maybe about 20 - 25 feet and I've waxed/pammed the chute. What is your clearance between the blades and the housing?? Mine's about 3/4" and i believe that's the problem. I plan to bolt some strips of 1/2 conveyor belting to the blades to minimize the space.

 

[walterc]

That's what I get for not looking at the entire date. I just saw the Dec date and figured it was 2009.

Oh well, maybe someone else will know.

In the meantime, I'll just keep fiddlin with it till I get it right.

Just got a severe storm warning for this weekend on my computer, so I may get a chance to test it again.

 

[rambler]

You'll know in 5 feet, if you are scrapping gravel up, you need to tilt forward (to front of tractor) more. If you are leaving an inch of snow, but no more, you are dead on. If you are leaving more snow than you want, kinda riding up, you need to tilt it backward (to rear of tractor).

You'll have it in 25 feet or so.

Here in MN, once you get some packed snow down, you can angle it back a little more & slide on the hard snow/ice laid down.

Do watch the angle of the pto - you don't want the blower angled too far forward, hard on the knuckles. You'll hear them knock...

--->Paul

 

[DHD]

Do watch the angle of the pto - you don't want the blower angled too far forward, hard on the knuckles. You'll hear them knock...

--->Paul

I had that knuckle knocking problem with my B7800 and Puma 64 snowblower,
when snowblowing down steep sections of gravel driveway.
I not only could hear them knocking, I would feel extreme vibrations too.
As I'd back down these steep sections, the leading cut edge of the snowblower would dig into the gravel. To stop this, I would shorten the top link, but that increased the angle of the PTO driveshaft to the point of knuckle knocking of the universal joints.
To decrease this driveshaft angle I eventually added 6 inch extension mounts to the snowblower, which resulted in a longer top link and longer driveshaft to be added too.

 

[Usta]

DHD, that driveshaft is scaring me. Are you sure you have enough overlap?

 

[DHD]

DHD, that driveshaft is scaring me. Are you sure you have enough overlap?

The overlap of the shaft is good, but from what appears in the picture I can understand the concern.
When the shaft is moved inward and bottomed out, the outter plastic shaft is 3 inches from bottoming out.
I have been snowblowing my 530 foot driveway and my neighbors 100 foot driveway for the past few years with this driveshaft.
I had my dealer make me a longer shaft when I added the snowblower extention mounts.
The dealer just used the same plastic protective housing that was on the original, shorter shaft.

 

[rambler]

To decrease this driveshaft angle I eventually added 6 inch extension mounts to the snowblower, which resulted in a longer top link and longer driveshaft to be added too.

I only added a couple to 3 inches, but basically did the same - added an extension to take care of the angle problem.

--->Paul

 

[DHD]

I only added a couple to 3 inches, but basically did the same - added an extension to take care of the angle problem.

--->Paul

Paul

I wonder if all 3 point snowblowers have the same issue ?
It seems that these snowblower manufactures should have worked out this bug long ago.
If I ever had to replacement my Puma 64 snowblower, the height of the snowblower gear box shaft, would be an item I'd use for comparision to other snowblowers.
My thought being that the higher gear box shaft would reduce the angle of the PTO shaft to the tractor.
I suppose the higher gear box shaft would be the result of a larger snowblower impeller, which (just my luck) would probably require more horsepower than my 30HP tractor could produce.

DHD

 

[beenthere]

walterc
Nowadays, the answer might be to get an hydraulic top arm for making that adjustment.