Snow Attachments Do all blowers throw the same distance?

[Steuny]

Is there a way to find out how far a blower can throw snow. I once had a Kubota on a GF1800 lawnmower that threw it 30'. My JD front mount 359 on my 4410 isn't even close. Now as I shop for a rear blower I want one that will throw it a decent distance. Does a 4 blade throw further then a 3 blade inpeller? I realize snow conditions will change but is there a spec I should be looking for to ensure good throwing distance.

 

[MF RED in MT]

My MF 2360 front mounted snowblower will throw the snow about 30-40 feet when I run the RPMs above 2000, :thumbsup:. Just guessing on the distance, but my neighbors are impressed how far it throws the snow, . Maybe if you can name a few models that you are considering, more will add their comment, . KC

 

[oldnslo]

Is there a way to find out how far a blower can throw snow. I once had a Kubota on a GF1800 lawnmower that threw it 30'. My JD front mount 359 on my 4410 isn't even close. Now as I shop for a rear blower I want one that will throw it a decent distance. Does a 4 blade throw further then a 3 blade inpeller? I realize snow conditions will change but is there a spec I should be looking for to ensure good throwing distance.

Typically a four blade will be better than a three blade since in theory there is 25% less snow on each paddle the volume is more constant which lends to distance.

Another variable is diameter of blower fan and RPM. Most 3PH models the fan is direct drive from the PTO so a 20" fan has less tip speed than a 24".

Leonz (spelling) will hopefully chime in soon since he has a wealth of knowledge.

Roy

 

[20 20]

In a word NO. each machine and each blower setup will vary. I have even ran like machines that didn't throw the same. The as you mentioned snow type is a big factor.

 

[Ductape]

Like oldnslo says......the blower with the larger diameter impeller, and the one with more blades are known to thow farther. With that being said, I have yet to hear alot of complaints about any particular brand. I'm on my third blower myself (one BWM and two RAD/Kubota), and have been very happy with the performance of each. There are really alot of other variables which factor into the distance the snow is thrown. How wet / heavy the snow is , speed at which you travel , etc. Perhaps you could narrow your search to a few different brands and see what kind of reviews those brands have gotten from members here that have experience with them.

 

[Steuny]

As I said my JD359 front mount is very disappointing compared to the Kubota I had. I am now running a 8' Curtis on my FEL but miss the blower when the sides of the road get higher. Anyone out there that feels his 3PH blower is really good at throwing please comment as I have not yet started looking for any particular brand. I do realize that front mounts usually turn faster but the gearing in a rear 540 RPM should give you the same results.

 

[doxford jim]

I have an older Allied - Farm King 73" TPH blower that does quite well. When I first started using it I ran it with the 540 RPM PTO speed and it did not throw snow much more than 15ft or so. I checked and found the impeller tip clearance to be excessive at 5/8" clearance (24" 3 blade impeller).
I tried using the 720 RPM instead of the 540 RPM - boy what a difference. The snow blower now shoots snow up to 40 ft - depending on the snow type. Keeping the engine revs up to the PTO range makes a big difference as well - needed for the torque. Tractor size does make a difference as the hp available at the PTO is important.

There are several variables and I doubt that there will be an obvious standard to which all snowblowers are made. I suspect that 30 ft would be a reasonable and doable performance guide. I did contact Farm King re a new impeller for my machine but the parts are no longer available (1989 manufacture). I was told that the impeller clearance on the newer machines is around 1/4" when new - the closer clearer giving better performance.

I will one day, pull the impeller off of mine and either add more metal to the blades to reduce clearance to 1/4" or install adjustable/renewable blade tips. In all other respects the blower is still in good shape - so repairing present one is worth doing.

Go with any of the major snowblower manufacturers and you should do fine and use the biggest one you can afford or have hp for (tractor size) - you won't regret it. Four blade paddle would be more efficient for sure and also affects overall performance.

Leonz should be able to give you more information as he seems to be very knowledgeable on these.

Jim

 

[Steuny]

I don't think I can adjust my rpm from 540 RPM. Is it not standard on all tractors and not adjustable unless you speed the tractor up and then I don't think it gets that high.

