first bobcat snowblower experience

[jabbahop]

We got our first storm since my new 66" S200 snowblower was delivered. We had about 4 inches of wetter snow yesterday and then another 8 or so lighter snow last night.

I have a C model standard flow Toolcat.

Impressions.

- It is surprisingly quiet to operate and boy is it nice to have a heated cab when all of the snow is blowing around.

- you have quite a bit of control on how close you want to cut. Since we had ice on top of a dirt road, i wanted to keep a little snow on top and that was pretty easy to accomplish though you have to adjust as the grade changes.

- the light snow doesn't blow really far - maybe 10 feet minium and 25 feet max. It is good enough for clearing the road though.

- have to be really careful when blowing near the house/barn because and turning. I was paying attention to not hitting some curb stones and forgot that the funnel was now pointing directly @ the garage door as made the turn. I found it can make a good pile quickly.

- with the 8 inches of light snow (plus a little cutting back of the snow bank) i could go 3-4 mph

- depending on how the wind is blowing and the snow is blowing, you can put a bunch of snow on the windshield very quickly and the wipers struggle to keep up.

- build quality seems very good

- the 66" isn't really wide enough for clearing on sharp corners and i would imaging if it were much deeper than the 8" we had today one would need to back up and attach the edges more directly or risk getting stuck as the snow snow gets under the frame.

overall quite happy not having to fuss with pushing back the large banks of snow.

 

[dsb5610]

I ran mine (66" SB200) last night in approx 12" of wet snow. We did have quite a bit of wind during the storm so I had some deeper areas. Was still windy when I was blowing so all the windows were eventually covered but I could keep the front windshield clear. I was only running around 2mph quite a bit of the time. Any faster and the snow would pile up in front of the blower. Even though it was very wet the blower never plugged. After years of dealing with this on an open tractor it sure is fun to do it in a heated cab.

dsb

 

[Rip]

Jabba......good to hear your new blower is working well for you.

Regarding the width, you may be able to fabricate some "wings" for one or both sides to extend out 6" or so to gather a bit more snow and prevent wheels running over uncleared snow. I would just bolt them on, or you could make them quickly removable with pins if you wanted.

Don't forget 500-plus pounds ballast in the rear.....that blower in nearly 900 lbs. Especially on standard-flow machines, be sure you are running at full max engine RPMs.

You mentioned you have a dirt/gravel road, which is probably pretty well frozen this time of year. If you find that the sharp cutting edge picks up too much gravel or catches on rocks, you may want to make a round-bar to replace it like I did for my QuickAttach blower (almost same as the Bobcat units).

I am not up to speed on posting pics to this site, but if you PM me I can email to you.

Good Luck !!

 

[jabbahop]

thanks so far you are right that the frozen state of the driveway means that i don't pick up much gravel unless i have it angled down too steeply. I don't expect i will use it much when things are warm because I end up using the plow then.

 

[theoshin]

I ran mine (66" SB200) last night in approx 12" of wet snow. We did have quite a bit of wind during the storm so I had some deeper areas. Was still windy when I was blowing so all the windows were eventually covered but I could keep the front windshield clear. I was only running around 2mph quite a bit of the time. Any faster and the snow would pile up in front of the blower. Even though it was very wet the blower never plugged. After years of dealing with this on an open tractor it sure is fun to do it in a heated cab.

dsb

are you running high flow? i have a 72 240 and with high flow i really have to slow down or i loose power - even with hp management turned off. without high flow on i can go as fast as the blower can move the snow - just does not blow the snow nearly as far. ok for one lane driveway but not as good around garages.

for example - medium density snow - 4 inches

2-3 mph high flow with frequent engine bogging when snow gets deeper/drifts if i dont slow down right away

6-7 mph low flow - no engine bogging - any faster = snow piling off sides

so when i put it in high flow i am really limited by the tc flow/hp/torque. in low flow i am limited by the blower capacity as it should be. i really wonder if the 72" 240 is too big for the tc??? it runs great in low flow but at times i want to kick the snow farther. plus, what good is paying for high flow if it such a handicapper. in 10 inches of snow i have to crawl in high flow.

