First-time snowblower operation

jmatz

Member

Equipment
B2650 Cab, LA534 FEL, B2782 snowblower, Landpride GS1572 grader
Feb 14, 2015
35
0
6
69
Traverse City, Mi
Hello All:

It looks like the lake-effect snow machine will finally kick in next week up here in northern Michigan, so I'm preparing myself for operating the blower for the first time. Equipment is B2650 cab / Kubota front-mount snowblower.

I have a few questions that don't have obvious answers in the manual or other threads here:
  1. Is snowblower always run in float mode?
  2. When putting into float mode, is it pretty obvious when the joystick hits that spot (is there a click or a positive notch that it lands in), or some sort of indication that confirms I am in float? I haven't needed to use float with the FEL - just never needed that mode.
  3. Can the blower move crusty snow? I am not at the place right now, so can't confirm the condition of the sleet/snow/ice that has fallen over the last week. I'm pretty sure it will be crusty snow covered by light fluff, which will then be rained on today and tomorrow.
  4. If not possible to move the crap that is there now, I guess I'll have to remove blower and put FEL back on to clear the hard-packed and frozen stuff before the nice light flakes fall next week.

Will post photos when I finally get to do this!!

JM
 

85Hokie

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BX-25D ,PTB. Under Armor, '90&'92-B7100HST's, '06 BX1850 FEL
Jul 13, 2013
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Bedford - VA
cant answer all your questions, but the float mode is indicated in that click you talk about, and should ride and fall through the contours of the ground. Easy way to make sure, raise the machine about 4" off the ground and then snap it in the float - it should rest on the ground and stay.

As far as crusty snow, if it goes in the hopper - i bet it will come out the chute! That heavy wet stuff is what most complain about - cause it binds in the chute. Make sure you get your shims at the right depth and spray some slick'em juice in the chute to keep it from sticking....

o and ps......send some of that white stuff down here!;):)
 

Grouse Feathers

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BX2370, FEL, Snowblower-BX5455, Homebuilt Forks, LP RB1560, LP GS1548
Feb 16, 2015
1,022
4
0
Lovells, Mi
You normally leave the lift in the float mode while blowing snow, but you can have trouble steering with no weight on the front end. When your front end starts pushing and not turning, pull the stick back just enough to raise the blower 1/2"or less, just enough to put some weight on the front end. Your front wheels will immediately grab hold and you will start going in the desired direction. Then push the stick forward back into the float position.
You also need some rear end weight, loaded tires at least. I also carry a rear blade not so much for weight as it adds to the front end weight problem, but to pull the snow away from areas I don't want to blow.
I agree with Hokie on the crusty snow, as long as its not packed down from driving on it, or chunks of ice that could shear a pin.
 

L4740

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Nov 23, 2009
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18
3rd Rock From The Sun
You didn't mention what kind of surface your driveway is made of. If it is crushed rock them make sure you have your skid shoes adjusted all the way down until you get a nice snow packed surface that is frozen until spring. Once you have that, then you can raise your skid shoes and let the scraper bar run on the ice pack. If you have a hard surface driveway just adjust the shoes to so the scraper bar is on or just about on the driveway. And try not to get an aching jaw from smiling while running it!
 

jmatz

Member

Equipment
B2650 Cab, LA534 FEL, B2782 snowblower, Landpride GS1572 grader
Feb 14, 2015
35
0
6
69
Traverse City, Mi
cant answer all your questions, but the float mode is indicated in that click you talk about, and should ride and fall through the contours of the ground.......

...o and ps......send some of that white stuff down here!;):)
Will Do! I'll just aim the chute to the southeast and set throttle to full. If there's a good wind, you just might get some of our snow. :D
 

jmatz

Member

Equipment
B2650 Cab, LA534 FEL, B2782 snowblower, Landpride GS1572 grader
Feb 14, 2015
35
0
6
69
Traverse City, Mi
You normally leave the lift in the float mode while blowing snow, but you can have trouble steering with no weight on the front end. When your front end starts pushing and not turning, pull the stick back just enough to raise the blower 1/2"or less, just enough to put some weight on the front end. Your front wheels will immediately grab hold and you will start going in the desired direction. Then push the stick forward back into the float position.

