Rear Mount Snow Blowers

Bob_Young · Jun 3, 2006

I'm hoping to buy a 3pt. mounted Snow Blower for my new B7610 HSD (24HP) late this summer or in the fall. I'm looking for suggestions as to what models have worked well for others with tractors in this power class and an idea of what I'll have to pay.

The snow here sometimes gets deep and heavy so I expect I'll be limited to a 48" to 50" width. That'll be enough to cover my tracks. I'm hoping to find something that the tractor can handle easily while moving at a decent pace. I've probably got a around 250' of driveway to clear; half of it exposed to the west wind at the top of a bluff.

There is a rear remote on the tractor and hydraulic chute rotation would be neat, but a manual crank or wheel accessible from the tractor seat would be adequate.

My experiences with snow blowing have been mostly negative and I usually resort to a blade to 'GitRDone'. However, the advantage of no snow piles on the shoulders keeps me coming back.

Thanks in advance.
Bob

Bob_Young · Jun 3, 2006

I'm hoping to buy a 3pt. mounted Snow Blower for my new B7610 HSD (24HP) late this summer or in the fall. I'm looking for suggestions as to what models have worked well for others with tractors in this power class and an idea of what I'll have to pay.

The snow here sometimes gets deep and heavy so I expect I'll be limited to a 48" to 50" width. That'll be enough to cover my tracks. I'm hoping to find something that the tractor can handle easily while moving at a decent pace. I've probably got a around 250' of driveway to clear; half of it exposed to the west wind at the top of a bluff.

There is a rear remote on the tractor and hydraulic chute rotation would be neat, but a manual crank or wheel accessible from the tractor seat would be adequate.

My experiences with snow blowing have been mostly negative and I usually resort to a blade to 'GitRDone'. However, the advantage of no snow piles on the shoulders keeps me coming back.

Thanks in advance.
Bob

DaveNay · Jun 3, 2006

I bought a Buhler Farm King 60" last winter, and it worked great. I even used it to move back the large drifts on either side of the driveway after plowing. It cut throught the compacted drifts with ease. I would guess you could blow a good 12"-15" snowfall in a single pass if you took it nice and slow. I am running it off my JD855 w/ 19HP PTO with no problems. Price was a little over $1600.

DaveNay · Jun 3, 2006

I bought a Buhler Farm King 60" last winter, and it worked great. I even used it to move back the large drifts on either side of the driveway after plowing. It cut throught the compacted drifts with ease. I would guess you could blow a good 12"-15" snowfall in a single pass if you took it nice and slow. I am running it off my JD855 w/ 19HP PTO with no problems. Price was a little over $1600.

Bob_Skurka · Jun 4, 2006

I watched as they loaded that 60" Buhler into Dave's truck and didn't offer much help /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

But I also have the same snowblower and use it with a 24hp tractor and have absolutely no problem powering it through deep snow. My Buhler is now 3 seasons old and has been no problem at all. I'd suggest you find a brand in your area that is common, but I'd also suggest that 60" is a very nice match for a 24 HP tractor with a PTO hp of roughly 18hp.

Bob_Skurka · Jun 4, 2006

I watched as they loaded that 60" Buhler into Dave's truck and didn't offer much help /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

But I also have the same snowblower and use it with a 24hp tractor and have absolutely no problem powering it through deep snow. My Buhler is now 3 seasons old and has been no problem at all. I'd suggest you find a brand in your area that is common, but I'd also suggest that 60" is a very nice match for a 24 HP tractor with a PTO hp of roughly 18hp.

DaveNay · Jun 4, 2006

( I watched as they loaded that 60" Buhler into Dave's truck and didn't offer much help /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)

Yeah, I keep forgetting to tell you thanks for that. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

DaveNay · Jun 4, 2006

( I watched as they loaded that 60" Buhler into Dave's truck and didn't offer much help /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)

Yeah, I keep forgetting to tell you thanks for that. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

SacandagaBrad · Jun 4, 2006

I run a Woods SS52 on my TC24D with no problems, cuts through scraper banks with ice chunks with ease.

( but a manual crank or wheel accessible from the tractor seat would be adequate. )

No it wouldn't /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif. Not if you already have the remote. Get the hydraulic chute, I love mine. The kit for the Woods is a hydraulic motor with drive sprocket on the base flange of the chute, rather than a hydraulic ram and cable system. I think it works better for trouble free operation with ice build up, etc.

I have warned about this many times here at TBN, but if you go with Woods, make sure to check the shear bolt in the drive shaft. I bought mine almost 3 years ago, at that time Woods was shipping them with a grade 8 shear bolt when it should have been a grade 5. I picked up a stone the first time out and it shut me down in less than a 1/3 turn of the blower fan with the tractor running at about 2500 rpm (540 PTO). Just something to check, otherwise I really like the Woods. I think mine was about $1800 with the hydraulic chute.

Brad

SacandagaBrad · Jun 4, 2006

I run a Woods SS52 on my TC24D with no problems, cuts through scraper banks with ice chunks with ease.

