Hydraulic 5' blower on a JD 2210?

[Zephrant]

Hydraulic 5' blower on a JD 2210?

I've got a chance to get a 5' hydraulic blower for a decent price, that was designed for a skid-steer. I'd like to convert it to run on my CUT.
I'm thinking that I can put a PTO driven hydraulic pump on my mid PTO, along with a PRV, then install a reservoir/filter on the back of the blower and run lines up to it. I'd use solenoids to control the chute, and run a wire back to the FEL post.

Similar to this one by Erskine:

The idea is that I could change from my bucket to the blower very easily- pull the pins and drop off the bucket, pick up the blower, install the pins and hook up the hoses. My 3PH would have a sander on it- either PTO driven or if I can't get the pump to fit my mid PTO, I'd mount it on the rear and change to a hydraulic sander on the 3PH. I also like the thought of a hydraulic drive on the blower- just a PRV on it for protection, no belts, chains or shafts to deal with.

My blower on/off control is simply the mid-PTO engage.

Potential problems: my CUT only does 17HP at the PTO, and the pump is no better than 95% efficient. So I'd be at something less than 16HP at the blower, which is a little weak for a 5' blower.
However I want the 5' width so I can make two passes on my drive way- 5' wide going down-hill to the road, 4' wide coming back up, for a total width of 9'. I don't mind driving slower, but I don't want to make 3-4 passes with a smaller unit on my 1/4 mile drive. I may do some neighbors too, so the in/out and finished is important to me.

If I could fit the reservoir/filter under the CUT where the mower would normally mount, I could leave it on all the time. Then I could also use it for a wood splitter, or anything else I wanted to run hydraulically.

I should also mention that I want to do this partly as a learning experience- I like building my own stuff, and want to learn about hydraulic systems. I'd also like to get a little bigger CUT (more HP) in the next few years, so if this is marginal (but works) that'd be OK for a while.

So what am I missing here- will this work?

 

[Zephrant]

Well the most obvious issue may be the HP- the Erskine requests 21-27GPM at 2500-3000PSI. That's 30 to 47HP, way above my piddly 16 that I can provide.

Then again, the 60" PTO driven blowers say they'll run at 20hp.

The problem of course is without enough HP, I'll either not run fast enough to throw the snow, or bog down too fast when I move forward...

 

[wcpeabody]

I am trying to resist the temptation to buy a blower for my 770. Maybe you live up higher then I do and need to move more snow. I keep telling myself in a normal winter the back blade and FEL is plenty. The problem is, as you know, the past 2 winters have been way above average.

If I end up with one I am pretty sure it will be a used rear PTO unit. I just can justify the cost of a front mount or a rear pull. My 770 is 21hp at the PTO I think.

I have not heard any numbers yet but they are saying we are suppose to get snow this weekend.

Bill

 

[kennyd]

Well the most obvious issue may be the HP- the Erskine requests 21-27GPM at 2500-3000PSI. That's 30 to 47HP, way above my piddly 16 that I can provide.

Then again, the 60" PTO driven blowers say they'll run at 20hp.

The problem of course is without enough HP, I'll either not run fast enough to throw the snow, or bog down too fast when I move forward...

I also think that HP will be your limiting factor, as well as the weight of them for you loader. You need to find a smaller blower...

But all the other stuff is possible.

 

[Zephrant]

Last winter and this one have been really bad, but we've had at least three bad ones in the last 8 years, and only one or two where a blower would not have been used much. I've been plowing with my 7' blade on a Wagoner, and got tired of that. I'm moving to blowing, one way or another.

The weight is not too bad- 600-800#, pushing it for the loader but I was thinking it would be OK if I never lifted it more than a foot high. It'll spend its operating time on the ground in float mode.

But there does not appear to be a way around the HP requirements. Maybe I should just get the JD 47" one for $3200 and deal with it.

 

[kennyd]

But there does not appear to be a way around the HP requirements. Maybe I should just get the JD 47" one for $3200 and deal with it.

The Deere blower is expensive, no doubt there...But just to do the hydraulic setup your thinking of will be close to $1000 buy the time you buy the pump, reservoir, cooler, filter, hoses, fluid and QD's. Plus you have to put it all together.

 

[tlbuser]

So what am I missing here- will this work?

No, the pump rotation speed is wrong. The mid pto is not at 540 rpm. other than that, it probably would work out ok.

 

[fish6942]

For that kind of money I'd recommend you consider a 3PH blower. I picked up a very good condition 5 foot blower for $700. My BX2350 has 17 HP at the PTO and I haven't had a lack of power yet.

A front blower would be nice but for the cost adder, plus my continual FEL needs, I couldn't justify it.

 

[jgrreed]

I want to do the same thing and have doing some thinking about it. My 2 cents would be that the reservior will be kinda vulnerable hanging below the tractor like that, unless you put on a HD skid plate.

From what I've read, you can count on more like 80% efficiency from a system like that.

I was initially going to use the PTO switch as an on/off, but have since decided that I'd prefer to have a reversible, servo controlled valve in the circuit as well as a safety bypass valve. That'll save your bacon if you ever need to reverse a PHD, or if your blower or auger gets jammed. Apparently hydraulic motors don't take kindly to full power being applied to them when they come up against an immovable object.

I'm doing it partly (mostly....) as a learning experience as well, so stay in touch.

Wayne County Hose here on TBN is a good resource for hose, fittings, motors, etc.

FYI, I don't know what loader attachments your machine uses, but mine has the JD quik-tatch and Horst Welding makes pre-made mounts that you can simply weld onto the blower you choose, that'll make like easier for you.

-Jer.

 

[Zephrant]

I may have posted the wrong pump- they do make pumps designed for the 1000rpm of the mid PTO.

I was figuring about $1k for the pump/parts for it, and the used 60" blower will be at least $2.5 if not $3k. so no, I'm not saving anything over a $3200 JD 47" front-mount blower. But I get a hydraulic system for other uses, and a very quick change between the bucket and blower.

I just don't want to do a 1/4 mile hilly drive in the dark, backwards every time.

Jer- I was thinking the same on the reservoir, but figured I could put a sheet of 1/4" steel over it if it was a concern. It would be tucked up much higher than the tranny so I'd hit that on the stumps first I think. I was also considering getting a quick-hitch and mounting the tank it on that, between the posts. Partly it depends on how many gallons the tank has to be. I've read that it should at least match the GPM of the pump, but 10-20g is pretty big.

I was going to use a PRV next to the pump for protection, and also when the unit is off I'd put a short jumper hose on the quick-disconnects on the loader arm. That way if I engaged the PTO with the pump on it by accident it's running though an open loop, not dead-headed. That would also protect the QDs from dirt from loader use.

I think I have a quik-tatch on my bucket- I'll have to find a picture to compare.

But I'm about convinced that I don't have the HP to do this- certainly don't want to put over $4k in to it, lots of hours, then have nothing usable.

Ebay has several front-mount shaft drive blowers already for in the $2k range...