Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Comments on snowblower wings

[corey9212]

Hello I recently made wings for my snow blower to make it wider, got them attached but haven't used it yet, I was wandering what others with wings have experienced and things to watch out for. I don't have the wing dimensions on me but do know it made the snowblower considerably wider to allow for dual wheels.

 

[Thomas]

I believe while back there was thread on snowblower wings..try Search.

Looking forward to updated after use.

 

[corey9212]

I believe while back there was thread on snowblower wings..try Search.

Looking forward to updated after use.

I did a search and found about making them and buying them but didn't see much about usage.

 

[Thomas]

That will make your findings even more interesting

 

[WilliamBos]

I did a search and found about making them and buying them but didn't see much about usage.

Here is the thread I did about making them.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/214307-snow-blower-extensions.html

When we finally have enough snow to use the blower, I will let you know.

Did you leave them up off the ground, so they do not drag??

 

[leonz]

Just be double sure that you
have enough bracing to support
the wings as it is entirely possible
to bend them and distort the sidewall
of the snow caster and bind the cross
auger bearing(s).

 

[Mace Canute]

Why do you want a snowblower that can fly??

 

[WilliamBos]

Why do you want a snowblower that can fly??

To flee the samsquanch`s!!

 

[doxford jim]

Here are some foto's of my old snowblower that I added wings to.
The wings do help feed extra snow into the fan intake and, I think, make the blower more efficient. They work very well when there is deeper snow - about 12 inches or more. I increased my effective width by four inches each side to go from 73" to 81". The wings are 33" high, 12" wide with a 4 " offset at 45 degrees.

My wings were made out of 12 gauge metal (I think) and are a few inches longer than the height of the blower casing - to act as a drift breaker. I added larger skids to the bottom to prevent the blower "digging in" when in use - they work well for the intended purpose.

To prevent any casing distortion from the wing mounting, I added pieces of 2" x 1/4" mild steel flat bar between the wing and casing - secured with three bolts. This seems to distribute any load and with one wing failure ( bent out of shape) from hitting an immoveable object, so far no signs of auger bearing/casing distortion.

The deeper the snow, the better the blower works. I would like a new 84" blower but cannot justify the cost, so things will just have to do for now (retired).

The foto shows cleaing about 5" of snow only - with it deeper it goes much further - increasing the PTO speed from 540 to 720 makes a big difference as well, though not something I like to do for obvious reasons.

Hope this helps.

Jim

 

[leonz]

Hello Jim,

Happy New Year to you, All you need is one of clarences impeller kits for your rear mount and you will not need a new snow caster and you can leave it at the 540 R.P.M. setting.

Is that a John deere skidder in the rear of the photo upload?

 

[corey9212]

Here is the thread I did about making them.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/214307-snow-blower-extensions.html

When we finally have enough snow to use the blower, I will let you know.

Did you leave them up off the ground, so they do not drag??

The edges are rounded so they won't catch on anything and they sit the same height as the rest of the blower (which is 1/2" above the ground.) I looked at your post and thought about doing the same thing for bracing.

Just be double sure that you
have enough bracing to support
the wings as it is entirely possible
to bend them and distort the sidewall
of the snow caster and bind the cross
auger bearing(s).

I've been thinking about extra bracing but also thought if there is no extra bracing and I hit something the wings will bend saving the blower. Any ideas on how to add bracing?

 

[WilliamBos]

The edges are rounded so they won't catch on anything and they sit the same height as the rest of the blower (which is 1/2" above the ground.)


I've been thinking about extra bracing but also thought if there is no extra bracing and I hit something the wings will bend saving the blower. Any ideas on how to add bracing?

See my pics. Used an old stabilizer bar from our MF 35 to add a brace. Good and solid.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/214307-snow-blower-extensions.html#post2556369

 

[corey9212]

Heres some pics taken just cruising around the yard, there is a bit of flex in the wings but other than that it was better than I thought I used 1/8" plate for the wings.

 

[WilliamBos]

Heres some pics taken just cruising around the yard, there is a bit of flex in the wings but other than that it was better than I thought I used 1/8" plate for the wings.

they look grest. Ours are 3/16", same thickness as blower. Even if you add lower braces, you should be good.

 

[North Country]

Heres some pics taken just cruising around the yard, there is a bit of flex in the wings but other than that it was better than I thought I used 1/8" plate for the wings.

Holy orange batwing, batman - those are huge! I'm very curious to hear how it performs in deep snow.

 

[corey9212]

they look grest. Ours are 3/16", same thickness as blower. Even if you add lower braces, you should be good.

Thanks, I think I will be adding the lower braces just in case.

Holy orange batwing, batman - those are huge! I'm very curious to hear how it performs in deep snow.

That was my first thoughts too, I designed them so cover the footprint of the rears plus a couple inches and when the measurements were done and the angles made I couldn't believe the new size.

The test was done in 1' of snow and it handled pretty good, there was a bit of flex in the wings but nothing too serious but the snow was dry, I have a feeling if it was wet snow that would be a whole new ball game.