Bercomac SSQA snowblower experiences

   / Bercomac SSQA snowblower experiences #21  
I recently sold my pull (inverted) blower but it worked well. They are not cheap, but it sure beats a front blower and the nightmare of a huge subframe to deal with.

I sold mine because we do not get enough snow to justify having that much money tied up. In four years I used it about 20-25 times. Also sold the V plow that came with the F250 I bought from the city. I am $7600 ahead.

I have a neighbor 2 miles away who will plow me out in exchange for firewood. For the few times a year we need it, that makes more sense for my circumstances. If he proves unreliable, I can get a hydraulic plow for under $3000.

One caveat about a blower. I have a cab but without one, depending on wind and where you want to blow, wind driven snow is not fun.
 
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   / Bercomac SSQA snowblower experiences
  • Thread Starter
#22  
I've seen videos of the pull blowers, but always with 4 or 5 inches of snow. How do they work with 12 inches? I always make an effort NOT to drive over the snow because I don't want to pack it down. I have a very steep grade and need to get the pavement as clean as possible. 4WD cars and trucks can have a difficult time getting up with just one or two inches on the driveway. And going down is even more problematic. Plus, we can get a warmish day where the snow melts slightly, then freezes overnight. So, I don't want tracks of packed snow from where the tires went that turn into packed ice.

It would also require some re-arranging of the garage. Having both a loader on the front and a blower on the back would take up a lot of space.

I don't use chains. There are times when the tires don't work well. Typically when there is a layer of black ice under a few inches of snow. The blower does not remove the ice. There have been a few times where I had to drop the rear ballast box to stop the tractor from sliding down the driveway. I usually put down a very light layer of salt before the storm to prevent the ice forming, by there are times when I get caught by surprise.

I appreciate the thoughts and suggestions.
 
   / Bercomac SSQA snowblower experiences #23  
A Rammy 155 commercial single stage snow thrower for the Kawasaki mule
and V bar carbide ice chains for the kawasaki mule. I grew up using singel
stage snow throwers on a 1968 IHC Cub Cadet, 1972 Simplicity and Wheel
Horse garden tractors that were not junk and they never failed us.
Lots of power with V belt driven single stages and zero mechanical trouble.

V bar snow chains are the best for slush and ice conditions.


There are several RAMMY dealers in and near New Hampshire.
 
   / Bercomac SSQA snowblower experiences #24  
I've seen videos of the pull blowers, but always with 4 or 5 inches of snow. How do they work with 12 inches? I always make an effort NOT to drive over the snow because I don't want to pack it down. I have a very steep grade and need to get the pavement as clean as possible. 4WD cars and trucks can have a difficult time getting up with just one or two inches on the driveway. And going down is even more problematic. Plus, we can get a warmish day where the snow melts slightly, then freezes overnight. So, I don't want tracks of packed snow from where the tires went that turn into packed ice.

It would also require some re-arranging of the garage. Having both a loader on the front and a blower on the back would take up a lot of space.

I don't use chains. There are times when the tires don't work well. Typically when there is a layer of black ice under a few inches of snow. The blower does not remove the ice. There have been a few times where I had to drop the rear ballast box to stop the tractor from sliding down the driveway. I usually put down a very light layer of salt before the storm to prevent the ice forming, by there are times when I get caught by surprise.

I appreciate the thoughts and suggestions.
I used my pull blower on 10” and it worked very well.

I have a gravel drive and getting down to “pavement” is not a good outcome because then I would be throwing stones.

In your situation, I would want a blade.

The first couple of years I had the pull blower, I mounted a cheap light duty rear blade on an adapter plate that allowed 3 point hitch attachments to be mounted on the SSQA. I used it for back dragging as the blower could not get close to buildings etc. a set up like that would scrape your pavement
 
   / Bercomac SSQA snowblower experiences #25  
I've used my inverted pull type in 30 inches of snow fall.
No problems and it doesn't leave any packed tire tracks behind me.
 
   / Bercomac SSQA snowblower experiences #26  
I've seen videos of the pull blowers, but always with 4 or 5 inches of snow. How do they work with 12 inches? I always make an effort NOT to drive over the snow because I don't want to pack it down. I have a very steep grade and need to get the pavement as clean as possible.
That is the same reason I need to plow BEFORE driving on the packable snow.
 
   / Bercomac SSQA snowblower experiences
  • Thread Starter
#27  
Can a 25HP small compact such as the Kioti CX2510 handle the pull blower through deep, say 12", snow? I am still skeptical. During big storms I usually clear the driveway after 10ish inches and then again after the storm. But, it is possible to get more overnight when I'm too lazy to get up and take care of it.

You guys did succeed in getting me to consider a 3pt rear facing snowblower on a tractor without a cab. A few questions:

- How much does a good set of mirrors help to reduce the need to turn around?

