PTO Blower making my life miserable!

[zoedog2012]

I think the PTO shaft is too long and not letting the 3pt all the way down.

 

[Reb954]

How much snow is building up in front of the snow blower? If you are pushing a lot of snow if front of the blower you are either going too fast for the snow conditions or the blower is not running the correct rpm. Verify the snow blower rpm requirements.

That looks like a really wet heavy snow so you will have to slow your speed down accordingly. Remember, the auger is spinning in a direction that tries to lift the blower so you need to give it a chance to digest the snow.

 

[ruffdog]

The first photos had the blower tipped and the 3pt arms then were way up...not level. Any pushing against snow would of coarse lift the implement. The later pics at least had the arms level.

 

[PILOON]

Be patient, keep making minor adjustments with the upper 3 point 'til you get the optimum setting.
Short upper will make the blower rise and longer make it want to dig with the side panels being the limiting factor.
Long upper adjustment will cause the side panels to make contact all while raising the cutting edge therefore leaving a small quantity of snow behind.

Now if your cutting edge is worn out that would be one reason for this problem and a replacement might be needed.
A cutting edge is nothing but a strip of flat stock bolted to the blower bottom. (I assume U do have one)

I in fact improved my blower by simply replacing my edge with a wider copy (and thicker).

 

[DMW]

I think the PTO shaft is too long and not letting the 3pt all the way down.

Easy way to check is to slide the pto shaft off the tractor with the blower lowered. If it can be disconnected easily, length is ok.

 

[KWentling]

The first photos had the blower tipped and the 3pt arms then were way up...not level. Any pushing against snow would of coarse lift the implement. The later pics at least had the arms level.

That's what jumped out at me too. No way was that going to work. The last pictures are much better. Small adjustments from that point is probably as good as it's going to get. Weight could help. A real beveled cutting edge could help. It's hard to see what it has. I think the main problem is the blower is made for a bigger tractor so the 3-point geometry isn't ideal. Lowering the lift arm attachment points on the blower would help with that.

 

[ruffdog]

That's what jumped out at me too. No way was that going to work. The last pictures are much better. Small adjustments from that point is probably as good as it's going to get. Weight could help. A real beveled cutting edge could help. It's hard to see what it has. I think the main problem is the blower is made for a bigger tractor so the 3-point geometry isn't ideal. Lowering the lift arm attachment points on the blower would help with that.

I agree...and revise the strange skid framework to use real skid shoes.

 

[DMW]

Assuming that everything is working as it should, is it possible the blower is too high for the tractor? When lowering the blower, does the it change angle as soon as you start backing up? Could the blower frame arms be too high, pushing on the 3PT arms, resulting in an upward or downward angle? Without position control, it could easily happen. The 2060 isn't just a wider blower, but also higher. Perhaps a 1054 or 1060 would be a better fit for the SC2400. I have a C-48 on my MF GC2300, similar sized tractor, and have no issues.

 

[torch2k]

Assuming that everything is working as it should, is it possible the blower is too high for the tractor? When lowering the blower, does the it change angle as soon as you start backing up? Could the blower frame arms be too high, pushing on the 3PT arms, resulting in an upward or downward angle? Without position control, it could easily happen. The 2060 isn't just a wider blower, but also higher. Perhaps a 1054 or 1060 would be a better fit for the SC2400. I have a C-48 on my MF GC2300, similar sized tractor, and have no issues.

View attachment 581163View attachment 581164View attachment 581165

I think you are right. When I drop the 3PH to the lowest position, you can actually see that the blower arms are slightly higher off the ground than the 3PH lower arms. I made this crude diagram to illustrate it. It does actually have enough difference to adjust the angle.

The strange thing to me is that no amount of adjusting the top arm seems to fix the problem. Even when I lengthen the arm enough to make thing appear level when parked, the angle does change immediately upon backing up.

 

[ruffdog]

On my Toolcat, the pivot (tractor end) of the lift arms is about 14-15" off the ground and that is the same height as the 3pt pins on the blower. So, my lift arm should be about level with a level blower.

 

[ruffdog]

I'm just wondering if the OP should lower the tractor end of the 3rd link the way the geometry is. It would be a quick test and doesn't cost anything.

 

[torch2k]

Just to follow up and confirm:

lower tractor arms are sitting at just shy of 11 3/4" and the blower is a little more than 12 1/2" near the skids.

So it looks like I need to replace the blower.

 

[JerryK]

Just to follow up and confirm:

lower tractor arms are sitting at just shy of 11 3/4" and the blower is a little more than 12 1/2" near the skids.

So it looks like I need to replace the blower.

If you make the top link longer, that will push the top of the blower away from the tractor and lift the lower tractor arms. If you put a level on the blower, you lengthen the top link until both the places you are trying to measure will be the same measurement. There is nothing wrong with your blower, your top link is just too short.

