Please help my neck....

[greenrider1]

I really like the Kubota treadle pedal design compared to the two pedal design, since I've used both, and currently have a Kubota. I guess it's all in what one gets used to. I don't rest my whole foot on the pedal, but rather use a toe/heel method to cycle between forward and reverse. The treadle pedal also makes it quite comfortable to sit sideways and work the pedal in reverse with my left toe. I do this quite often when blowing snow at night when visibility is not as good. During the day, I generally just use the cab mirrors to guide me, since my driveway is straight. I guess it's never bothered me enough to want a front blower, since my driveway is only 500' long, and with a 7' wide blower, one pass down and back and I'm done. If I spent all day moving snow, I'm sure I'd want something different. If someone has the time to keep up with the snowfall before it gets too deep, I think a pull type 3 point blower would be the ticket, since it would still leave the front loader available to use a bucket, snow pusher, plow, etc.

 

[PILOON]

My tractor has enough room for me to sit sideways so I am only looking 90 degrees to go forward or reverse. That said...

I was at Harbor Freight yesterday and was looking at their 22hp twin cylinder horizontal shaft mower engine. Hook up the engine to the blower with sprockets and chain or pulleys and belt and mount a quick attack plate behind the engine so you have a self powered blower that mounts on your front end loader. It would cost less than $1,000.

22 HP (67�cc) V-Twin Horizontal Shaft Gas Engine EPA

I actually did this using a 16HP Wisconsin to drive a 48" blower.
Worked awesome.
I had removed my bucket and duplicated the mountings.
Used chain and sprockets carefully calculated proper diameters and fabricated a tensioner. (from memory, 3" drove a 10" and used #40 chain.)
Since it was FEL arm mounted I could remove huge piled from the tops down.
I opted for chain and sprockets as I felt that wet V belts would slip, min U clutching would be easy with a simple binder set up.
I actually had no clutch, simply started the motor with blower engaged as it was direct coupled.
Mind U I considered an electric clutch but that cost more than the motor did.

Sadly it was so easy and fun that I got carried away and that blower simply could not digest a snow buried old car starter as I played at widening my spaces.
Blew the gearbox wide open as unknown to me the augers were rust welded to the shaft. Price of new auger, shaft and gear box relegated that blower to the junk pile.
Moral is keep everything well lubricated! (being used I am not blamed, LOL)

 

[shooterdon]

One of the members here posted that Erskin makes a pull behind that only needs 20 hp. My JD has 19 PTO hp so that should be close enough.

There is a used one at a dealer near me or $3300 that looks in very good condition. I am going to check what a new one costs. My JD is 30 years old and I may upgrade so investing in the front blower for it may not be worth it. A 3pt unit can be moved to another machine. No way I can ran my tractor in reverse for long and do it safely so a pull unit is my best option.

 

[PILOON]

Main problem with a puller blower is that you need to drive thru the snow first.
OK when nice dry snow and not too deep.
I have a CUT and there times with wet 'snowman' snow that my wheels never make it to the road surface and only leave compacted lumps that nothing cuts thru.
IMHO only a real heavy tractor can take advantage of those style blowers.
12 inches of wet stuff would IMHO spell disaster for a cut pulling a puller blower, shucks even 5-6".

That 19 hp PTO would be fine in light fluffy snow but that is not always what mother nature gives us.
Also most CUTs don't have all that much clearance.

 

[RobertBrown]

It was 87F here today.

 

[fishhead]

I did not know that erskine made a rear pull- surprised at how much snow its leaving on the drive in that video , if it is mid winter you should be able to just pull it on the scrape edge

72 and my neck is surgically fused. Little turning possible. I changed from traditional style 3 pt to inverted

You drive forward through the snow and the blower follows behind. In drifts, it is slow. You back into the drift and pull the snow forward.

I have a 90" on a M7040.

I was surprised to see ERSKINE making inverted blowers for tractors as small as 20 HP.
3-Point PTO Rear Pull Snowblower | Snow Equipment | Snowblowers | Tractor Attachments | Erskine Attachments LLC

Dave M7040

 

[fishhead]

Piloon, for the most part pull blowers are quite heavy and they cut right down. I would never call my jd 3720 a heavy tractor and 1 foot of wet snow is really no big deal . Plus a tractor tire (ag and r4) is not like a car tire in the way it compacts snow- it doesn't make a continuous stripe the width of the tire due to the tread. The effect is even greater with chains as they lift the wheel up. The deepest i have done is 2 ft compacted ( months of settled and rained on refrozen etc snow and it worked fine , slow but good. If you can drive trough it you can blow it. More than that, and like Dave says its back into it a ways then forward

Main problem with a puller blower is that you need to drive thru the snow first.
OK when nice dry snow and not too deep.
I have a CUT and there times with wet 'snowman' snow that my wheels never make it to the road surface and only leave compacted lumps that nothing cuts thru.
IMHO only a real heavy tractor can take advantage of those style blowers.
12 inches of wet stuff would IMHO spell disaster for a cut pulling a puller blower, shucks even 5-6".

