Snow Blower Sizing - Opinions Wanted

[Woodstock Walt]

Hi all, I'm hoping to get some opinions and input regarding which size of snow blower would be best for my application.

I'll be using my Mahindra 5155 which is rated at 55 horsepower engine/47 horsepower PTO. It's width is 78" at the rear tires. My bucket is 78" wide, but I'm considering purchasing and using an 84" snow pusher on the FEL.

I'm intending to purchase a WIFO Inverted PTO-driven snow blower, and am torn between the 78" model or the 84" model. The 78" model has a minimum required horsepower rating of 50 HP (unsure if this refers to engine or PTO power), and the 84" requires 60 HP.

I maintain about 1 mile of 16'-wide private road. Our storms range from 3" of light powder to 24"+ of wet, heavy, heart attack snow. Thus far, I've been using an 8' snow plow on the FEL and am tired of chasing windrows, fighting the keep the tractor straight with an angled blade, and pushing banks back.

Questions-
-Would 47 PTO horsepower be enough to turn an 84" blower with decent efficiency?
-Being a pull-type blower, am I better off buying one that matches the width of the tractor (78"), or one slightly wider than the tractor (84")?
-Knowing that the blower may be used in combination with a 84" snow pusher, how would that affect your decision on which size blower?

Any thoughts or input would be appreciated!

 

[lpakiz]

I have a 72" wide front mounted blower on a 54 HP Massey.
If you have a hydrostatic drive, you are fine with the wider unit, as you can just match ground speed to the depth of snow. Works like a charm on my set-up.
In fact, I wish I had at least a 78" or even the 84", as the infinite drive speeds can match the load, plus the front mount doesn't want to turn well, and if it does, the rear wheel will cut across the un-blown snow.

Almost the same if you have a generous selection of gears that can match ground speed with the load, but you might be shifting a lot between drifts and different "loads".

In other words, it's not the HP nor the width of the blower, it's the ability to match your travel speed with the load.

 

[Citydude]

I have a 74" inverter with 32hp at the PTO and it does a great job.

 

[shooterdon]

I have a 74" inverter with 32hp at the PTO and it does a great job.

Mine is also 74” with 32 PTO HP. I have not used it on deep wet snow.

 

[Woodstock Walt]

I have a 72" wide front mounted blower on a 54 HP Massey.
If you have a hydrostatic drive, you are fine with the wider unit, as you can just match ground speed to the depth of snow. Works like a charm on my set-up.
In fact, I wish I had at least a 78" or even the 84", as the infinite drive speeds can match the load, plus the front mount doesn't want to turn well, and if it does, the rear wheel will cut across the un-blown snow.

Almost the same if you have a generous selection of gears that can match ground speed with the load, but you might be shifting a lot between drifts and different "loads".

In other words, it's not the HP nor the width of the blower, it's the ability to match your travel speed with the load.

Thank you, that's good advice! That was one of my thoughts on the 84" blower, where it has more potential to bog down the engine I'd have to adjust my gear selection to match the load more frequently than with a 78". My tractor is gear driven with 12F/12R speeds, which I think would be adequate for the varying conditions.
So, you do feel like your 54 HP Massey could handle an 84" blower as long as your were able to properly match your speed with the load?

 

[leonz]

Hi all, I'm hoping to get some opinions and input regarding which size of snow blower would be best for my application.

I'll be using my Mahindra 5155 which is rated at 55 horsepower engine/47 horsepower PTO. It's width is 78" at the rear tires. My bucket is 78" wide, but I'm considering purchasing and using an 84" snow pusher on the FEL.

I'm intending to purchase a WIFO Inverted PTO-driven snow blower, and am torn between the 78" model or the 84" model. The 78" model has a minimum required horsepower rating of 50 HP (unsure if this refers to engine or PTO power), and the 84" requires 60 HP.

I maintain about 1 mile of 16'-wide private road. Our storms range from 3" of light powder to 24"+ of wet, heavy, heart attack snow. Thus far, I've been using an 8' snow plow on the FEL and am tired of chasing windrows, fighting the keep the tractor straight with an angled blade, and pushing banks back.

