Skid steer snow blower on tractor loader?

[shooterdon]

Whatever you decide on...think long term. I will be 71 next month. What is a PITA today may be very difficult in 10-15 years.

That was a prime consideration for me. Even if wanted to invest in a front blower, none were that easy IMO. I have a friend who would have helped me out, but hate being dependent on others.

 

[mikester]

I made a 3PH to SSQA adapter and ran my 3PH snowblower on the front driving the PTO shaft with a hydraulic motor powered by the aux front hydraulics. It worked but it wasn't ideal for all situations.

1. Turning radius - the blower ends up way out front. If you have to clear round cars or curves you can't get as close.
2. Cutting down 6 foot high plus snow banks - works good because you get height and reach
3. Deep wet snow means you go real slow. 16GPM 2500psi wasn't enough flow IMHO.

I think more PTO HP and a nice heated cab is the way to go. If I was going to do it commercially I would consider a versatile type tractor or tractor with front PTO or wheel loader.

Messicks had a slick video demoing a quick attach front mount system called K-connect on the L60, check it out.

 

[hayden]

Oh one other thing. When I first got the unit it didn't have an oil cooler on the tank. Erskine said it wasn't necessary with just a snowblower because of the colder temps. I ended up adding the cooler after using it a few times and laser temp checked my fluid @ 160 to 180 degrees.

Thanks you for both posts! It's super helpful to get first hand experience.

I have read elsewhere about the weight of the PTO pump and have also been wondering about making it shaft driven. There is a chance I will put together the power pack myself and will look hard at a shaft drive, or perhaps try to come up with some way to aid in the installation of the pump.

And I have wondered along the same lines about cooling, hoping that the cold operating temps will provide sufficient cooling, but also knowing the system will generate a lot of heat.

I see you have the 20 GPM pump pack. I was thinking about the 25 GPM pack, but it would have to be properly matched to the blower motor.

What is your snow blower width? The rear PTO unit I've been using is 74" and is the minimum I'd want.

 

[hayden]

Whatever you decide on...think long term. I will be 71 next month. What is a PITA today may be very difficult in 10-15 years.

That was a prime consideration for me. Even if wanted to invest in a front blower, none were that easy IMO. I have a friend who would have helped me out, but hate being dependent on others.

This is a big part of what's motivating me to make this change.

 

[shooterdon]

I made a 3PH to SSQA adapter and ran my 3PH snowblower on the front driving the PTO shaft with a hydraulic motor powered by the aux front hydraulics. It worked but it wasn't ideal for all situations.

1. Turning radius - the blower ends up way out front. If you have to clear round cars or curves you can't get as close.
2. Cutting down 6 foot high plus snow banks - works good because you get height and reach
3. Deep wet snow means you go real slow. 16GPM 2500psi wasn't enough flow IMHO.

I think more PTO HP and a nice heated cab is the way to go. If I was going to do it commercially I would consider a versatile type tractor or tractor with front PTO or wheel loader.

Messicks had a slick video demoing a quick attach front mount system called K-connect on the L60, check it out.

That video was impressive...and I bet the price is too!!

IMO manufactures are missing the boat. Frankly, I do not see the need for the massive sub frames they use. So much easier and practical to have something that attaches to the SSQA. That eliminates having to remove the FEL, Most users have only one tractor and having the loader attached is handy if you need to move pallets, or use the bucket to scoop snow when needed. My FEL will handle 2700 lbs...why do I need a sub-frame for a 1250 lb blower and engine?

The SnowVac concept is ideal. SnowVac Front Mounted Snowblowers for Trucks, PTO Snow Blowers for Tractors, and Loaders

There is no reason for it to cost as much as it does. I see they have a "lite" version for pick up trucks that costs under $10k. I am sure something like that would be fine for non-commercial use on a tractor. The "lite" was not available when I was shopping or I would have contacted the company to see if it can be adapted to a SSQA. I would gladly change the oil once a year and have a supply of gas on hand to run the second engine....in exchange for the versatility and ease of use.

Found this....

Bercomac

us.bercomac.com

More like it in terms of price.

 

[hayden]

I really question the power of these units with their own engines. In my opinion and experience, 33hp as seen on the Bercomac is way under powered for a 72" blower. I base this off the 74" blower I have been using for years that will eat every HP available from my 50hp PTO. Less power isn't a problem in light snow, but if you are trying to clear 12" or so, you would have to move really slow with only 33 hp.

 

[oldpilot]

I'm 89, and while I looked at snow blowers I figured that driving backwards would destroy my neck before the winter was over, so I spent about $3500 for a plow rig for my front-end loader. I'm not completely happy with it because it sticks out quite a bit and the FEL on Mahindra Baba does "float" awfully well, at least not until it's well warmed up. I should think a snow blower would be even less adaptable to hills and vales.

Another reason to be skeptical of a snow blower is the gravel driveway. I figured I'd spend much of time replacing shear pins.

 

[hddoktr5]

Get a larger size wireless backup camera like a motor home has you can thread the needle with these things . Why add more equipment you have to change out and store
Problem solved

 

[fishhead]

One more vote for a rear pull. These things are just a dream to operate. They seem to retain the efficiency of a rear push, Have better visibility when moving forwards and allow you to retain use of a loader or add a plow.
I think with the length of your drive that you want to get as much efficiency as possible and that I would research any power loss in the hydraulic set-up. I clear a similar length plus a number of side drives and i find on smaller snows I can move fast enough that i'm not jonesing for a plow. The bigger events are slower but that's when the advantage of really getting rid of the snow comes in and who doesn't enjoy a blower sending a big stream of snow.

!2" is nothing as far as blowing without packing, a good 74" blower is going to weigh 1000 lbs.

Depending on the distance that you need to clear the 3' you could just back in and pull forward or use your loader or some combination. As was mentioned a couple of times you could just keep it from getting too bad during the winter.

 

[bennatti]

As a 70+ year old I have installed a rear heated camera to reduce neck and back strain. Doesn't eliminate it but it is a huge help...last few year here in Maine (near Bangor) no storms large enough to warrant putting on the snowblower...read grader blade and FEL do more than an adequate job on my 450 ft drive and two parking areas