You also need some rear end weight, loaded tires at least. I also carry a rear blade not so much for weight as it adds to the front end weight problem, but to pull the snow away from areas I don't want to blow.
I agree with Hokie on the crusty snow, as long as its not packed down from driving on it, or chunks of ice that could shear a pin.


You didn't mention what kind of surface your driveway is made of. If it is crushed rock them make sure you have your skid shoes adjusted all the way down until you get a nice snow packed surface that is frozen until spring. Once you have that, then you can raise your skid shoes and let the scraper bar run on the ice pack. If you have a hard surface driveway just adjust the shoes to so the scraper bar is on or just about on the driveway. And try not to get an aching jaw from smiling while running it!

Thanks for all the input.

I figured that float mode didn't create any downward pressure, other than the weight of the implement. But that's good info to regain steering by raising 1/2" until front wheels grab again. I'll try that if needed. Rear tires are filled, and I can attach my land plane if necessary.

The surface is 700' of gravel road and 300' of gravel driveway. I graded it with the land plane just before weather got cold enough to freeze it, so it's pretty level with no washboarding or extreme dips or bumps. Some snowmobiles have probably already packed down some snow on the road, but I think the two days above freezing will get rid of everything on the road, so when the snow kicks in, I'll be starting with mostly a raw gravel surface. I think I have the skids set to the lowest level, which will leave a couple inches of snow. Forecast is saying a system snow Saturday/Sunday, then Lake Effect Monday through Thursday. Have to remember to get more Diesel!

Can't wait to try this. It's not a toy... It's not a toy... It's not a toy... It's........... :):D:)
 
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Grouse Feathers

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BX2370, FEL, Snowblower-BX5455, Homebuilt Forks, LP RB1560, LP GS1548
Feb 16, 2015
1,022
4
0
Lovells, Mi
Can't wait to try this. It's not a toy... It's not a toy... It's not a toy... It's........... :):D:)[/QUOTE]

My wife referred to the tractor as a toy right up until the first time I graded our 1/4 mile driveway with our LP GS1548, grader scraper. I have not heard the term toy in reference to my tractor since.;);):D
 

jmatz

Member

Equipment
B2650 Cab, LA534 FEL, B2782 snowblower, Landpride GS1572 grader
Feb 14, 2015
35
0
6
69
Traverse City, Mi
My wife referred to the tractor as a toy right up until the first time I graded our 1/4 mile driveway with our LP GS1548, grader scraper. I have not heard the term toy in reference to my tractor since.;);):D

That's what I like to hear!
 

sheepfarmer

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L3560, B2650, Gator, Ingersoll mower
Nov 14, 2014
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MidMichigan
One thought about putting the FEL (with snowblower) into float, I noticed the other day that it went into float more readily and with less clunking if I dialed the rpm's back, put it close to or on the ground, shifted the lever past the detente, and then put the rpm's back where needed. Might make less wear and tear on the system.
 

jmatz

Member

Equipment
B2650 Cab, LA534 FEL, B2782 snowblower, Landpride GS1572 grader
Feb 14, 2015
35
0
6
69
Traverse City, Mi
One thought about putting the FEL (with snowblower) into float, I noticed the other day that it went into float more readily and with less clunking if I dialed the rpm's back, put it close to or on the ground, shifted the lever past the detente, and then put the rpm's back where needed. Might make less wear and tear on the system.

