Front Snowblower for a B7800

[ptrotter]

I am considering a front snowblower for my B7800 and am wondering how pleased people are in general with snowblowers on tractors. I have a paved driveway about 400 feet long with an uphill curve to it. I currently have a front blade which works well enough but of course makes the driveway more narrow each time I push more snow aside. I'm hoping a snowblower will be faster and will throw the snow off the driveway completely. Since I already have the quick hitch, putting the blower on is fairly simple.

Is it the general concensus that blowers work well on tractors or is it a waste of money?

Thanks for any info,

Paul

 

[themichelob]

Hi Paul-
I've got the Kubota B2782 front mount blower on my B7800 and love it for clearing a 1/4 mile gravel driveway. This tractor/blower combo will throw the snow forty to fifty feet off your drive in two passes leaving no berms. Not sure about the "quick hitch" since I think you need a sub frame for the mid-PTO. With your paved drive and rear chains, clearing 400' with this set-up would be a piece of cake--not cheap, though!! Regards, Mike

 

[Ductape]

I could no longer live without a front blower now that I've had two of them. Couple things to consider....... it likely wont be faster than plowing (at least not for moderate snowstorms), and light snowfalls are not their forte. I'd say storms 3-4 inches and under, the blade will generally perform as well, or better than a blower. That being said, when we get snowstorms of a foot plus..... my blower loves having its mouth stuffed with snow. Kubota's front blowers will toss the stuff 40 to 50 feet back in the right conditions. There will be folks who will suggest you have your loader on the front, and buy a rear blower...... so that you can still use the blower to knock back the snowbanks. I say hogwash ! I put my blower on in the fall, and NEVER miss my loader till spring. As long as the snowbanks don't freeze solid before you get to them, you will never need your loader for anything. The blower will eat the snowbanks from your town's / state's plow truck for breakfast ! We have been bombed with snowstorms here for the past two winters, and I can't say enough good things about my Kubota front blower.

YouTube - Kubota B3030HSDC Snowblowing Video

 

[Charlesaf3]

Ductape - does the 3030 take the 2782? And how does it play with the backhoe subframe?

 

[Ductape]

Ductape - does the 3030 take the 2782? And how does it play with the backhoe subframe?

Yes, my blower is the 2782 also. There is absolutely no interferance in any way shape or form with the backhoe subframe. The rear mounts for the quick hitch are adjustable for width, so the same bracketry is used whether you have a loader frame or bare tractor. The blower goes on or off the quick hitch in about a minute, and the quick hitch goes on or off the tractor in about three minutes. Its a really well thought out system.

 

[smfcpacfp]

I think I always agree with Ductape on this topic. I will go him one step further, I couldn't live without a front blower and a cab. I probably have to go out and snowblow 30 times a year. We get 20 to 30 feet a year. If I had a plow, I would have to create large runoff areas to put all of the stuff - not an issue with a blower, it all ends up in the woods at my place.

Here is a movie of my tractor in action:YouTube - Kubota B3030 snowblower

 

[Charlesaf3]

nice pice. But it makes me think - I imagine you let the base accumulate a bit so the blower rides on top. What would you do if you were on the side of a hill, and that much snow would have you skating sideways off the road?

I don't actually really get snow, just a couple of storms a season that melt quickly, but I've always wondered how that would be handled. Salt?

 

[Ductape]

One of the driveways I do is dirt, and I just adjusted the skid-shoes down a notch at the beginning of winter, then adjusted them back after the ground froze (two nuts each side). Not sure I'm completely understanding your question, but if you are concerned about a bit of a sidehill, I'd either stud the tires or run chains if it were icey........ if it wasn't icey I wouldn't worry about it. I'm impressed with how well the tractor gets around, even in deep snow.

 

[irvingj]

ptrotter- the MAIN reason I got my tractor was for the front-mount blower. Yes, expensive, but it works great. Easily throws snow 40-50' into the woods. No big snowbanks. Also agree with Ductape (a NH thing?): I put the blower on in the late fall and really never use the loader until spring --maybe. Blower will eat through amazing piles of snow.

Since then, of course, I've discovered the tractor will do all sorts of other neat stuff, too! Dig up rocks, pick up trees with the thumb, mow the lawn, drag a trailer into & out of the woods.....

 

[WayneB]

I am one of the saps that thought I would be better off with a rear snowblower and keep my Front end loader on. Well in the past three years or so I have never used the bucket for moving snow around.

I am not totally disappointed with the rear snowblower. It does a great job and there is no problem with snow build up, but if I had to do it over again I would go for a front mounted blower.