Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Bercomac 64" 3 point hitch "Economical" Snowblower opinions

[mangler]

Looking for something to put on the CK2610, if I can't find a good deal on a used Berco for the garden tractor. Berco has a very good reputation in the garden tractor front mounts, wonder if anyone has experience with their "new" 3pt designs. They also have a 72" but I fear that may be too much with only 21hp at the pto.


Note that I am not talking about their 1000 series 3pt, although those look like oversized Northeast front mounts with pto hookups, which may not be that bad, but stops at 54" .

Anyway just wondering if anyone has a 3pt 64 or 72" Berco, how they like it, and how it compared to similar products ( Meteor, Walco, Braber)

 

[cdaigle430]

Looking for something to put on the CK2610, if I can't find a good deal on a used Berco for the garden tractor. Berco has a very good reputation in the garden tractor front mounts, wonder if anyone has experience with their "new" 3pt designs. They also have a 72" but I fear that may be too much with only 21hp at the pto.


Note that I am not talking about their 1000 series 3pt, although those look like oversized Northeast front mounts with pto hookups, which may not be that bad, but stops at 54" .

Anyway just wondering if anyone has a 3pt 64 or 72" Berco, how they like it, and how it compared to similar products ( Meteor, Walco, Braber)

I have a 60 inch Woodmaxx on my GC2410 with 18.7 HP at the PTO and it does pretty good. Im thinking 72 is too much only because my father had the same tractor as yours with a 60 inch and he had trouble in deep snow. He recently upgraded to a 35 (CK3510) HP and that handles the 72 inch very well.

Also your pushing a pretty heave blower backwards so traction is a concern. I have to put chains on my rear tires-but it could be because I have turf ties on.

 

[shooterdon]

You are light on HP for a 64" blower IMHO

I am running 32 PTO HP on a 74" pull type and it is marginal. I would contact the manufacturer and get their opinion/experience.

 

[leonz]

Looking for something to put on the CK2610, if I can't find a good deal on a used Berco for the garden tractor. Berco has a very good reputation in the garden tractor front mounts, wonder if anyone has experience with their "new" 3pt designs. They also have a 72" but I fear that may be too much with only 21hp at the pto.


Note that I am not talking about their 1000 series 3pt, although those look like oversized Northeast front mounts with pto hookups, which may not be that bad, but stops at 54" .
Anyway just wondering if anyone has a 3pt 64 or 72" Berco, how they like it, and how it compared to similar products ( Meteor, Walco, Braber)

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Your light in weight and power for a wide snow caster. you will be better off loading the tires, getting a 48 inch Pronovost and 4 link V bar chains for the mule.

 

[mangler]

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Your light in weight and power for a wide snow caster. you will be better off loading the tires, getting a 48 inch Pronovost and 4 link V bar chains for the mule.

Not sure if I can afford Pronovost or Normand, or that 48 inches even covers my rear tire track. Do you mean a front blade? For the record I am in a low snow area, maybe 3 real dumpings a year, maximum is around 12" in the last 5 years. So I would not be filling the box on that 64", not even close...

If a 48" blower is all I can handle, then I might as well put a 48" Northeast Bercomac on the garden tractor and call it a day. That will free the 3pt for a rear blade, that will likely get 90% of the workout anyway. Or just get a nice walk behind and clear the plow banks twice a winter. It's 660' drive, so a decent walk, but ok I guess if it is twice a season.

 

[leonz]

Your mule may have just enough A** to use a rear mount three point hitch MK Martin 48 inch single stage snow thrower to do what you need. If I remember right the PTO HP rating for that model is 15-30 HP.

The beauty of a PTO driven single stage snow thrower is it has fewer parts and no belts. I would be more worried about the larger snow blower rotor size on that series 1000 unit; and as I told Chad Martin the rotor on that unit is too large in diameter in my opinion and past experience with belt driven gear drive single stage snow throwers on those IHC cub cadets, and belt drive on the simplicity and wheel horse lawn tractors from 1967-1992 as those units used 12 to 13 inch snow blower rotors with two center paddles that spinned up to 600 RPM+ and had plenty of power to clear snow.

Reist industries sold their entire line of snow blowers to MK Martin and MK MARTIN eliminated the 13 inch snow blower rotor and also eliminated the flexibility that was inherent in the Reist design which allowed thier snow blowers to be mounted on the front of a mule with hydraulic drive or rear of a mule with a PTO and having the ability to remove the three point hitch and install a SSQA mount for a hydraulic motor drive system using the original gearbox and simple hand tools which was a HUGE MISTAKE.

