Is this going to work?

[Hollow]

The Zuidberg gets its power straight from the engine and has it's own clutch, completely independent.

 

[Catfish Man]

OK maybe I'm missing something here, I don't see a need to re-invent the wheel.

The eskerine front mount blowers look awkward to me, they are more expensive than the kubota blowers, and they tie up the rear pto. It makes much more sense to me to leave the rear pto open for a spreader.

I haven't priced the 3 point front mount blowers that were linked here, but I don't see the point. The kubota's i'm looking at already have mid pto and a good mounting system for the front mount blower, sweeper, blade etc.

I guess some folks are trying to push me in the direction of other tractor brands. I'm past that at this point, I have talked to every dealer around, and I get more tractor with more features, for X amount of dollars with kubota than any other brand within driving distance of me. Why would I want to piece together something else? Another concern of mine is I don't want to get stuck with something where parts are hard to come by, must be ordered from the internet etc etc.

I'm not trying to knock anybody's choices and as I said, maybe I'm missing something. But if you throw this stuff at me, you are gonna have to explain how it will save me time or money over the kubota system.

 

[aczlan]

OK maybe I'm missing something here, I don't see a need to re-invent the wheel.
The eskerine front mount blowers look awkward to me, they are more expensive than the kubota blowers, and they tie up the rear pto. It makes much more sense to me to leave the rear pto open for a spreader.
I haven't priced the 3 point front mount blowers that were linked here, but I don't see the point. The kubota's i'm looking at already have mid pto and a good mounting system for the front mount blower, sweeper, blade etc.

If the ones you are looking at have a mid PTO, go for it. The reasons I pointed out the other systems are:
1. You could get a wider blower (6' wouldn't clear the track width on our L3830, not sure how it will on a L42xx and you will want to have some way to clear past the wheels)
2. You aren't restricted to models that have a mid PTO.
3. I wasn't sure of the pricing of one system vs the other
If the Kubota system will work for your needs, by all means go for it.

Aaron Z

 

[Hollow]

I guess some folks are trying to push me in the direction of other tractor brands. I'm past that at this point, I have talked to every dealer around, and I get more tractor with more features, for X amount of dollars with kubota than any other brand within driving distance of me. Why would I want to piece together something else? Another concern of mine is I don't want to get stuck with something where parts are hard to come by, must be ordered from the internet etc etc.

I don't think anyone (or at least not any of the posts I've read) is trying to push you into a different brand, Kubota makes as good of tractor as anything on the market. The biggest concern I would have with the Kubota your looking at is the size, that's a long driveway and a small tractor. Sure it can clear it but if your in a hurry to get to work our your children to school and have to clear the drive before you can leave???

The reason I posted what I did was to show you some options that you might not realize are out there for you. I thought you were here to get other people's opinions, am I missing something? For instance, with the Zuidberg you can mount any 3pt attachment you have for the rear on the front; blowers, shredders, scraper blades, pallet forks, spreaders, PTO generators... I've even seen someone (all be it a large tractor) put a turning plow on the front and a disc on the rear and was doing two jobs at the same time. You said you would be taking it in the woods so I might assume you hunt? If so and you plant food plots you could put a disc on the rear and a spreader on the front and knock out your planting in one pass instead of having to return home to swap out implements...

 

[dstig1]

The thing you are running into here is that everything has compromises. For example: A mid PTO driven blower does not have the same flexibility of one mounted on the FEL and driven off a PTO pump, like some of the Erskines. But they are a lot cheaper than the FEL ones as they are simpler.

People are giving you options and choices. What you choose depends on your needs and pocketbook, and the tradeoffs you are willing to make. There are ALWAYS tradeoffs...you just need to pick the ones that are the least disruptive to the way you will use it (or think you will use it).

Mid-PTO dirve blower with added wings should cover the width, and that should work OK, IMHO. I don't think the L4240 is undersized, but bigger is always nicer for big tasks. I think you are in the right zone now, vs the B-series you started with.

 

[Hollow]

I don't think the L4240 is undersized, but bigger is always nicer for big tasks. I think you are in the right zone now, vs the B-series you started with.

I didn't see the post about the L4240, that should work much better. :thumbsup:

 

[RFB]

Since the L4240 is in view, what would it hurt to look at a GL5740? The xx40 series is pretty close in price, but the extra HP can make a big difference. Also take your wife and let her ride/drive the a GL5740HSTC (cab). She might make the decision for you

At least examine it for the cost and attribute comparison.

