A snowblower tip

[Frozen Assets]

I run an old L295DT and have a five foot wide Erskine snow blower on it. This gizmo sees a lot of use since here in interior Alaska every dang snowflake we get in early October is still here in mid April! One thing that I found quite beneficial was to hard face the edge of the ribbon and the edges of the fan blades. Many winters now and no wear on either. I used Hobart-McKay Armorwear in a little Lincoln 140 110v wire machine. Works good on the blower's cutting edge too!

 

[JWR]

Hey frozen -- I was up there a couple of years ago and put 2800 miles on a car trying all the highways I could in 2 weeks. Most people know what a really small sample that is. While roaming around down toward Chitina (and actually everywhere that I saw any farming operations) I was struck by the farm tractors -- pretty much "lone rangers" with no sight of any dealers or tractor friendly repair shops, no sight of another same-brand tractor for hundreds of miles. Being familiar with supporting farm tractors in more highly populated areas I was puzzled about how you guys "keep things going." Oh sure, I know, strong will, independence, jack of all trades requirements, tough genes, etc. but how do you do it !? Can you comment for those of us hoeing an easier row ?

 

[Industrial Toys]

That's where the DRONES come in!

 

[jrogers]

I run an old L295DT and have a five foot wide Erskine snow blower on it. This gizmo sees a lot of use since here in interior Alaska every dang snowflake we get in early October is still here in mid April! One thing that I found quite beneficial was to hard face the edge of the ribbon and the edges of the fan blades. Many winters now and no wear on either. I used Hobart-McKay Armorwear in a little Lincoln 140 110v wire machine. Works good on the blower's cutting edge too!

I am having trouble with shearing bolts. I wonder if this would help me. How tight is the fan in the housing? My issue is that small rocks are getting in the gap between the fan and the housing and jamming it. Maybe tightening the gap would lessen this issue.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

Hmmm. I wonder if this trick would help on the larger blowers.

Looks like this guy thinks so.

 

[Dave M7040]

Hmmm. I wonder if this trick would help on the larger blowers.

Looks like this guy thinks so.

Mark
If you watch the video in the second link you provided look carefully and you will see his blower is turning in the wrong direction. Both the fan and auger. Look around time 11:30 on-wards.
Just before he stops the machine in front of the camera is when you can clearly see the fan running backwards.
The cup side of the fan blades is not the side moving the snow.

That is why there is a big fog of snow around the fan and snow flying forward off the auger. The auger should be throwing snow into the fan not out in front of the blower.

What is amazing is that it blows any snow at all.

Listen and you will hear the thunk thunk noise as his pto struggles to operate at severe angles. There is a point where you can see the pto shaft from the side operating at close to a 45 degree angle.

The maker of the video is well meaning just not knowledgeable.


Dave M7040

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

I checked, and you're right. And it's still blowing snow!


But the more important point is, the rubber tips made a noticeable improvement.

 

[Dutch445]

about that 2nd link,
i would bet his frame rate of the video was the reason it looks like the impellar is going backwards,
it looks like it's going much too slow, and in reality it's going the correct direction it's just that the camera can't
capture that motion..
also, his little pusher flap he added to the front auger is throwing the snow back out front as well
as throwing some into the impellar.. therefore the cloud of snow coming out the front..
that blower does fairly well being on his skid steer..

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Mark
If you watch the video in the second link you provided look carefully and you will see his blower is turning in the wrong direction. Both the fan and auger. Look around time 11:30 on-wards.
Just before he stops the machine in front of the camera is when you can clearly see the fan running backwards.
The cup side of the fan blades is not the side moving the snow.

That is why there is a big fog of snow around the fan and snow flying forward off the auger. The auger should be throwing snow into the fan not out in front of the blower.

What is amazing is that it blows any snow at all.

Listen and you will hear the thunk thunk noise as his pto struggles to operate at severe angles. There is a point where you can see the pto shaft from the side operating at close to a 45 degree angle.

The maker of the video is well meaning just not knowledgeable.


Dave M7040

Dave, I believe the reverse is a camera frequency thing that creates an optical illusion that it is running in reverse. That blue-painted blower looks like an old McKee and so I consulted my video of my McKee blower running (from about the 5:20 mark on) and noted the augers are turning in the same direction as this fellow with the blue-painted McKee blower.

 

[coldsteelva]

The rapid rotation of the fan as compared to the frame rate of the camera is what makes it appear to be going in reverse. If that same camera was pointed at a helicopter propeller it would likely appear to be stationary or rotating extremely slow.

 

[Fallon]

The rapid rotation of the fan as compared to the frame rate of the camera is what makes it appear to be going in reverse. If that same camera was pointed at a helicopter propeller it would likely appear to be stationary or rotating extremely slow.

Haha, thought the same exact thing before I even saw your post. Seen a few of those clips over the years.

Mi-24 Rotor blades not spinning - YouTube I'm sure there are more.

 

[Garandman]

The rapid rotation of the fan as compared to the frame rate of the camera is what makes it appear to be going in reverse. If that same camera was pointed at a helicopter propeller it would likely appear to be stationary or rotating extremely slow.

 

[Dave M7040]

I am not try to argue with the frame rate scenario but would make a couple of points for people to ponder.

My experience is with an industrial strobe light for studying machinery. Adjusting the strobe frequency is like a camera frame rate except that it is adjustable whereas a camera's frame rate is fixed.
With the strobe, as you approach the rotational speed of what you are trying to study by having the image appear stopped, the rotating part will appear to first rotate one way and then the reverse as you approach, go by and then return to the actual rpm where its image is stopped.

When you look at a flying helicopter as was suggested, the rotor speed is not changing during the time you see it and so the camera frame rate will affect the recorded image if it is close to either the rotational rotor speed or a harmonic of that speed. By harmonic I am saying if the rotor speed is 1/2 or 2x rotor speed you will get the same altered image. The helicopter on the ground appears to have the blades reverse direction as it is idling so it is obviously rotating very close the the camera frame rate.

In the video of the noisy blower, the blower fan is slowing down around the 4 min mark and I don't see any reversing of the rotation.

You could be correct and I am not absolutely certain of my opinion.

The reason this subject came up was because people were looking for ways to improve the throwing distance of their blowers.

There is a design change on more modern blowers which likely was done to improve fan performance. On my blower the baffle is welded in place blocking the fan opening near the chute.

On the two ones I will post below the baffle is bolted on to make removing the fan much easier.

Adding the baffle would be a easy thing to do for someone looking for more performance. I marked with yellow lines where the baffle could go on the bobcat blower.

Dave M7040

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Dave, on a McKee snowblower if the auger is spinning top away from the fan and bottom toward the fan the fan is spinning in the right direction.

 

[Dave M7040]

Eric
Do we agree the bobcat blower fan has 4 blades?
Do we agree the bobcat chain drive for the auger is on the left side when facing the blower?

Look at all these photos of McKee blowers. The fans that I can see are all 3 bladed and the drive chains are on the right when you are facing the blower.
mckee snowblower photo - Google Search

My long gone McKee 720 was built that way too.

I have no Bobcat experience at all. Would this Bobcat or whatever skid steer it is have a front and rear pto?

When people take their rear 3 pt hitch farm tractor(not small kubota) blower and want to put it on the front of their tractor driven from the rear pto, they need a reverser gearbox to drive the pto from the rear to the front.

Dave M7040