Questions-
-Would 47 PTO horsepower be enough to turn an 84" blower with decent efficiency?
-Being a pull-type blower, am I better off buying one that matches the width of the tractor (78"), or one slightly wider than the tractor (84")?
-Knowing that the blower may be used in combination with a 84" snow pusher, how would that affect your decision on which size blower?

Any thoughts or input would be appreciated!

There are more than a handful of things you need to consider.


1. with any rear implement you need ballast weight to create adhesion to do work

2. if you do not have snow chains and liquid ballast in the rear tires already you may need them to maintain adhesion

3. you have a front end loader already that you could mount a very wide 7 foot wide hydraulic driven snow blower on it and have enough flow to handle it using a snow blower with a rotating impeller drum that bypasses chute and spout entirely quickly discharging heavy wet snow

4. you would need a PTO powered hydraulic power pack large enough to run the snow blower and the tractor should have enough lift capacity to carry the power pack.
5. you need 2 hydraulic hoses long enough to reach the snow blower from the rear of the tractor and a case drain hose to keep the hydraulic motor on the snow
blower cool and reduce the pressure behind the shaft oil seal to 15 P.S.I.G.

6. the only thing you need to match up is the 7-foot width of cut on the snow blower with the correct size power pack to run it off the rear Power Take Off

Pronovost has 80 different snowblower models ls that can be powered by hydraulic power using a hydraulic powerpack mounted on the three point hitch.
The P-860TRC has a rotating impeller drum that discharges the heavy wet snow without plugging to the left or right without using the chute or spout.
The other thing is the tractor is still able to run well without bogging down from plugging as the snow blower is operating up front and eating all the snow.

If you have the snow blower mounted on the loader you can get rid of deep snows in one pass and not have to move it a second time or stack it somewhere AND the pull type snowblower will never do that for you or clear a 4+ foot drift if you have them.

 

[Torvy]

My wife said size doesn't matter, was she telling lies? Doesn't matter anyway because it not about the size of the dog in the fight, it the size of the fight in the dog.

In other words, sell whatever tractor you have. Buy the biggest snowblower on the market and then buy a new tractor big enough to run that beast. Odds are, you will be compelled to move South or global warming will come to you.

I chose the move South option. Just missed 4.5 days of work due to a wee bit of ice here and there. Took the free day to drive 2.5 hours out to my property and order a new trailer.

OK, enough kidding around. The HP rating is talking about the PTO. Both of those exceed your tractor. Will they work? Most likely. Will they damage your tractor? Probably (especially over time). Will it be covered under warranty? Not a chance. Using equipment rated beyond the capacity would be considered negligent or abusive. You will find a hundred stories here about guys who regularly abuse their equipment and brag about it. Same guys often spend a lot more time than necessary replacing parts (or paying somebody to do it for them). Of course, telling you that part is not cool.

You can more likely find another brand/model that is sized wider but requires less HP. Good luck, I don't miss living up north this time of year.

 

[lpakiz]

"So, you do feel like your 54 HP Massey could handle an 84" blower as long as your were able to properly match your speed with the load?"

That answer is a very definite YES, because I can vary the speed from literally a few feet per MINUTE to about 3-4 MPH, just by pressing or releasing the pedal.
I can creep into frozen snow 4 feet deep, until it projects over the top of the blower and discharge chute. Then I need to back out and try to knock it down. But the hydrostatic is just perfect for doing this. Its really nice when you have varying depths of drifts, with maybe 50' of no snow. As soon as the blower catches up, mash the hydrostatic down until the next drift.
Your 12 speed will work, but you will either shift a lot, clutch a lot or just go slow.
As far as traction, (different deal altogether when you need to drive thru the snow before you blow it) the first time I used it was in about a foot of snow. No weights, no filled tires. I worked in 2-wheel drive for quite a while before I spun a rear wheel. That's when I realized I wasn't in 4WD.
If you can't push the blower, you have too much snow in front and need to let the blower digest it.
Not sure how a pull-type blower would do with traction.
I do leave the loader arms on, raised up to just fit under the door and then I have a hydraulic-rated ball valve to lock them up there so I can use the hose ports (and joystick) to raise the blower and swivel the chute. I love my setup and wouldn't be without it.

