pto snowblower size?

[MinnesotaMorg]

I am looking to get a PTO snowblower and I'm trying to narrow down my choices. My initial thought was get basically as wide as I can power. I have a MF 4707, and I was thinking of the Erskine 925RM. This is a 90" width 35" height, should fit right its PTO range is 40-90hp.

I am wondering is there any reason I should be trying to slightly wider or narrower? I'm hoping people who have used these things can give some insights, I imagine wider means Ill have fewer issues with my tires hitting the sides as I turn and adjust the path of the tractor. Narrower I imagine you'll have fewer slow downs and potentially do each down and back faster? Maybe I should be looking to get a blower that is just over half the width of my driveway so that I can do 1 down and back as fast as possible?

If anyone has recommendations for size / brand / whatever I'm all ears. Like most stuff in the tractor game it seems to be hard to find reviews, or even opinions.

For reference Ill be blowing drifts that build over my driveway, so its fairly packed snow.

 

[leonz]

What have you been using to clear snow???

Do you have a loader on this mule???

Do you have chains and or loaded tires with R1 R1 tires??

If not, you are going to need both chains and loaded tires for adhesion
and ballast weight to create the adhesion you need to clear snowpack.

A wider snow blower or snow thrower lets you make your first pass slowly
and then you can you take half cuts a little faster to clear the driveway.

A snow blower with the largest paddle fan with 4-5 paddles will discharge
the snow faster BUT you must understand that the physics of snow removal
require you to move slowly in deep drifts UNLESS AND ONLY UNLESS you go
out several times during a snow event to get rid of it all much more quickly
as there is less snow to clear.

If you have severe drifting you do not to leave any snow that can collect more
wind driven snow and become more compacted.

Decide how much you can affords to spend on this implement and then go from there.

 

[MinnesotaMorg]

I used a plow truck this past winter, it went okay until it didn't. The tractor has a loader, I don't have any chains, wasn't planning on loading the tires. They are R1 / Ag tires.

The tractor is pretty heavy to begin with, I think with the loader its like 9000 pounds? Is there a ratio of tractor weight to cutting width I am looking to hit? I wonder if I should tell the dealer to put in that creeper gear...

I was hoping to not spend more than 10k.

 

[seville009]

If you're blowing snow with the loader on, for the larger densely packed snow/drifts, you can always break it up (fluff it up) with the loader first, then blow it away with the snowblower. Takes some time, but sometimes it's the easiest way.

 

[RjCorazza]

On the driveways I occasionally use a blower on the width has very little impact on efficiency as far as needed passes. The long stretches are usually in the 8-10' width max range, so my 6' blower is one pass in, one out. I can see a wider blower increasing efficiency in turnarounds and large areas though.

I just barely cover my tractor width, which has never caused me any difficulties. As far as packed snow and drifts, I don't have a lot of experience with that. I have blown back piled snow from large front end loaders, and that stuff will bring the biggest tractors to their knees so an hst or creeper on a manual is a big plus.

 

[leonz]

How long and wide is your driveway?? is it paved or dirt?? A dirt/gravel driveway brings
a host of issues with snow blowers.

If you do not have skis fabricated for the snow blower long enough to keep the snow
blower level to prevent it from sinking in which it will dig in and eat gravel and dirt
AND YOU DO NOT WANT THAT TO HAPPEN AS IT INVITES BROKEN SHEAR PINS.

Is your Massey Ferguson 4707 a 2 wheel drive model or 4 wheel drive mule???
Do you use it for field work as well???

Does your 4707 have an enclosed cab?? How many rear remotes does it have 1, 2, 3??

The turbocharger will help keep the amount of torque available to the power train and
the power take off high while in a creeper gear.

Does this Massey Ferguson 4707 mule have the 540/1,000 RPM Power Take Off or the
540/540E power take off???

If you have a 540/1,000 RPM PTO you may not have enough engine in that 70 horse power mule
even with the turbocharger to use wider snow blower and a speed increaser gearbox on a 2 stage
snow blower.

You need the creeper gear for snow removal, loaded tires and snow chains as you will spend
more time spinning the tires if you do not have it installed.

If the snow is deep you will have snow spilling over the snow blower no matter what brand of
snow blower you invest in so don't assume it will not require a second of third pass to clear it all.

The above reason is the reason it is always better to make your first pass slowly and then take
half cuts to clear what is left as it will be easier to clear while reversing.

A four wheel drive mule will get stuck and really stuck so the better prepared you are the less
trouble you will have.

It's better to spend the money on the creeper gearing, good 4 link V bar or ladder link chains, have the tires loaded and
invest in a snow blower like a Pronovost Puma 96.

