Front PTO options

[aczlan]

Do you need a full 3 point on the front? I have a front mount Loftness that has about 2 foot long lower links on the blower side and then a hydraulic cylinder that goes up at a 45 degree angle for the top link to lift the blower.
It has two gearboxes on the back to turn the PTO around and send it to the front with a 2 piece driveshaft to get to the front of the tractor, then another driveshaft to go to the blower.

Aaron Z

 

[Bavarian]

Thanks for all the replies, plenty of food for thought.

I'm including a few pics of my blower and a "mockup" of how it might look attached to a 3pt on the front of my tractor. Please don't laugh too hard when you see the wooden skid shoes I added ....they are temporary until I get around to buying or making permanent ones. I had 3 loads of stone put on my driveway last year and the small shoes on the back of it just weren't doing the job of keeping the blower high enough to avoid throwing/pushing stones no matter how I adjusted it.
Anyway, it is an older unit from Japan, not as robustly made as a lot of the N/A models but it is a good little machine. That fact that it is lighter and not as deep as most blowers it's size- it's just under 6ft wide- I think makes it a good candidate for a front mount. I have a pair of 3pt arms like the one in the picture that I plan to use, they are a bit long though so likely I will shorten them.

After digesting the latest info you guys have posted I believe I will be going with a gearbox on my rear pto and driveshaft to the front. It was my least favorite option as I didn't want to give up clearance under the tractor. I like to take logs from the woods and drag them to the yard so a drive shaft could be a problem there. Some kind of an undercarriage that could be removed quickly could be a way to go but would complicate the build...or I may have to switch back to Ag tires!

Dave thanks for the link and those pics, that's quite the blower you have...I am wondering what the purpose of the blade with hydraulic lift on the back is.

You didn't state which tractor you want to put it on.
Check out Zuidberg. They sell full sets of front 3pt/Pto systems.
There is another canadian company they build front systems, I just can't remember their name.

 

[case685]

My tractor is an Iseki TA357, a grey market machine, very similar to a MF1160 which was built by Iseki for Massey. I've had it for 12 years. It came with tall ag/rice tires but I had to replace them. I put on turfs that came from a MF1160, been very happy with them but the tractor does sit a lot lower.

I know there are front mount designs that have a dedicated undercarriage and if I could be sure they would be easy to take on and off I might seriously consider them. For that purpose it seems a front 3pt would be the best way to go. I would really like to be able to drop the blower quickly if I need to. I will check out the Loftness and Zuidberg's systems. I am on a budget though and want to take on the challenge and fun of fabricating my own system. I have some time to think about it since I cant start a project like this until the weather warms up.

 

[Dave M7040]

With any type of blower you end up leaving snow in front of steps and garage doors.

With the rear blade I have, I back right to the door (or if I have a remote control for the door,) open the door and back so my rear blade is just inside the garage. Then I full the snow forward about 6 feet.

Raise the blade and back up to catch the pile left by the blade.
My brothers nearby never have to shovel.

I also use the blade for landscaping and spreading gravel. It is 1/2" plate with a 4 x 4 x 1/4" angle stiffener.
I also added trailer wheels where I can adjust the blower height hydraulically to avoid digging up gravel and sod before it is frozen.

I am 72 now and made do with variety of old tractors and walk behinds until now
Good luck with your fabrication and ask many questions as you will always get good help here.
Dave M7040

 

[case685]

Thanks Dave, this site is fantastic and I definitely will continue to access it for advice and information. Also planning to document and post on the build as I go along.

 

[aczlan]

Here are a couple of pictures of how Loftness set up their system (which I modified to work on our L3830:
Front, blower hitch:


Middle under tractor:




Rear gearboxes:


I can take other pictures or explain if you have any questions.

Aaron Z

 

[Dave M7040]

There is another canadian company they build front systems, I just can't remember their name.

See my post #5 in this thread. Smyth Welding

Dave M7040

 

[Dave M7040]

Here are a couple of pictures of how Loftness set up their system (which I modified to work on our L3830:
Front, blower hitch:
View attachment 593204

Middle under tractor:
View attachment 593205

View attachment 593206

Rear gearboxes:
View attachment 593208

I can take other pictures or explain if you have any questions.

Aaron Z

Aaron
How much was the Loftness rear pto gear box?

From your last photo I cannot tell if it is the same as the two gearbox arrangement in my post 5.

Dave M7040

 

[aczlan]

Aaron
How much was the Loftness rear pto gear box?

From your last photo I cannot tell if it is the same as the two gearbox arrangement in my post 5.

Dave M7040

I suspect it is similar to yours, there are a pair of U-joints welded together, then a pair of right angle gear boxes which share the output shaft of one gearbox with input shaft of the other gearbox.
It sandwiches the drawbar to attach it, unlike yours (which as I recall) connects to the top link holes. That leaves the 3 point hitch free for my weight barrel.
We bought the whole setup from someone who had purchased a large New Holland tractor at an auction from a municipality. He wanted to use it to pull a Batwing bush hog, and had no real interest in the snow blower. The catch was that we had to remove it from the tractor and unbolt the frame in his garage with hand tools.
We were the first ones who were still interested after finding that it still had to be removed from the tractor.
A good friend of mine and I got it done in an afternoon and dragged it onto a trailer.
I just used the snow blower on the back for the first winter and adapted the frame for the next winter.

Aaron Z

 

[KWentling]

I contacted Zuidberg for a front PTO and 3-point for my M7060. Dealer price for the set up was just over $7000. Too rich for me.

You didn't state which tractor you want to put it on.
Check out Zuidberg. They sell full sets of front 3pt/Pto systems.
There is another canadian company they build front systems, I just can't remember their name.

The 3 I know of are Smyth, Erskine, and Shulte.