 

[dsb5610]

theoshin,

I have an 'A' model so it is low flow. In dry snow I don't notice it bogging down very often. In wet snow I have to slow down. I would guess mine typically throws 15'-20' but varies depending on the snow conditions and wind.

dsb

 

[Spudgunner]

Congrats on the new equipment. I took delivery of a SB200-72 in November and put it into service in a hurry. We've had humongous amounts of snow in a relatively short period (6 weeks or so) and I've literally been running the TC/Blower every day.

If I were to take delivery today and have the time, I'd...
- Install a .125" thick sheet of UHMW polyurethane in the chute. Gravel is eating mine alive. Erskine/Quick-Attach has the right idea here with their blower chutes. You can get this stuff at some woodworking stores (e.g. Woodcraft) and online.

- Ensure that the wiring harness is tied-up outta the way. In stock form, my wires were in a bit of disarray. Not bad...but sorta asking for trouble.

Those are the only mods I've made on my blower that I should have done shortly after delivery.

I'd like to do the same thing Rip has done in terms of replacing the cutting edge and will probably do that this Summer. As mentioned, ballast is very important. I use about 800 pounds. Remember that you'll have to raise the bed to check the hyd reservoir. So don't use bowling balls!

Also, I purchased a small gardening shovel that fits perfectly in the chute. Works great for the inevitable clogs. I also found a great use for WD-40 (at last)... I warm a can by placing it near the defroster vent and then at day's end when I'm checking the equipment I clean the chute rotator chain and shoot it with hot WD-40. Seems to really keep the thing going during the next day.

(The Toolcat could benefit from a number of tweaks, IMO, for snow removal. Sounds like a good thread topic.)

 

[theoshin]

Congrats on the new equipment. I took delivery of a SB200-72 in November and put it into service in a hurry. We've had humongous amounts of snow in a relatively short period (6 weeks or so) and I've literally been running the TC/Blower every day.

If I were to take delivery today and have the time, I'd...
- Install a .125" thick sheet of UHMW polyurethane in the chute. Gravel is eating mine alive. Erskine/Quick-Attach has the right idea here with their blower chutes. You can get this stuff at some woodworking stores (e.g. Woodcraft) and online.

- Ensure that the wiring harness is tied-up outta the way. In stock form, my wires were in a bit of disarray. Not bad...but sorta asking for trouble.

Those are the only mods I've made on my blower that I should have done shortly after delivery.

I'd like to do the same thing Rip has done in terms of replacing the cutting edge and will probably do that this Summer. As mentioned, ballast is very important. I use about 800 pounds. Remember that you'll have to raise the bed to check the hyd reservoir. So don't use bowling balls!

Also, I purchased a small gardening shovel that fits perfectly in the chute. Works great for the inevitable clogs. I also found a great use for WD-40 (at last)... I warm a can by placing it near the defroster vent and then at day's end when I'm checking the equipment I clean the chute rotator chain and shoot it with hot WD-40. Seems to really keep the thing going during the next day.

(The Toolcat could benefit from a number of tweaks, IMO, for snow removal. Sounds like a good thread topic.)

Are you running a sb200 72 with high flow? if yes, how does the performance in terms of allowed ground speed suffer turning on high flow? in say 5 inches of med density snow how fast can you go down a level asphalt driveway in high vs low flow???

thx

 

[Spudgunner]

Are you running a sb200 72 with high flow? if yes, how does the performance in terms of allowed ground speed suffer turning on high flow? in say 5 inches of med density snow how fast can you go down a level asphalt driveway in high vs low flow???

thx

Yes, I'm running it in high-flow. Low-flow performance was unacceptable given my fan motor setup. It was so bad I never "went there" again. Just for thrills I'll try it tomorrow. We've finally had a mild thaw and I'll be chuckin' wetter stuff tomorrow and will compare low-flow with high-flow under the same circumstances. BTW, I only dream of clearing paved surfaces. 99.9% of my snow removal is done over roadmix (compacted gravel/sand mix).

Actually, I'm not sure I can switch into low-flow using the illuminated switch. The blower apparently tells the TC through the data bus that it requires hi-flow and the TC automatically kicks it on. Reminds me of "Plug-and-Play" on PC's (or...for us from a computer industry background..."Plug and Pray").

