Front or rear mounted snowblower attachment??

tarscraper · Jun 15, 2005

Sorry if this topic has been beat to death. I am a new tractor owner and I am already thinking about winter (Chatham NH). I just bought a used B7500 HST with 160 hours on it. I tried to read through other postings here about this topic but they seem to get off track pretty quickly without enough info for me. I will have a 500ft gravel driveway. I think trying to get it done with the small 48" bucket will take too long.

Ideas and suggestions welcomed!!

thanks /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Junkman · Jun 15, 2005

Easy answer to a easy question...... Front mounted snow blower and a cab is best. Just for the heck of it, try backing your tractor down the driveway and backing it back to the beginning. Do this 3 or 4 times and decide for your self if you feel comfortable enough doing it in warm dry weather. Then think about adding all your winter clothes on you body and goggles to see where you are going and doing that in -20 degree weather with the wind howling at 30 - 45 MPH. If you are OK with this scenario, then go for a rear mounted snow blower. If not, consider a front mounted snow blower or a "yard truck" with a snow plow mounted on it.... I said that it was an easy question, but I didn't say that it would be a short answer..... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

dannyk · Jun 15, 2005

Do you have a mid-mount mower for your tractor? If so, I believe you will have to remove some hardware for the mower before hooking up the front snowblower. Can any B7500 owners address this issue? How much of a pain is it to remove and reinstall the mmm hardware?

Av8r3400 · Jun 15, 2005

My neighbor has a  B7800  with a front blower. It has a pretty sizable frame which bolts to the underside of the chassis. I would think this would interfere with a MMM. He takes this "sub-frame" off every spring for ground clearance (no MMM), but it is not that big of a job (6 or 8 bolts and the driveshaft).

Edit: for original question-- Definitely go for the front blower. A rear blower is literally a pain in the neck (and back, and shoulders, and...) !!

moeh1 · Jun 15, 2005

My machine is older ( 2150). My loader subframe is not compatible with a front-mount blower frame, so it is either or for me, don't know if they solved that by the time your was made. I find (despite the pain of backing) that the loader/snowblower combo is nice to have. I am thinking about a quick plow setup for the bucket....

beenthere · Jun 15, 2005

Welcome to the forum.
I went the route of a front blade, and IMO it is the best of 'all' worlds. (search on "Western Plow" if interested in pics). Even then, I get some blowing snow when the wind is high and it is cold when the temp dips to below 0°. A snowmobile helmet works great though. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

KubotaOne · Jun 15, 2005

I think it depends on budget and how much snow you get.

Front mount blowers are the ultimate option, but they are expensive. They're the easiest to operate and do the cleanest job. I had a 72" rear mount with my old Deere, it worked perfectly and did a great job, but I always thought "it sure would be nice to drive in the direction that my head naturally faces".

If you get significant amounts of snow, using the FEL bucket will be alot of work. You'll have to do multiple passes to get all the overspill.

As one poster mentioned, plowing is an option. Its advantage is being able to angle the blade and control the spill, and it can be the fastest option because you can drive virtually as quick as you want. The negative to plowing is as the winter goes on, your driveway narrows with each snow fall - you're not left with anywhere to push the snow. Also, traction can be a problem if your pushing alot of wet, heavy snow, specially up any kind of incline. We get alot of snow here in central Ontario, and plowing is simply not an effective option.

Lockport · Jun 15, 2005

I have orederd the front mount for my BX, basically because the wife will use it most as I am away a lot, but it is more$$$ because of the front hydraulic lift to operate it. You will have to remove the mmm every winter. If you can manage, the benefit of the rear mount, lifting in the 3ph, is that you can leave the fel on for cleanup! Sounds like a pain in the a@@, though, looking behind you all the time !! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

NY_Yankees_Fan · Jun 15, 2005

Tar,

I started out with a FEL , too much time, rear pain to pick up and dump as the FEL filled with snow. Then I got a rear snow blower with FEL, this was MUCH better then just the FEL, BUT my neck would get sore after a while. So I sold the blower for what I paid for it after using it for 2 years and went with the front blower and a Sims cab. This is the way to go with your location and length of driveway you have. A cab is a must with a blower regardless if you get a front or rear blower, after all its only money. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif A cab with a heater is even nicer. You can add electric/hydraulic motors to the blower to even turn the chute from the cab. If you search you will find a few threads on doing this. This is the best time of the year to look for a deal on a snowblower so your question is perfect timing! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Deerlope · Jun 15, 2005

I just traded in a front mount for a tiller. I would not give 50 cents for a front mount blower. They are only for someone who has no place to push snow or that is all that they use their tractor for in the winter.

tarscraper · Jun 15, 2005

Thanks for all of the good info. Just for the record I do not have a MMM. I am going to do a little number crunching and do the ride up and down the driveway a few times backwards. Thats a good idea.

