G'morning guys, thanks for jumping in here. I spent several hours yesterday pulling the leaf vac around in a temporary moment of concession but I'll try to swap the sheaves this weekend. Sure glad now that I went with the 1-1/2" jackshaft and both hubs are for the same dia. shafts.
Converting front-mount Olathe leaf blower to rear 3pt
- Thread starter dholly
- Start date
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Well thanks to help from the membership I am very pleased to report this blower is the cat's meow. And make no mistake, I'm a dog lover! The sheaves actually fit better this way too, and the taper hub on the small pulley grips almost all of the fan stub. Large pulley extends slightly below the casing but wowser does this thing blow now! I had hoped it would have enough oomph to move all the twigs and small branches that always created havoc for my AgriFab lawn vac. No prob. Wet matted leaves, no prob. Leaves in tall grass, no prob. Pine straw, no prob. Wife's flowers, no prob. Glad I kept the rear deflector, must not forget to use it alongside the beds next time. It does take a bit of finesse and practice to leave the mulch intact while moving just the leaves but the neighbors were all too happy to let me experiment on their yards. Even went a 1/2 mile up the road and cleared a elderly neighbor lady's big yard after she gave me a couple cord of wood last year. Musta de-leafed 15-20 acres yesterday afternoon, lol, this was a v-e-r-y good move. Anyone want to buy a leaf vac? 
[edit] Oh yes, and I meant 1-1/4" jackshaft in the previous post oops.
[edit] Oh yes, and I meant 1-1/4" jackshaft in the previous post oops.
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tommaple
Bronze Member
Very Nice.
I hope to make something similar to yours. Finding a good, used blower assembly is probably the toughest part.
Enjoy the remainder of fall as you blow those leaves!
I hope to make something similar to yours. Finding a good, used blower assembly is probably the toughest part.
Enjoy the remainder of fall as you blow those leaves!
Hooked_on_HP
Veteran Member
Glad to hear every thing worked out OK. The only thing that sucks is that now you have to wait till next fall to play with it again. Unless of coarse you can find another use for it.
Bill
Bill
Hooked_on_HP
Veteran Member
I wonder how it will work on fresh snow.
Bill
Bill
Well Bill, the big oaks were still holding onto some of their leafs but we are having a pretty good blow today so it looks like there will be at least one more touch-up this weekend before the snow flies.
Tom, it did take a few years of searching local before I found a good blower casing. I was actually hoping to find a bigger silage blower but this has worked out ok too, probably easier to convert. In any event, it sure was worth the wait and the cost to convert in my opinion. I'm guessing it will quickly become one of my top favorite implements.
As a note to anyone looking for a blower... I happen to see another Olathe 67 blower in Tenafly, NJ currently listed on fleaBay real cheap Item number 270663095865 (no affiliation).
Tom, it did take a few years of searching local before I found a good blower casing. I was actually hoping to find a bigger silage blower but this has worked out ok too, probably easier to convert. In any event, it sure was worth the wait and the cost to convert in my opinion. I'm guessing it will quickly become one of my top favorite implements.
As a note to anyone looking for a blower... I happen to see another Olathe 67 blower in Tenafly, NJ currently listed on fleaBay real cheap Item number 270663095865 (no affiliation).
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Hooked_on_HP
Veteran Member
I have a couple of questions about blowers. I am assuming you did a lot of research before you bought yours. Do they all turn the same direction. Is the final speed of the fan the same. I am assumeing they change the pully size depending on weather it is for a 540 or 1000 pto. I have been thinking about a project like yours but detailed info on the blower is scarce and don't want to buy a blower that I cant make work.
Bill
Bill
955er
Gold Member
Great job. Post a wide angle shot showing the blower and your tractor.
G'afternoon Bill-
I've found blowers of all sorts and sizes and input speeds for all kinds of different applications that 'could' be adapted with a little time and ingenuity. Personally, I decided not to scratch build or cob something up on the cheap using furnace cages etc., both for safety reasons and because I wanted a heavy-duty radial fan that would really blow at least as strong as one of those big $3k-$5k commercial PTO leaf blowers. When you're knee deep in leaves, I just loved watching those demo videos and having one was something I aspired to!
If you want to start from something fairly close to purpose built and can't find an old leaf blower casing like I did, I think converting a silage/forage blower is your best bet. Just keep in mind you can cut and weld on just about anything to make it fit, but the HP requirement of the 'donor' implement is a big factor. I'm guessing my little B7610 with only 18 PTO hp will be a whole lot happier spinning this Olathe leaf blower than a big silage blower needing 35 PTO hp.
I have found locating info on old implements can be hit or miss. I've been looking for a Olathe Model 67 Operator or Install Manual with no luck, but found tons of detailed info, exploded drawings, parts lists etc. for stuff I never expected. Go figure. I sure wouldn't let that stop you because the result most definitely beats hours and hours of vac'ing and dumping all those darn leaves. Best $300 I coughed up in a long while. My only disappointment with this project is I spent more time building it than using it so far!
I've found blowers of all sorts and sizes and input speeds for all kinds of different applications that 'could' be adapted with a little time and ingenuity. Personally, I decided not to scratch build or cob something up on the cheap using furnace cages etc., both for safety reasons and because I wanted a heavy-duty radial fan that would really blow at least as strong as one of those big $3k-$5k commercial PTO leaf blowers. When you're knee deep in leaves, I just loved watching those demo videos and having one was something I aspired to!
If you want to start from something fairly close to purpose built and can't find an old leaf blower casing like I did, I think converting a silage/forage blower is your best bet. Just keep in mind you can cut and weld on just about anything to make it fit, but the HP requirement of the 'donor' implement is a big factor. I'm guessing my little B7610 with only 18 PTO hp will be a whole lot happier spinning this Olathe leaf blower than a big silage blower needing 35 PTO hp.
I have found locating info on old implements can be hit or miss. I've been looking for a Olathe Model 67 Operator or Install Manual with no luck, but found tons of detailed info, exploded drawings, parts lists etc. for stuff I never expected. Go figure. I sure wouldn't let that stop you because the result most definitely beats hours and hours of vac'ing and dumping all those darn leaves. Best $300 I coughed up in a long while. My only disappointment with this project is I spent more time building it than using it so far!
Hooked_on_HP
Veteran Member
I have found several blowers on ebay for front mount mowers. I just can't find out which way they should spin. I think I should be able to tell the direction from which side it blows from but am not sure.
Bill
Bill