Front mount or loader mount blower?

[mjstef]

What's the preference here. I'll have a power pack for hydraulics for a firewood processor so I can go either way.

 

[oldnslo]

With loader mount you can lift the blower higher to clear drifts. It also moves the weight farther forward so might make back of tractor light.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

I ran a loader mounted 'blower for a couple of years, and one issue with it (for me) was the distance between the front axle and the 'blower.

It was about the same as the distance between the axles, which would be fine if going straight on level ground, but that's not quite how my driveway is.

 

[hayden]

I opted for loader mount (SSQA). The available tractor mount frames were not compatible with the loader, so it was either/or, and I didnt want to give up the loader since I still use the bucket and forks from time to time. Also, the tractor mount frame was huge so a storage issue off season, and looked not fun to install and remove.

 

[CalG]

What's the preference here. I'll have a power pack for hydraulics for a firewood processor so I can go either way.

I've got a pair of front mount blowers on somewhat smaller tractors. I have a tight space that I clear of snow, and can not imagine trying to do it with a loader mounted blower. Just due to the added LENGTH of the setup.

But if you have open spaces, I can't see why a loader frame mount wouldn't offer some useful benefits.

 

[leonz]

What's the preference here. I'll have a power pack for hydraulics for a firewood processor so I can go either way.

A hydraulic power pack for a smaller mule like yours will never have the horsepower to torque ratio needed for a loaded mounted blower UNLESS
you purchase a very large high flow power unit with 50 plus gallons of oil in its reservoir.

If the power pack has been properly designed it will have a hydraulic vane pump and a high flow gear motor to provide enough oil flow to spin the 540 RPM gearbox in the two stage snow blower with enough torque to equal or be greater than the needed horsepower to operate it./

You also have to have 2 additional circuits for the chute rotation and spout control.

As Neil Messick has said hydraulic powered snow blowers are not all they are cracked up to be.

 

[grsthegreat]

My unit is pictured on left. Its loader mounted. Has worked for past 14 winters. Easy to swap between plow and bucket if needed. Easy to use. Its nicely balanced with large rear mount powerpack. It uses i believe a 25 gallon, 3000 psi and 15 gpm pump. It works absolutely awsome in fresh snow, and packed snow. For wet snow, i usually swap to plow.

Very easy to install for winter and remove in spring, excapt for pto pump. As i get older, that dog gets heaver. It feels 10# heavier every winter. Last winter it felt like it weighed 300# . Last year was first year i called a buddy to help.

Driving forward to clear snow is a godsend. When my buildings shed i have to move snow for horses to get in and out of barn and make room for new shed snow. Being able to lift blower makes it an easy task.

It uses all of my available 45 hp tracyor to work that pump.

 

[mjstef]

A hydraulic power pack for a smaller mule like yours will never have the horsepower to torque ratio needed for a loaded mounted blower UNLESS
you purchase a very large high flow power unit with 50 plus gallons of oil in its reservoir.

If the power pack has been properly designed it will have a hydraulic vane pump and a high flow gear motor to provide enough oil flow to spin the 540 RPM gearbox in the two stage snow blower with enough torque to equal or be greater than the needed horsepower to operate it./

You also have to have 2 additional circuits for the chute rotation and spout control.

As Neil Messick has said hydraulic powered snow blowers are not all they are cracked up to be.

I've run a hydraulic blower on my skid steer the last 6 years with no issues. That was the biggest reason for buying a skid steer in 2018. I got tired of looking behind me all the time in the spring opening driveways for two or three weeks for my business. My skid steer flows 22 gallons a minute. The power pack I'm looking at flowa 21.3 gallons a minute so it shouldn't be much different.

 

[oldnslo]

what size tractor do you have? 21.3 GPM is going to require some PTO HP.

 

[mjstef]

what size tractor do you have? 21.3 GPM is going to require some PTO HP.

online hydraulic calculator shows 38 hp minimum and I would be going 45 hp.