Snow Attachments Blower or plow. Which is best?

[leonz]

I looked up the specs. on that MK Martin SB60 I mentioned and they recommend 20HP. I'm really tempted to get it as it's a good price, my only reservation is it's 60" wide and my tractor is about 68" wide. The SB68 would probably be better since it is 68" wide (and requires 30HP). Is my thinking wrong that the blower should be as wide as the tractor or am I thinking with 'back blade' logic? Anyone running a blower smaller than the width of the tractor?

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Yyou could have a set of wings made from 6 or 8 inch angle iron that would add a 12-16 inches of cutting width to the snow caster and have braces welded to the wings. I would have the tires ballasted with winshield washer fluid and have snow chains for the rears.

 

[hutchman]

Not sure if you're locked in on a certain brand - but when I was shopping for mine I was surprised how much required HP variation there was between different manufacturers. I ended up going with a 60" Allied/Farm King. It calls for more PTO HP than I have, but the next smaller size would've put me in the same dilemma you're facing about tire width. The 1st storm I did with my blower was 24" of snow and it handled it with ease. Having HST also helps ease into big drifts or banks at my own pace.

No, not locked into this particular brand/model at all. It's just its practically new and the price is smoking and would be the perfect donor for my evil hydraulic motor/FEL conversion.

 

[hutchman]

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Yyou could have a set of wings made from 6 or 8 inch angle iron that would add a 12-16 inches of cutting width to the snow caster and have braces welded to the wings. I would have the tires ballasted with winshield washer fluid and have snow chains for the rears.

I had a passing thought of doing that. Since my plan was to convert it to a hydraulic unit and put on FEL it's not like I wasn't going to be cutting and welding on it anyway so I could easily have it match the width of the tractor wheels.

Thanks for the encouragement. I may consider this a bit more seriously.

 

[farm boy00]

I had a passing thought of doing that. Since my plan was to convert it to a hydraulic unit and put on FEL it's not like I wasn't going to be cutting and welding on it anyway so I could easily have it match the width of the tractor wheels.

Thanks for the encouragement. I may consider this a bit more seriously.

You could even make the wings to use for drift breakers

 

[hutchman]

You could even make the wings to use for drift breakers

What would that look like? Got any pictures for ideas? I haven't lived where they get big snows (I remember big ones in MI when I was a kid) so I don't have any idea what drift breakers look like. I did a google image search and it looks like it's just ears that stick up on the edges? I imagine we wouldn't get big drifts around here but I'm game to be educated in case we do!

 

[farm boy00]

What would that look like? Got any pictures for ideas? I haven't lived where they get big snows (I remember big ones in MI when I was a kid) so I don't have any idea what drift breakers look like. I did a google image search and it looks like it's just ears that stick up on the edges? I imagine we wouldn't get big drifts around here but I'm game to be educated in case we do!

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/snow-removal/438644-blower-plow-best-toro_drift_200-jpg"/>

Yup you got it. Michigan winter really stuck. At least in west Michigan

 

[farm boy00]

What would that look like? Got any pictures for ideas? I haven't lived where they get big snows (I remember big ones in MI when I was a kid) so I don't have any idea what drift breakers look like. I did a google image search and it looks like it's just ears that stick up on the edges? I imagine we wouldn't get big drifts around here but I'm game to be educated in case we do!

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/snow-removal/438644-blower-plow-best-toro_drift_200-jpg"/>

Yup you got it. Michigan winter really stuck. At least in west Michigan

 

[PILOON]

My drift breakers are 5/16" X 4" and stand about 36" high.
They are most usefull to cut the mess the city plow makes at my entrance.
I could show you pics of berms as high as my cab and that has been most winters.
Also due to the configuration of my property I need to blow uphill and that makes for one huge pile that needs cutting back to a 4' square edge and naturally snow drifts to impressive depths at the base.

I am north of Montreal in the lower Laurentians and considered a snow belt area. 120 inches is often quoted as normal and generally spread over about 25 events mixed with a couple of thaws.
We get everything from fine powder snow to freezing rain including heavy wet sticky 'snowball snow'.

The absolute worst is 6-10" first event of the season (heavy wet) on gravel drive that is not yet frozen.

The worst event I recall was a 30" dumping and my plow was only 24" high.

 

[leonz]

If your going to do anything to that snowcaster find a
V 4 Wisconsin to run it on the rear as it will cost you less money
to do as the hyraulic system, hoses and parts will kill your wallet compared to
using a a wisconsin with a drive powering the gearbox via a 2 row chain drive
with two 2 row sprockets of the same size equaling 540 RPM at 3/4 throttle speed
which I believe is about 2350 RPM+-.

Save your money and contact Wengers of Myerstown PA to find a Wisconsin air cooled V-4
engine off an old Hesston or JD windrower to use.

You will be better off this way and your tractor will barely have to use its throttle to move it
as the snow caster will have no issues ever once you have the motor frame and
chain drive with a wide timing belt gear set mounted on the engine and a shaft carried
by a pillow block bearing.

 

[leonz]

If your going to do anything to that snowcaster find a
V 4 Wisconsin to run it on the rear as it will cost you less money
to do as the hyraulic system, hoses and parts will kill your wallet compared to
using a a wisconsin with a drive powering the gearbox via a 2 row chain drive
with two 2 row sprockets of the same size equaling 540 RPM at 3/4 throttle speed
which I believe is about 2350 RPM+-.

Save your money and contact Wengers of Myerstown PA to find a Wisconsin air cooled V-4
engine off an old Hesston or JD windrower to use.

You will be better off this way and your tractor will barely have to use its throttle to move it
as the snow caster will have no issues ever once you have the motor frame and
chain drive with a wide timing belt gear set mounted on the engine and a shaft carried
by a pillow block bearing.

