Snowblower My Meteor has wings!

[flowerfarmer]

Had these wings fabricated increasing my cutting width from 59 3/4" to 65". I think they turned out real nice!

 

[rekees4300]

Good job :thumbsup: Those should make a big difference especially with high drifts.

 

[rbargeron]

Nice design - I really like the tails that tie them in further back - strong without being excessive - great job. The tall wings give good visibility too.

 

[flowerfarmer]

Nice design - I really like the tails that tie them in further back - strong without being excessive - great job. The tall wings give good visibility too.

Thanks, I wish i could take credit but I just gave Tim an idea of what I wanted and he came up with the design. This is the first fabrication job I gave him (he's my mechanic) and I was very impressed with his creativity and his attention to detail. He obviously takes pride in his work.

 

[dourobob]

Yep, very nice work.
Sounds like a lot of folks would be very happy to have a "Tim"

 

[Thomas]

Darn good looking job..keep us updated but not to anytime soon tho.

 

[easygo]

How about that triangle shaped piece of steel that is partly covering the fan? Is that something you added or it was there when you bought the blower? The reason why I ask is that I too have a 60" Meteor and don't have that triangular cover. I could see how it helps keeping the snow in the fan area thus tossing out more with each rotation.

 

[JDGreenGrass]

I like it. It will give a nice clean cut to sculpt the snow.

What rig are running.?? How much pto/hp.??

 

[Freds]

Nice. I was just asking about wings last week or so. I see you went with the bracing and also a lot of bolts to hold each wing on. I'm going the opposite, few bolts and no bracing. We'll have to share our experience as the season gets here, which I hope won't be anytime soon.

 

[flowerfarmer]

How about that triangle shaped piece of steel that is partly covering the fan? Is that something you added or it was there when you bought the blower? The reason why I ask is that I too have a 60" Meteor and don't have that triangular cover. I could see how it helps keeping the snow in the fan area thus tossing out more with each rotation.

The fan cover is a new feature on the 2010 model Meteor

 

[flowerfarmer]

I like it. It will give a nice clean cut to sculpt the snow.

What rig are running.?? How much pto/hp.??

It's a Kubota B3030. about 23 pto/hp, I beleive

 

[flowerfarmer]

Nice. I was just asking about wings last week or so. I see you went with the bracing and also a lot of bolts to hold each wing on. I'm going the opposite, few bolts and no bracing. We'll have to share our experience as the season gets here, which I hope won't be anytime soon.

I will do that. Looks like our season is starting this Friday or Saturday.

 

[flowerfarmer]

The past couple of weeks have brought me about 2 1/2 feet of snow to play in so I thought I'd give ya'll an update. The wings work great. I was concerned about feeding too much snow into the auger and sometimes I do have to stop and allow it to clear. Our first snow was light and dry and the meteor would huck it 40 feet or more. The last couple of feet have been very wet and this is where my problems began. I was breaking shear bolts at the rate of about 1 every 15 or 20 minutes. I bought a dozen bolts with the blower and the dealer provided grade 2. My owners manual specifies grade 5 and once I switched, that ceased to be an issue.

In addition to 1500 feet of roadway, I clear the alleys between my greenhouses. These are about 75 feet long by about 15 wide. The snow slides off the greenhouse roofs and builds up along the sides, packing down somewhat in the process. I blow these from one end to the other, putting the snow down behind the blower and picking it up again. By the time I get to the last 20 feet or so, the snow has built up to quite a depth and is very dense. The blower tends to ride up over it. I extended my top link to cut deeper which work fine but then when I start the next run, It wants to dig into the earth, flinging dirt and grass. I don't want to dismount and re-adjust the top link twice for each run. Suggestions anyone?

Another issue with the wet snow is that occaisionaly the chute plugs... and I mean it plugs up solid! Anything I can do short of getting off and busting it up with a sharp stick?

 

[JJZ 109]

Looks like a nice little pair of drift cutters that you added on there. :thumbsup:

 

[rbargeron]

...... I don't want to dismount and re-adjust the top link twice for each run. Suggestions anyone?......... the chute plugs... anything I can do short of getting off and busting it up with a sharp stick?

Maybe an electric or hydraulic top link ?
Snow accumulation in the chute is an issue with any snow blower when conditions are right - helps to keep the rpm up, smooth out any edges in the chute, maybe coat or line the inside to reduce the places where snow accumulation can start. Once it plugs you need the trusty sharp stick.

 

[rimshot]

Wet snow is always somewhat of a problem. You can minimize issues if you keep the chute slick (sanded and painted) and apply a spray of WD40 or pam before removing wet snow. You may have to adjust speed a bit also.

I have a Meteor 60" also (wingless)

rim

 

[JDGreenGrass]

Wet snow is always somewhat of a problem. You can minimize issues if you keep the chute slick (sanded and painted) and apply a spray of WD40 or pam before removing wet snow. You may have to adjust speed a bit also.

I have a Meteor 60" also (wingless)

rim

Yup, WD or Pam spray or really any sort of a light oil helps to not clog the chute.

 

[Cantoo]

flowerfarmer, some guys line the chute with plastic to allow wet snow to go out better. I assume they just pop rivet thin plastic on it.

 

[flowerfarmer]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I sprayed Snow Jet on before the first time I used it. Worked very well for about a day and a half. 2 coats required half a can at $12 a can, I find it cost prohibitive. Guy at the co-op suggested pure silicone at $5 a can... says it's the same stuff. We'll see how that goes.

 

[Tritonman]

If your skids are set right you should not be cutting into the dirt.