Front Mount Snowblower decision (I hope)

[dourobob]

While I don't want to belabour this topic, I am very anxious to begin a realistic AND inexpensive conversion of my 3PH snowblower so it can be ready to use as a front blower for next winter - unfortunately a new tractor is way beyond the budget these days.
It seems the most likely way to do this conversion (according to those who responded to my other posts on this subject) with the least amount of expense is by mounting a drive shaft under the tractor and using limiting chains to prevent lifting the blower too high with the loader and mangling the shaft and/or the tractor. I might even consider using the bucket curl hydraulics to rotate the chute.
Yes, I am finally getting to a question (actually some questions) and here they are - I haven't been able to see inside the guts of the unit used by manufacturers to power the drive shaft from the tractor PTO at 540 RPM and I wanted to know if it uses a series of gears to get the proper rotation or if it is a roller chain driven device that might be fabricated faily easily?
I think my shop buddy could do the fabrication part fairly easily but it would be great to have a look inside one of these things to see what challenges would be in store.
Does anyone have (or might you be able to take) a picture or two that could be posted or send by private message?
Does anyone know of a web site where we might be able to see the insides of this type of PTO unit?
Are there other web discussion groups that could help us?

Thanks

DouroBob

 

[chucko]

Look Santa wants a snowblower /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[dourobob]

Thanks Chucko
Actually Santa is my Dad /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif - makes for some interesting times around Christmas when I ask young kids if they want me to tell my Dad that they have been good?

Bob

 

[MikefromMI]

Hey Bob,
Did you by chance drop a line to Lorenz Mfg. and ask what was inside their gearbox or if they sold it separately?

 

[dourobob]

Great idea Mike - I just sent them a note.
Thanks

 

[Murf]

Bob, any that I have seen home-brewed were just heavy drive chain and gears inside a piece of thick-wall tubing.

Each gear rides on a through shaft, they in turn rest on sealed bearings mounted to the walls of the tubing, the input shaft drives the upper shaft, the lower shaft connects to a driveshaft running the length of the tractor, it is carried by pillow-block bearings mounted on the sub-frame's crossmembers. The whole subframe mounts on one spot only, the drawbar socket, the front usually goes up & down by means of a single cylinder lift like a snowplow on a pickup truck.

As long as there is enough gear oil in the bottom that it reaches well up the lower gear it slings well enough to do the trick.

Best of luck. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[gbirky]

To get the proper rotation and speed, you need two gears of equal size. No chains, just the two gears - this supplies the correct rotation and speed. See if you can find a junk heavy diesel engine. They use a gear set for crank to cam and sometimes other accessories like air compressor and sometimes even the water pump.

At 540 rpm, they are going quite slow so straight cut gears will work.

 

[ZJ_HR]

Hey dourobob,
You need this

 

[ZJ_HR]

By the way, you can use V-belts, like on mower we use.

 

[dourobob]

Very inspiring stuff - Thanks ZJ_HR