Snowblower What snowblower to buy?

[wildwillie]

I am going to buy a blower for my L3400 soon, probably 3pt. Anyone have any sugestions on brands. Ive got gust over a mile of gravel road rising about 300 ft.We always run out of room for snow,I will plow it open then blow it over the the edge.

 

[Dmace]

I've only owned/used one brand of snowblower and that is my 60" rear mounted JRW snowblower so I can only comment on that brand. I have owned it for 4 years now and cleared my hilly 300ft ｱ gravel drive every winter. It's very well built, has a tall chute and has never clogged no matter how wet or heavy it was and the paint still looks very good after all the use. It's amazing how fast you can clear a driveway with it. My dealer said it was $1800 new and about $1400 used back in 2005.

 

[Charles Billings]

A mile of driveway is a lot of snow removal! I have a 1/4 mile uphill driveway to clear and have never had a problem with my YC7420 Buhler Allied Snow Blower. Check them out at Buhler. Buhler sells several other models, too. Before I bought my NH tractor and this snow blower I paid someone to plow. Some winters the snow banks would get so high that the contractor had to bring his tractor over and bucket back the banks. You won't have that problem with a snow blower. Unless you already have a truck with a plow I don't know why you would both plow and blow. The blower will take care of practically any depth snow and it leaves no banks. If you do have the truck and plow already, it is probably somewhat quicker, but you will need to stay ahead of the snow accumulation.

 

[WilliamBos]

A mile of driveway is a lot of snow removal! I have a 1/4 mile uphill driveway to clear and have never had a problem with my YC7420 Buhler Allied Snow Blower. Check them out at Buhler. Buhler sells several other models, too. Before I bought my NH tractor and this snow blower I paid someone to plow. Some winters the snow banks would get so high that the contractor had to bring his tractor over and bucket back the banks. You won't have that problem with a snow blower. Unless you already have a truck with a plow I don't know why you would both plow and blow. The blower will take care of practically any depth snow and it leaves no banks. If you do have the truck and plow already, it is probably somewhat quicker, but you will need to stay ahead of the snow accumulation.

I second that. We have a Farm King 50", and it is a great simple snow blower.

 

[wildwillie]

Yes a mile is a lot. the road has a sharp drop off the edge, as the snow builds up I loose whear the road edge is so the berms build up. I do have a truck and plow I figure ill plow until I get berms then switch to the blower so I can keep the road open so we can pass. It can get ugly if you cant pass on a steep road.

 

[Charles Billings]

Wildwillie, What you are proposing makes sense, because you already have a truck and plow. Still, for some storms you might just stay in bed, knowing that the next morning you can do it all with your blower. We will be interested to know what blower you end up with.

 

[themichelob]

wildwillie-Two miles is a long way to drive twisted around looking backwards especially with a sharp drop off at the edge. You'll have better visibility, control and steering with a front mount blower. That said, look at the Kubota blowers for your model--they work great and are practically indestructable, but you will pay for the quality.
Regards, Mike

 

[foggy1111]

+1 If I had two miles to plow....and a steep drop off to contend with......I beleive I would want a blower mounted on the FRONT of the tractor instead of the back. As Dale Carnege once wrote: Fatigue makes cowards of us all. (He likely wasnt talking about sno-blowers.....but still....sounds like a challenging driveway. )

 

[Builder]

A mile of driveway is definately a legitimate need for a snowblower. I can't see owning one for a short driveway since the accumulation wouldn't pile up fast enough for a snowplow to take care of. I owned a plowing business for 11 years and even with 32" snowfalls, had no trouble with standard plows or a tractor bucket once the banks got built up. A 1 mile driveway would be a real bear with snowbanks. My driveway is about 800' long and no trouble with a plow, but I have flat lawn on both sides.

 

[brandoro]

I have a Farm King 3 pt blower that I have used and abused since I bought it used with my first tractor 17 or 18 years ago. Tough machine and simple design. I just bought a front mount blower to fit my B3030HSDC though, spending that much time twisted around was getting too hard on my back and neck. Having a sharp drop off would be another excellent reaon to get a front mount blower, better visibility and control, not to mention more comfort and less fatigue.

