Inverted Snow Blower

[sd455dan]

Hey Roy, I’m a little north of you in the NEK. I have and had two, actually three rear pull style blowers or inverted.
My wife( girl friend first) had a Kubota 30 hp with a 72” snow way I think it was called. A TBN member now owns it( fitter1) it worked well with that tractor.

I bought a John Deere 5105m with a cab. I then got a Fransgard v style pull behind blower. It worked well but was longer and had a smaller fan along with only four blades.

I then sold that one( to an old neighbor who blew up his Fransgard. Welded drive line, no shear bolt) and bought a Normand 92” inverted. 2018 model only used once for four hours! It was only a little over $6k bought in Canada.

I clear our driveway and a 1/2 mile of class 4 road. These work amazing and to me the only way to go. I have studded ice chains and I can go in as deep of snow that I can drive through. I always run my tractor in epto and never run out of power. In a 3-4’ storm( if we ever get one?) I would go out 2-3 times.

My old v style I have a picture of it handling 2’ of snow.plow guy usually plow every 6” plus or minus. Blowing is slower but once it goes through the machine, it’s gone forever. No banks to push back, if you needed to the loader on the front takes care of that.

I will post some pictures of both units.

JohnView attachment 772710View attachment 772711View attachment 772712

I am sad to tell you this, but Roy passed away.

We were both wanting Inverted blowers. I was shocked to hear he had passed.

I think the reason he said he wasn't overly interested in commercial Inverted users was the same use idea as mine- which is more for a long driveway use versus short residential parking space type commercial blowing.
I will sure miss Roy's posts.

 

[Beaver Cove Deere]

Hey Roy, I’m a little north of you in the NEK. I have and had two, actually three rear pull style blowers or inverted.
My wife( girl friend first) had a Kubota 30 hp with a 72” snow way I think it was called. A TBN member now owns it( fitter1) it worked well with that tractor.

I bought a John Deere 5105m with a cab. I then got a Fransgard v style pull behind blower. It worked well but was longer and had a smaller fan along with only four blades.

I then sold that one( to an old neighbor who blew up his Fransgard. Welded drive line, no shear bolt) and bought a Normand 92” inverted. 2018 model only used once for four hours! It was only a little over $6k bought in Canada.

I clear our driveway and a 1/2 mile of class 4 road. These work amazing and to me the only way to go. I have studded ice chains and I can go in as deep of snow that I can drive through. I always run my tractor in epto and never run out of power. In a 3-4’ storm( if we ever get one?) I would go out 2-3 times.

My old v style I have a picture of it handling 2’ of snow.plow guy usually plow every 6” plus or minus. Blowing is slower but once it goes through the machine, it’s gone forever. No banks to push back, if you needed to the loader on the front takes care of that.

I will post some pictures of both units.

JohnView attachment 772710View attachment 772711View attachment 772712

That 92" Normand is a beast and you got it for great money.

 

[Beaver Cove Deere]

I am sad to tell you this, but Roy passed away.

We were both wanting Inverted blowers. I was shocked to hear he had passed.

I think the reason he said he wasn't overly interested in commercial Inverted users was the same use idea as mine- which is more for a long driveway use versus short residential parking space type commercial blowing.
I will sure miss Roy's posts.

That's sad news.

 

[leonz]

The is definitely sad news to hear

 

[Jrob730]

I am sad to tell you this, but Roy passed away.

We were both wanting Inverted blowers. I was shocked to hear he had passed.

I think the reason he said he wasn't overly interested in commercial Inverted users was the same use idea as mine- which is more for a long driveway use versus short residential parking space type commercial blowing.
I will sure miss Roy's posts.

I’m sorry to hear this and apologize for being late to the post!

If anyone has questions, please ask away!

John

 

[Jrob730]

That 92" Normand is a beast and you got it for great money.

It is a beast for sure! You can not go wrong with either Normand and Pronovost. Both of these are commercial products.

Th other ones are very similar and would hold up excellent for homeowner use / light commercial for sure!

They are all basically the same design when it comes down to it!

 

[screamin400]

I understand your logic on a long driveway. I do some that are longer but would not call them long by some folks idea of long. I am unsure where distance comes in though? I do some driveways that are 300' and I do them the same as one 75'. I think if you have one a quarter mile or more it would be the same. I would rather drive forward for that distance than backing up. I have had many back up blowers and I find my pull type rides over gravel better when not frozen. I believe it follows the tractor better. I see no downside to inverted until we have a massive snow. If you do not have tractor enough to drive through some snow that will be an issue. Weight of these things are more than conventional. If you are borderline on lift capacity inverted may not work. I am also not on here waiving pom poms that they are the best thing ever. Everything has a drawback if you look hard enough for it. I still have to look back. I am not running a machine like this and not watch it. Many guys say no looking back. That is not the case for me.

 

[airbiscuit]

... I see no downside to inverted until we have a massive snow. If you do not have tractor enough to drive through some snow that will be an issue....

I agree. Unless you regularly get 4' snowdrifts or you do not have tractor enough to drive through some snow, an inverted is a great snow clearing option. I've had a conventional 3pt blower and an inverted. The inverted has cut my snowblowing time in half. Yes, I still look back occasionally to monitor the operation, but with the conventional 3pt blower, I had to look backwards all the time.

I occasionally do our 1/2 mile private road and frequently do my neighbors driveways. Short or long, the inverted blower is faster and easier.


I'd do more cheering, but I can't find my pom poms.

 

[screamin400]

I agree. Unless you regularly get 4' snowdrifts or you do not have tractor enough to drive through some snow, an inverted is a great snow clearing option. I've had a conventional 3pt blower and an inverted. The inverted has cut my snowblowing time in half. Yes, I still look back occasionally to monitor the operation, but with the conventional 3pt blower, I had to look backwards all the time.

I occasionally do our 1/2 mile private road and frequently do my neighbors driveways. Short or long, the inverted blower is faster and easier.

Mostly I use my rear pull for my driveway, around buildings, etc. And a quick in and out of neighbors driveways. Occasionally I blow out 1/2 mile road. Easy/Peasy

I have to look back as I am for hire and most driveways are 100' or less. It is impressive how quickly I can blow over a light pole side the driveway. With going ahead and back short distances I think the looking back is probably pretty equal. If doing only your own driveway I expect you could almost never look back. My Cyclone is the newer hybrid style of pull type. It works great for me but a bit of overkill for a homeowner. The advantages are getting closer to the garage door and less snow into the road. The cost would be prohibitive though for a homeowner. The basic style does a fine job and if wanted you can also mount a rear scraper on them.

 

[ChesapeakeBoy]

I just put the chains on yesterday.... I have a 74 Normand on my MX6000. I can drive through 15-18" of wind packed snow... A fresh snow... I am sure a bit more. I have euro chains on all 4 corners. I absolutely hated using a traditional 3 point blower... I ran 72" skid steer blower off an auxiliary tank. For DEEP snow, drifts or piles.. that was great! I have 3/8 of a mile of gravel. The inverted is great! I picked mine up in June of 2020 used for $3k. It does weigh 840#