You guys had to bring up the cab...hehehe now i want that too!!

Appreciate it!! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

frank_f15 · Jun 15, 2005

if i needed a snowblower, i would have to opt for the front blower(although much more $$$) but i could not see driving backwards all the time. i move a lot of snow and just use my FEL and Back blade, but of course i am not doing 500 ft. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Junkman · Jun 15, 2005

( .............You guys had to bring up the cab...hehehe now i want that too!!

Appreciate it!! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif )

You don't need a cab........ cabs are for wimps, not real Kubota tractor men. Just show them how tough you are and fore go the cab. Besides, with heat, it will just be so comfortable that you will be wishing for snow more than the school children looking for a day off.... You don't need or want a cab..... Keep saying that to yourself for a week and I am sure that you will be able to convince yourself of it.... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

MadReferee · Jun 15, 2005

( You don't need a cab........ cabs are for wimps, not real Kubota tractor men. )

Finally, Junkman has said something that makes sense. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Of course I don't need a cab, I have kids who will do the work for me. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

beenthere · Jun 15, 2005

""The negative to plowing is as the winter goes on, your driveway narrows with each snow fall - you're not left with anywhere to push the snow. Also, traction can be a problem if your pushing alot of wet, heavy snow, specially up any kind of incline."" KubotaOne

This hasn't been a negative for me, nor a real situation. I bank all the snow to one side of the 600' drive (that is 12' wide) on the downwind side, and if it gets up to 3' high, I cut that bank off with the blade raised about 6-8" high. This moves the bank back where I have plenty of room, i.e. no buildings or fence to be pushing against. On the occasion this gets too high, then just pushing the bank straight back with the blade straight works very well too. In a real big storm, I can drop the plow off and quickly put the FEL with bucket on to carry the snow away. Now, it has been 3 years since I have had to even think about the FEL, but I'm ready. I put on chains only when the drive is ice covered (happened once last year with a heavy rain and freezing on.

I've only thought about replacing the plow with a front snowblower for the 35 years I have been plowing this drive with a tractor front plow. Because it would be considerably slower, I am not going to do it. Those few times I might have wanted a snowblower, I did resort to the bucket on the FEL.

There are different strokes for different folks. All can be happy with whatever way they want to play in the snow. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

robison · Jun 15, 2005

I have a bigger tractor and a smaller one. I've got a Deere GT235 with a 42 inch front mount snow blower. It works really well but if you have a lot of area to clear it's slow. Both because of the width and the fact that you can't run the machine really fast.

I have a Deere 4510 with a heated cab and a Pronovost 74 inch rear snow blower that will move all the snow you have, as fast as you can drive it. It will do a fine job of clearing the drive and the road, doing a mile in the time the little tractor takes to to 750 feet. And it's more comfortable.

My main driveway is maybe 400 feet long and the little tractor can clear it alone in 45 minutes or so. I guess it's a choice of speed, comfort, and $$.

I decided to go with the bigger rig and I'm probably selling the little blower now.

KubotaOne · Jun 16, 2005

( ""The negative to plowing is as the winter goes on, your driveway narrows with each snow fall - you're not left with anywhere to push the snow. Also, traction can be a problem if your pushing alot of wet, heavy snow, specially up any kind of incline."" KubotaOne

This hasn't been a negative for me, nor a real situation. )

beenthere,

I agree with your comments, and you're right there are ways to control the "narrowing" effect. Plowing can be the best alternative for some. We are located in ski country, dead center of the snowbelt, and it's not unusual for us to get a foot of snow a week. Add a few mild spells and then a cold snap and those banks get awfully hard real quick. I really think the decision should be based on drive layout and the amount of snow you get.

beenthere · Jun 16, 2005

Couldn't agree with you more. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Av8r3400 · Jun 16, 2005

Having tried a rear blade and the FEL for snow removal while my front blower was on order, I can see no useful reason to need an FEL in the winter unless you are cleaning a barn or other "farm" type chores with it. The front blower does everything the FEL can do with the snow only faster and better.

The "moving snow banks" argument doesn't hold water either. If you have the front mount blower (or rear mount) you won't have much for snowbanks because the blower will move the snow further away then just the edge. Also a properly adjusted snowblower will not need the FEL to return to scrape up the leftovers, it will have done it all the first time.

Yes, front snowblowers are expensive. But when it is all said and done the are the most efficient, fastest and ergonomic way to remove snow with a tractor.

tarscraper · Jun 16, 2005

Can anyone comment on the easy of install for the front mounted snowblower?

I have heard that getting it mounted to the mid PTO can be a real challenge.