Inverted Snow Blower

[Citydude]

If you don't mind me asking...what did it cost? PM if you prefer

They are expensive. 8K to my dealer in Wyoming. Sent a PM.

 

[JohnnyMX]

Using an RTV900 on a 1/2 mile driveway now and the MX and loader to deal with banks when they get to large to plow. It "works" depending on the amount of snowfalls. I also only want one tool to deal with the drive and large parking area near the house. I keep coming back to these issues
-End of Driveway (loader vs. rear blower)
-Pushing back large drifts and banks (back and forth with loader vs. rear vs. just making multiple initial passes on an inverted blower)
-Mother of all snowstorms (If you get dumped on or were out of town and find 2' in the driveway which one do you pick?)
-Normal removal on a flat 1/2 mile drive (plow is quick, can't imagine doing all of that facing backwards, inverted sounds like the cats pajamas)

 

[Tony H]

Just a thought. Driveways with turns would be an issue for the drag type blower. With it being 3' behind the rear wheels, it swings quite a bit as you drive around a bend in the driveway. With the Backup style blower, you can be more precise around bends as you are steering from what is basically the rear. My snowfalls are usually more then I would want to or could drive. over

 

[fishhead]

I don't find the swing to be a problem, like anything you get used to it and can use the slightly wider swing to your advantage.
Roy,
I have a 74 inch pronovost commercial blower (P-74-INV)on a JD 3720- highly recommended. I actually got mine from a canadian source and brought it across the border myself (NAFTA- no duty and super easy at the time)
I use mine to clear some neighbors drives and our own 1km drive - much preferable to the front push i had before or previous rear push blowers. Slower to deal with deep drifts and big piles but its possible, quicker for almost everything else. Lets you keep the bucket on so you have an additional tool if needed.

You are close to the border so don't forget to look on the other side. If i were looking today I might consider the new hybrid blowers as they don't have a tendency to leave a pile when you stop but I have also read postings that the older style is less expensive and is better for long driveways etc.

 

[ruffdog]

I have thought about it and the idea seems great. But the idea of waking up and finding the storm has dumped 2 or 4 feet of snow in my driveway and I've got a 4 to 6+ foot drift across the middle of it and all I have is a blower the requires me to drive thought that before I can move it with my little tractor just does not seem like a good idea. I have a traditional rear blower because I need one piece of equipment that can handle whatever I get. Big snowfalls are a common event here.

I only put the blower on when the snow gets too deep to plow. That means it would also be too deep to drive through....like this heavy drifted snow.

 

[oldnslo]

As to number of members with pull type blowers. What percentage of members have a large enough tractor to drive through a foot of snow and pull the blower? I doubt my Branson would but it will easily push the blower through drifts that are 2 feet deep.

I am probably the odd ball but I find looking back and forth far more tiring on my neck than just looking back and driving for a period. With rear pull implements I look where going, back at implement, where going, back, forward, etc. repeatedly.

 

[sd455dan]

People buy traditional 3pt blowers because they are cheaper and that's what dealers stock (in the US). I think if dealers had a Rear Pull that people could demo, they would sell like hotcakes.

They seem to be more prevalent in Canada, maybe because more people have seen them in action.

If you don't mind me asking...what did it cost? PM if you prefer

Not to hijack the response Roy,
but I did get a quote on a 78" inverted Erskine from the local Kubota dealer.
He said they could lock in last years price because they had already placed the order for a few 78" units in April. IIRC $7600 with the hydraulic rotator. That is with Me picking up from their dealership, If wanting a hydraulic deflector another several hundred dollars. Tax not included.

If stepping up to the next size up- the 90 inch including wings (825RP) starting price jumped to well over $10K with no hydraulics and no tax included.

 

[MMC]

I have a 74" conventional rear snow blower, but I'm interested in other folks' experiences with the inverted blowers.
Not too interested in the guys doing residential commercial work...more interested in the rural folks using the implement to clear the drives and such
My tractor is a Deere 4052R cab with 40 PTO HP

Well...since I own one of these, I'll give some opinions. I'm on a farm in rural KY and in my seventies...looking backward for hours is not so much fun. I previously had an eight foot plow mounted on a loader and a seven foot grader blade behind, but often winds and old carriage roads invite deeper drifts than you might think, even in KY. If you plow and winds blow at 90 degrees, you just have a "cut" in the snow which keeps filling up the center and also builds up the banks (aggravating the problem). A snowblower helps with that problem a lot. A lot.