 

[hutchman]

If your going to do anything to that snowcaster find a
V 4 Wisconsin to run it on the rear as it will cost you less money
to do as the hyraulic system, hoses and parts will kill your wallet compared to
using a a wisconsin with a drive powering the gearbox via a 2 row chain drive
with two 2 row sprockets of the same size equaling 540 RPM at 3/4 throttle speed
which I believe is about 2350 RPM+-.

Save your money and contact Wengers of Myerstown PA to find a Wisconsin air cooled V-4
engine off an old Hesston or JD windrower to use.

You will be better off this way and your tractor will barely have to use its throttle to move it
as the snow caster will have no issues ever once you have the motor frame and
chain drive with a wide timing belt gear set mounted on the engine and a shaft carried
by a pillow block bearing.

Those Wisconsin engines are pretty cool and I'd love to have one to play with but everyone that has one for sale knows they are pretty cool too and wants a pretty penny for them .... or you have to find a totally worn out one rebuild it yourself and parts can be $$$. I'd rather get something like this:

11.95 cu in CHARLYNN HYD PTO DRIVE MOTOR

... which if I run at 21GPM at 2,300 psi will give me 28HP and I don't have to worry about Ethanol or fool with buying gas for it or maintaining yet another engine that I run infrequently. The hydraulic motor will always run when I want to use it.

 

[leonz]

Those Wisconsin engines are pretty cool and I'd love to have one to play with but everyone that has one for sale knows they are pretty cool too and wants a pretty penny for them .... or you have to find a totally worn out one rebuild it yourself and parts can be $$$. I'd rather get something like this:

11.95 cu in CHARLYNN HYD PTO DRIVE MOTOR

... which if I run at 21GPM at 2,300 psi will give me 28HP and I don't have to worry about Ethanol or fool with buying gas for it or maintaining yet another engine that I run infrequently. The hydraulic motor will always run when I want to use it.

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Sadly you will not have 28 horsepower to use believe it or not due to heat,
hose length and the low efficiency with gear pumps.

If you call Wengers and ask if they have a Hesston windrower with an
air cooled wisconsin engine in it for parts your buying an engine that may have
less than 500 hours on it in total as they were never worked that hard
or long to begin with.

Even buying a new 24 horse briggs V twin will be less work and money.

I suggested the 4 cylinder Wisconsins simply because there are tens of
thousands of them around sitting and they will barely roar to get you the
power you need for 540 RPM.

 

[hutchman]

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Sadly you will not have 28 horsepower to use believe it or not due to heat,
hose length and the low efficiency with gear pumps.

If you call Wengers and ask if they have a Hesston windrower with an
air cooled wisconsin engine in it for parts your buying an engine that may have
less than 500 hours on it in total as they were never worked that hard
or long to begin with.

Even buying a new 24 horse briggs V twin will be less work and money.

I suggested the 4 cylinder Wisconsins simply because there are tens of
thousands of them around sitting and they will barel roar to get you the
power you need for 540 RPM.

I did a craigslist search around here and they were all pretty proud. I think a co-worker has one in an old bailer that's been sitting since the 80's and has trees grown up through it.

Discovered there is a guy around here that scarfs them up, rebuilds them and sells them for pretty big $$$.

My local HF has these:

22 HP (670cc) V-Twin Horizontal Shaft Gas Engine EPA

 

[doxford jim]

Thought I would add my comments regarding wings added to a snow blower. I added two wings to my blower giving me an extra 9" clearing width. A big improvement on the original 73" size - I really need an 84" blower. Well worth mod in my opinion as it makes the blower more efficient IMHO.
HTH - though you need at least the width of the rear wheels or slightly more, for efficient snow removal.

 

[hutchman]

Thought I would add my comments regarding wings added to a snow blower. I added two wings to my blower giving me an extra 9" clearing width. A big improvement on the original 73" size - I really need an 84" blower. Well worth mod in my opinion as it makes the blower more efficient IMHO.
HTH - though you need at least the width of the rear wheels or slightly more, for efficient snow removal.

Nice!

 

[farm boy00]

Thought I would add my comments regarding wings added to a snow blower. I added two wings to my blower giving me an extra 9" clearing width. A big improvement on the original 73" size - I really need an 84" blower. Well worth mod in my opinion as it makes the blower more efficient IMHO.
HTH - though you need at least the width of the rear wheels or slightly more, for efficient snow removal.

Does it help because it acts like a plow kinda and keeps it fed??

 

[Amvcane]

Doxford, adding to Farmboy's question, I have a 62" blower and I feel any snow event under 5" is to little snow to blow efficiently. Not enough volume of snow coming into the blower to really throw it. I plow these storms with the garden tractor and blow back the banks next time the blower is required. So by adding 9" to my blower width do you feel that I would be able to possibly blow a 4" snow fall efficiently? How did the extra with effect the performance of the blower.

 

[leonz]

Call Wengers on Monday,

at most you will need to install a new muffler and pour a teaspoon of
motor oil in the four cylinders, change the oil and filter, change the fuel filter,
add seafoam to the fuel tank.

You may be able to use the windrower gas tank too with little effort.

I have seen too many problems with chinese gas engines.

 

[doxford jim]

The wings help a lot and feed extra snow to the auger, making it work better (more efficient).
I don't bother to use the snow blower until there is at least 8" or so as it is a waste of fuel. Blower works best with a good 12" or more of snow to go through. Unfortunately, the snow drifts quite a bit on my slightly hilly and winding drive, so any snow clearing is a compromise at best. I much prefer the blower over the rear blade as the snow gets thrown away out of the way.