Snow Attachments Used Snow Blower questions

[Gryantaylor]

I've been looking to add a snow blower to my Kubota B7100 for about a year now. I recently found the ad below, I've included all the information I have which isn't much (yet).

Background:
I found an ad locally for "THIS IS A FORD BRAND TWO STAGE SNOW BLOWER FOR MOST TRACTORS WITH PTO, THREE POINT HITCH AND AT LEAST 20HP"
Called yesterday to ask for more details. The blower is ~4' wide, 1.5 to 2 tall and about 10 years old. The owner has a gravel driveway and said he used it very little because it would throw the gravel around. He wasn't sure of the model number, or exact age. Ironically, its buried in the snow and there are no pictures at this time. Hopefully, he can dig it out over the weekend and I can go see it next week.

Questions:
I've never heard of "ford snow blowers" does anybody know about them, Good, bad, or weak points?

Is their anything specific I should look for before I buy it?

 

[PILOON]

Since you have a 4' loader I gather your tractor is 4' wide.
I think you would prefer a 5' blower as you will find that the slopped over snow will be compacted by the tires resulting in a bowl shapped driveway.

It does acumolate to the point that you no longer have a flat drive but rather a wide luge run.
I know as I have had both widths of blowers on the same tractor.
I run a 5' on a 20hp without any problems.(even with 12" snowfalls!)

 

[Gryantaylor]

Since you have a 4' loader I gather your tractor is 4' wide.
I think you would prefer a 5' blower as you will find that the slopped over snow will be compacted by the tires resulting in a bowl shapped driveway.

It does acumolate to the point that you no longer have a flat drive but rather a wide luge run.
I know as I have had both widths of blowers on the same tractor.
I run a 5' on a 20hp without any problems.(even with 12" snowfalls!)

Thanks for the input. The tractor is actually about 38-40" wide. The bucket is wider then the tires, but your correct a 4' blower might be cutting it a little tight. I'll have to take a close look at that tonight with a tape measure. I was thinking the ~4' was a better fit from a power standpoint I've only got 16 gross hp (spec's) and at 6500 ft that 16 Hp quickly turns into 13 or 14. Factor in that its an HST and "well used condition" I'd be supprised if I've got 10 HP at the pto. I suppose if I go slow enough I could power anything but I'd like to move at a reasonable speed.

Is anyone blowing with a 7100 (or similar)? How well does it work?

 

[Tig]

I have a 50" Buhler blower on a B7100 hydra, 13 PTO HP
Tractor stance with Ag tires is 43" wide. I just bought it this year so I do not have much experience. I do slow down a bit, in drifts. It takes two passes and about 1/2 hour to clear a 600m lane. With more experience and hardpacked base I should be able to do it quicker on average. 48" should work just as well.
Any chance you can get your tractor over there to test drive the blower?

 

[charlz]

I have a Kubota 51" that came with my B7100. The original owner used it in snow country for over 25 years, I got it from the second owner. I have used it a couple of times and it does like to relocate gravel Don't really get enough snow to use it all the time. I prefer a back blade for the low amounts of snow we get. The biggest complaint the second owner had was the b7100 is gear, high reverse is a little too high and low reverse is way too low. Since you have HST I think that 48 - 51 inches would be a great match for your tractor.

Charles

 

[Gryantaylor]

Thanks for everyone input, it sounds like I'm one the right track with regards to the size of blower I'm looking at, which is good to know. Does anyone know about "ford model" blowers in general (sorry I don't have a model number), how far can I expect it to throw the snow, known problems? If the current owner "relocated" a lot of gravel should I expect it to be damaged? will the damage be obvous?

Tig, the blower is located about 2 hours from me. Your suggestion "try it out" is a good one. I'd have to trailer my machine over to the seller but that's not the end of the world. I'll see if the seller would be ok with it.

 

[PeterT]

If you find a 4ft. model to be a bit to narrow you could always add a couple of 6" wings to the sides. to pull the snow in. I have done this on my 5ft. model to make it a 6ft. with no problems,


Good luck
PeterT

 

[ToadHill]

It's not uncommon for the blower to throw a bit of gravel, and it usually only takes the paint off. Check to make sure that the drive chain doesn't have too much play in it and look to see if the impeller has any damage. I'm not familiar with Ford blowers but I don't think Ford has made any equipment under the ford name in at least 15 or more years. The seller may mean that it was built to fit a ford.

 

[DWW68]

I have a 60" ford snow blower. It is a model 715. I believe that it is about 25 years old. So far it is the only ford snow blower that I have seen. The problem with it is that the impeller is direct drive by the pto. This means that it only spins at 450 rpm. I believe that most impellers spin around 1000 + or -rpm. With having a slower impeller speed the snow will not go as far. My blower will only throw the snow about 10 to 15 feet max.
The snow blower that I have looks very much like the Kubota front mount snowblowers, but is set up for the 3 point hitch.

 

[Ductape]

If it says Ford on it, i'm sure it was made by an outside vendor for Ford tractors before they became Case/NewHolland. You have been given good avice so far, i'd say if the price is right, buy it ! These are not very complicated impliments. Give it a good once over, make sure nothing is broken or overly worn. Things like chain, sprockets, etc. are easily found at a TSC or similar store. Your tractor should run it just fine, especially if you have hydrostatic drive. If you back into heavy stuff........ just creap slow enough so that the motor doesn't bog down. I ran a 54" blower with 15 PTO hp, and my only complaint was, with gear drive i couldn't creap slow enough in the big snowbanks. As said, if you need it to be a bit wider..... some wings to be added to make it bite 54" or even 60" Many blowers came with these from the factory.