 

[torch2k]

If you make the top link longer, that will push the top of the blower away from the tractor and lift the lower tractor arms. If you put a level on the blower, you lengthen the top link until both the places you are trying to measure will be the same measurement. There is nothing wrong with your blower, your top link is just too short.

I wish you were right, but I think there's too much evidence now:

- The difference in the arm height

- The manual calls for a max 3PH lift weight of 661lbs, and thanks to DMW's post today, I know that a) the smaller blower by the same company aligns perfectly, and b) the blower i have (with the winch added etc) is right at the maximum weight allowed

- The 3PH height adjustment has always felt off to me - basically from "level 3" all the way down to float position, their is hardly any difference made on the blower.. makes sense now if float > 3 is just making up the difference between the tractor being smaller than the blower

 

[DMW]

torch2k, before you throw in the towel, may I suggest something. Level the snowblower using the top link on the floor of the garage with it fully down, no weight on the 3pt arms. Ensure the turnbuckles on the 3 pt arms are tight. Take it outside (doesn't matter if the blower is turning or not) lower again, does the angle stay the same? Reverse the tractor with the 3pt lever fully forward, lower than again in the 1 position, again in the 2 position. What happens to the angle of the blower? Specs for tractor say it has 3pt position control. When you go to a higher number does the weight from the blower start shifting onto the tractor?
Just included a couple pic of my blower, the best I could find,so you can compare angles.

 

[zzvyb6]

Something not adding up here. If the blower is lifting, then the lower links would be moving upward, yes ? If that's the case, the links are getting help and or direction from the top link. Remove the top link completely. The weight of that blower ought to keep it down while riding on the skids if the lower links are level. I'd try putting a chain in there for a top 'link'. It will allow you to raise it when you direct the lower links to elevate. That blower looks pretty heavy. Mine only has 2 links with a bar going from the top of the blower mount to the lower links. Can't tip mine unless you raise the rear wheels.

 

[DMW]

I made a mistake when i assumed that the SC2400 as a SCUT didn't have position control on the 3pt. Using any setting other than fully down when using a rear snowblower will result in the blower raising. Not in relation to the tractor but to the ground. The blower starts to leave a bit a snow behind, the tractor tires ride up on it, increasing the amount of snow untouched the blower, and so on, and so on.

This is copied from a 16 year old post from another forum. Might it be helpful in understanding this?

"Position control? I'll see if I can give you an explanation that makes sense (I've had a B7100 without it and a B2710 with it).

Without position control, the lever is centered and when you raise or lower the 3-point by moving the lever forward or backwards, it continues in an up or down movement until you center the lever again. The distance you move the lever may affect the speed with which it raises or lowers, but not where it stops. So you have to just go by visually watching to stop it where you want it.

With position control, the slot for the lever is usually numbered (1 to 8 in my case), with 1 being all the way down and 8 being all the way up. If you want to lower it to 4, move the lever there, the hitch stops at that point and the lever stays where you left it. It's much easier to make small adjustments in the height of the hitch, and if you raise it, it's much easier to lower it back to the same height again.

In other words, position control is a VERY NICE feature and I really like it, but it's not absolutely necessary."

The pre-set heights may work well for blowers with shoes, but shouldn't be used with this Agro Trend style blower IMO. The 3pt lever has to be moved past the 1 in this case, and kept there to allow the blower to follow the ground contours. The lever may have to be continuously pressed forward when reversing, I'm not sure about this.

If the tractor can lift, maneuver and power a snowblower, it isn't too big. It may be near its limit, but still usable.

 

[torch2k]

For your viewing pleasure I made a couple of videos this afternoon for you to take a look at. Sorry for all the slo-mo, I don't know how to get rid of it now that it's recorded.

Video 1
- Showing you the full range of the 3PH lever. At the end I am showing you level 3 of 6 on the lever, so I'm about half-way up before the blower gets picked up and becomes level I guess.


Video 2
- Reversing down a fairly clean driveway slowly
- first bit of action is at approx 26sec.
- slow-mo highlights what is happening at the connections when it comes across the first bit of snow (well, hard icy-snow today actually)
- Obviously it's going to jump up when it hits a bump, I realize that -- i just did the video to show what is going on back there

 

[DMW]

Thanks for the video. The 3pt arms are raising as you go back, if you place it at the 1 setting, does it help keep them stationary? There is no other adjustments I know of. The only other suggestion I would have is to repeat the same thing after lengthening the top link. The angle of the blower is changing when the weight comes off the tractor, so it tilts up. 3-4 threads at a time.

 

[ruffdog]

Once again, if you drop the connection of the upper link to the lower hole, it may help. It will also help with over taxing the u-joints on the pto shaft when fully lifted.