Reist was testing a SSQA mounted engine driven singe stage last year and I do not know how far they have come with it.



The MK Martin series 1000 48 inch unit was retailing for around $3,100.00 USD this past winter with out any hydraulics and a simple hand crank to rotate the chute.

 

[mangler]

Your mule may have just enough A** to use a rear mount three point hitch MK Martin 48 inch single stage snow thrower to do what you need. If I remember right the PTO HP rating for that model is 15-30 HP.

The beauty of a PTO driven single stage snow thrower is it has fewer parts and no belts. I would be more worried about the larger snow blower rotor size on that series 1000 unit; and as I told Chad Martin the rotor on that unit is too large in diameter in my opinion and past experience with belt driven gear drive single stage snow throwers on those IHC cub cadets, and belt drive on the simplicity and wheel horse lawn tractors from 1967-1992 as those units used 12 to 13 inch snow blower rotors with two center paddles that spinned up to 600 RPM+ and had plenty of power to clear snow.

Reist industries sold their entire line of snow blowers to MK Martin and MK MARTIN eliminated the 13 inch snow blower rotor and also eliminated the flexibility that was inherent in the Reist design which allowed thier snow blowers to be mounted on the front of a mule with hydraulic drive or rear of a mule with a PTO and having the ability to remove the three point hitch and install a SSQA mount for a hydraulic motor drive system using the original gearbox and simple hand tools which was a HUGE MISTAKE.

Reist was testing a SSQA mounted engine driven singe stage last year and I do not know how far they have come with it.



The MK Martin series 1000 48 inch unit was retailing for around $3,100.00 USD this past winter with out any hydraulics and a simple hand crank to rotate the chute.

Leonz,

I know you know your stuff, but I'm having a hard time following. Is mule the same thing as pto? If so my pto is 21HP. Small HP, but biggish frame on the Kioti CK2610. With loader and bucket its almost 3650lbs. 2700lbs without loader (though I doubt I will ever take it off).

My rear remotes can give out 6.9 gpm at 2600 psi, not even 8HP, with NO losses. I would be hard pressed to run anything up front with hydraulics, even with 1" lines it would have to be a smallish old school single stage blower with "wings". Sounds like it could be a cool project though

Anyway I have edge tamers now on the 66" bucket, so I would like to keep it on in the winter as I think it will be handy. So its rear mount blower , and i really need something that can clear the tires (60"+), even if I need extension wings. I'm ok with "taking it slow" during that one big storm, if that will make a slightly larger 3pt 2 stage work for me.

I've seen your posts on Reist single stage blowers before, and they look interesting, but a bit pricey given my 3 storms a year average here.

 

[leonz]

Hello Mangler,

I hope the weather is cooler where you are, It hit 95 degrees here today (35 Celcius) up your way.

When I talk about mules I mean tractors so no worries there. I would be worth your time to call the Riest folks in Elmira, Ontario and ask if they have come any further along with their single stage motorized version and ask if they have started selling them as mounting an SSQA plate on your three point hitch would help you as the snow thrower would be something you would be able to use on this tractor and any other tractor if you upgrade as you can add wings to it.

I am not sure but I think that you will be spending a lot more than the cost of a 48 inch MK Martin single stage for a wider 2 stage snow blower.

I look forward to hearing what you decided to buy.

I would pass on a belt drive front snowblower for a garden tractor based on my experience as they are not built well at all.

I can see you buying a Yamaha 624 and hooking up a sulky to it. or using a roll up kiddee sled tied to it to ride on.



Leon

Leonz,

I know you know your stuff, but I'm having a hard time following. Is mule the same thing as pto? If so my pto is 21HP. Small HP, but biggish frame on the Kioti CK2610. With loader and bucket its almost 3650lbs. 2700lbs without loader (though I doubt I will ever take it off).

My rear remotes can give out 6.9 gpm at 2600 psi, not even 8HP, with NO losses. I would be hard pressed to run anything up front with hydraulics, even with 1" lines it would have to be a smallish old school single stage blower with "wings". Sounds like it could be a cool project though

Anyway I have edge tamers now on the 66" bucket, so I would like to keep it on in the winter as I think it will be handy. So its rear mount blower , and i really need something that can clear the tires (60"+), even if I need extension wings. I'm ok with "taking it slow" during that one big storm, if that will make a slightly larger 3pt 2 stage work for me.

I've seen your posts on Reist single stage blowers before, and they look interesting, but a bit pricey given my 3 storms a year average here.

