Single Stage snow throwers from Canada

[leonz]

I chatted with the Reist Industries folks in Elmira, Ontario, Ca
today to ask about their snow casters.

The Series 1000 48 inch wide 540 PTO single stage snow throwers were $2,750+
options and taxes and freight.

It comes standard with a manual chute rotation and manual adjustment of the spout angle
and it runs between 450-500 revolutions per minute under load at 540 RPM

The drive and driven sprockets can be changed if desired to better manage the snow conditions you "have".
The sprockets are secured with locking ring compression rings(Ringfedder type) to secure them in place.

The only thing I did not like was that the tensioning sprocket that is attached to the rubber torsion arm
is mounted on the top of the roller chain between the drive and driven sprockets.
I can see why they did it though in order to reduce the shock loading on the roller chain under load.

On the IHC 12 horse CUB we had used roller drive chain that was under tension at all times and the chain was replaced if it
stretched if I remember the manual correctly.


SO to do battle with the elements you can have the following options added:

1. hydraulic chute rotation; The hydraulic motor is on a spring tensioned mounting plate under the guard
to maintain chain tension on the roller chain. The roller chain is a longer link roller which lets them cut
larger gear teeth to make it easier to rotate by hand with the standard manual rotation included in the price.
2. hydraulic spout control
3 hydraulic motor drive for a high flow skid steer system
4. skid steer mounting plate and hydraulic motor hardware for a skid steer loader
The hydraulic motor replaces the right angle gear box to rotate the cross shaft
that rotates the drive chain that spins the single stage cross auger
5. they also offer a set up with a gear pump mounted to the rear PTO shaft
and a hydraulic reservoir that is attached under the bottom step of the tractor

By the looks of it you can add the hydraulic doodads later with zero issues too.


The only thing it lacked was a slick sheet lined chute and spout but that can be added easily using
the flat head washer bolts to attach slick linings sold by Gemplers.


They have not thought about mounting one of these units on a RTV with a hydraulic power pack
as the tank would be very large and require a big engine to power the gear pump


In a sincere nod to Muhammad and a Shameless Plug for TBN I mentioned to them that they should
advertise their product line on TBN.

View attachment 1000 Series Snow Blower manual May 2012.pdf

 

[FatTire]

Is that $2750 CDN or US ?

 

[leonz]

Hello FatTire,

My telephone line connection is poor due to mice in the junction box up the
road but I believe its in Canadian dollars.

 

[leonz]

One could purchase one of the two offered JD/Frontier 3 point hitch power packs down here and really make some money clearing snow using a front end loader with skid steer quick attach plate to mount their series 1000 48 inch single or larger stage snow caster or one of the larger series 2000 units.

 

[leonz]

One could purchase a 3 point hitch power pack down here and really make some money clearing snow using a loader as the 48 inch unit would require a very large engine driven single stage gear or vane pump powered hydraulic system with a tank larger than the pump volume and using 12 volt radiator fan oil cooler.

Mounting a wider series 1000 or 2000 on a three point hitch would be the better option price wise.

 

[dnw64]

What are the advantages of a single stage blower over a 2 stage?

 

[FatTire]

Two advantages are that single stages tend to clog less and they are a bit more efficient in terms of horsepower required. Right now I have one of each, and it isn't clear to me why 2-stage blowers completely dominate the 3 point market. In many situations where 2 stage blowers work well, plowing can be a viable alternative if you can live with the banks. But when you really need a single stage blower, like for hard packed snow, nothing else will do.

EDIT: I should add that in the relatively rare case where a chute on a big single stage blower does get clogged, it can be a real son of a &^^%% to clear it out. And in normal winter temps you have to work fast, because that stuff is going to refreeze and then you'll be wishing for a heated workspace.

 

[Oldoak]

I disagree. I will take a 2 stage blower over a single stage any day. I never had a problem with them clogging and I think 2 stage blowers throw the snow further.

With either, speed and feed, depending on the snow conditions (depth of snow, heavy wet or light fluffy, hard packed or loose, etc.) is the key to prevent clogging.

 

[buickanddeere]

What are the advantages of a single stage blower over a 2 stage?

None.

 

[atsah]

None.

From what I read, I don't see any either. I am about to purchase a Blizzard with manual shute for $2,700 plus tax. I have been looking at all of them and it seems to me the Blizzard is a rugged unit compared to most. A 54 inch Blizzard weights in at 513lbs, I looked at one today on the side of a same size 366lb Meteor and to me the Meteor is a cheaper, tinnier blower. They seem to have issues with the Meteor and most people like them but for me the extra $450 is worth me buying the Blizzard. The only thing I like better on the Meteor is the square tube pinned clearance feet, I don't care for the edge feet that need a wrench for adjustment but I guess I'll live with it or install what I want later if they are a pain to switch quickly.

 

[dnw64]

I used a single stage blower for 18 years. 48" on a 14 HP Case 444. It always got the job done, but often it was with great difficulty.

Without a side-by-side comparison it's hard to say, but since having two other 2-stage blowers (one an Ariens 32" 14HP walk behind and the other a 50" on my 23 HP GC) I would always choose a 2 stage over a single stage simply from the throwing distance standpoint. Now if distance is not a big deal (for instance it's basically just a long driveway) I could see a single stage, being slightly less complex, as a good option. I can also see from an engineering position that it might possibly use less power.

