Front Snowblower for a B7800

[ptrotter]

I am considering a front snowblower for my B7800 and am wondering how pleased people are in general with snowblowers on tractors. I have a paved driveway about 400 feet long with an uphill curve to it. I currently have a front blade which works well enough but of course makes the driveway more narrow each time I push more snow aside. I'm hoping a snowblower will be faster and will throw the snow off the driveway completely. Since I already have the quick hitch, putting the blower on is fairly simple.

Is it the general concensus that blowers work well on tractors or is it a waste of money?

Thanks for any info,

Paul

 

[themichelob]

Hi Paul-
I've got the Kubota B2782 front mount blower on my B7800 and love it for clearing a 1/4 mile gravel driveway. This tractor/blower combo will throw the snow forty to fifty feet off your drive in two passes leaving no berms. Not sure about the "quick hitch" since I think you need a sub frame for the mid-PTO. With your paved drive and rear chains, clearing 400' with this set-up would be a piece of cake--not cheap, though!! Regards, Mike

 

[Ductape]

I could no longer live without a front blower now that I've had two of them. Couple things to consider....... it likely wont be faster than plowing (at least not for moderate snowstorms), and light snowfalls are not their forte. I'd say storms 3-4 inches and under, the blade will generally perform as well, or better than a blower. That being said, when we get snowstorms of a foot plus..... my blower loves having its mouth stuffed with snow. Kubota's front blowers will toss the stuff 40 to 50 feet back in the right conditions. There will be folks who will suggest you have your loader on the front, and buy a rear blower...... so that you can still use the blower to knock back the snowbanks. I say hogwash ! I put my blower on in the fall, and NEVER miss my loader till spring. As long as the snowbanks don't freeze solid before you get to them, you will never need your loader for anything. The blower will eat the snowbanks from your town's / state's plow truck for breakfast ! We have been bombed with snowstorms here for the past two winters, and I can't say enough good things about my Kubota front blower.

YouTube - Kubota B3030HSDC Snowblowing Video

 

[Charlesaf3]

Ductape - does the 3030 take the 2782? And how does it play with the backhoe subframe?

 

[Ductape]

Ductape - does the 3030 take the 2782? And how does it play with the backhoe subframe?

Yes, my blower is the 2782 also. There is absolutely no interferance in any way shape or form with the backhoe subframe. The rear mounts for the quick hitch are adjustable for width, so the same bracketry is used whether you have a loader frame or bare tractor. The blower goes on or off the quick hitch in about a minute, and the quick hitch goes on or off the tractor in about three minutes. Its a really well thought out system.

 

[smfcpacfp]

I think I always agree with Ductape on this topic. I will go him one step further, I couldn't live without a front blower and a cab. I probably have to go out and snowblow 30 times a year. We get 20 to 30 feet a year. If I had a plow, I would have to create large runoff areas to put all of the stuff - not an issue with a blower, it all ends up in the woods at my place.

Here is a movie of my tractor in action:YouTube - Kubota B3030 snowblower

 

[Charlesaf3]

nice pice. But it makes me think - I imagine you let the base accumulate a bit so the blower rides on top. What would you do if you were on the side of a hill, and that much snow would have you skating sideways off the road?

I don't actually really get snow, just a couple of storms a season that melt quickly, but I've always wondered how that would be handled. Salt?

 

[Ductape]

One of the driveways I do is dirt, and I just adjusted the skid-shoes down a notch at the beginning of winter, then adjusted them back after the ground froze (two nuts each side). Not sure I'm completely understanding your question, but if you are concerned about a bit of a sidehill, I'd either stud the tires or run chains if it were icey........ if it wasn't icey I wouldn't worry about it. I'm impressed with how well the tractor gets around, even in deep snow.

 

[irvingj]

ptrotter- the MAIN reason I got my tractor was for the front-mount blower. Yes, expensive, but it works great. Easily throws snow 40-50' into the woods. No big snowbanks. Also agree with Ductape (a NH thing?): I put the blower on in the late fall and really never use the loader until spring --maybe. Blower will eat through amazing piles of snow.

Since then, of course, I've discovered the tractor will do all sorts of other neat stuff, too! Dig up rocks, pick up trees with the thumb, mow the lawn, drag a trailer into & out of the woods.....

 

[WayneB]

I am one of the saps that thought I would be better off with a rear snowblower and keep my Front end loader on. Well in the past three years or so I have never used the bucket for moving snow around.

I am not totally disappointed with the rear snowblower. It does a great job and there is no problem with snow build up, but if I had to do it over again I would go for a front mounted blower.

