Snowblower Measured how? / Testing working order?

[KewlTracks]

Hi everyone,

Well I did it! I bought an orange tractor :thumbsup:. I got a Grand L4240 with cab and LA854 loader.

Now I need a snowblower, and I found a used one that appears to be in pretty good shape but I have a few questions.

While shopping around for my tractor, the salesmens recommended I get a 74" but I found a used 72" Pronovost which appears to be in pretty good shape so I have a few questions.

First the guy selling the snowblower said it was a 72" but this one is 1" wider on each side, at the the mouth of the snowblower. Maybe all snowblower are like that but I never noticed it before. So, I wonder if it's a 72" or a 74"? Does one take measurements on the inside of the snowblower's mouth or the outside by the mouth opening where it has the 1" extention on each side?

Also, I asked the guy what year it was and he said he wasn't sure. It doesn't look too old; the paint is faded a bit but it does not look bad. Is there any way to tell roughly how old it is by looking at the design or do they all pretty much look the same whether they are 12 years old or 2 years old?

Is there a way to determine if I will be able to use the shaft on my tractor (long enough)? Or will I only know when I hook up the snowblower to the tractor? The snowblower has telescopic arms where the 3 pt hitch hooks up so I assume I may be able to extend or shorten the arms enough to make it fit?

If there is anything that can be checked on the snowblower to check for wear or damage before I purchase it, i welcome the suggestions. I won't be able to see it work as the guy sold his tractor so I have to go by what I can visually inspect and move by hand.

I look forward to getting some feedback.

Thanks and Happy New Year everyone!

 

[Jerry/MT]

Hi everyone,

Well I did it! I bought an orange tractor :thumbsup:. I got a Grand L4240 with cab and LA854 loader.

Now I need a snowblower, and I found a used one that appears to be in pretty good shape but I have a few questions.

While shopping around for my tractor, the salesmens recommended I get a 74" but I found a used 72" Pronovost which appears to be in pretty good shape so I have a few questions.

First the guy selling the snowblower said it was a 72" but this one is 1" wider on each side, at the the mouth of the snowblower. Maybe all snowblower are like that but I never noticed it before. So, I wonder if it's a 72" or a 74"? Does one take measurements on the inside of the snowblower's mouth or the outside by the mouth opening where it has the 1" extention on each side?

Also, I asked the guy what year it was and he said he wasn't sure. It doesn't look too old; the paint is faded a bit but it does not look bad. Is there any way to tell roughly how old it is by looking at the design or do they all pretty much look the same whether they are 12 years old or 2 years old?

Is there a way to determine if I will be able to use the shaft on my tractor (long enough)? Or will I only know when I hook up the snowblower to the tractor? The snowblower has telescopic arms where the 3 pt hitch hooks up so I assume I may be able to extend or shorten the arms enough to make it fit?

If there is anything that can be checked on the snowblower to check for wear or damage before I purchase it, i welcome the suggestions. I won't be able to see it work as the guy sold his tractor so I have to go by what I can visually inspect and move by hand.

I look forward to getting some feedback.

Thanks and Happy New Year everyone!

Have the owner follow you home and help you install it on your tractor and check it out. If it doen't ,don't pay him til you negotiate a new price based on the required parts and repair.

Check to make sure that you can turn the pto shaft by hand and that the fan and the augers rotate easily. makes sure ther are no wobbles in the shafts. look at the fan for bent blades or heavey wear from blowing gravel and rocks. Make sure the augers are not bent and that the chain is in good shape. look for oil in the gear box if its an oil bath system

 

[leonz]

Hi everyone,

Well I did it! I bought an orange tractor :thumbsup:. I got a Grand L4240 with cab and LA854 loader.

Now I need a snowblower, and I found a used one that appears to be in pretty good shape but I have a few questions.

While shopping around for my tractor, the salesmens recommended I get a 74" but I found a used 72" Pronovost which appears
to be in pretty good shape so I have a few questions.

First, the guy selling the snowblower said it was a 72" but this one is 1" wider on each side, at the the mouth of the snowblower.
Maybe all snowblower are like that but I never noticed it before. So, I wonder if it's a 72" or a 74"? Does one take measurements
on the inside of the snowblower's mouth or the outside by the mouth opening where it has the 1" extention on each side?

Also, I asked the guy what year it was and he said he wasn't sure. It doesn't look too old; the paint is faded a bit but it does not look bad.
Is there any way to tell roughly how old it is by looking at the design or do they all pretty much look the same whether they are 12 years old or 2 years old?

Is there a way to determine if I will be able to use the shaft on my tractor (long enough)? Or will I only know when I hook up the snowblower to the tractor?
The snowblower has telescopic arms where the 3 pt hitch hooks up so I assume I may be able to extend or shorten the arms enough to make it fit?

If there is anything that can be checked on the snowblower to check for wear or damage before I purchase it, i welcome the suggestions.
I won't be able to see it work as the guy sold his tractor so I have to go by what I can visually inspect and move by hand.

