Snowthrower question

[Freds]

Hi guys. Long time. I gotta question and this is the place to ask, what with all the experience here.

Why is it that 3ph snowthrowers have no real adjustment to follow the contour of the ground or help them dig in?

If you are approaching ground that falls away, the machine doesn't go down with it until the wheels start down the incline.
And as far as cleaning up after a thaw... the snowthrower is riding pretty much on top of the slush, while the rear wheels are sinking right down. And this is with the skids all the way up and the toplink stretched out to try to increase the angle of attack, but I noticed absolutely no change in the way it was working.
It just seems that I'm doing something wrong, but I have no idea what. I can't get a good scrape with it and was wondering if anyone has tried putting an adjustable toplink on the machine like what a brush hog has. Something that would let the snowthrower travel a little bit and maybe follow contours better.

What do you think? Is there something that can improve the performance for cleaning up the slush after a thaw?

 

[mbohuntr]

What about lenghtening your cutting edge??

 

[Freds]

Yeah, I was thinking about that. Maybe extend it a touch and angle it down, but I don't think that's the problem. I just looked at it (I keep my tractor parked next to the house, in the driveway, with a tarp in the winter) and the cutting edge is pretty darn low where there is little snow. The problem seems to be when it is being pushed over a few inches of snow. The skids allow the machine to ride up over the accumulated slush/snow in front of it. The snow that used to be my base. And then there's the problem of it hanging suspended over ground that falls away.
This is only my second year with it. Maybe that's just the way they are.

 

[mbohuntr]

Mine will build up a bit over time as well , I just do a scrape with the FEL on the way back up.

 

[Freds]

That's exactly what I plan on doing today as soon as it warms up and thaws back out. It's a real ankle twister now, what with all the frozen tire ruts in the slush. Yesterday I went as far as to look at blades for my atv. I figured I could use that for cleanup when it gets like this again. I guess there's no one way of clearing snow that's perfect.

 

[Max2310]

Did you say you have skids shoes on your thrower? Have you tried without them? You do use the float position on your 3ph, right?

Not sure about this one but I saw people replacing there linkage rods (attached to the lift arms) with chains for better ground traveling.

In my case, I like putting back my rear blade for slush or smaller snow falls. And btw, my ATV plow cost me 150% more then my rear blade and I prefer the rear blade by far.

 

[shiftyguy]

I live on a level lime stone drive way. I work at leaving a few inches of snow so I'm not throwing expensive stone out into the field with the blower. If it slushes and refreezes then so much the better. Now there is a hard buffer to keep me out of the stone

 

[radman1]

I have a hydraulic top link on my 3pt blower. Sometimes it want to ride on top of the snow. I extend the top link a little and seems to dig in better. Also extending the toplink takes weight off the skids and put it on the edge. You might try entending you top link a little and if needed, make the skids a little lower.

 

[Freds]

I was kinda wondering about taking the skids off, Max. Maybe take them off and shorten the toplink if it drops too much.
I'm not sure what you mean by float position... the lever is set to let the lower links down as far as they will go. Don't the lower links basically float anyway? Well, with the exception of that fixed toplink.
And after I looked at ATV blades, I decided I didn't want to drop that much money into the blade and mounting kit. That's ridiculous. I had no idea they were that much.

I've got a gravel drive, too, shift, but I had people's cars not being able to steer in that slush yesterday and getting stuck, both in my driveway and also in my yard when they couldn't stop or steer. That slush has to go. At least most of it.

 

[shiftyguy]

I've got a gravel drive, too, shift, but I had people's cars not being able to steer in that slush yesterday and getting stuck, both in my driveway and also in my yard when they couldn't stop or steer. That slush has to go. At least most of it.[/quote]

That is the drawback to that method of snow removal. If it is not 4x4 it's not moving. On the up side, it keeps the rif-raf out.

 

[Freds]

That rif-raf pay my bills, lol
And I just wouldn't feel right charging them to pull them out

 

[rambler]

I got a hydraulic top link for other things, used it with the blower & it took care of the problem you mention. My blower has permanent skid shoes under it, you can angle back with the top link to either scrap hard, or the other way to ride over the snow a little and not catch gravel.

It's what you want. Hydraulic top link.

--->Paul

 

[Freds]

Yeah, I've been wanting a hydraulic toplink. That may be this year's project.

 

[forester2]

When I had a 3pt blower I also had a hyd. tilt on my lift arm and would angle the blower slightly to get it to dig in. Now have a front mount unit and can put some downpressure on it if I wish.

 

[lungdoc]

I don't know if there"s an easy answer to the "cresting a hill" issue - can do some adjustment with lowering/raising the 3PH.

I think you may just need to get the toplink to where you want it. I had it shorter for first blow to deliberately leave a base. After that I have it longer - my blower has permanent skid "shoes". I have it so that if no lift on 3PH (resting fully on ground) it doesn't scrape much, if I lift it slightly it tilts forward and scrapes very well.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I dont have a 3pt thrower, but I cant visualize how lengthening the toplink would help it dig in because this would lessen the downward angle of the cutting edge... Perhaps the lift arms wont go low enuf and you are compensating for that by letting the rear of the thrower hang lower to get a proper height??
larry

 

[sunnyside360]

I dont have a 3pt thrower, but I cant visualize how lengthening the toplink would help it dig in because this would lessen the downward angle of the cutting edge... Perhaps the lift arms wont go low enuf and you are compensating for that by letting the rear of the thrower hang lower to get a proper height??
larry

With most rear 3ph blowers you have to operate them by backing up so the cutting edge and auger are on the extreme rear of the blower unit. Assuming the skid shoes are in the middle, lengthening the top link will move the cutting edge closer to the ground.

 

[Usta]

On cresting a hill. My walkway slopes quickly from my driveway so I encounter the crest issue without a problem.
My 3ph does not have a float in the down position. When I put the blower down it can float up but will not go lower than the set position. Same as when the blower is raised, will float up but will not float down.
When I back over the crest, I hold the 3ph lever in the down position so the blower will drop further down than it could when the tractor and blower was level.

 

[Freds]

Thanks Usta. I was wondering if mine could even drop, since the toplink is a solid connection, but I guess if it can go up, it can go down too. It just doesn't go down far enough. Maybe my lower links are already close to as low as they can drop. I'll have to take a look at the pin position and see if it looks lower than my other attachments.