 

[ptrotter]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I just wanted to make sure that blowers worked well before I spent that much money. I had bought a grass catcher for my MMM and was disappointed so I wanted some confirmation that I would not be disappointed with a blower. I have not had any problems with using my front blade except that my driveway is narrow and pushing the snow to the sides makes it worse. With the blower, I should be able to keep it close to full width. I have rear chains and have never had a problem with traction, so I think I'll be in good shape with the blower. As Ductape stated, the blower and blade can be swapped in only a few minutes so I can adapt to the amount of snow easily.

Paul

 

[smfcpacfp]

... As Ductape stated, the blower and blade can be swapped in only a few minutes so I can adapt to the amount of snow easily.

Paul

I think that you will find you won't want to switch to the blade. It blows 2" as well 20". It will take more than a few minutes to switch, even with a helper. If I get just of couple of inches and I chose to remove the snow, I could put the tractor in high gear and get it done very quickly, probably in much less time that it would take to disconnect the driveshaft, remove the blower, mount the blade and then reverse the process. My driveway is 400 feet long. I can almost prromise you that once you use the blower, you will be trying to sell the blade.

 

[NIdaho]

The last 2 winters in North Idaho have been something else (and I have lived here all of my life). My snow removal gear has included a Polaris ATV with a plow and rear mounted 50" blower on a B7100 or a rear blade on the B7100. Both of the last 2 winters we have had over 5 feet of snow on the ground at one time. If the snow fall is about 4" or less (or the snow is really dry) I will go out with the ATV and quickly push it to the sides. A single pass with the blower and everything ins cleaned up. If the snowfall is deeper or heavy/wet, then I just use the blower. Using the ATV greatly cuts down the time as I can really rip with the plow angled and it throwing it to the side.

I really don't mind the rear mounted blower and the running in reverse at all (I guess you just get used to it) but then again backing trailers is no big deal either (I recently had a guy come over to me at the boat launch and ask me how I do it).

I am looking forward to this winter as the old B7100 is gone, and I now have a B3200. Unfortunately the blower is about 4" narrower than the outsides of the treads of the rear tires, so I am thinking about offsetting the blower to one side when I mount it on the 3 point so I can use that side against the snow bank / berm.

 

[Ductape]

I wouldn't offset your blower, just make some wings to go on the sides...... maybe three inches each side. I just tried to find you a pic, but didn't find exactly what I was looking for. They would bolt on to either side of your blower and effectively make the housing wider. I'm sure you can buy them somewhere, but they wouldn't take much to make. Similar to the ones in this picture, but not neccessarily with the piece across the top.

 

[Charlesaf3]

Ductape - wondering how one got down to dirt, and whether the blower would handle it without shooting gravel everywhere.

I do have a bit of sideslip, but its only bad with ice.

As an aside, a rototiller is actually a great de-icer on dirt roads... though probably not recommended by the manual, its a lot better than putting a pickup truck in the trees.

 

[rpraymond]

I too bought my L3430 with a front mounted blower for snow removal. It's not just the time it takes to clear the driveway but with a plow, moving all the piles back in preparation for more snow. With the blower it's up and back and that's it. Of course later in the day I can be found widening the driveway, clearing out paths to the outbuildings, you know, playing I've had plow trucks and tractors with rear mounted blowers and the front mounted unit is very nice.

 

[smfcpacfp]

Ductape - wondering how one got down to dirt, and whether the blower would handle it without shooting gravel everywhere.

Not steal Ductape's thunder too much but here is my strategy for my driveway:

Like everyone else we get a few snow falls early where you know it is going to melt, so this next step is the one I take when we get our first real snowfall. First I run my SUV up-and-down the driveway until the snow is packed down into the gravel before I snow blow for the first time. Then I run the blower but keep it off the ground about an inch. This way the ground will freeze better for future efforts. The next time I run the blower on the ground with the skid plates as low as they go. We don't get much thawing once the snow starts in earnest.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Perhaps these wings are something like Ductape was talking about. The pictures are from another member here.

Kubota also makes "drift knives" for it's snowblowers that extend the width by a few inches on each side. I'll try to remember my camera next time I'm going past the the Kubota place that has some mounted to blower there. The knives are mounted by three bolts, and could easily be adapted to another blower.

 

[Ductape]

Thanks Chuck, thats what I was trying to show NIdaho.

 

[ericher69]

Front snowblower and cab are the way to go!

Specially for your application of 400+ feet (save your neck!)

Check out this video of B2920.

YouTube - B2920 Kubota snow removal

That is only runing at 1800rpm not pto rated speed! Would easily toss this snow 40-50 ft if revving at proper speed.

I will be honest and tell you that these blower do NOT like slush,..the chute clogs fairly easily; waxing helps though

ericher69