Is this more of an "old school versus new school" kind of issue? Like Carburetor versus Fuel Injection? I'm positive there are 2-stage blowers out there that are worse than a really great single stage, just as there are FI systems out there that fail absurdly compared to a well tuned carburetor.

But it seems to me that there is much better potential for a 2-stage system over a single. Same as with FI vs. Carburetor.

 

[CalG]

What are the advantages of a single stage blower over a 2 stage?

The single stage units can be significantly lighter weight in the same build quality.
This can be important for front mounted equipment on smaller machines.
I've been very pleased with the years of performance provided by the 48 inch single stage unit fitted to my Bolens HT.

I have been looking for a 72" for the Hurlimann, and wish the units shown here were not so far away. ;-)

 

[leonz]

Using the Reist 1000 series 48 inch single stage throw thrower with the 13 inch auger as an example and why it is better better in my "opinion".

It takes 20 percent less power to remove the same 13 inch depth of heavy snow pack.
The gear box delivers power to the solid cross augers chain drive and the cross auger rotates at
450-500 RPM to pull snow into the center and be thrown up and out through the chute and out.

The single stage auger on the single stage Reist snow thrower can be slowed down or sped up by changing the driven and drive sprocket size.

The chain drive for the cross auger has a roller chain tensioner sprocket acts as a snubber sprocket to provide tension to the drive chain and the sprocket arm has a rubber tensioner.


2. the solid cross augers short height ribbons convey all the snow they contact to the center paddle where it is
thrown up and out of the chute and spout rather than push it forward away from the snow blower
like the smaller front and rear mounts do.
a. The solid cross auger can be moved to the rear to reduce the distance from the auger ribbon to the auger
housing.

b. the Reist snow casters have a center deflector plate in front of the throwing paddle to stop
the snow from being thrown forward.

c. The single stage snow thrower has no secondary impeller fan to rob power from the power take off.

The series 2000 and 3000 single stage augers are also in a much larger diameter and width of cut and tractor horsepower range.

The negatives about two stage snow throwers in my opinion:
Two stage snow casters weigh more than the single stage snow throwers.
Two stage snow blowers use 20 percent more power due to the impeller fan.
Two stage snow blowers push snow away from the housing all the time in deep snows.
Any residual snow pile left is harder to get rid of because the cross augers continue to push the snow away until you speed up to capture it. But that is not really possible when you are near a busy road or street.

My 2006 single stage high speed Toro Snow Pup with the Power Paddle barely grunted when the John Deere snow blower died due to belt failure during Winter Storm Stella and cleaned a foot deep snow pack that was left with more than half the 2 car driveway with less than a pint of 2 cycle 25 to one mixed fuel.


The single biggest advantage is the greater power available to throw snow as the solid cross auger carries the snow to the chute and toss it out the chute at 500 plus RPM without a second stage impeller. with 3, 4, 5 or 6 impeller paddle fans.

 

[bumperm]

Since lining my front mount blower with UHMW Polyethylene, no more clogged anything. Range increase, already good, up about 25%. In slush, it throws an almost solid stream as if it were extruded.

 

[leonz]

Its so nice to see the interior of your impeller housing lined with the slick sheet material you are using.
it eliminates the need to install one of Clarence's impeller kits.

I will be doing the same thing on the 44 inch John Deere snowblower I have.
I just have to decide whether to leave the drain holes in the bottom open or close them
up with a partial sheet in the housing. I will be using a lot of the pancake head bolts I bought from
Gemplers to do that. I will be buying a leftover sheet piece of the slick sheet material from
www.hornplastics.com

 

[buickanddeere]

Now there is a good idea

 

[FatTire]

None.

None? Perhaps not in your application, but if you need to cut into deep hard packed snow that has been deposited during high winds (40 mph+) or has been previously plowed and refrozen, single-stage units dominate. Also for spring clearing when your piles or banks are in the freeze/thaw cycle and you want them gone and finally have time to do it, a single stage cutter is the tool of choice, IMHO. Nothing against 2 stage units, I have one too, but I think part of the reason for their market success is that many of us (me included) just like to see snow shoot far.

 

[FatTire]

Since lining my front mount blower with UHMW Polyethylene, no more clogged anything. Range increase, already good, up about 25%. In slush, it throws an almost solid stream as if it were extruded.

Such a nice job! I wonder why blower manufacturers don't offer that as an option.

 

[Oldoak]

Such a nice job! I wonder why blower manufacturers don't offer that as an option.

Probably because most people would not want to pay the additional cost. Sure some would, me included, but not enough people to make it cost effective for the manufacturer.

There are also industrial spray-on Teflon or poly coatings which wear much better than steel that can be applied by the snow thrower manufacturers.

 

[FatTire]

Probably because most people would not want to pay the additional cost. Sure some would, me included, but not enough people to make it cost effective for the manufacturer.

There are also industrial spray-on Teflon or poly coatings which wear much better than steel that can be applied by the snow thrower manufacturers.

Do you happen to know if any offer the spray-on as option? (Or standard?)