Snow Blowers

[rScotty]

It's that time of the year, and maybe this will be the year I finally adapt a QA snowblower to the front of the M59. The project is still in the planning stage, and all I've got so far is a wish list. That includes finding a snowblower to fit the standard Kubota skidsteer QA - which will take care of adjusting the snowblower height. Probably a windshield, and then hooking things up so that the blower is powered by the tractor. What else should I put on the list of features?

Or maybe this sort of rig is already available off the shelf & I just haven't run across it.
rScotty

 

[Fallon]

It's that time of the year, and maybe this will be the year I finally adapt a QA snowblower to the front of the M59. The project is still in the planning stage, and all I've got so far is a wish list. That includes finding a snowblower to fit the standard Kubota skidsteer QA - which will take care of adjusting the snowblower height. Probably a windshield, and then hooking things up so that the blower is powered by the tractor. What else should I put on the list of features?

Or maybe this sort of rig is already available off the shelf & I just haven't run across it.
rScotty

A hydraulic power pack to run the thing. I know TBLs have more hydraulics than a tractor, but I'm still pretty sure they don't have nearly enough to get anywhere close to PTO amounts of power. You'll need an appropriate pump on the PTO, some big lines as well as relief valves, a tank & maybe a cooler.

Any standard SSQA blower should work on a Kubota SSQA.

 

[FatTire]

Here is a link to where you can compare several different manufacturers of SSQA blowers. How many remotes do you have? Iowa Farm Equipment -- Snow Removal Equipment

 

[rScotty]

A hydraulic power pack to run the thing. I know TBLs have more hydraulics than a tractor, but I'm still pretty sure they don't have nearly enough to get anywhere close to PTO amounts of power. You'll need an appropriate pump on the PTO, some big lines as well as relief valves, a tank & maybe a cooler.

Any standard SSQA blower should work on a Kubota SSQA.

TLBs do tend offer more hydraulics than tractors, but most are optional. Our M59 only has a single additional remote hydraulic output. It feeds hydraulic power to the front of the loader and is controlled from the dashboard. Rated @ 16 gpm at 2800 psi but "not for continuous use". That's not much help except for something like a SSQA lever or maybe a grapple.

To get around the lack of hydraulics, I plan to put a supplementary hydraulic pump onto the PTO to run a hydraulic power pack. I think that doing that will make sense for lots of future projects. It will make real hydraulic power available everywhere without involving the expensive complicated HST+ and internal tractor fluids.
The hydro power pack will need the PTO pump, about a 12 gallon reservoir, as well as filters, hoses, and controls. But easy enough to do and a fairly inexpensive way to add lots of hydraulic power "on demand" to any tractor. The hydraulic power pack concept was well worked out for the Ag tractor community back in the 1970s, so the parts are high quality and very available.

So it's now two projects: The first one is the hydraulic power pack and then it won't matter which snowblower we choose, as all will work.
Time to get out the pencil & notebook and get to designing....
rScotty

 

[moship]

Sounds like you want to build your own power pack, but it looks like they are available for purchase. Perhaps their designs will help with brainstorming the build.

Example: Loftness | Power Pak Hydraulic Power Unit Overview

http://www.landpride.com/ari/attach/lp/public/lit/lit_hrs30.pdf

 

[rScotty]

Sounds like you want to build your own power pack, but it looks like they are available for purchase. Perhaps their designs will help with brainstorming the build.

Example: Loftness | Power Pak Hydraulic Power Unit Overview

http://www.landpride.com/ari/attach/lp/public/lit/lit_hrs30.pdf

Thanks for the links. Not only are the pics interesting, but it lets me know what to look for on the surplus market. Sometimes used implements like that pop up at industial auctions and such places. While I don't mind building my own anything, I'd rather save the time by going with something already made up. After all, the idea is to move snow....not to plumb another tractor. And I genuinely hate making brackets and mounts.
rScotty

 

[FatTire]

QuickAttach.com builds a power pack used primarily with their blowers. There is a guy from Idaho on this forum has one,, I'll try to remember who it is.