Ok - I will be trying that in a few minutes! Just got to the house after a six hour drive.
Road was tricky because of snowmobile tracks and 40° melt today. Driveway was easy to get up because no one has driven on it since it snowed. Looks like an average of 6" of wet snow with some drifts, so will be taking it slow.
 

koja

New member

Equipment
BX25D
May 27, 2014
335
1
0
Fremont Mi.
I have a blower on the front of my bx25d and here are a few tips for you.
Always use the blower in float. It will not lift the front tires. Float will lift the front wheels with the front end loader because the machine wants to crawl up . But it won't with the blower.
Gravel is hard on the blower, raise your skids till you get a base built up.
With a base you can lower your skids and use down pressure to cut hard packed high spots.
Always clean all snow off the blower when done so it doesn't freeze up and break a shear pin the next time you use it , or melt all over your garage.
Be careful of landscape items in your yard or next to the house. A hidden garden Nome can do alot of damage ,lol.
Other than that just be careful and slow and watch traffic. They usually don't move for you.
 

jmatz

Member

Equipment
B2650 Cab, LA534 FEL, B2782 snowblower, Landpride GS1572 grader
Feb 14, 2015
35
0
6
69
Traverse City, Mi
One thought about putting the FEL (with snowblower) into float, I noticed the other day that it went into float more readily and with less clunking if I dialed the rpm's back, put it close to or on the ground, shifted the lever past the detente, and then put the rpm's back where needed. Might make less wear and tear on the system.
Just finished up. Float seemed to work sometimes, other times the blower wanted to dig in to the gravel and dirt under the snow. I couldn't remember your suggestion while having the problem, and didn't have my phone with me to look it up. But looking back on the odd float behavior, I think your suggestion might work.

The conditions were the worst possible for my first-ever snow blowing expedition. It turned out to be 4"-6" of translucent slush for all of the 700' of road and 300' of driveway. Really just like 4" of snot. Awful stuff. But I was very impressed with the ability of the tractor to shoot it 10'-15', as long as I didn't go too fast and kept the rpms high. The gravel/dirt road was very soft underneath the snow, so that might have had something to do with the blower digging in to the dirt even in float mode. I did have some long stretches where it worked perfectly - just riding on the skids and leaving about 1.5' of snow on the road, like I was expecting.

Temps will be about the same tomorrow morning, so I will try it again on some untouched SnotRoad™, using your suggestion to get the float to work more consistently. By Sunday everything will be frozen, then we begin the week of cold and Lake Effect Snow, so I will have the opportunity to learn how to do this with the full range of conditions!

Thanks everyone for all for the suggestions - I will report back.
 

Grouse Feathers

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BX2370, FEL, Snowblower-BX5455, Homebuilt Forks, LP RB1560, LP GS1548
Feb 16, 2015
1,022
4
0
Lovells, Mi
Just finished up. Float seemed to work sometimes, other times the blower wanted to dig in to the gravel and dirt under the snow. I couldn't remember your suggestion while having the problem, and didn't have my phone with me to look it up. But looking back on the odd float behavior, I think your suggestion might work.
I have never had a problem with the blower digging in with the skids lowered as far as possible. Your problem is probably because the ground near the lake isn't frozen yet. You get more lake effect snow and moderation of the temperatures close to the lake and we get less lake effect and a lot colder, -16 earlier this week. A friend of mine put a piece of pipe on the leading edge of his snowblower to keep is from digging into his loose gravel. The same as some use a pipe on the cutting edge of their rear blades to keep the blade from digging into pavement and lawns when plowing snow. If you haven't read any of those threads they split a plastic pipe on one side and drive it on the cutting edge. You may need to consider something like this or a modification to make your skids larger. I read a thread somewhere about making some oversize slip-on skids.

I see we have a forecast for 5" to 9" Saturday Night - Sunday. This one from the South may get us both. Better stock up on some fuel.
 
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jmatz

Member

Equipment
B2650 Cab, LA534 FEL, B2782 snowblower, Landpride GS1572 grader
Feb 14, 2015
35
0
6
69
Traverse City, Mi
Yes, just woke up to fog and a mostly bare road from all the rain last night. I probably didn't even need to do all the snow removal, but it was good practice.