 

[crazyal]

I have the Ag tires set to the wide position and the 6' blower width is only a problem on some of the sharper corners. Even then it's not hard to clean up any snow that the inside tire pulls int to drive. With HST backing up is real easy. I had thought about adding wings but it really wasn't worth the work to me.

Now that I've had the blower for 2 years I'm finding that I don't really want larger. My driveway is about 10' wide in most places. That's one pass down and one pass back up and done. A 7' blower is not going to speed you up since you most likely have to make the first pass at a slightly slower speed since you'll have more snow going into it. Then on your way back up you'll have less so you may be able to go a little faster. The places where I park that are wider only take a minute or two.

I haven't loaded my tires yet but it's a must do. I have a 55 gallon drum full of cement for the 3pt hitch. Without it you can quickly get into trouble if you're not in 4wd. The weight of the fel or blower when up going down the hills will take the weight off the back tires and you'll find your rear tires sliding as you pick up speed. It's not an issue for me, just quickly go into 4wd but for a wife or kids, they may not think fast enough.

A cab would be nice but cabs and woods don't mix well so I opted to go open station. Sometimes I just wear a hat, sometimes a hat with ski goggles (not too often), and on rare occasions I wear a snow machine helmet. I have a set of military issue gortex pants and jacket that the snow doesn't stick to. But the thing I have found with the snow blower is it can handle pretty much everything mother nature throws at it so I can wait until the next day to clear the drive, usually by then the wind has stopped blowing.

 

[smfcpacfp]

Asking advice about purchases on the Internet is like going into a store to buy a simple product and ending up buying the deluxe product. I remember once asking about buying a simple video camera for taking family snapshots while scuba diving. I think it ended up with recommending $15,000 setups that would be good for taking high definition movies on the Discovery Channel. Many of the people have given you good ideas but they are all over the place and to be honest, I would be confused as to what to do.

I'll repeat my credentials for giving advice since I don't find snowblowing advice from people from the south to be particularly credible. I've been snowblowing for 30 years and we get 10 to 30 feet a year, so I think I understand what is needed for snowblowing.

In looking at your original post, I think your original idea is just fine. If you came up with that configuration on your own, you obviously know what you are doing. I suggest you go with that tractor if it is still available. It is certainly within your budget since you suggested it and it will do a fine job on your driveway. It may take a little more time than a bigger high-powered machine.

I look at snowblowing a little differently than you do, perhaps. I enjoy getting out and snowblowing even when the weather is horrible. Like many others here, I truly suggest that you get a cab or a tractor built with a cab. With a cab snowblowing is fun, without a cab snowblowing is not fun. I have done it both ways. Your wife might look forward to snowblowing with a cab. Without it, it will be a task that she probably will dread. I don't think you will find one person who has ever snowblowed, who would tell you that they wouldn't want to have a cab where they can stay warm and dry.

Many of the people have given you good ideas but they are all over the place and to be honest, I would be confused as to what to do. Go with your original plan because it was a sound one

http://youtu.be/4HVU21qLUV4

 

[Catfish Man]

I have the Ag tires set to the wide position and the 6' blower width is only a problem on some of the sharper corners. Even then it's not hard to clean up any snow that the inside tire pulls int to drive. With HST backing up is real easy. I had thought about adding wings but it really wasn't worth the work to me.

Now that I've had the blower for 2 years I'm finding that I don't really want larger. My driveway is about 10' wide in most places. That's one pass down and one pass back up and done. A 7' blower is not going to speed you up since you most likely have to make the first pass at a slightly slower speed since you'll have more snow going into it. Then on your way back up you'll have less so you may be able to go a little faster. The places where I park that are wider only take a minute or two.

I haven't loaded my tires yet but it's a must do. I have a 55 gallon drum full of cement for the 3pt hitch. Without it you can quickly get into trouble if you're not in 4wd. The weight of the fel or blower when up going down the hills will take the weight off the back tires and you'll find your rear tires sliding as you pick up speed. It's not an issue for me, just quickly go into 4wd but for a wife or kids, they may not think fast enough.

A cab would be nice but cabs and woods don't mix well so I opted to go open station. Sometimes I just wear a hat, sometimes a hat with ski goggles (not too often), and on rare occasions I wear a snow machine helmet. I have a set of military issue gortex pants and jacket that the snow doesn't stick to. But the thing I have found with the snow blower is it can handle pretty much everything mother nature throws at it so I can wait until the next day to clear the drive, usually by then the wind has stopped blowing.

it's good to hear from somebody that has the exact same setup that i'm looking at,

for where we live, in the winter I think the tractor will probably stay in 4 wheel drive