Snow B26 owners and snow handling

[skyhook]

I have a b26 with foam filled tires all around and a 5' plow on the front that I made from a blade off of a f series Kubota. For a couple winters I used it for commercial snow removal and it was very fast for small driveways like in average subdivision 100' and under. Just left it in medium range no chains.

My house has a 1000' driveway that drifts real bad but it does really well for size of machine it is. This last snow we couldn't get a truck thought the drifts but got it done with the b26. I always leave the hoe on with a 30" bucket in case I get hung up I can get myself out.

Only issue is I don't have a cab. I would like to get a 5' blower but front blade works good.

So you have the weight of your hoe and the filled tires on your machine pretty well all year round
and have no issues with that 26 horse engine pulling it around, thats good to know also...
I didn't think it could handle all that weight, what about when you re-install the loader bucket,
do you remove the hoe?
Do you think it could handle the extra weight of a cab also.

 

[skyhook]

View attachment 354369View attachment 354370I have a B2630 - same as the B26. I have R-4's, loaded rears, and I've cut or grooved both the fronts and the rears. I've attached pics and you can find info on this tire cutting in the snow removal section under 'cutting and siping'. I pull a 5 foot heavy duty plow behind me. My tractor is absolutely unstoppable in very deep snow. On a flat surface, I can pull a very full and heaped plow full of the heaviest wettest snow while driving forward through about 8 inches of fresh stuff. I usually angle it off to the side, however. I can also push through and stack the piles left by the State trucks on the side of the highway that must be over 3 feet deep while using the loader. I have no problems whatsoever with power or traction. My driveway is extremely steep and there are no issues. I can plow uphill through 6-8 inches on the steepest part. I can drive right up an icy driveway that I cannot even walk down on my own feet. Traction is no issue at all, and I cannot imagine needing chains. I'm speaking from 5 years experience plowing snow with this particular setup. I keep the rear tire pressure low enough so that the tires squat a little and I get maximum amount of footprint to the ground. Plain and simple, the thing is a tank in the snow.

That being said..... I don't think there is any way you should be - or will be able to run a 7 foot blower on the B26. That is simply waayyy too big. First of all, I'm sure it's way more than 500 lbs. - probably double that in reality. You'll be far over the 3 pt capacity. Secondly, I don't think you'll have the horsepower to run it in anything more than a light snow that isn't very deep. 5 foot will more than cover the width of the machine and you'll have power to spare. I bet you could squeek by with a 6 footer if it wasn't a foot deep heavy snow, but trust me when I say you won't be happy trying to run a 7 footer on that tractor. It's just way too much. You should be looking at a tractor with 60+ horsepower to run a blower that big.

Thank's, nspec, very informative post.:thumbsup:

 

[troutsqueezer]

"Same tractor as the B2630. Different loader, and slightly turned up hydraulic pump. Tractor frame and engine are identical."

Huh? It looks like you've found a couple things that are nearly identical between the two and that's enough to label them as the same. I would say that maybe the engine is the same, but that's where it stops. A bunch of things come to mind, too many differences to list but can start with pump, wheelbase, ROPS, backhoe, loader, hood/boom, subframe, worklights, OSHA compliant, backhoe integration and much more.

 

[cd1075]

hi Sky hook
i have a 2010 b26 TLB I have a 60 inch snow blower for the rear and a 6 1/2 ft snow plow for the front. it is awesome in the snow. I have also loaded the rear tires ( they are Ag tires). Between the two of them i have no problem moving snow. the blower is Kubota and the plow is a Meyers that I put a quick attach plate on it. If I did it over again I would look at a different blower. I also put plastic sheet on the plow, nothing sticks to it. next is a cab burr

 

[vtsnowedin]

Thank's guy's, some GREAT info here,
I must confess. I made a mistake, my blower is "72 inches", 6 foot, weighs about 560lbs.
From reading, looks like this machine can handle it.
I like the idea of cutting grooves in the tires, never thought of that,
I suppose you wouldn't need chains then.
I would definitely need a cab, most likely custom made somehow,(non-removable).
I figure the cab ( 400-500 lbs and the blower 500-550 lbs) would give about 1000lbs of weight
to this machine, thats why I was worried about the 26hp of it.
From what I'm hearing, it does pull it's weight in "snow" situations.
I did try one of my friends, didn't have the hoe on it and no chains or blower,,
had no traction whatsoever with the R4's in the deep snow.
So, here's what I've understood so far,,
A 6 foot (72") blower on the rear, some sort of cab, slit or chain the rear tire's and possibly
the front if needed, and this thing should eat snow like there's no tomorrow.

This picture is the wrong color but bear with me a moment.