I think you are right, Grouse Feathers, that the ground is thawed this close to the lake. The split PVC is a good idea to try if I have that problem again. Enjoy the storm, everyone in MI!
 

ItBmine

Well-known member

Equipment
B2620, RTV-X1100C
Jan 21, 2014
1,328
335
83
Canada
Wow jmatz.....you got snow? I'm north of you in Ontario Canada and the very few times we got any snow, it only lasted a few hours before it turned back to rain.

I'm still outside in a tee shirt. Only have an inch or so still on the ground.

My Kubota has got zero hours so far this winter.
 

RCW

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BX2360, FEL, MMM, BX2750D snowblower. 1953 Minneapolis Moline ZAU
Apr 28, 2013
8,282
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Chenango County, NY
I have never had a problem with the blower digging in with the skids lowered as far as possible. Your problem is probably because the ground near the lake isn't frozen yet.
JMatz -

GrouseFeathers nailed it. Do not despair. You will have no issues on frozen ground, and a decent base. Just leave as much as possible first couple trips with the blower.

It's real tough when you get a big snow on bare, unfrozen ground.

I could show you a couple marks on my lawn from similar escapades 2 years ago!!:eek::eek:
 

tiredguy

New member

Equipment
B3030 HSTC,B2781 51" front mounted snowblower,60" MMM
Jan 21, 2010
302
0
0
northern lower Michigan
Well it's Sunday morning now and I'm sure that everyone in northern
and mid Michigan needs to look no further that any window in their
house to see that there's plenty enough snow to play in today LOL!

I'm south of you jmatz with the next size up Kubota B3030 complete
with heated cab front mounted snowblower and 5 foot box blade on the
rear. I like you have very little cement to work from though not the long
driveway/road but do open up plenty of room in the backyard for the dog
and to be able to get to some "junk" I might need,

I cured my problem front and rear of the blower and box blade by welding
a 1/2 inch pipe to the cutting edge up front on the blower, and have a 2
inch pipe with ears that fits between the 2 cutting edges bolted on by ear
tabs welded on both ends with a bolt hole through to attach them. I did
my drive and extra drive propane tank area then waited until after it had
rained to clean up the rest of the backyard with ZERO problems that we
can have scalping up the grass/yard. It's simple and really pretty cheap to
do what I did myself even if you have to pay a welding shop etc to make
up and weld what you'd need to have a similar set up. Lots of really good
places around the TC area and likely you have a neighbor near your property that's capable of doing what you need done. I have posted pictures of what my setup is and would be happy to send you some if you
want to see what I have. I bought a piece of flat stock same size as the
cutting edge on the snowblower to weld the pipe to as I wanted to keep the original in case I moved or it didn't work as I figured it would. It works
perfect on the cement approach/driveway so there wasn't a need to buy
the piece I did but since I'm a pack rat collector still have the original and
once the 3/4 pipe that's been on it for 6 years at least wears through I'll
save myself some time and simply get another piece of pipe weld it on
then cut/grind the worn pipe off the old one whenever I have the time and
feel like it so it's ready when I need it again several years down the road.
Al
PS: email me if you want pictures: cwtireal@gmail.com I'm sure I have
them saved on an email already I can forward to you easily.
 
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RCW

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Equipment
BX2360, FEL, MMM, BX2750D snowblower. 1953 Minneapolis Moline ZAU
Apr 28, 2013
8,282
3,868
113
Chenango County, NY
Well it's Sunday morning now and I'm sure that everyone in northern and mid Michigan needs to look no further that any window in their house to see that there's plenty enough snow to play in today LOL!
Yeah - sounds like its NY State's turn next couple days.

Fortunately, looks like we're right on the east edge of it!! Folks in Tug Hill, and Buffalo areas looks like foot or two.

I'm okay with that!:)