Snow blower

[markwelle]

Hi All

Fairly new tractor owner, dealing with my first winter! I don't know a ton about these little guys, but they are a workhorse for sure! I probably moved 200+yards of dirt with the loader this summer, mowed over 30 acres total, and besides running out of fuel (dumb a$$), and not realizing that I needed a filter screen in front of the grill/radiator while mowing 3ft tall grass, I've had no issues at all!

So, this week we had a blizzard at my house, and I had 5-8 ft tall drifts to clear from the driveway. Again, the loader was invaluable! Moved snow drifts for 6+ hours until I thought I had it down to a manageable depth of maybe 8-10 inches on average (where there were no drifts).

Hooked up the snow blower to the PTO, and went out for the maiden voyage. Quickly realized that it couldn't handle the load... Kept stalling the tractor. So my question is, what was I doing wrong? Can this implement handle this workload? Here is what I was doing:

Throttle at near-wide-open (95%)
Low gear
4WD
Reverse 1 (lowest/slowest)
PTO speed 2

So, the only real variable that I can see is the PTO speed. Should I use speed 3? Seems really fast; like the blower is going to self destruct. But maybe that's just my being overly cautious...

I've attached a quick picture of my setup if that helps anyone as well as a couple snow-shots. I don't know the brand of blower off-hand...a big yellow one!

Thanks in advance for any help. We're told to expect this type of weather all winter due t El Nino...and I'd really like to make sure I'm prepared.

 

[Grouse Feathers]

After 6 hours of moving running around with the fel was the snow getting pretty much packed down? I have never had to work on snow drifts 5 to 8 feet tall, but with my old garden tractor I would just attack 3 foot snow drifts with the snow blower and the blower was only about 18 inches tall. I would have to back up as the snow drift collapsed and drive into it again until I moved all the snow. Just using the snow blower instead of the fel may work better. At least it should work for light fluffy snow.

 

[chim]

It might be a long Winter unless you have something with more horses to hook to the blower. It might do OK in a real fluffy snow. The B7100's 13 PTO HP is the limiting factor. I don't recognize that blower and would suggest you determine what it is and find the specs and maintenance info.

 

[Tooljunkie]

I have to agree,13 hp is a little light.
So most blowers are meant to run 540 pto speed. That would be 1st gear pto.
Did you try it in 1st?

My buddy ran his 540 blower at the 1000 setting, it was crazy but it sure threw the snow. Broke shear pins way more often. Hard on the blower gearbox im sure.

Wet vs dry snow is another thing to consider. The dump we got yesterday wouldnt blow at all. Its sticky water and turns to ice when you drive on it.

The fluffier the better.

 

[kubotasam]

Try PTO speed 1. When I use my blower on the back of my B7100 I do usually use speed 2 because it throws the snow much farther. However if your engine will not handle the load of the blower, try speed 1. That is actually closer to the speed most implements are designed for. I also run my tractor wide open throttle.

 

[Diydave]

Too much blower, for 13 HP...

 

[Corney]

I have the same problem with my 15 hp. It is a bit underpowered for the blower I have. I just put er in low everything pop the clutch and let er buck!
I also only blow half a width of the snow blower each pass?

 

[markwelle]

Thanks for all the info. In doing some research, I think a couple factors were working against me here...the snow was really heavy and wet for one. Seems that might have been my biggest enemy. And I agree that more HP would solve it too, but that's not an option for me.

To answer a couple questions:

I moved the drifts completely down to the cement. I only tried to use the blower on the untouched snow in the areas that were less than 12" or so deep.

I did start out in PTO1, as that seems to be the typical speed for just about any implement on this little tractor. Stalled right away, as the snow would just pack in and bring the impellers in the blower to a halt. Went to PTO2, which helped some as it chewed up the snow a little quicker, but still became impacted quickly within the blower.

So, what I ended up doing was using the FEL to cut a path from one end of the driveway to the other down the upwind side, down to the cement. I then was able to take 1/3 wide cuts with the blower and blow it downwind with only minor issues of stalling/having to stop and put the gearbox in N, and then let the blower clear itself out. Spraying the inside of the blower with PAM cooking spray really seemed to help too, as I had much less clogging.

Keep any more info coming! I'm all ears and ready to learn!

Thanks!

 

[Grouse Feathers]

Wow 8 foot drifts of wet snow. I think all of us would have struggled blowing that much heavy snow. The bigger tractors have more power but also have bigger blowers so from the M tractors right down to the BXs we would all have been chipping away at it by making a half to a quarter of a pass at a time. It will get easier with lighter snow but you will always struggle trying to pump water with a snowblower.

 

[kubotasam]

How wide is your blower? Can you post a picture of the business end of the blower? I can't tell from the picture if it is a 2 stage blower or not.

 

[Diydave]

With early wet snows, warm ground + wet snow = clogged blower. Set the blower about 4" above ground level, clear the rest with loader...

