Blizzard conditions and air filters

[doxford jim]

When I was young & in my prime - - - it was fun out driving in those heavy snowstorms with my 4WD - until the day I met the snowplow coming the other way.

That would soon wake you up eh ! Perish the thought - brrrr!

 

[Tul01]

Met a fellow last winter that had trouble a couple times with blizzard snow packing intake. He re-purposed a set of his wifes pantyhose to cover the entire thing so he could keep the flakes on the outside and bang off when it started running weaker. I'm not sure if he told his wife or not.

Brent

 

[bigtiller]

That happened to a friend of mine with his JD 4450 and a 4'x8' snowblower on the back. He would park it out of the wind, beside a building or simi-trailer, etc., shut it down and go for coffee. The engine heat would thaw out the intake enough to go at it again.

 

[Coyote machine]

Would anybody advocate removing the air filter under those conditions? Walk-behinds don't come with an air filter for that very reason. Usually not too much dust flying around in a blizzard. Or would this mess up the fuel mixture more than the air filter becoming iced up?

Anything that has an air filter as part of it's engine assembly needs to have the air filter in place and functional, otherwise engine damage can occur. Frozen snow = water when thawed by engine heat. Water passing through the intake into your engine = bad outcomes. It's NOT about mixture going wrong, it IS about water entering the combustion chambers of your engine.

 

[PILOON]

As mentioned, snow blowers do not have air filters.
In winter there is no airborne dust so operating without an air filter should be safe enough IMHO.

My Mitsubishi has a long enough intake tube leading to the filter that snow never gets to the filter so I'm OK but a friend's NH TC75 always gets snow clogged.

 

[Loadstar]

Blowing snow gets me good money off of choked up air filters. With large buildings you have make up air heaters. Most pull 100% outside air. When the snow blows it chokes up the filters in front of the flame, then the air proving switch drops them out. Easy fix pulling filters and shoveling snow then a quick reset. Tractor wise my old ford often gets the intake tube pulled for snow duty, but that's mostly for lightning fast ether starts.

 

[banjodunn]

G'day all it is not an issue here ( maybe see light snow once every couple of years ) but on most tractors I have seen it would be possible to run a flexible hose to around near the exh manifold to draw in warmer air to 1 combat the cold and 2 to get it out of the large flakes of snow, does this sound like it would work for you or not??
PS Currently we are going through a week of mid 30c:laughing:

Jon

 

[DelSc]

Stanley - Out of town right now (and missing lots of snow clearing fun), but happy to post a pic of what I did with the inlet hose when I get back.
Thanks
Scott

 

[DelSc]

Hi Stanley
This picture shows some of the snow that collects at the top of the radiator. The inlet hose normally sits in the same spot on the B2650 as it does on the B3030: in that little cut out on the left side of the picture. It seems like there is a lot of snow collecting at this location.





I rotated the hose so the inlet now sits behind the fan shroud. Its not as open to incoming air, but it is more protected from blowing snow. Once Im done with snow, I will put it back to its original position.




Thanks
Scott

 

[nfowler]

Hi Stanley This picture shows some of the snow that collects at the top of the radiator. The inlet hose normally sits in the same spot on the B2650 as it does on the B3030: in that little cut out on the left side of the picture. It seems like there is a lot of snow collecting at this location. <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/owning-operating/411886-blizzard-conditions-air-filters-img_0659-jpg"/> I rotated the hose so the inlet now sits behind the fan shroud. Its not as open to incoming air, but it is more protected from blowing snow. Once Im done with snow, I will put it back to its original position. <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/owning-operating/411887-blizzard-conditions-air-filters-img_0660-jpg"/> Thanks Scott

My 2011 B3030HSDC has a modified engine compartment layout from what you are showing in your pictures, and I have not yet had any snow in the air filter problems although I snow blow a lot of snow, especially lately. I surmise that Kubota has addressed your problem with a new layout design. I'd post similar pictures if I knew how with this, my wife's iPad. I'll try.

N. Fowler