 

[Woodstock Walt]

Not too interested in a FEL-mount hydraulic blower. I agree that there are many benefits to them, but frankly they're more complicated than I'm looking to get into. I also occasionally swap out my snow removal implements for logging implements between storms, so simplicity is better for me. I think I'll be alright traction-wise, I've got loaded rear tires and studded aquiline chains. I've been pushing an 8' plow without braking traction.

Torvy, call me what you will, but I'm not too concerned about damaging my tractor with a 6% oversized snow blower (on the 78" model, 84" would be 26% beyond rated capacity). I agree 26% might be a bit of a stretch, but 6% over on the 78" model is not concerning to me. If it was a rototiller or stump grinder, something like that I would definitely stay within the rated parameters.

But for a snow blower, I agree with Ipakiz that the only real drawback to an oversized snow blower would be the need to travel slow enough to let it work. In other words; an oversized snow blower working at slowly at 100% capacity or a smaller blower working faster at 100% capacity - the load is the same as the tractor will only put out it's rated PTO HP. If it bogs down, just need to use a lower gear. If it's too much blower for the lowest gear, well that would be the sign that it is too oversized.

 

[Torvy]

Torvy, call me what you will, but I'm not too concerned about damaging my tractor with a 6% oversized snow blower (on the 78" model, 84" would be 26% beyond rated capacity). I agree 26% is a bit of a stretch, but 6% over on the 78" model is not concerning to me. If it was a rototiller or stump grinder, something like that I would definitely stay within the rated parameters.

The 78 is probably within the margin of error. The problem could be though that any PTO problems would be blamed on using an implement beyond scope for your tractor.

I really try to stay well within specs on my equipment. Sure, I know there is some fudge factor, but if it ever went to court, the numbers are what they are and you would lose.

I also would not underestimate the effects of torque from a snowblower on the equipment. You also get the added benefit of cold weather operations. Metal doesn't like being simultaneously hot and cold.

Probably the same risk as speeding. 7 mph is not as safe but unlikely to get a ticket. 26 over and you have significantly higher risk and no escaping justice.

 

[sd455dan]

Hi all, I'm hoping to get some opinions and input regarding which size of snow blower would be best for my application.

I'll be using my Mahindra 5155 which is rated at 55 horsepower engine/47 horsepower PTO. It's width is 78" at the rear tires. My bucket is 78" wide, but I'm considering purchasing and using an 84" snow pusher on the FEL.

I'm intending to purchase a WIFO Inverted PTO-driven snow blower, and am torn between the 78" model or the 84" model. The 78" model has a minimum required horsepower rating of 50 HP (unsure if this refers to engine or PTO power), and the 84" requires 60 HP.

I maintain about 1 mile of 16'-wide private road. Our storms range from 3" of light powder to 24"+ of wet, heavy, heart attack snow. Thus far, I've been using an 8' snow plow on the FEL and am tired of chasing windrows, fighting the keep the tractor straight with an angled blade, and pushing banks back.

Questions-
-Would 47 PTO horsepower be enough to turn an 84" blower with decent efficiency?
-Being a pull-type blower, am I better off buying one that matches the width of the tractor (78"), or one slightly wider than the tractor (84")?
-Knowing that the blower may be used in combination with a 84" snow pusher, how would that affect your decision on which size blower?

Any thoughts or input would be appreciated!

Well I have the 84 inch pull behind WIFO on my 30 year old 55 HP Chinese Rhino tractor. Actually almost 87" to the outside edges

I think either size would work for you.

So far Very impressed with the Quality . Nice welds heavy duty construction, Large auger and impeller. It Runs Smooth and quiet. It is hard to over stuff this blower.

Short vid of blowing 22 inches - 3 storms worth of unplowed driveway.
I would buy this blower again no question.
How many cubic inches is your Mahindra, my engine is a 203 Cubic inch and Only revs to a rated 1900 RPM so has a pretty Good torque back up reserve.
Some ads for this blower list a TYM 654 or 754 as a Good match. Obviously a bit less HP can run it.