( but a manual crank or wheel accessible from the tractor seat would be adequate. )

No it wouldn't /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif. Not if you already have the remote. Get the hydraulic chute, I love mine. The kit for the Woods is a hydraulic motor with drive sprocket on the base flange of the chute, rather than a hydraulic ram and cable system. I think it works better for trouble free operation with ice build up, etc.

I have warned about this many times here at TBN, but if you go with Woods, make sure to check the shear bolt in the drive shaft. I bought mine almost 3 years ago, at that time Woods was shipping them with a grade 8 shear bolt when it should have been a grade 5. I picked up a stone the first time out and it shut me down in less than a 1/3 turn of the blower fan with the tractor running at about 2500 rpm (540 PTO). Just something to check, otherwise I really like the Woods. I think mine was about $1800 with the hydraulic chute.

Brad

Jerome · Jun 4, 2006

I have a 60" on my L245dt and it works great I have gone through 36" drifts with it with only slight problems. the one suggestion is make sure you have a cab the snow can really blow around.

Jerome · Jun 4, 2006

I have a 60" on my L245dt and it works great I have gone through 36" drifts with it with only slight problems. the one suggestion is make sure you have a cab the snow can really blow around.

MadReferee · Jun 4, 2006

Everybody has their favorite brands and the pros and cons of each have been discussed to death here. Just do a search for snowblowers and you will get plenty of reading material.

One thing to be aware of is that all rear blowers are not made the same. Some are heavy (the Puma) some are lighter (the Blizzard). One of the most important factors to consider is the chute and fan design. There have been plenty of reports here of blowers that are unable to throw the snow any kind of distance. This was determined to be the fan and chute design. There are several posts that discuss this issue.

Happy searching.

BYW, I have a Pronovost Puma and it's built like a brick outhouse. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'll put it up against any other brand with respect to specs and performance. It may have cost a few $$ more but it was worth it.

MadReferee · Jun 4, 2006

Everybody has their favorite brands and the pros and cons of each have been discussed to death here. Just do a search for snowblowers and you will get plenty of reading material.

One thing to be aware of is that all rear blowers are not made the same. Some are heavy (the Puma) some are lighter (the Blizzard). One of the most important factors to consider is the chute and fan design. There have been plenty of reports here of blowers that are unable to throw the snow any kind of distance. This was determined to be the fan and chute design. There are several posts that discuss this issue.

Happy searching.

BYW, I have a Pronovost Puma and it's built like a brick outhouse. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'll put it up against any other brand with respect to specs and performance. It may have cost a few $$ more but it was worth it.

herringchoker · Jun 4, 2006

I use an old light duty 72" blower behind my B7800 (only because I already had the blower when I bought the tractor) and it powers it with no problem. We get lots of heavy snow here too. If I were replacing it, I would go with a 60" only because the 72" sticks out too far beyond the width of my FEL bucket and can make it awkward when I want to scrape down with the FEL.
I agree with Brad: the hydraulic chute is much better than the hand crank. And a cab sure is nice, too.
I think your tractor should handle a 60" blower, but a smaller one would cut faster. What's more productive, a 60" swath at 10 feet per minute or a 50" swath at 12 feet per minute? It depends on how many passes you have to make. Also, make sure the width will more than cover your wheel tracks, since the cut snowbank doesn't always stay vertical.

herringchoker · Jun 4, 2006

I use an old light duty 72" blower behind my B7800 (only because I already had the blower when I bought the tractor) and it powers it with no problem. We get lots of heavy snow here too. If I were replacing it, I would go with a 60" only because the 72" sticks out too far beyond the width of my FEL bucket and can make it awkward when I want to scrape down with the FEL.
I agree with Brad: the hydraulic chute is much better than the hand crank. And a cab sure is nice, too.
I think your tractor should handle a 60" blower, but a smaller one would cut faster. What's more productive, a 60" swath at 10 feet per minute or a 50" swath at 12 feet per minute? It depends on how many passes you have to make. Also, make sure the width will more than cover your wheel tracks, since the cut snowbank doesn't always stay vertical.

George2615 · Jun 4, 2006

I have the 64" Pronovost 3 pt. blower with manual chute adjustment for my 26HP Mahindra. Bought it new with tractor and used it on 4 driveways the first season. It worked great. The only downfall I have with a 3 pt. blower is the constant neck strain and twisted position in the drivers seat from driving backwards. I have not used it since. I found it much easier and faster to either use my bucket or the plow blade I adapted to move snow. Most driveways I plow are short, usually 100' or less. I dont think I can adapt the blower for front mount use (PTO speeds are different) so I'll probably put my blower up for sale toward fall and look for a front mount blower that will work off the mid mount PTO or by hydraulics.

George2615 · Jun 4, 2006

I have the 64" Pronovost 3 pt. blower with manual chute adjustment for my 26HP Mahindra. Bought it new with tractor and used it on 4 driveways the first season. It worked great. The only downfall I have with a 3 pt. blower is the constant neck strain and twisted position in the drivers seat from driving backwards. I have not used it since. I found it much easier and faster to either use my bucket or the plow blade I adapted to move snow. Most driveways I plow are short, usually 100' or less. I dont think I can adapt the blower for front mount use (PTO speeds are different) so I'll probably put my blower up for sale toward fall and look for a front mount blower that will work off the mid mount PTO or by hydraulics.