- And would a backup camera help? I wonder how well it would work during a storm or even after the storm when there is snow flying from the blower.

- The 3pt snowblowers do not have any down pressure other than their own weight. Do they still do a good job clearing? I almost always have my front mount in float mode anyway. And when I do push down to get under packed snow, it usually rides back up over the snow within a few feet. So, I don't think that I will notice any difference with a rear blower, but thought I'd ask.
 
   / Bercomac SSQA snowblower experiences #28  
Can a 25HP small compact such as the Kioti CX2510 handle the pull blower through deep, say 12", snow? I am still skeptical. During big storms I usually clear the driveway after 10ish inches and then again after the storm. But, it is possible to get more overnight when I'm too lazy to get up and take care of it.

You guys did succeed in getting me to consider a 3pt rear facing snowblower on a tractor without a cab. A few questions:

- How much does a good set of mirrors help to reduce the need to turn around?

- And would a backup camera help? I wonder how well it would work during a storm or even after the storm when there is snow flying from the blower.

- The 3pt snowblowers do not have any down pressure other than their own weight. Do they still do a good job clearing? I almost always have my front mount in float mode anyway. And when I do push down to get under packed snow, it usually rides back up over the snow within a few feet. So, I don't think that I will notice any difference with a rear blower, but thought I'd ask.

No real world inverted experience, but the numerous posts I've read indicate that if your tractor can drive through the snow (blower or not), the inverted blower will work fine. My L4060 begins to have difficulty driving through 20-24" of unplowed snow.
Mirrors help, but I use front and rear cameras. Mine are mounted high on the cab and aren't adversely affected by snow. My seat also rotates 45 degrees so I'm not twisting quite so much.
Rear blowers generally have a cutting edge that is parallel to the pavement and they peel up snow well at the proper angle. Mine is also quite heavy, so it doesn't ride up much.
 
   / Bercomac SSQA snowblower experiences #29  
Can a 25HP small compact such as the Kioti CX2510 handle the pull blower through deep, say 12", snow? I am still skeptical. During big storms I usually clear the driveway after 10ish inches and then again after the storm. But, it is possible to get more overnight when I'm too lazy to get up and take care of it.

You guys did succeed in getting me to consider a 3pt rear facing snowblower on a tractor without a cab. A few questions:

- How much does a good set of mirrors help to reduce the need to turn around?

- And would a backup camera help? I wonder how well it would work during a storm or even after the storm when there is snow flying from the blower.

- The 3pt snowblowers do not have any down pressure other than their own weight. Do they still do a good job clearing? I almost always have my front mount in float mode anyway. And when I do push down to get under packed snow, it usually rides back up over the snow within a few feet. So, I don't think that I will notice any difference with a rear blower, but thought I'd ask.


The cutting edge and how sharp it is makes huge difference in how well a snow blower scrapes.

If you expect to clear snow with a push type snow thrower you needed loaded tires and
or rear weights with V bar snow and ice chains sized correctly for the rear tires.

The carbide coated V bar snow and ice chains are best for both ice and snow conditions
especially if the rear tires are not loaded.

If you install V bar snow chains on the front tires that will increase your available traction
as well since the front tires will carry a great deal of weight to create the adhesion you need
for traction.

You have to travel slowly with a low horsepower tractor when clearing as the impeller has
to have time to clear the snow that is being fed to it.

A single stage snow thrower would have no trouble with snow as it operates at a much higher
speed of rotation casting a small narrow volume of snow at 600+ RPM.
The problem with the MK Martin snow throwers is they use a single stage snow blower rotor that
is too large in diameter for the tractor horsepower.

You could invest in one of the MK Martin single stage motorized snow throwers but the RAMMY single stage
throwers are lighter and simpler in their construction with the "correctly sized-meaning the outside diameter
of the snow blower rotor.

You have to have a back up camera that uses a weatherproof screen and a back up camera
that has lights in the cameras frame surrounding the camera.

In saying that if you have adequate lighting such as an LED or Halogen light bar mounted
on the rops and pointed down past the snow thrower in combination with large
rear view mirrors it will help you a great deal in low light conditions too.

You have to remind yourself that your tractor will act and steer like a forklift and
"you have to turn in the opposite direction" to what you would normally do when
operating in reverse.

The cutting edge of the snow blower is a major part of how well your snow blower works.

Using Fluid Film spray and or WD-40 to coat the chute, spout and impeller housing can
increase your casting distance a great deal and reduce plugging.
 
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   / Bercomac SSQA snowblower experiences #30  
I had to slowly crawl through this VERY dense drift. The tractor had no added weight or ballast and cleared to the pavement.

snowblower1.jpg
 

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