 

[Builder]

Afetr seeing where you live, I know you get a lot of snow and it's a long snow season.

Instead of an attachment, If it's within your budget, I would suggest a good sized used skid steer with a heated cab and a front mounted snowblower. Seems like to me you need a dedicated snowfighting machine. Used skid steers are going for peanuts right now.

A guy in my area has an older Dodge Ramcharger with a 7' snowblower mounted to the front instead of a plow.

 

[biffnh]

I highly recommend the JRW for a 3-pt. attachment snowblower. I have a 60" that I have used with my B7800 Kubota for the last six winters. I have over a mile of gravel road with over 300 feet of altitude change and it has made keeping the road clear easy. It is a well-designed and built machine. Shear bolts, when they break, are easy to change. The machine still looks like new after 20 plus storms a year and plenty of snow blown. I paid $1700 new in 2003 and it has been worth every penny.

 

[Northland]

I have a Agrotrend C60 that is very well made but then any of the Canadian made products are good as we get a lot of snow up here

 

[skidsteer.ca]

I would encourage you to look at the Erskine Attachments front mount blower if your thinking front mount. They are more then a rear mount of course but you neck will thank you.
If your snow is dry they also have a rear pull blower (you drive forward) that works well in that situation. Both are welll built pieces of equipment.
Ken

 

[Just Bob]

My $0.02 worth. I picked up a mid eighties Kubota L275 with a Kubota branded front mounted snowblower. From the look of the PDFs I can find, I suspect it was built by Buhler / Farm King. It is 60" and has an "open" gearbox.

I would recommend a sealed gearbox. In rehabbing this unit it is evident that the torque from the open gears has worn the bearing carriers significantly.

I haven't used it yet - still rebuilding and bringing up to my **** level of mechanical hygiene - but still, a sealed gearbox seems the way to go.

 

[smfcpacfp]

Kubota makes very good snow blowers, but I didn't see one for your model tractor. I know one thing, as someone else mentioned, blowing over your shoulder for as long you will have to session on a twisty road is a disaster waiting to happen. I would, and do have a front blower. It is too much agony to blow looking over your shoulder.

I am not quite sure why you would plow and then blow snow. It is clearly a double effort. It is quicker to plow, but you won't save time overall by plowing first because it will take longer to blow the packed snow, than if it wasn't packed. With a cab and good lights, I can blow anytime, so if I wanted to get my mile driveway done before it got light, I would just get an early start.

 

[WilliamBos]

Kubota makes very good snow blowers, but I didn't see one for your model tractor. I know one thing, as someone else mentioned, blowing over your shoulder for as long you will have to session on a twisty road is a disaster waiting to happen. I would, and do have a front blower. It is too much agony to blow looking over your shoulder.

I am not quite sure why you would plow and then blow snow. It is clearly a double effort. It is quicker to plow, but you won't save time overall by plowing first because it will take longer to blow the packed snow, than if it wasn't packed. With a cab and good lights, I can blow anytime, so if I wanted to get my mile driveway done before it got light, I would just get an early start.

I am not sure about the Kubota rear blowers, but the front one is made by RAD technologies in Quebec, infact all colours are made there.

 

[Just Bob]

I've read they're made by RAD but this one is pretty old - mid eighties, model L322 - and looking at the RAD products it really looks more like the Farm King.

I'm hanging on to my rusting Bronco and 7 1/2' Western Pro Plow until I use the blower / tractor setup to get confident in its durability. Then, hopefully I'll never have to push piles again.

Here's the machine;

 

[D7E]

...Schulte...!

 

[Builder]

I've read they're made by RAD but this one is pretty old - mid eighties, model L322 - and looking at the RAD products it really looks more like the Farm King.

I'm hanging on to my rusting Bronco and 7 1/2' Western Pro Plow until I use the blower / tractor setup to get confident in its durability. Then, hopefully I'll never have to push piles again.

Here's the machine;

VERY NICE. Retro-Cool!!!

Reminds me of my old 245DT. Man I miss that tractor......

Are all front PTO blowers run off a belt & pulley like that? Seems like a great way to protect the driveline.

Heat in the cab???