I look forward to getting some feedback.

Thanks and Happy New Year everyone!

========================================================================================================================================================================================================

About your snow Pronovost snow blower;


The Pronovost snow blowers are a very well built snow blower designed for heavy use and snow loads right down to the 48 inch 2 stage PUMA snow blower

Lets start at the beginning.

The actual size is the 74 inch blower and the edges are simply a small extension to pull in 2 more inches of snow at depth.


You apparently have The Pronovost Group 1 P720 74 snow blower with the one inch wing extensions. The blower is not that old in age.
This model does not have the rotating drum for snow discharge.

You will not make a mistake purchasing it as you will be able to readily obtain repair parts so thats a zero issue in this case.

the major wear parts for any two stager snow blower are:

1. the roller chain which rotates the cross auger.
2. the cutting edge bolted to the snow blower.
3. the end bearings that support the auger halves.
4. the shear pins.
5. the skid shoes of the snow blower
6. the gearbox
7. the wear parts for the chute control as it should have a replaceable plastic wear surface.



So he is selling the snow blower without a P.T.O., shaft apparently?,

Its not an issue as the PTO shafts come in varying lengths and the snow blower is a 540 R.P.M., unit

so no worries there as all you will need to do is purchase a replacement from one of the 7 Pronovost dealers in N.B.


The repair parts are easily obtained from the local Pronovost Farm Equipment dealer in your area,

as there are 7 Pronovost farm equipment dealers in New Brunswick, Atlantic Canada


The snow blower will have an identification plate and serial number so you can obtain a manual from the

Pronovost Headquarters in Quebec if he no longer has one.


YOU will be purchasing an excellent snow blower in any case and the local pronovost dealer can service it

for you with ease and you can also obtain the right length heavy duty P.T.O., shaft from them as well.


I would simply drive your new tractor over to pick up the snow blower and drive the tractor to the closest Pronovost dealer

and ask them to inspect it, change the gearbox oil and inform you as to the required repair parts needed for it and in the

process you will establish a relationship with them as you are now a customer of theirs and the snow blower will outlast

your tractor and can be mounted a replacement tractor with no issues.


They will tell you what it needs with out any issues as they are an authorised dealer for Pronovost.


What you have not mentioned is whether it has any hydraulic funtions for the chute rotation and the spout control which

will be a welcome addition if not already installed on the snowblower as is.


I would buy it sight unseen if it were me in any case as they are easily maintained and repaired by anyone with mechanical skills.

 

[KewlTracks]

Thanks Jerry/MT and leonz for the information. I will be having a second look at the blower tomorrow because when I saw it today, almost 3/4 of it was buried under snow in a field. I spoke to the guy this evening and he got it moved inside his garage.

There is a PTO shaft with the snowblower, but I thought I read somewhere that they are cut to fit the tractor, so I wondered if there was a way to measure how long it will need to be to fit my tractor so that I would know whether or not I will be able to use the one that comes with the snowblower.

The snowblower is approximately 50 miles away so a bit too far to pick it up with the tractor.

The blower does have hydraulics on both the chute rotation and spout. It has a cylinder on the spout and a hydraulic motor on the chute rotation. The hydraulic hoses look Ok but one has a bad kink in it so it may need to be replaced.

Should I somehow flush the hydraulic fluid in the hoses, motor and cylinder before hooking it up to the tractor? From what I understand the blower had not been in use for a couple of years.

One last question. What would be a reasonable price for the blower in question?

Thanks again.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Thanks Jerry/MT and leonz for the information. I will be having a second look at the blower tomorrow because when I saw it today, almost 3/4 of it was buried under snow in a field. I spoke to the guy this evening and he got it moved inside his garage.

There is a PTO shaft with the snowblower, but I thought I read somewhere that they are cut to fit the tractor, so I wondered if there was a way to measure how long it will need to be to fit my tractor so that I would know whether or not I will be able to use the one that comes with the snowblower.

The snowblower is approximately 50 miles away so a bit too far to pick it up with the tractor.

The blower does have hydraulics on both the chute rotation and spout. It has a cylinder on the spout and a hydraulic motor on the chute rotation. The hydraulic hoses look Ok but one has a bad kink in it so it may need to be replaced.

Should I somehow flush the hydraulic fluid in the hoses, motor and cylinder before hooking it up to the tractor? From what I understand the blower had not been in use for a couple of years.

One last question. What would be a reasonable price for the blower in question?

Thanks again.

To get an idea if the blower drive shaft is long eneough, measure the distance from the tractor pto shaft ( from the notch on the pto shaft) to the center of the pin holes on the lower links when they are level with the shaft. Extend the snow blower drive shaft out to that measured distance beyond the center of the lift pins on the blower to the locking pin on the blower driveshaft .The shaft is generally acceptable if there is no less than a 4 inch overlap of the shaft halves. This is only an approximation since the shaft telecscopes some as you raise and lower the three point. But it should not have less than 4inches at any point in the travel of the three point.

