Front or Rear Snow Blower?

[crazyal]

Lately everything has been extremely consequential, but with that aside.............I wouldn't trade my front mount blower for anything(cept a blonde and a 12 pack).............oops, did I say that?:laughing::laughing::laughing:

How about a winter long stay on a beach in the south pacific to go along with those two? :thumbsup:

 

[irvingj]

I'd also vote for the front-mount, if you can swing the extra expense over a rear-mount. And yes, I can put enough down pressure on mine to lift the front wheels off the ground, which is great for scraping a hard-packed or icy PAVED driveway, which I have done (neighbor's house).

And like others have posted, switching from blower to FEL is easy (sub-frame can stay on, though it's also easily removed), but I almost never do that- my blower will chew through some pretty heavy stuff, no problem. About the only time I put the FEL on is when the neighbor next door needs to remove the snow piles his pickup snowplow has built up....

 

[dstig1]

The price for a loader mounted snow blower and a hydraulic pump tank can start at $15,000 depending on the builder.

I can't be 100% certain as memory fades, but that figure sounds high to me. I looked at the Erskine system at the Minnesota State Fair last year, and the figure I recall was about half that (for a hydraulic 3 pt tank/pump and front mounted blower). Still spendy, but if the setup makes sense in your application I don't think that is unreasonable. That PTO driven front blower (non-hydraulic) looks interesting. Setup looks like a bit of a PITA though, and I can't see from the website how it is really controlled.

Yup, mine has a rear mounted 50 gallon, 3000 psi, 15 gal/minute rear hydraulic unit that powers the blower. the tractor itself could not power it. They are spendy,

And here's our chance...GRS - what sort of price range are we talking about here?

 

[grsthegreat]

I can't be 100% certain as memory fades, but that figure sounds high to me. I looked at the Erskine system at the Minnesota State Fair last year, and the figure I recall was about half that (for a hydraulic 3 pt tank/pump and front mounted blower). Still spendy, but if the setup makes sense in your application I don't think that is unreasonable. That PTO driven front blower (non-hydraulic) looks interesting. Setup looks like a bit of a PITA though, and I can't see from the website how it is really controlled.



And here's our chance...GRS - what sort of price range are we talking about here?

Cost about $10,000 for the setup, mind you its very heavy duty and i have lots of snow to move. A similar heavy duty rear push blower ran about $4,700 - $5,000 range from the bids i was getting.

 

[dstig1]

That's in the range I recall - I was thinking I remembered ~$8-9k.

If you have a lot of snow to move, frequently, and will be doing it for years to come, then I see that as a very reasonable long-term investment. Just avoiding the neck trouble would seem to make it worth it...

 

[grsthegreat]

ya, Ive been driving backward for 14 years now. enough is enough. There are days when i have to do that for 8 hours with the old 60" blower. The new one is 78" wide and i can drive forewords. I might have to go a little slower due to power loss in the hydraulic system....but its forewords and in a heated cab. so who cares.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Snow rarely comes when you feel like dealinng with it, but you sure can have a mess for the rest of the winter if you don't. i had my heart set on a front mounted blower for my tractor, but was forced to buy a rear mounted one when I did buy. (Medical issues kept me from shopping when I should have, and there was snow falling when I bought) The first year I only used the blower three times I think, and was still thinking I would trade it for front mounted blower. Last winter was more normal around here, and I spent quite a bit of time cleaning up after snow storms. I grew to like having the FEL available, and often used both that, and the blower for the same storm.

 

[Jay4200]

My new tractor is HST controlled, so i can set speed to conditions. i haven't Had it thru a winter yet, but due to neck and back issues (probably due to 8 winters of driving backwards) i recently purchased a loader mounted blower and rear power-pack from Quick Attach. They are kind of spendy, a little over twice the price of a good quality rear pusher model, but my back required it. I actually cant wait till winter

That thing is awesome. Being able to lift the blower up to much up piles is a terrific feature. I see it is hydraulic-powered...does it have it's own PTO pump? There is no way that tractor hydraulics would even be close to being able to run that thing - you'll need at least 25-30HP up at the blower.

JayC

 

[devildog1]

Snow rarely comes when you feel like dealinng with it, but you sure can have a mess for the rest of the winter if you don't. i had my heart set on a front mounted blower for my tractor, but was forced to buy a rear mounted one when I did buy. (Medical issues kept me from shopping when I should have, and there was snow falling when I bought) The first year I only used the blower three times I think, and was still thinking I would trade it for front mounted blower. Last winter was more normal around here, and I spent quite a bit of time cleaning up after snow storms. I grew to like having the FEL available, and often used both that, and the blower for the same storm.

I agree with ChuckinNH, It seems the same here in upstate N.Y. We are receiving much more snow over the winter almost like the storms from years past.I have had a front snow blower and it works great. But like Chuck the rear or three point along with the FEL is the ticket for me too.
DevilDog

 

[grsthegreat]

That thing is awesome. Being able to lift the blower up to much up piles is a terrific feature. I see it is hydraulic-powered...does it have it's own PTO pump? There is no way that tractor hydraulics would even be close to being able to run that thing - you'll need at least 25-30HP up at the blower.