 

[GaryL]

I want to ask about the condition of the blower. If the bearings are shot, as soon as you put snow against them, they will no longer run true (in a circle) and start to score against their carries. Same thing in the gear box. If the gears are binding up, you will be fighting an unwinnable fight. Even at 13hp, you should have been able to do something before stalling out. If you are not backing into it like crazy, you should be able to blow some snow. Have you tried to feather the clutch in and out? Does it get you any better results? And as others have said, that blower looks way-oversized for that tractor. I have a 22hp BX and I have the 50" front blower on mine. That said, I have driven it full-width into 24" snowfall and have no issues at all. That is why I am thinking you have something binding up, robbing you of power. Keep us in the loop!!

 

[MisterScott]

With early wet snows, warm ground + wet snow = clogged blower. Set the blower about 4" above ground level, clear the rest with loader...

This. I am not too far from you up in the foothills west of Denver and my B3350 and the snowblower do not like the wet and heavy snow we had in the last couple of weeks. Kept clogging up the chute. One stall. I was driving g really slow and still clogged. Called the dealer and ordered the blade.

The fall and spring snows, as it has been told to me by a knowledgeable local guy, are for blades and the light and fluffy stuff are fine for blowers. In the last 8 inch storm we had even the truck mounted plows were have a rough time.

 

[Grouse Feathers]

This. I am not too far from you up in the foothills west of Denver and my B3350 and the snowblower do not like the wet and heavy snow we had in the last couple of weeks. Kept clogging up the chute. One stall. I was driving g really slow and still clogged. Called the dealer and ordered the blade.

The fall and spring snows, as it has been told to me by a knowledgeable local guy, are for blades and the light and fluffy stuff are fine for blowers. In the last 8 inch storm we had even the truck mounted plows were have a rough time.

You may be even more frustrated with a blade for wet heavy snow. At low speeds (tractor speeds) wet snow tends to stay in front of the blade. You push until you have too much snow in front of the blade for the tractor to move. It takes some speed to roll deep heavy snow.

 

[RCW]

How wide is your blower? Can you post a picture of the business end of the blower? I can't tell from the picture if it is a 2 stage blower or not.

Good point - can't see what would be an impellor housing in the picture.

I never saw a single stage that size, but doesn't mean they don't exist......

Single stage would be a challenge for 13hp.

 

[markwelle]

Thanks again to all for the great info; here are some pics of the blower. Again, I'm new to this tractor/implements thing, so keep the info coming and I'll do my best to answer accurately!

It is a single stage unit, with 2 impellers that discharge snow up through the middle (left runs CCW, right runs CW). Shows its a "Steiner" if that helps anyone. Not what I would call a true gear box. PTO shaft runs direct to a sprocket, which in turn runs several other sprockets via chain drive. All bearings are greased and tight, with very little to no slop in them. Overall size is 48" wide and 24" tall. I've tried to get a good picture, but being hooked up, this was the best one I could get...

Just for reference, I picked up this tractor and all of it's implements at a local auction as one lot; based on the wear, I believe that these all have been used together for some time. We knew we were moving to a 5 acre plot, so we just though what the hell and went for it! Seems as though I got a decent deal after doing some homework:

~ Tractor, complete and running with FEL
~ 50" mower
~ 48" x 24" rototiller
~ 48" x 24" snow blower
~ 48" x 48" drag w/ adjustable tine depth (0-6")
~ Rear 48" grader blade
~ Single furrow blade
~ Small dump trailer
~ Small 'forks' for picking up pallets/branches/junk with rear lift

With some basic maintenance (oil change, lubes, adjustments, etc.) everything was in working order, and I picked it all up for under $4k. That being said, I still have little knowledge in the use of everything! Aside from the FEL & mower, the snow blower is the only other thing I've tried/had to use much.

Hope this helps, and like I said, I'm happy to answer anything!

 

[kubotasam]

Wow- I thought the snow blower had an unusual shape but I sure did not expect to see what is shown in your picture. I have never seen a blower like that. Not sure if I can be much help. From your list of implements it seems like you got a very good deal on your tractor.

 

[08quadram]

I bet that takes a fair amount of HP to run the blower

Sent from my K011 using Tapatalk

 

[RCW]

With some basic maintenance (oil change, lubes, adjustments, etc.) everything was in working order, and I picked it all up for under $4k.

Mark - while I doubt your snowblower is a good match for your tractor, I still think you got a hell of a deal!!

I suggest you continue to use it, hoping you don't get a big dump of wet snow right away.

As the other guys said, it might be fine on the drier winter snow.

My BX with a 51"-2-stage blower would struggle with 12" of wet snow.

Best wishes - and don't give up on it yet.

 

[OldeEnglish]

I would run that blower in 1 st gear on the PTO and only take half width bites. Mine is useless in 2nd gear. I run a 48" on my 7100 and have to be cautious how much snow I let it take at once or she will bog down to much. I ran it through the ringer last year with all the snow we got and it did a great job. Just remember you can't control the speed because of the gear drive, but you can control how much snow the blower takes in at once.