The more money you spend up front the better heavier a snow blower you will have.

Getting rid of snow banks requires you to make half cuts into the snow banks to discharge the snow
a long distance away with the prevailing winds as long as you have frozen ground to drive on.

Just a little fact nugget:

KEEP in mind the following when you are clearing snow pack with an 8 foot wide (96") snow blower at 1 mile per hour;
you are traveling in reverse at 88 feet per minute with an 8 foot wide snow blower clearing 8,448 square feet per minute.

For the money spent being $10,000 USD you may be better off doing the following.

1. snow pusher for the loader bucket
2. 8" hydraulic adjustable rear blade
2. creeper gearing
3. snow chains
4. having the rear tires loaded


OR invest in a Pronovost puma 96" snow blower with hydraulic chute and spout control and 4 link ladder or ring chains sized properly for your rear tires and have a set of heavy skis/skids made for the side weldments of the snowblower to keep it from digging in as you will only need to spend the money once and you will have a snow blower you will only need to invest annual maintenance on.

 

[MinnesotaMorg]

How long and wide is your driveway?? is it paved or dirt?? A dirt/gravel driveway brings
a host of issues with snow blowers.

12 feet on the stretch, only about 500 ft total length. Gravel driveway

2 wheel drive model or 4 wheel drive mule???
Do you use it for field work as well???

4WD, I will be using it in the pasture to bushhog etc

Does your 4707 have an enclosed cab?? How many rear remotes does it have 1, 2, 3??

cab 3 remotes

Does this Massey Ferguson 4707 mule have the 540/1,000 RPM Power Take Off or the
540/540E power take off???

540/540e

Im curious what difference having a 1000 PTO option makes for a tractor? I was looking at 540 PTO snowblowers only. I talked with the dealer and sadly the creeper is a no go, its a factory option and backordered to hell for them to get a tractor with it. I guess we are going to have to learn to live with it for now or find another solution if its a problem.

 

[Farmer495]

Buy a blower the width of the tractor, no narrower, but not much wider.

I have MK Martin. I run 78" on 64 PTO HP It's exactly the width of the tractor and was a lot cheaper than an 84".

4wd means next to zero need for chains. I do not run chains, loaded rears with cast wheels. I clear several houses plus farm yard every storm.

Creeper gearing is not necessary, most newer tractors, lowest reverse gear on proper sized blower usually sufficient with minimal clutching unless you are in really deep snow.

Once first pass is done you can take part width passes.

Get hyd rotate and tip (two remotes)

I hardly use loader for snow removal, just back dragging from doors or if I need to scrape with down pressure.

What are your average snow events? 6" or 24" for example?

 

[metalbender]

In Minnesota you have the potential of hard drifting snow. Depends on past drifts and snow conditions. This year my Massey 1742 really struggled with the drifted snow on my road using a 7ft blower. I'm considering modding my other 66 inch blower to 72 inches, just a tad wider than the tractor

 

[leonz]

12 feet on the stretch, only about 500 ft total length. Gravel driveway



4WD, I will be using it in the pasture to bushhog etc



cab 3 remotes



540/540e

Im curious what difference having a 1000 PTO option makes for a tractor? I was looking at 540 PTO snowblowers only. I talked with the dealer and sadly the creeper is a no go, its a factory option and backordered to hell for them to get a tractor with it. I guess we are going to have to learn to live with it for now or find another solution if its a problem.

Ask your neighbors if they use snow chains before you make a decision about them as mud will cause you a great deal of headaches.

You have about 6,000 square feet +-, it is not all that much square area in the scheme of things. Are you using snow stakes or T posts to mark the area?

How many of the remotes are double acting??

If you purchase snow blower with chute rotation and spout control you would need 2 sets of remotes that are double acting and you will require 4 hoses.

If you purchase a snow blower with a rotating impeller drum you would need to use all three remotes to be double acting and it requires requires 6 hoses.

If you invest in a snow blower with a rotating impeller drum you can bypass the chute and spout and cast the heavy dense snow at a very fast rate and avoid plugging the chute. It is very handy when clearing deep compacted snows as the spray will be either to the left or right at near ground level and not blowing back at the cab window.

You may as well start shopping now and be serious about it as the closer it gets to September 1st the more difficult it may be to just purchase a wide enough snow blower.

It will be easier for you to just make your first pass and then drive back forward to the starting point and do the second pass and then drive back cleaning up any spillage from drifting. You will not have the luxury of leaving banks as the wind driven snow will pile up quickly in the open area.

You need to keep this in mind; the heavier a snow blower is the stronger the welds will be and be much less prone to damage from frozen snow banks.