JayC

yes, it has a rear mount hydraulic unit with its own pto powered pump

 

[savagesultin]

I use a plow on the front to windrow the snow then on my way back I just use a 84" blower with rotary drum. It sure makes moving snow much quicker, I like rear blowers, I keep mine on all winter and still can use my loader for moving hay or anything else that I may require a bucket or bale spear. But it is true there is a lot of debate on this topic

 

[leonz]

I love your avatar, does he/she go for tractor rides?

 

[savagesultin]

leonz, Yes he jumps up and rides along when ever the tractor starts up he is along for the ride. Even if we are only moving a couple of feet he would like to go for a ride.

 

[smalltown]

I always thought this was an interesting mod. This guys driving a Deere 2520, with an Fontier SB1154 mounted somehow on the front of the tractor.
Looks like it works quite well.

Souffleur frontal Frontier - YouTube

 

[RoyJackson]

I always thought this was an interesting mod. This guys driving a Deere 2520, with an Fontier SB1154 mounted somehow on the front of the tractor.
Looks like it works quite well.

Souffleur frontal Frontier - YouTube

I suspect he's using something similar to the Erskine design that transmits the rear PTO rotation (through a gear box and two long drive shafts) to the front. Erskine's design has been around for a while now. I've read there have been mixed results and it can be unreliable. No personal experience, so that's all off the internet.

 

[rbargeron]

I suspect he's using something similar to the Erskine design that transmits the rear PTO rotation (through a gear box and two long drive shafts) to the front. Erskine's design has been around for a while now. I've read there have been mixed results and it can be unreliable. No personal experience, so that's all off the internet.

Roy - You've commented before about this and I need to say I've also done quite a bit of reading about Erskine's rear-drive front-mount designs on the internet but I can't remember anyone saying they were unreliable. I've seen comments about how ruggedly built they are, and that they are too pricey for latitudes with low snowfall, and that they take up a lot of storage room in the off-season, but nobody says they aren't reliable. My two have been like tanks.

The rear "gearbox" is actually a two-row chain box with idler, running on tapered roller bearings in an oil bath. The main drive shaft is solid round steel bar running in roller-bearing pillow blocks with zerks, with a short telescoping pto shaft up front going to the blower head. Everything about the front gearbox, auger drive and fan is commercial scale. In the years I've used them the only failures I've had is when somebody's dog leaves a frozen Sunday paper or piece of firewood out in the driveway and it breaks a shear bolt. In my experience, and from what I've read, Erskine is well-built and trouble-free.

 

[RoyJackson]

Roy - You've commented before about this and I need to say I've also done quite a bit of reading about Erskine's rear-drive front-mount designs on the internet but I can't remember anyone saying they were unreliable. I've seen comments about how ruggedly built they are, and that they are too pricey for latitudes with low snowfall, and that they take up a lot of storage room in the off-season, but nobody says they aren't reliable. My two have been like tanks.

Just something I've read a few times...IIRC, that drive shaft going forward (under the tractor) is actually two parts...and that's where the alleged problem lies.
Again, like ANYTHING you read on the internet...take it with a grain of salt.
But it is something to consider if purchasing a used one.

 

[Looking4new]

Just something I've read a few times...IIRC, that drive shaft going forward (under the tractor) is actually two parts...and that's where the alleged problem lies.
Again, like ANYTHING you read on the internet...take it with a grain of salt.
But it is something to consider if purchasing a used one.

My front mount has a center hanger bearing and the drive shaft is in two parts with a 'U' joint right after the bearing. Before the shaft goes into the transmission at the front there is another 'U' joint. And there is a 'U' joint right after it comes off the mid PTO.
If memory serves me, the front mount kit and the front blower cost me about $6,000.oo Canadian

 

[ericher69]

Leonz;

Are you kidding me? Seriously?

Front blower hands down!

I would have quoted your 3 page post but thought it was counter productive.

There is down pressure on the front mount blowers

The view/control is awesome

No sore neck

No chance of swinging into a stationary object with your FEL as you are looking back.

If you are doing many drives the front blower is the best

If your own drive/limited use rear blower is ok

Here's a short video of the view

http://youtu.be/iDLefRPS2K4

Sent from my iPhone 5s 64Gb using TractorByNet

 

[grsthegreat]

Leonz;

Are you kidding me? Seriously?

Front blower hands down!

I would have quoted your 3 page post but thought it was counter productive.

There is down pressure on the front mount blowers

The view/control is awesome

No sore neck

No chance of swinging into a stationary object with your FEL as you are looking back.

If you are doing many drives the front blower is the best

If your own drive/limited use rear blower is ok

Here's a short video of the view

B2920 Kubota POV snow removal - YouTube

Sent from my iPhone 5s 64Gb using TractorByNet

1+ from my neck

i love my loader mounted blower. But Leonz is correct about the power loss in a hydraulic unit UNLESS it uses the rear 3 point hydraulic system. My unit cost a little over 2x what i was quoted for a WELL built, very heavy duty rear mount standard blower. A pull type blower would be useless for my operation, especially when i have to move roof shedded snow piles 5' tall.

My neck thanks me every time i have to blow snow.

The biggest drawback on my system is the time it takes to install everything at start of season. That does suck.

I also LOVE the maneuverability the front mount gives me. I can lift mine over any obsticle and turn on a dime. Its really great passing thru a gate. I can lift it over a post and begin turn right after front tire meats post. I can get in tighter spots with this tractor and blower than i could ever get with my old JD870