That 19 hp PTO would be fine in light fluffy snow but that is not always what mother nature gives us.
Also most CUTs don't have all that much clearance.

 

[shooterdon]

Main problem with a puller blower is that you need to drive thru the snow first.
OK when nice dry snow and not too deep.
I have a CUT and there times with wet 'snowman' snow that my wheels never make it to the road surface and only leave compacted lumps that nothing cuts thru.
IMHO only a real heavy tractor can take advantage of those style blowers.
12 inches of wet stuff would IMHO spell disaster for a cut pulling a puller blower, shucks even 5-6".

That 19 hp PTO would be fine in light fluffy snow but that is not always what mother nature gives us.
Also most CUTs don't have all that much clearance.

All good points. My drive is gravel so I do not want to get down too far anyway. The heaviest snow dump I have seen here is about 20" over three days. Single event maybe 14". I think I can deal with that if I am home by hitting it when we get 6-7" and do it again when the snow stops. If I am not at home, or ill, I would have a neighbor plow me out. With wet heavy snow, the first pass will need to go real slow. Subsequent passes may require only taking a partial cut.

Obviously, a "normal" rear blower would be cheaper but it would have the same issues with wet snow although be better at handling deeper snow. I am going to try some things to make operating in reverse doable for me for those reasons, but so far I cannot come up with a safe way to operate that way. My neck has been in poor shape for decades and will only get worse so I am looking for a longer term solution.

Ideally, a new tractor with a front blower is the ultimate answer. If only cost wasn't a factor...LOL

 

[shooterdon]

Well, the 60" Erskine pull type blower was over $4800 delivered, so that is not an affordable option for me. Hard to believe it should be twice the cost of a standard blower.

I decided to get a backup camera and try that out with my back blade to see how I do using the camera and driving in reverse. Cost was less then $70 from Amazon so not much of an investment to try the concept out. If it works, then a standard 3 pt hitch blower makes sense for me.

 

[grsthegreat]

Personally, i tried everything for 14 years of using my jd870 and rear snowblower. Nithing ever worked. It got to where it would take me several days for neck pains to go away. The wife ...forced me ... to buy a cabbed tractor and front mount blower. Now no more neck pains.

 

[grsthegreat]

Well, the 60" Erskine pull type blower was over $4800 delivered, so that is not an affordable option for me. Hard to believe it should be twice the cost of a standard blower.

I decided to get a backup camera and try that out with my back blade to see how I do using the camera and driving in reverse. Cost was less then $70 from Amazon so not much of an investment to try the concept out. If it works, then a standard 3 pt hitch blower makes sense for me.

i looked into the pull style blowers also, but with the type of snow i move and the amounts, i could not drive over the piles towing a blower. I go thru piles 24 plus thick. When i clean up the building that shed and block horses out of their stslls, the snow csn be 4 feet deep

 

[oosik]

Radio1 - sorry I didn't catch your question sooner. My Ford 1700 was open station. For that matter so is my 2009 Kubota M6040. But if the snow is blowing back all over me as I plow with my rear blade on the Kubota - there are bigger problems that a driveway full of snow.

 

[shooterdon]

Radio1 - sorry I didn't catch your question sooner. My Ford 1700 was open station. For that matter so is my 2009 Kubota M6040. But if the snow is blowing back all over me as I plow with my rear blade on the Kubota - there are bigger problems that a driveway full of snow.

Unless you need to get to the hospital and the driveway is full of snow!! Or that hot babe at the VFW is stuck in her driveway and needs your help and you cannot get out!! LOL

 

[oosik]

I'm not worried about too much snow in the driveway to get out. Been out here 38 years and it's not yet happened. The closest to that had nothing to do with snow fall. We had our normal 16" on the ground and got a hellacious wind out of the SW. Drifting in two spots on the mile long driveway. Still, I was able to, quite easily, blow thru the drifts in my Jeep.

My first tractor was a brand new 1982 Ford 1700 4WD. It wasn't heavy enough to bust the berms that form from plowing with the back blade. Therefore - the 3-point blower. God knows - I learned to hate that blower. Clearing the yard, driveway and mailbox area would take three plus hours. By the end of one episode the shoulders and neck would be in pain for the following day or so. And, try as I might, I would always end up covered in blown snow.

Now my 2009 Kubota M6040 weighs 10,100# and the heavy duty Rhino rear blade will bust back any berms that may form. Plus there is no longer any blown snow to drift back and cover me.

 

[Fallon]

i looked into the pull style blowers also, but with the type of snow i move and the amounts, i could not drive over the piles towing a blower. I go thru piles 24 plus thick. When i clean up the building that shed and block horses out of their stslls, the snow csn be 4 feet deep

Same. Here in the Denver area we get lots of wind. There are often packed snow banks or wet slushy snow I couldnt drive through with my old L3200 or even the new L4060.