 

[dsb5610]

i have a 72 240 and with high flow i really have to slow down or i loose power - even with hp management turned off.

theoshin,

You should have the dealer double check the blower has the correct motor. I can run through 5 inches of medium density snow at a pretty good clip. Your setup should 'blow' right past mine.

dsb

 

[dsb5610]

Yesterday my Toolcat almost met its match. The neighbor's lane was drifted shut. One stretch was waist deep but that never been a problem in the past. It was above freezing so the snow was extremely wet. I couldn't push the blower unless I lifted it a foot or so and even then sometimes I could only get 5-10' before I would start spinning. I don't carry any ballast and the lane is a slight uphill. Once I started spinning I would back up and take out the foot or so slush then lift the blower to push further in. Once the first pass was done I was able to take a foot or two at a time to open it up. Took almost an hour to do what normally takes me 10 minutes.

I know if I had some ballast and/or chains it would have been better. If this type of snow was the norm I would. Also the R4s are not ideal for traction in snow.

dsb

 

[Spudgunner]

theoshin,

You should have the dealer double check the blower has the correct motor. I can run through 5 inches of medium density snow at a pretty good clip. Your setup should 'blow' right past mine.

dsb

Do you know which fan motor you have? There should be a tag on the back of the motor with a part number in the form xxx-yyyy-zz. Knowing this might help in the comparison.

 

[dsb5610]

The number on mine is 105-1159-006. Not sure if that will help theoshin since mine is a low flow unit.

dsb

 

[Spudgunner]

Ok, the Lo/Hi-Flow testing is complete. The setup: 7" of snow that fell yesterday when it was in the mid to high 20's. Temp. at time of removal: about 35. I was on level ground with a 100' windrow of this stuff. I started on it with hi-flow, did about 30', stopped, and kicked hi-flow off (via the rocker switch). Then I did another 30'. There was a big difference in casting distance. Relatively speaking, low-flow cast it about 1/3 to 1/2 the distance that hi-flow cast it. I'm horrible at estimating absolute distances with the blower but I'll guess hi-flow was chucking it 20-25'. I tried to keep all other variables the same (speed, same pressure on the hyd pedal, etc...).

Hope this helps. It was interesting to find out what hi-flow did, exactly-more-or-less.

Edited to add: While I did keep hyd pedal/speed the same between tests, I did so gingerly...which greatly aided casting distance with this mush.

 

[theoshin]

Ok, the Lo/Hi-Flow testing is complete. The setup: 7" of snow that fell yesterday when it was in the mid to high 20's. Temp. at time of removal: about 35. I was on level ground with a 100' windrow of this stuff. I started on it with hi-flow, did about 30', stopped, and kicked hi-flow off (via the rocker switch). Then I did another 30'. There was a big difference in casting distance. Relatively speaking, low-flow cast it about 1/3 to 1/2 the distance that hi-flow cast it. I'm horrible at estimating absolute distances with the blower but I'll guess hi-flow was chucking it 20-25'. I tried to keep all other variables the same (speed, same pressure on the hyd pedal, etc...).

Hope this helps. It was interesting to find out what hi-flow did, exactly-more-or-less.

Edited to add: While I did keep hyd pedal/speed the same between tests, I did so gingerly...which greatly aided casting distance with this mush.

thx for the update.

did turning on high flow force you to slow down signficantly compared to low flow? also in high flow are you limited by the amount of snow the blower can handle or by the hp of the machine - meaning if you go faster does snow pile up in front or do you loose rpms? how fast could you go in high flow? with mine in 5 inches of medium denisty i can go around 6mph in low flow and 2-3mph tops in high flow. in low flow i am limited by the blower - meaning the snow piles up but i never loose rpms and in high flow i am limited by rpm/torque/hp. in high flow i can never get the blower full before the engine looses power. high flow kicks the snow 3x as far but really handicaps my speed. i already had the motors switched once as the wrong set was ordered originally - i will look into it and possibly switching out for a high flow sb200 72inch via bobcat. maybe the 240 is too big???

 

[kdennan]

I'm still using a loaner (standard flow, SB200_72") till my high-flow arrives.
I know that my dealer said that the motor makes a huge difference in the performance, so he set me up with a 9.6 motor.

 

[lawnproslawncare]

Let us know how the difference in motors help.
I'm ready to get a toolcat, but not till i know exactly how to set this thing up. I'm thinking a expandable rear plow will be the perfect ballast?