64" snowblower on a NC TC33D

[John_Mc]

I own a NH TC33D (33HP, 27 HP at PTO, HST, filled rear tires, OFA Eko studded chains on the rear). I've been debating buying a snowblower for years, but have not been able to justify the cost. A friend is selling his Provnost Puma (rear mount) at a price that is just too good to pass up. The problem is that it's 64" wide, and my tractor (with it's R4 tires) is about 63". That's not wide enough to fit my needs. (I've been thinking about a 6' wide blower.) The one he's selling is in excellent position, and he wants only $500 for it (I've actually argued that he should ask more. He refused, just wants to move it out). I'm not likely to find a deal this good again.

He's suggested just adding wings on each side to increase the width. I'm wondering if any of you have experience with this and how well it works. I'm not often trying to plow my way through a 3' deep snowfall, so it's rare I'd ever push a blower to it's limits. Still, we do occasionally get some pretty good storms (just not the last couple of winters). I suppose for $500, I don't have a lot to lose. On the other hand, I don't want to be constantly cursing this thing. If I'm going to own a snow blower, I want it to make my life easier, not be a pain in the neck.

 

[CalG]

That blower will NOT BE a pain in the neck.

This "It's got to be as wide as the tire track" is all some internet made up BS.

Think of a drive over blower!

Go for it! Or give me the contact info! ;-)

 

[airbiscuit]

Buy it already! I had a 33hp NH and got a super deal on a 4' snowblower. I made wooden wings for it. Sold it and got my 40hp NH. Got a super deal on a 60" snowblower (my tractor is 66"). I made steel wings this time. They work great. I made a slight upward taper of about 1/2" so they wouldn't dig into the ground. Once you make your first pass, you usually overlap a little anyway,so you give up nothing by having the wings. The wings aren't hard to make. I wouldn't wait a minute to buy that snowblower.

 

[John_Mc]

Thanks, guys. What I'm concerned about is making turns while backing up with a rear mount snow blower. The front wheels do not staying the blown track, which can make steering more of a problem (especially since NH says not to put chains on all four wheels for the TC33, and I'm not going to go the winter without my rear chains). I suspect it's less of an issue with a front mount blower: the front wheels will track closer to the blower's track, and the rear wheels have less of a problem "roughing it" (due to both bigger diameter and the studded chains).

Airbiscuit: Can you post a photo of your current metal wings? If you have something that works well for you, it would save me reinventing it.

 

[leonz]

Just remember that the slower you go on the first pass the less effort your mule is going to need to clear any depth of snow pack.

I hope you have that snowblower by now as it will be gone in a heartbeat otherwise. All you need to have is angle iron that is bent/formed to a 45 degree or lesser angle by the steel supplier. having the holes drilled by them to mount it saves you a lot of aggravation and work.

If all your worried about is the tire track all you need to do is lift it up a little while clearing and when turning around it will still spit snow while your turning around on the first pass. you can always go back and clear what little is left on the ground.

 

[airbiscuit]

My snowblower is at the back of my garage, so I can't get any good shots. The wing and the part that bolts on the snowblower are each 1/8" thick. The cross braces are 3/8" thick, but 1/4" thick would have been sufficient. They are very rigid. BTW, I don't really think you need wings.

 

[John_Mc]

If all your worried about is the tire track all you need to do is lift it up a little while clearing and when turning around it will still spit snow while your turning around on the first pass. you can always go back and clear what little is left on the ground.

It's not the turning around for the next pass that I'm worried about, it's maneuvering down a winding driveway, and around the circle near the house.

 

[John_Mc]

Thanks for the pics, Airbiscuit. I understand the thinking behind tapering the wings up off the ground on the bottom edge (keeps it from digging in). I'm curious why you decided to taper the top edges down as well.

As far as not needing wings: I may end up not needing them, but I want ideas in mind if I find I want them, and wanted to hear from people who have used them.

I have a front-mount snowblower on my Craftsman GT5000 Garden Tractor now (a glorified riding mower). It has studded chains, rear wheel weights, and a rear weight on a platform behind the rear wheels. The blower is a bit wider than the track of the GT5000. It's a pain in the butt to turn if there is more than a few inches of snow on the ground, since the wheels very easily get outside of the cleared track, making steering difficult. In deeper snow, simply moving if I have to make more than the slightest turn is tough.

I realize that snowblowing with a Compact Tractor (which probably weighs 4000# before I even put the snowblower on) is quite a bit different than snowblowing with a lawnmower. I have done some CUT snowblowing, but it was with a 72" blower on the twin sister to my tractor. That worked well. My only experience with snowblowing with a tight blower width to vehicle width is with the Craftsman. It stinks, so I want to explore options.

 

[John_Mc]

Based on these discussions, I have told the friend I will buy his blower.

So now my question is: Are their other things I should be looking at doing to it? It has hydraulic chute rotation (I forgot to check what it has for the chute deflector adjustment). This will be used on about 1/4 mile of gravel driveway, plus occasionally helping out neighbors.

 

[airbiscuit]

Thanks for the pics, Airbiscuit. I understand the thinking behind tapering the wings up off the ground on the bottom edge (keeps it from digging in). I'm curious why you decided to taper the top edges down as well.

As far as not needing wings: I may end up not needing them, but I want ideas in mind if I find I want them, and wanted to hear from people who have used them.

I tapered the top edges of the wings because:

• All the other ones I saw looked like that
• It's about 18" high before the taper begins
• It hurts less when you run into it

The wings work great and are very sturdy. On my first snowblower, I just took a 2x8 board and ripped one edge at a 45 degree angle and screwed it on with lag screws. It worked!

Have you bought that thing yet. It's a steal!