 

[oosik]

There is ONE thing I've found that helps when you use a 3-point blower. Keep your head, neck and shoulders WARM. I have two hooded down jackets. Eddie Bauer & Alpine Design. Plus a pair of down mittens. When it was really cold - I'd just stay inside. But if I did go out it was - hooded down jacket, down gloves & down pants. I'd wear a wool stocking cap under the down hood. I have a pair of Karmak(Canadian) pacs I wear in the real cold also.

It left me sort of immobilized but you don't need to much mobility when all you will be doing is sitting on the tractor.

One year I tried my neighbors big cabbed tractor. Not enough air circulation, or something. The windows would steam up and have to be wiped down - every so often. Nice to only need a sweat shirt and jeans though. About the time the job was finished - the window fogging seem to quit. I think, begin with a partially open window and not so much snow on my boots would have helped also. Maybe I just wasn't familiar with the heating/venting system on his tractor.

 

[Dave M7040]

There is ONE thing I've found that helps when you use a 3-point blower. Keep your head, neck and shoulders WARM. I have two hooded down jackets. Eddie Bauer & Alpine Design. Plus a pair of down mittens. When it was really cold - I'd just stay inside. But if I did go out it was - hooded down jacket, down gloves & down pants. I'd wear a wool stocking cap under the down hood. I have a pair of Karmak(Canadian) pacs I wear in the real cold also.

It left me sort of immobilized but you don't need to much mobility when all you will be doing is sitting on the tractor.

One year I tried my neighbors big cabbed tractor. Not enough air circulation, or something. The windows would steam up and have to be wiped down - every so often. Nice to only need a sweat shirt and jeans though. About the time the job was finished - the window fogging seem to quit. I think, begin with a partially open window and not so much snow on my boots would have helped also. Maybe I just wasn't familiar with the heating/venting system on his tractor.

Some info for your neighbor with fogging cab windows. In the 1960's, many cars in Canada were using these stick on frost shields. In some provinces they were a legal requirement.

I have a friend with an unheated cab on a B7100 Kubota. I found there is one place which still makes and sells these old style frost shields .
Custom Tarps & Filters - Frost Shields

Now, with the shields installed front and back, my friend is pleased at being able to see out his fogged windows. He may order more for the door windows.

I first investigated heated windows from this company. I think a best solution if you can afford them and have the alternator to power them.
Clear View Aftermarket Defrosters and Defoggers

The heated wires stick to the window and can be cut in length to make a custom fit. From memory, each window would draw about 25 amps but the product comes with a controller which moderates the current draw.

My friend had tried a strong fan like an 18 wheeler tractor might have but it did not improve the frosting. You need to either heat the air or exhaust your breath and sweat outside otherwise, fogging windows are inevitable.

Dave M7040

 

[PILOON]

In my DIY lightly heated cab I installed 2 computer type muffin fans one of which is mounted on a magnet for easy positioning.
Moving air will greatly eliminate fogging of window..

 

[oosik]

It was a rather "exciting" experience - using the neighbors big cabbed tractor. There are 4 or 5 places on my mile long driveway where a "mistake" can put you off the driveway and down a twenty foot drop. Being unfamiliar with that big tractor, having the windows fog, not being able to see like I could with my open station M6040 - I only used it that one time. It certainly reinforced my belief - if I ever got a cabbed tractor it would require an all new learning experience on my driveway.

BTW - for the OP. If you really want to go "whole hog". Get yourself an electric heated vest. I have one that I use on my BMW motorcycle. It will require that you have some form of plug in available. I have a 12V outlet on the Kubota. I can put it under one of my down jackets - turn it up on high - end up feeling like a roasted hot dog. It can be -15F and you are sweating like a pig in an open station tractor.

 

[shooterdon]

oosik,

Even in the summer, my neck is unable to take being turned around looking back. If you do not suffer from neck issues, it is difficult for you to understand. On the other hand, others with "minor" neck problems may benefit from keeping the neck and shoulder area toasty warm as you suggest.

In my case, if the rear camera idea does not work, a rear blower is unworkable.

After 4 years, my beater pickup truck is having plow issues. It was a hillbilly install (minimal ground clearance) and that does not help. It is OK when it is working (put a new motor on it last week and it stopped working yesterday so it is back in the shop) unless I push too far into a bank and get the frame into the bank...then it gets stuck. With heavy snowfalls like this year there is a tendency to do that. Just poor discipline on my part.

The advantage of the blower is moving snow out and 30' away even if we get a 12-18" dump, and not getting the 6-8' banks I currently have in many places. We currently have 24" on the ground and another 5" coming. It is a lot of snow to deal with and the year is not over. In a "normal" year the pickup plow does the job, is comfortable, and is fast. The disadvantage of the blower is that it is slower most of the time. With 12" or more, the truck is slow too but we normally get 3-8".