 

[devildog1]

I loved my kubota BX23 with front blower, threw the snow futher then my 10 horse walk behind. Had a Lonenz (spell?) 72" behind my ole Oliver Super 55 , duel paddel augers and 24" fan, that was a great blower. But---- The front mounter Kubota blowers threw snow the futhest for me in upstate N.Y.
DevilDog

 

[schmism]

the quick answer no.

if you watch a lot of snow blower vids on youtube (like i have) youll start to see a pattern between the ones that really throw and others that just kinda spit the snow out the shoot.

based on what i see (and more importantly HEAR), its purely a function of the blower speed (and possible the fan to shroud clearance but mostly blower rpm)

 

[oldnslo]

Blower tip speed and tip clearance both. The rule of thumb I used for adjusting tip clearance on silage blowers was "pick-up a nickle and leave a dime". When the clearance got greater the HP required to throw silage the 70-foot distance went way up.

I don't know what a reasonable tip clearance is on a snow blower but the closer the better to a given point.

On your tractor what is PTO engine speed vs full throttle? Most tractors have PTO speed around 300 RPM or more below the full throttle speed. This may get your 540 up to 600 RPM or more. Older Ford 5000, 5600 series tractors would run the PTO close to 700 at full throttle. This also makes things fly farther...

Roy

 

[schmism]

have PTO speed around 300 RPM or more below the full throttle speed. This may get your 540 up to 600 RPM or more.
Roy

This is likely the case for old large iron, not small CUT's that run there 540 speed at 90% throttle.

I know my TC33 the 540 light comes on at ~2400 rpm but it tops at at 2800rpm. so i might be able to spin the PTO higher than 540 she already sounds like she's screaming at 2400 rpm.

 

[metalcaster]

I don't have any snow blower experience but I do have some with airless shot blasting machines. They consist of a wheel with blades similar to what a snow blower has. In order to get more energy for the shot we increase the wheel diameter and increase the rpm. I remember that the engineers stated that the force behind the shot increased as a square of the velocity. In order to get more distance, increase the energy by increasing the rpms. Ideally a large diameter impeller running at the highest rpm the equipment can handle with wide blades will move the most material the furthest.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Is there a way to find out how far a blower can throw snow. I once had a Kubota on a GF1800 lawnmower that threw it 30'. My JD front mount 359 on my 4410 isn't even close. Now as I shop for a rear blower I want one that will throw it a decent distance. Does a 4 blade throw further then a 3 blade inpeller? I realize snow conditions will change but is there a spec I should be looking for to ensure good throwing distance.

How far it throws should be dependent on the tip speed of the fan. the higher the tip speed the further the throw. If you know the gear ratio of the blower box and the tip diameter of the fan, you can calculate the tip speed:
Vtip = pi*Dtip*Nfan/60,where,(If D is in ft, the Vtip is ~ft/sec)

Nfan = Npto * gear ratio of blower. So Vtip =pi*Dtip*gear ratio * Npto/60.
For a 540 rpm pto,

Vtip540=9*pi*Dtip*gear ratio

 

[dstig1]

Typically a four blade will be better than a three blade since in theory there is 25% less snow on each paddle the volume is more constant which lends to distance.

Another variable is diameter of blower fan and RPM. Most 3PH models the fan is direct drive from the PTO so a 20" fan has less tip speed than a 24".

Leonz (spelling) will hopefully chime in soon since he has a wealth of knowledge.

Roy

You mean Leonz will tell him to get a Provonost, right? :laughing: I swear the man has gotta be on sales commission or sumtin'. They must be really good as he loves them, fer sure...

 

[75H2]

Mine shoots 3 inch rocks from our gravel driveway about 40 feet

 

[flyingcow]

Mine shoots 3 inch rocks from our gravel driveway about 40 feet

Got the same one. :laughing:

 

[art]

There are a lot of names out there on snow blowers. I remember having to go to Ontario to pick up a load in the fall which normally we just had them shipped in.

On the road to the shop there were three other makes being built in fab shops!!!!

My favorites that we currently work with are the Rad Tech and all time favorites the Pronovost. The Allied or Nor-cans are my least favorites.

The fan spacing to the rim is one of the main things to look for for a good blower.
Four blades with lots of gap won't be any better then a good tight three blade.

I like cast iron pillow block bearings on the auger.

 

[flyingcow]

There are a lot of names out there on snow blowers. I remember having to go to Ontario to pick up a load in the fall which normally we just had them shipped in.

On the road to the shop there were three other makes being built in fab shops!!!!

My favorites that we currently work with are the Rad Tech and all time favorites the Pronovost. The Allied or Nor-cans are my least favorites.

The fan spacing to the rim is one of the main things to look for for a good blower.
Four blades with lots of gap won't be any better then a good tight three blade.

I like cast iron pillow block bearings on the auger.

Cast iron pillow blocks? What's that mean?

 

[flyingcow]

i just measured 55ft. nice snow to throw.