Snow Blower Sizing - Opinions Wanted

[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.