EDIT: grsthegreat is the TBNer I was thinking of. He seems to love his, and the QA/Erskine model has all the needed features, a good one to look at whether you build or buy.

 

[Fallon]

TLBs do tend offer more hydraulics than tractors, but most are optional. Our M59 only has a single additional remote hydraulic output. It feeds hydraulic power to the front of the loader and is controlled from the dashboard. Rated @ 16 gpm at 2800 psi but "not for continuous use". That's not much help except for something like a SSQA lever or maybe a grapple.

To get around the lack of hydraulics, I plan to put a supplementary hydraulic pump onto the PTO to run a hydraulic power pack. I think that doing that will make sense for lots of future projects. It will make real hydraulic power available everywhere without involving the expensive complicated HST+ and internal tractor fluids.
The hydro power pack will need the PTO pump, about a 12 gallon reservoir, as well as filters, hoses, and controls. But easy enough to do and a fairly inexpensive way to add lots of hydraulic power "on demand" to any tractor. The hydraulic power pack concept was well worked out for the Ag tractor community back in the 1970s, so the parts are high quality and very available.

So it's now two projects: The first one is the hydraulic power pack and then it won't matter which snowblower we choose, as all will work.
Time to get out the pencil & notebook and get to designing....
rScotty

I'd agree with most everything except the cheap part. They are rather straight forward & sorted out with easily avalible parts. But they or their parts aren't cheap.

And by enough hydraulics I meant flow, not number of remotes. Adding remotes is relatively easy.

 

[rScotty]

I'd agree with most everything except the cheap part. They are rather straight forward & sorted out with easily avalible parts. But they or their parts aren't cheap.

And by enough hydraulics I meant flow, not number of remotes. Adding remotes is relatively easy.

I hear what you are saying, although part of it confuses me. That may be because I have missed some messages. This month I'm on the East Coast (Boston) and surprised to find that cell and wifi are even more "spotty" than in the mtns of Colorado.

Hydraulic parts are what they are....I didn't mean cheap as in "not many dollars", and certainly not as in "lacking quality". It was a poor expression on my part. What I mean is that hydraulic parts are all about the same price for everyone now that the lines between industrial, retail, and wholesale have become blurred by the profusion of internet suppliers. Frankly I'll probably buy all my hydraulic parts from Surplus Center. And I'll use their nifty on-line calculators to size components for flow.

As for flow (rate) I'll size for whatever blower I get. Leaving that loose for now. Probably use 25/30 GPM as a starting point. The M59 should be able to handle that.
Thanks, rScotty

 

[Fallon]

I hear what you are saying, although part of it confuses me. That may be because I have missed some messages. This month I'm on the East Coast (Boston) and surprised to find that cell and wifi are even more "spotty" than in the mtns of Colorado.

Hydraulic parts are what they are....I didn't mean cheap as in "not many dollars", and certainly not as in "lacking quality". It was a poor expression on my part. What I mean is that hydraulic parts are all about the same price for everyone now that the lines between industrial, retail, and wholesale have become blurred by the profusion of internet suppliers. Frankly I'll probably buy all my hydraulic parts from Surplus Center. And I'll use their nifty on-line calculators to size components for flow.

As for flow (rate) I'll size for whatever blower I get. Leaving that loose for now. Probably use 25/30 GPM as a starting point. The M59 should be able to handle that.
Thanks, rScotty

There are plenty of calculators out there... Pressure * Flow and something = HP requirements. I'd spec out your power pack at around 75-85% of your PTO HP. You are probably pretty safe assuming a standard 2,500psi for figurin. Would be a good idea to check out some blowers & see what their requirements are before you start buying & building.

The Internet is definitely a great equilizer. And ya, the parts are comodity items & not specialty in any real way. None are inexpensive, but some are cheap.