There is a thing called the power to weight ratio. The tractor in the picture has 45 engine HP and weighs with the loader and the 1400 lbs of beet juice in the tires about 7000 lbs. That comes to about 155 pounds per HP. Your Kubota has a lot more HP per pound then that. The problem comes when you want to get your HP to the ground. If you don't have the right size or type of tires on you spin before you run out of power. Today I have been dealing with rain on top of well frozen ice which gives an almost frictionless surface. Walking across the road without yacktrack ice cleats on your boots was a brain numbing experience.
I have a good set of ice chains on. They make all the difference in the world. The weight I have in the machine pressed their studs into the ice and let me work up and down fifteen percent grades that 4WD SUVs feared to tread on. I would not cut or groove my tires, just put chains on in the fall and take them off in the spring. If my garage floor could not take it I would curse the builder that did a substandard job and put down plywood. Grooving the tires would reduce their useful life. Better to wear out chains then rubber.
The soft cab is a godsend, well worth the money.
Match your blower or plow to your machines ability considering power ,weight, and hydraulic capacity.
Add some good lights and a coffee cup holder and have fun.

 

[skyhook]

This picture is the wrong color but bear with me a moment.

There is a thing called the power to weight ratio. The tractor in the picture has 45 engine HP and weighs with the loader and the 1400 lbs of beet juice in the tires about 7000 lbs. That comes to about 155 pounds per HP. Your Kubota has a lot more HP per pound then that. The problem comes when you want to get your HP to the ground. If you don't have the right size or type of tires on you spin before you run out of power. Today I have been dealing with rain on top of well frozen ice which gives an almost frictionless surface. Walking across the road without yacktrack ice cleats on your boots was a brain numbing experience.
I have a good set of ice chains on. They make all the difference in the world. The weight I have in the machine pressed their studs into the ice and let me work up and down fifteen percent grades that 4WD SUVs feared to tread on. I would not cut or groove my tires, just put chains on in the fall and take them off in the spring. If my garage floor could not take it I would curse the builder that did a substandard job and put down plywood. Grooving the tires would reduce their useful life. Better to wear out chains then rubber.
The soft cab is a godsend, well worth the money.
Match your blower or plow to your machines ability considering power ,weight, and hydraulic capacity.
Add some good lights and a coffee cup holder and have fun.

Nice to hear, I don't have the B26 yet, but it's on my "maybe" list.
I do have the L4200, no chains, loaded rear tires, cab, 72 inch rear pull blower and a 5 foot
industrial plow with home made extensions that bring it out to 8 feet.
No problems going through a foot of snow whatsoever.
This was one of my concerns on the B26, the horsepower to weight ratio.

cd1075,,have any pics of your setup,
and what would you change about your blower?
Do you think the loaded tires and the weight of the backhoe ( in summer) affect the machine?
Do you think your machine can now handle the additional weight of a cab?

 

[GPintheMitten]

Nice to hear, I don't have the B26 yet, but it's on my "maybe" list.
I do have the L4200, no chains, loaded rear tires, cab, 72 inch rear pull blower and a 5 foot
industrial plow with home made extensions that bring it out to 8 feet.
No problems going through a foot of snow whatsoever.
This was one of my concerns on the B26, the horsepower to weight ratio.

cd1075,,have any pics of your setup,
and what would you change about your blower?
Do you think the loaded tires and the weight of the backhoe ( in summer) affect the machine?
Do you think your machine can now handle the additional weight of a cab?

Curious why you want something different for contract snow clearing. Seems like you have a very capable unit already.

 

[skyhook]

Curious why you want something different for contract snow clearing. Seems like you have a very capable unit already.

It's getting tired, and I need a backhoe of some sort's.
Also, I don't have a loader. I'm also looking at a case 580, but thats kinda big.

 

[tiredguy]

Curious why you want something different for contract snow clearing. Seems like you have a very capable unit already.

I'm with GP on this one, you're taking a huge step backwards in my opinion going with the "liitle" B series instead of say a newer "L" with the attachment goodies you need. I have the B3030 with cab heat and air 50 inch front mounted blower with wings and a 60 inch box blade with loaded rear R4 tires, nice machine. Would I use it for commercial plowing? NFW! It's simply to light of machine weight wise to consistantly move snow when time is considered can't make any money if it takes to much time to get it done. I could have went with the 63 inch blower and sure glad I didn't as it really wouldn't handle it well. I'm plowed snow with a 4x4 pickup truck different times commercially included for over 40 years and when it comes to long driveways etc a much better choice in my opinion. I've used my 57hp Belarus 4wd tractor with a 7 foot wide blower on the rear and it handles it no matter how deep it gets. I've backed it through mid winter 4 foot high snow baks along the road from county plows like it wasn't even there. Only problem is it will blow sod and gravel as readily as it will snow so when you get into a spot not frozen good it turns into a very effective excavator too LOL! I've used my B3030 for a solid 4 winters in northern Michigan and if it weren't for using it to mow the lawn I'd have the heavier wider more effective L series and go up in horsepower at least to 40hp if not more.
Al

 

[powerstroke444e]

After doing a little more reading on what your doing if you can afford it go with a L45 its bigger and you wont regret it once it is paid for. I was looking at a L45 but I have to get in several 8' garage doors and I have several other tractors to use so I just kept the paid for B26 and love it for everything that it is. I will work circles around almost any other small tractor because I have loaded/foamed +1,000lbs tires and I leave the hoe on unless I need the three pt or I am pulling something like a disk or wagon. But if you have had a larger machine it will be tough going to a smaller one.
here are a few photos of what it can do but the photo don't do justice to the amount of work that this TLB has done for me.