Snowblower Mods

[techman]

I bought the Kubota 50" front mount snowblower when I ordered my BX22. I decided to enjoy a bit of creature comforts and ordered the electric chute rotator. I wasn't going to get the electric deflector since the price was just completely outrageous. Low and behold I ended up finding the deflector on eBay and got the deflector (new) for around $ 100. The deflector was not for my model, but a bit of tool time made it fit nicely. The Kubota installation method in the instructions was a bit cheezy with the wiring, so I decided to make a nice job of it. I will attach a few pictures on a few posts with explainations.

I also wanted a cab and found a vinyl 3 sided cab at Sears. It was $ 199, but it is on sale for $ 109 "while supplies last". It is intended for Sears tractors, but with a few bracket mods it looks like it will fit just fine. It is opened in the back, but will keep the snow and wind off of me. I will post some pix when the installation is done.

Back to the blower, here is the overall view. Note I built a 2' x 4' dolly with casters so it is easy to move in the shed

 

[techman]

Sorry, the picture didn't get attached to the first post

 

[techman]

Here is the electric deflector. A couple of well placed holes, bolts, spacers and washers did it just right.

 

[techman]

Here is the wiring. I used a PVC junction box, appropiately painted. The connector is a waterproof industrial connector. The yello cable unplugs. The cable will be wire tied to the hoses on the hitch, connector at both ends, one to the blower and one to the control box. A bit of plastic wire loom to make it look nice.

 

[techman]

For the control end I used another appropiately painted PVC box to mount the switches. the connector to the cable is out the back, and power in to the left. Some stainless flat stock was bent as brackets that are mounted to the joystick bracket with a couple of wing bolts. This will allow easy removal and installation as needed, without any telltale hardware (except for the tapped holes). I put a pair of automotive circuitbreakers in the blower mounted box to protect each motor (5A and 10A).

 

[techman]

Last was to add a power take off on the tractor. I used a GM type weatherproof connector, ran wiring through a bit of hose to prevent scuffing, and tapped into the switched power at the fuse block (next to the battery). I put an inline weatherproof auto mini fuse holder in the tap to protect the wiring. I have a spare mating plug that I filled with RTV that will be a dummy plug to keep in the power jack to keep dirt and water out when the control box isn't connected.

paul

 

[pcmem]

techman,

Excellent job with the mods and install! Very clean and professional. I also saw those units on ebay, sounds like you got a great deal and should work nicely, especially with the cab installed.

Just one thought - I can't tell how the top of the linear actuator is sealed from the pictures but I was going to do the same only mount the unit upside down of what you have to keep the snow out of the unit. If it is weather sealed it should be a mute point.

Have fun,
Michael

 

[techman]

Michael:

The deflector actuator output rod has a wiper seal, like a hydraulic cylinder. Also the motor assembly is completely gasketed, and the wires that exit have substancial seals. In other words it all seems well sealed and weatherproof. The supplied Kubota instructions do show mounting the actuator rod up, so it must be suitable in their eyes.

paul

 

[pcmem]

paul,

Sounds like just the ticket. I couldn't tell from the pictures if it was sealed or not. However the more I think about it since it was a Kubota unit intended for just that purpose I expect they did their homework and it sounds like they got an A /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.

BTW have you ever seen the hydraulic unit Kubota originally offered? I did once but when I went to order they were in the process of discontinuing it /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif.

Enjoy,
Michael

 

[techman]

Interesting you mention the hydraulic version. In the instructions for the blower, they actually have the parts list for the accessories. They show a hydraulic deflector option, but it is labeled "(Canada Only)". Maybe it is the interpretation that Canada gets more snow and needs a heavier duty version. In any case, given the valving available with the FL valve, it would seem a logical solution to just use another cylinder for the deflect. It even would seem to be lower cost as well. The only real hassle is the length and guiding of the hoses to allow for the rotation.

One other observation is that the electric deflector actuator for the BX is a lot smaller than the eBay find. The "proper" one is mounted with 1/4" shoulder bolts with 10-24 threads. The ebay one has 1/2" bolts on both ends. For me the only difference was a bigger drill.

paul