Ready for a snowblower on the 2720

[roquefortnight]

I've had a 60" blower on the back of my 4300 for several years. We get several months of heavy snows here most winters, and have a lot of paths to clear: long driveway, barn over here, chicken house over there, woodshed over there, manure pile waaay over there (because it's the best spot for it, not cause it's something awful). We've also got fields full of stumps and I cut trees most winters, either for firewood or sometimes to sell sawlogs, so I need to clear paths in the snow through fields and woods, both to let the ground freeze up good in early winter and because obviously the tires need something to bit on. I often have to stop and let the blower clear itself or go forward and back up again repeatedly or the heavy snow will stall the tractor engine, which is a 3-cylinder diesel of around 90 c.i.; I think this is a bit larger than your machine. Sometimes I bang into stumps I can't see. This is probably not what you're intending for your tractor but I'm just offering it for others that might have found this thread.

I dislike craning my neck around quite a bit. It does indeed hurt after a while and whether that's due to my physiology or lack of toughness I don't know. I also dislike taking the blower off to put the logging winch on and vice versa, because they have different widths for the 3ph and are parked on bit of a slope and frequently covered in snow and ice.

I doubt many front-mounted machines could put up with the heavy use I put my snowblower through. It's a Couture, by the way, and is fairly primitive with no fancy features but rather heavily constructed. I don't like its cable-actuated rotation mechanism; I suspect the Schulte-style worm gear type is worth the extra money they charge. I've never dented it and I've gone through many, many shear pins (low-grade bolts with locknuts actually) but never damaged any gears or anything, to my knowledge.

For me, the loader and bucket is needed just about whenever I'm using my machine, whether I'm logging or snowthrowing or whatever. I can't imagine having to regularly remove it to put on a snowblower, but maybe doing so is easier than I think.

Orlo seems to have nailed the basic benefit analysis in his post. If you need rugged, and use your loader a lot, or if you think you might sell the snowthrower, get the rear mount. If your needs are not so heavy duty, comfort is more important to you and the extra monetary bite is acceptable, the front mount might be the better choice. It's probably tons more fun to move snow with, too. But I'm glad I got the rearmount.

 

[Nuru]

Dont you have a Polaris RZR. Think I seen you on the rzrforums. Just bought a plow for my rzr because my JD 4110 range shifter broke off.

She is going to the shop and wont be seeing her for a while.

I was thinking about tradin it in for a 2720 or 3320.

How well do you like the 2720?

Would you go bigger now if you had the chance?

Also, which dealer did you go with?

Thanks

Bryan

Bigger is better:thumbsup:

 

[Nuru]

Look at a rear 3PH blower maybe? 1/2 the price and you can keep your FEL mounted...That is the option I am considering since large snowfalls are so rare here it's hard to justify the expense of a front blower.

Me too, i just finally picked up an 3PT Aerator and I am saving my coins for a 3PT Snow Blower.

 

[OtterBrookStables]

Me too, i just finally picked up an 3PT Aerator and I am saving my coins for a 3PT Snow Blower.

3PH blowers work great! Plus they're easy to put on and take off. I have a 74" Frontier on my 4120 and love it. The Frontier is a big 'ole chunck of iron - built to last. The setup is just awsome - even in the heaviest snow. :thumbsup:

I have two other front-mounted 47" Deere blowers as well. They work great, but they are expensive, take longer to install/remove, and the are not built as rugged as the 3PH models - not even close. We use them for the paved driveways on our properties. Driving forward is nice, but when you need serious snow removal power, 3PH is the way to go! 6'2" swath in one pass let's me clear our big barn yard very quickly.

 

[arrabil]

Driving forward is nice, but when you need serious snow removal power, 3PH is the way to go!

The mid/front pto has as much power as the rear pto. No?

 

[OtterBrookStables]

The mid/front pto has as much power as the rear pto. No?

Yes - HP power isn't the issue - it's size. The rear blowers come MUCH wider, taller, and vastly more ruggedly built. I can back into a packed snow banking with my 74" frontier and just blast it away in one swath - can't do that with my 47" on front!

 

[arrabil]

The reason you can't do that with your 47" has nothing to do with it being a front mount blower though. It has to do with the fact that neither your 445 (22hp gas) nor your 2210 (23hp) have the HP to power a 74" blower like your 4120 (43hp). Front or rear.

In fact you can buy the very same 74" blower you have rear mounted as a front-mount loader attached model. So again, it has absolutely nothing to due with which direction you're facing.

And if we had a real snowblower comparison between the Frontier 74" front-mount and the Frontier 74" rear-mount (with two identical tractors) we would find your productivity would be significantly higher with the front-mount version. Hence justifying the increased cost to a calculable degree.

 

[OtterBrookStables]

The reason you can't do that with your 47" has nothing to do with it being a front mount blower though. It has to do with the fact that neither your 445 (22hp gas) nor your 2210 (23hp) have the HP to power a 74" blower like your 4120 (43hp). Front or rear.

In fact you can buy the very same 74" blower you have rear mounted as a front-mount loader attached model. So again, it has absolutely nothing to due with which direction you're facing.

And if we had a real snowblower comparison between the Frontier 74" front-mount and the Frontier 74" rear-mount (with two identical tractors) we would find your productivity would be significantly higher with the front-mount version. Hence justifying the increased cost to a calculable degree.

Never meant to imply the direction of travel has anything to do with it. Yes, Deere has a new 74" front mount for the 4X20 series, buth the $9K price tag makes it ridiculous for most of us and you can't use it on a 3X20 series. So my statement stands - the rear blowers are stronger, bigger, and will move a lot more snow than any front mount - excluding the new gold plated one you mentioned.

 

[arrabil]

the rear blowers are stronger, bigger, and will move a lot more snow than any front mount half the size and designed for half the HP of what I'm comparing it to

I fixed it for you then.

 

[OtterBrookStables]

I fixed it for you then.

Fair enough - true statement!