 

[mangler]

Ok slowly started to get it. When you mean MK Martin single stage, you mean their 1000 series, with 16" rotor. Only available in 48" and 54 ", so I definitely would need wings on those (serious wings) to bring them up to 60".

Looks like Reist is out of the snowblower game, and has sold their portfolio to MK Martin (they now have single stage blower that look very similar...)

A bit sad, because I heard from you that Reist was OK with customizing blowers, not sure about MK Martin. Reist claimed that their 1000 and 2000 series were convertible to skid steer hydraulic within an hour(unbolting gear box and bolting hydraulic motor), so I would hope MK Martin has not decontented that feature...

For the record if I was set on getting a 3pt blower right now, brand new, I would be looking at a Braber 60" that my tractor dealer sells for $2500$ CAD. It's light duty (1/4" steel") but has all the right features (24" impeller, 14" auger) and price is right. In the US it is sold by Northern Tool. For comparison, the Bercomac 64" retails for $3450. I am sure the fit and finish is a bit better, and it comes with a 2 year warranty, but $ 1000 is a lot of money. A used Braber would be even better priced of course. Lots of older 3pt blower for sale around here, as we have had zero snow lately, but most good deals (usually sub $1000) are blowers that would definitely be too large for me, 72" plus).

I will heed your warnings about belt drive blowers, even if I have heard good things about the Bercomac blowers. I can see where a chain would be a superior drive. The real advantage in my opinion would be it would be more compact, a 40" Bercomac blower in front of the Crafstman G5500 tractor would be easier to maneuver between the cars. They still go for a lot of money used though ($1000+), and getting the right brackets and drive for your tractor can be a bit of a lottery.

Taking a look at a 72" heavy duty rear blade today. If I end up getting it I may just go with a medium sized walk behind as a "backup" and windrow clearer. Lots of those walk behinds on the used market too for less than $500, people are tired of storing them all year and not using them once in the season

 

[leonz]

snowblowers

Ok slowly started to get it. When you mean MK Martin single stage, you mean their 1000 series, with 16" rotor. Only available in 48" and 54 ", so I definitely would need wings on those (serious wings) to bring them up to 60".

Looks like Reist is out of the snowblower game, and has sold their portfolio to MK Martin (they now have single stage blower that look very similar...)

A bit sad, because I heard from you that Reist was OK with customizing blowers, not sure about MK Martin. Reist claimed that their 1000 and 2000 series were convertible to skid steer hydraulic within an hour(unbolting gear box and bolting hydraulic motor), so I would hope MK Martin has not decontented that feature...



1. The Reist series 1000 and 2000 were convertable by the buyer if they desired to do so. MK Martin tossed that great benefit in the liquid manure spreader to put it politely.

2. About your craftsman lawn mower-keep in mind that unless it has gear drive the hydrostatic transmission could crap out and then you have a snow blower that will need new mounting brackets.

3. A new PTO snow blower is money in the bank and it will not lose value and you can put it on a new upgraded power unit/engine frame size/prime mover.

4. cough, gag, hack; a used walk behind snowblower is only as good as the maintenance it received(or lack of it) and only as reliable as the old V belts, tension springs and bearings on the snubber pulleys. As the mechanic in the old autolite commercials used to say "you can pay me now or pay me later".


If you want a good walk behind invest in a Toro 1428 OHE HD commercial unit (14 horsepower/28 inch cut) that will not kill your $3100.00 Can. dollar budget.

Standard equipment:

3 year homeowner warranty

1. heated hand grips
2. Patented anticlog system
3. steering brakes
4. high intensity headlight
5. 6 forward speeds; 2 reverse speeds
6. serpentine drive belt(they have been using these belts for over 50 years)

options:
soft cab with roof
front weight kit
snow chains
cover-must be placed on the machine when it is cold after use

Large snow blower engines are money in the bank and the toro snow blower will hold its value

The only things I would do are:

1. purchase new fuel jets to increase the engine power-not expensive
2. invest in the soft cab- cuts way down on engine fumes and smell and some noise but not much
3. snow chains
4. weight kit


You can invest in a catalytic converter for the engine(yes they are available)and only deal with water vapor and carbon dioxide as the exhaust fumes

A Toro belt driven snow blower is several classes/a world above and beyond ANY belt driven lawn mower snowblower made today except for a new yamaha.

The new Yamaha 624 is a little over your budget BUT it is track drive and heavy enough to kill off any snow berm or the end of driveway monster the plow leaves at the end of your driveway.


I wish you luck but just remember that if you buy used you are most likely buying someone else's problems and there is no warranty of fitness for three years.