So...I bought a used Martin Meteor 97" inverted snowblower and after some adjustments, am delighted with it. If you want to try that route...well, don't wait, no matter what you buy - used ones go up quickly as the snow flies and for reasons others have offered, the lower 48 don't seem to have caught on to inverted (pull) snowblowers, so there are fewer of these on the market. Now, if you regularly have six foot drifts, you might rethink the tool you are choosing here (or move further south...).

I did the kind of research you are doing and I will admit commercial units may not include the Martin name as often. Still, when I got this thing in, I found the welds, the steel, the flighting, the fan, the gearbox to be quite well done. This particular unit had a problem caused by operator head space adjustment issues - almost brand new and some idiot had run into something really heavy and sent it through the fan. Long story short, the 10" 5/16 thick fan was bent (slightly). A buddy, a six pack of beer, and a sledge hammer cured everything wrong in about an hour. I tell that as a compliment to the ruggedness of the machine. I wanted to replace the bearings on the chute rotator (hey, you do one, you do all). Fifteen bucks and back to new. Buy some chain lube (look on Amazon - just use what motorcyclists do), spray, and you're good to go.

The hydraulic chute rotator on mine is a must have - the deflector, not so much (for me).

By the way, the nice Martin folks in Canada were really helpful and the website is excellent for parts, etc. Practically speaking, this thing is fantastic. Snow seems to shoot into the next county and I have a 3600 foot driveway...plus part of the county road...plus good neighbors' driveways that I have always plowed, etc.

Here are some things to take into account: If you have a gravel driveway, you can ingest and shoot gravel as easily as snow...be careful. I did finally buy an hydraulic toplink for adjusting the approach angle for the snowblower from the cab (read, if you see gravel shooting out at hapless cattle in the fields, tilt the darn thing back). Put a really good LED light on the rear of the tractor if you will operate at night (I even put a cheap camera back there as well). If you have a geared tractor, make sure the manufacturer gives you the recommended forward speed for their machine and that your tractor can operate at that low of a speed. Also, if you have a light tractor, you may well need chains. Heavy 4WD, maybe not. Experiment.

For reference, I paid $2500 for this unit in Maryland and $750 to ship to KY. Well, add in a six pack of beer and a couple of hours of my valuable labor to bring this thing back almost to new.

So...bottom line, inverted snowblowers work really well unless you must absolutely back into really, really, high drifts (but you could back in with an inverted blower and take bites out of stuff...or put another log on the fire and wait for warm weather...).

Best of luck on the searches.

 

[fishhead]

As to number of members with pull type blowers. What percentage of members have a large enough tractor to drive through a foot of snow and pull the blower? I doubt my Branson would but it will easily push the blower through drifts that are 2 feet deep.

I am probably the odd ball but I find looking back and forth far more tiring on my neck than just looking back and driving for a period. With rear pull implements I look where going, back at implement, where going, back, forward, etc. repeatedly.

To answer your first question it doesn't take large a large tractor to drag an inverted through 2 ft but your branson may not be large enough. I believe i once saw a 60 pull blower but lately it seems 68" is about it. Horsepower is your friend too if you want to use it as the tool for almost all snowfalls, meaning skipping a blade or plow. I only have 35 pro hp but would welcome more. Downhill on most snows i can currently go 6-7 mph uphill about 5. The difference is though that the snow is gone, bye-bye.

For your second question i find i really don't have to look back a ton as when you are moving forward you know where the blower is. Obviously when backing up to garage doors etc you do.

 

[fishhead]

I only put the blower on when the snow gets too deep to plow. That means it would also be too deep to drive through....like this heavy drifted snow.

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The biggest difference with a rear pull is it does not become the tool just for big events, it replaces a plow. Slower, yes, but you only touch the snow once.