 

[airbiscuit]

I had one of those moments tonight with the new WIFO.
Freezing rain on a Pine tree set of low hanging branches caught the Chute and well, the branches finally gave up and slid around it.
No damage to the blower but the chute is about 65 inches tall so something that has to be looked out for.

ps. More good news on the WIFO Inverted. The floor fell out of the snow base after all of the rain we have had. The inverted blower had No problem with the heavy wet snow, still throws it plenty far.

You might ask SD455dan. He just bought an 84" for his 55hp geared Rhino. Sounds like it handled it well in wet snow. From the specs I see on the WIFO page the blower and fan are the same on the 78"and 84" The only difference is the width and weight ((45 lb difference).

After your first pass, you usually do a bit of an overlap, so wouldn't be taking the full 84"anyway. In my opinion, being the exact width of your tires is too narrow. If the 84"isn't too much more $$, that's what I'd get. If it is a bunch more money I would buy a 78" and add a 3" wing to one or both sides.

I run a 68" Meteor inverted on my 40hp 12x12 New Holland. Once, I'm out and blowing, I seldom change gears. Occasionally I have to push in the clutch to clear the auger in a heavy spot, but not all that much. I do know you are going to love having an inverted.

 

[airbiscuit]

I have a 12x12 shuttle with 4 speeds and 3 ranges. All my blowing is in the M range. I haven't had to go down to L range, but could if I had to for the first pass. It does help to keep the RPMs up.

 

[Woodstock Walt]

Well I have the 84 inch pull behind WIFO on my 55 HP Chinese Rhino tractor. Actually almost 87" to the outside edges

I think either size would work for you.

So far Very impressed with the Quality . Nice welds heavy duty construction, Large auger and impeller. It Runs Smooth and quiet. It is hard to over stuff this blower.

Short vid of blowing 22 inches - 3 storms worth of unplowed driveway.
I would buy this blower again no question.
How many cubic inches is your Mahindra, my engine is a 203 Cubic inch and Only revs to a rated 1900 RPM so has a pretty Good torque back up reserve.
Some ads for this blower list a TYM 654 or 754 as a Good match.

That's great feedback, thank you very much! That's just what I was hoping to hear, good deal.

Sounds like a tough machine you have there. My Mahindra is 167 cu in., 2.7L turbo. It revs to its rated 2300 RPM, but it's peak torque is at 1500 RPM. I feel like it has pretty good torque back up as well, once the turbo winds up it takes quite a load to really bog it down. I'm really leaning towards the 84" after seeing your video.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

Hi all, I'm hoping to get some opinions and input regarding which size of snow blower would be best for my application.

I'll be using my Mahindra 5155 which is rated at 55 horsepower engine/47 horsepower PTO. It's width is 78" at the rear tires. My bucket is 78" wide, but I'm considering purchasing and using an 84" snow pusher on the FEL.

I'm intending to purchase a WIFO Inverted PTO-driven snow blower, and am torn between the 78" model or the 84" model. The 78" model has a minimum required horsepower rating of 50 HP (unsure if this refers to engine or PTO power), and the 84" requires 60 HP.

I maintain about 1 mile of 16'-wide private road. Our storms range from 3" of light powder to 24"+ of wet, heavy, heart attack snow. Thus far, I've been using an 8' snow plow on the FEL and am tired of chasing windrows, fighting the keep the tractor straight with an angled blade, and pushing banks back.

Questions-
-Would 47 PTO horsepower be enough to turn an 84" blower with decent efficiency?
-Being a pull-type blower, am I better off buying one that matches the width of the tractor (78"), or one slightly wider than the tractor (84")?
-Knowing that the blower may be used in combination with a 84" snow pusher, how would that affect your decision on which size blower?

Any thoughts or input would be appreciated!

hmmmmm... with great respect and seriousness.... me thinks maybe you should also consider your desire and maybe your tractor inability for pulling an inverted snowblower in your conditions.

Can your tractor ( maybe 15 or 16" ground clearance) drive through 24"+ of wet snow? if it can then consider can it do the same pulling an inverted blower?


my experience tells me your going to struggle no matter which width you eventually choose as you say the snow can be both both heavy and 50% deeper than your ground clearance. (and then maybe drifts to boot). Just driving through wet snow that's a little more than a machines gc can be brutal ......50% higher hmmmm.....

