Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Snow Blower dolly

[degerb]

Hi Guys.. I am very seriously considering buying either a Meteor or Erskine 75" or 78" pull behind snow blower and yes I know its June.. Before I jump, I would like to know how you guys that have such machines manage to hook them up to the 3point without horsing them around with a pry bar since they do weigh 7-800#. I am thinking of perhaps some kind of dolly with swivel casters, but I am at a complete loss on how to do it without it weighing a ton also. I sure could use a little backyard engineering, I plan on using this behind my 1991 M/F 253 turbo. Thanks Don

 

[JerryK]

I just back up to my 78" close enough that my lower links on the 3PT will slide out enough to line up with at least one of the lower pins. Get one or both of the pins installed, then back the tractor up a little to either install the other pin, or snap the lower link adjusters in locked position. Then install the top link. And finally hook up the PTO shaft. I try to keep an oak wheelbarrow handle around. They make a good prybar to help horse stuff around. A metal 'millwright bar' works, but tend to mess up the concrete floor. There is also a big difference if you can keep your stuff on concrete. Hard to slide stuff around on dirt. And inside a barn or covered area is better then letting it set outside and rust. A dolly would be a big plus, though. And would let you roll it around in the summer. I built one for my backhoe to store it in the winter. Good luck, Jerry

 

[murphy1244]

I use dollys and a quick hitch

 

[dave1949]

I use three dollies, one under each shoe, and one under the leg stand. It's not just for ease of hooking up, I can also move the blower around for storage shuffle.

 

[leonz]

You can purchase three furniture dollys from
Grainger or Mcmaster Carr and move it around
easily or copy the designs members made for
flail mowers and posted here as well which keep the mowers
well off the ground and makes it much easier to mount as well.

 

[JJZ 109]

I always have 4 or 5 Harbor Freight dollies laying around. They've always got them on sale.
It's not as much of an issue now that I've got a skid steer and can pull up and grab it, but it's still nice to wheel it into a better spot in the barn when needed.

 

[degerb]

Hi Guys, I thought about H/F dollies but I have a blacktop floor in my shop garage and small wheels with weight on them will start sinking into the surface during the summer months. I guess a sheet of plywood under the dolly wheels might work, what do you think? Perhaps a strong oak 2x2 would be simpler way to go! Thanks Don

 

[Rockgod]

degerb, this is what I use. Four wheels from HF and a little wood. I can move it around with ease and it only took a hour or so to build.

I plan on having the blower for quite a while. IMO, it's worth the time to build it.

 

[degerb]

Thanks Rockgod.. It looks good, what size casters did you use? I have a bunch of 2X lying ariound so think I will try to put one together. Heck, if I don't like it I'll build a rolling workbench or at the worst I'll tell my wife I built a rolling flower box! LOL

 

[Rockgod]

Thanks Rockgod.. It looks good, what size casters did you use? I have a bunch of 2X lying ariound so think I will try to put one together. Heck, if I don't like it I'll build a rolling workbench or at the worst I'll tell my wife I built a rolling flower box! LOL

Those are 4" casters rated at 330lbs each. They might have cost $3.99 each at HF. I don't think you'd regret building one.. :thumbsup:

 

[dave1949]

Northern Industrial Swivel 6in. Pneumatic Caster — 300-Lb. Capacity | 300 - 499 Lbs.| Northern Tool + Equipment

These are more expensive, but probably what you need for asphalt.

 

[JerryK]

4 Each Heavy Duty 6"x 2" Trash Bin Swivel Caster Rubber Zinc Plated Steel Frame | eBay

Set of four 6" X 2" Heavy Duty [ 500 lbs each ] solid rubber covered cast swivel casters, $ 44.99 including shipping on Ebay... As with all swivel casters, make sure you make the base wide enough to keep it from getting tippy whilst the swivels are a swiveling...

 

[90cummins]

I bought a used pallet jack and keep the seasonal attachments on pallets in my garage.
Very easy to maneuver and the pallets are free.
I removed the boards on 1 side so the jack rolls easily underneath.
I also modified my cabinets and 40 ton press so they can be easily moved.
Occasionally I work on large pieces and need to move my press into the middle of the garage for access.
I would say the jack was one of my better purchases.

90cummins

 

[degerb]

Thanks 90cummins, I sure appreciate all the ideas and options for moving this thing around. I don't really like the idea of leaving the blower outside, guess I wasn't raised that way. The fact of being able to keep it under cover, move, store it and hook it up easily is very important to me.

 

[JerryK]

Ended up using my two sets of Ebay casters to make a big 60" by 40" cart for my steel collection and one for my chipper. Maybe snowblower, next time....

 

[Xfaxman]

Here is a good source for casters: https://www.surpluscenter.com/sort.asp?catname=wheels&keyword=TCPL

I made a three caster dolly for my tree puller. I had one heavy duty caster that was an inch and a half shorter than the other two, so I was able to do it with two boards! :thumbsup:


Tree Puller thread: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/277824-tree-puller.html

 

[The Fred]

Have you thought about mounting zero turn front wheels on a retractable frame to work with a rear remote? I don't think they need to swivel. If you mount them close to the center of gravity of the device it would roll around easily and be used for gauge wheels on your stone driveway.



Fred

 

[The Fred]

Landing gear from a Cessna 150.


Here's what I did, works well on the lawn and small stone yard. Pushes around the shop perfectly by hand.
Need snow to try it out, and paint. This wasn't cheap and took many hours of fabrication, too much in fact.

Rockshaft cylinder has 3 inch stroke from John Deere MMM. Wheels from a Toro commercial ZT mower.

Fred

 

[duroc]

All good ideas and very nicely done!

My blower stays in the shed during off the season, but shares the winter months in the garage with my truck. I'm limited for space and using a dolly of any kind takes up too much room. So, here's how I did mine...

Picture (1) I removed the skid shoes, drilled 2 holes and welded 2 bolts (minus the heads) from the back side.

Picture (2) I used trailer leaf spring hangers that I've had lying around for years. Cut them down and welded the removed section on the backside of the hangers. This allowed the wheel hanger to be moved outboard because the foot of the shoe hangs outboard of the vertical mounting portion (as shown in pic. 1). The notch in the hanger allows me to mount the wheel/hanger when the skids are in either of the 3 height positions. I drilled the wheel stud hole off center so more weight of the blower would be shifted towards the front single wheel, this helped control the blower balance.

Picture (3) shows the completed wheel asm mounted.

Picture (4) shows the front wheel leg and bracketry made and installed. This assembly stays with the blower while in service and pins up like any other "kickstand" would.

Picture (5) shows total completion

The removal/installation of all 3 wheels takes about 30 seconds once the blower is hooked to the 3pt., and the wheel/bracket assembly's only take up a shoebox space on/under my work bench.

View attachment 343983View attachment 343984View attachment 343985View attachment 343986View attachment 343987

 

[degerb]

Great Job Duroc! A very professional looking job. I just took delivery of my 75" Martin Meteor yesterday. Excellant application to use on my blower! Thank you!
degerb