John Joseph McVeigh
Gold Member
CJONE makes very good points about belt drive for the snow blower and hydrostatic drive for the tractor. Although many people feel that direct (shaft) drive is superior (and some manufacturers very deliberately cultivate that attitude in their advertisements), one does run the risk of bent driveline components if a rock or other hard object gets sucked into the snow blower. Shear pins lessen the risk of damage to driveline components, but you need to keep spare pins on hand, as well as the tools required to change the pins. Replacing shear pins on a snow blower loaded with heavy, encrusted snow in the bucket is not fun, especially if you are a long way from your garage. Don't ask me how I know this.
Hydrostatic transmission on the tractor is very helpful because it allows one to adjust the forward speed of the tractor to match the nature (depth, density) of the snow that the blower has to swallow.
As I mention in a comment below, I am the happy owner of a nine-month-old Ventrac 4500Y 25-hp diesel articulated tractor, a Ventrac KX523 52-inch Snow Blower, and a Ventrac HB580 Power Broom. The tractor has a hydrostatic transmission, full-time four-wheel drive, and knobby tires like those found on All Terrain Vehicles. My driveway has some serious slopes. Those slopes make four-wheel drive a necessity. After some fun during a storm last Winter that laid about a half-inch of ice and then about ten inches of snow on top of that, I resolved to get axle extensions and chains for all four tires before the next snow season. (The axle extensions are needed if chains are used, due to insufficient clearance between the tractor and the tires.) Even with the axle extensions, the wheelbase of the tractor will not be wider than the maw of the snowblower.
The Ventrac snow blower and broom are belt-driven by the tractor.
On the snow blower, the belt from the tractor drives a gearbox which in turn drives belts to rotate the auger and the impeller. Hydraulics rotate the chute, and an electrical linear actuator raises and lower the chute segments to control the angle at which the snow is expelled.
On the broom, the belt from the tractor drives a hydraulic motor which in turn rotates the broom rotor. Hydraulics control the broom angle. The speed and direction of the rotor's rotation are remotely controllable.