I really like inverted blowers BTW.
Cheers.

 

[Woodstock Walt]

You might ask SD455dan. He just bought an 84" for his 55hp geared Rhino. Sounds like it handled it well in wet snow. From the specs I see on the WIFO page the blower and fan are the same on the 78"and 84" The only difference is the width and weight ((45 lb difference).

After your first pass, you usually do a bit of an overlap, so wouldn't be taking the full 84"anyway. In my opinion, being the exact width of your tires is too narrow. If the 84"isn't too much more $$, that's what I'd get. If it is a bunch more money I would buy a 78" and add a 3" wing to one or both sides.

I run a 68" Meteor inverted on my 40hp 12x12 New Holland. Once, I'm out and blowing, I seldom change gears. Occasionally I have to push in the clutch to clear the auger in a heavy spot, but not all that much. I do know you are going to love having an inverted.

I have a 12x12 shuttle with 4 speeds and 3 ranges. All my blowing is in the M range. I haven't had to go down to L range, but could if I had to for the first pass. It does help to keep the RPMs up.

That's some great advice as well, thank you. The 84" isn't a huge difference in price, $6450 vs. $6150 for the 78". For the extra $300 I'd much rather have a blower that sticks out slightly beyond the rear tires, as long as the engine could handle it. By the sounds of SD455dan's post, I'd say that it probably can.

 

[Woodstock Walt]

hmmmmm... with great respect and seriousness.... me thinks maybe you should also consider your desire and maybe your tractor inability for pulling an inverted snowblower in your conditions.

Can your tractor ( maybe 15 or 16" ground clearance) drive through 24"+ of wet snow? if it can then consider can it do the same pulling an inverted blower?


my experience tells me your going to struggle no matter which width you eventually choose as you say the snow can be both both heavy and 50% deeper than your ground clearance. (and maybe drifts to boot). Just driving through wet snow that's a little more than a machines gc can be brutal 50% higher hmmmm.....

Cheers.

Yup, that's some good advice as well, I appreciate it. Too be honest, I doubt my tractor would be able to pull an inverted blower through 24" of wet snow. I've driven through it before out of necessity, but I will agree that it's tough going and tough on the machine. I would have to be on the ball with watching the snowfall and probably wouldn't let it exceed 10-12" without clearing it. That's what I do now with the FEL-mounted plow. We had one freak storm earlier this year that snuck up on us and dumped 24" of wet snow overnight, and clearing it the next day was a chore. I ended up taking the 8' plow off and driving through the snow to put my bucket on. Once the bucket was on I could handle the snow, but it was slow going.

I think the best solution to handling 24" of snow at once would be either a front-mounted snow blower or a conventional rear-facing snow blower. But, I want to avoid the complexity of a front mounted blower, and I have a chronic neck condition that prevents me from being able to use a conventional rear-facing blower. So, it is what it is I guess, worst case scenario I clear everything with the bucket.

 

[sd455dan]

That's some great advice as well, thank you. The 84" isn't a huge difference in price, $6450 vs. $6150 for the 78". For the extra $300 I'd much rather have a blower that sticks out slightly beyond the rear tires, as long as the engine could handle it. By the sounds of SD455dan's post, I'd say that it probably can.

I think your tractor will as well.

First your tractor is about the same size, weight, ( both our tractors are around 5500lb before adding a loader.) Tall R1 tire size which helps, little smaller displacement engine But same HP Plus a Turbo AND you have 12 gears to choose from as well.

We used to run a same size standard blower on this tractor as well but it is Much nicer having 6 gears forward to choose from versus Only 2 in reverse.

I Really do think these WIFO's are an Excellent bargain for what you get for your money. IMO a Very high quality unit.

 

[BoylermanCT]

Go with the bigger blower. If your drive is 16' wide and 1 mile long, you want to make 1 pass out and back and be done. If there is a lot of snow, go slower.

 

[airbiscuit]

How often do you get over 18" of snow? If not that often, you still have your bucket.