Can't help you onthe price. that depends on size and condition. You can go on ebay and look for 6 ft blowers and see what the asking price is and the new price for some of the new blowers and base your offer on a percentage of the new price.

 

[leonz]

Thanks Jerry/MT and leonz for the information. I will be having a second look at the blower tomorrow because when I saw it today, almost 3/4 of it was buried under snow in a field. I spoke to the guy this evening and he got it moved inside his garage.

There is a PTO shaft with the snowblower, but I thought I read somewhere that they are cut to fit the tractor, so I wondered if there was a way to measure how long it will need to be to fit my tractor so that I would know whether or not I will be able to use the one that comes with the snowblower.

The snowblower is approximately 50 miles away so a bit too far to pick it up with the tractor.

The blower does have hydraulics on both the chute rotation and spout. It has a cylinder on the spout and a hydraulic motor on the chute rotation. The hydraulic hoses look Ok but one has a bad kink in it so it may need to be replaced.

Should I somehow flush the hydraulic fluid in the hoses, motor and cylinder before hooking it up to the tractor? From what I understand the blower had not been in use for a couple of years.

One last question. What would be a reasonable price for the blower in question?

Thanks again.

You may not need a new shaft after all as long as you raise and lower the snow blower slowly when it is attached to the tractor after you get it home
to assure it will not bind- but you need to measure the distances between the PTO stub on the tractor and the PTO stub on the gear box at the fully raised position and the lowered position on the ground before you hook it up as you will be sure that the shaft provided with it is the right length.

As Pronovost provides a shaft with each blower normally the shaft has a lot of useable extension built into it for frame size and tractor horse power as the issue is the height of the tractor at the P.T.O. stub with the mounted tire size.




The P.T.O. Shaft should have at least 20 percent of its male length inserted/ connected between halves at its longest extension.

Meaning 1/5 of the male end should be in the female half at the raised position or the lowered position when operating


WITHOUT QUESTION I WOULD PAY WHAT THE MAN IS ASKING FOR IT SIGHT UNSEEN!!!

This blower if new would be $4,000-6,000 USD plus tax SO BUY IT I WOULD.


Dont let it out of your sight, as you will have a forever snow blower.


You should have no issues with the PTO shaft length as you can always use it on another machine if need be.

IN order to assure the proper size P.T.O. Shaft length you need yo have the blower mounted on the tractor to measure the distances between the snow blower gear box stub face and the tractors PTO shaft stub face at the fully raised position and the fully lowered position.


I would strongly suggest that you buy it as all it will need is greasing and lubing up the chain for the cross auger drive.
I would also buy a gallon of gear oil(preferably in the quarts with the squeeze bottles as the gear box oil should be changed



You do not need to flush the oil from the hoses as they are sealed from the atmospere.

The cylinder control for the spout tilt and the drive motor for the chute rotation are manna from heaven with a cab tractor.

please dont let it get away :drool:

 

[KewlTracks]

Hi again. Well I bought the snowblower and picked it up this afternoon.

I think my focus was on the wrong things?? Once I got the blower home, I tried hooking it up to the 3 pt hitch and it didn't fit. After looking up specs for Category 1 and Category 2, 3 point hitches I think the blower is setup for a Cat 2 and I have a Cat 1.

Is it possible to adapt it for a Cat 1 three point hitch or is it a bad idea? Even if it could be adapted, would the tractor be able to handle it? Would it put too much strain on the tractor? I certainly don't want to run into problems down the road because I use a mis-sized implement. This blower is quite a beast. It's built like a tank. I should have clued in??

Thanks again for your input.

 

[leonz]

You have a grand L how is it you have a category 1 3 point hitch? Is the right lower link cranked out all the way? are thr chains for the lower links fully released?


I have to go to work, but I think your three point hitch needs to be widened I will check with you when I return -those blowers go on the modern tractors in a heart beat so your lower link may be the issue.

 

[KewlTracks]

Yes, a Grand L. The models up to the L4740 have the category 1 3 point hitch. The bigger models starting with the L5040 have both the category 1 and 2.

On my tractor the lift arm pins are 7/8" in diameter and the pins on the blower are 1-1/8" and for the top link, the pin is 3/4" where it is 1" in diameter on the blower.

I don't think the right lower link is cranked out all the way and the chains are probably not fully released. When I noticed the significant size difference in the pin sizes I knew something wasn't right.

 

[leonz]

Your New To You Pronovost snow blower HAS a category 1 hitch system.

The pins may have been changed at the time it was purchased; you can get the

right size pins for your new tractor to mount the blower with no issues from Pronovost

or a farm supply hardware store near your home.

You will need a roll pin punch to change the pins if a lock nut is not used for the three pins.

Should cost you less than 30 Loonies plus VAT for the new pins.

Happy motoring.