Looking at pull type snowblowers

[leonz]

Very interesting! I have a snow way plow which was on my old truck. I now have a new 1/2 ton and I'm hesitant to put the plow back on it. I looked into putting a front blade on my Kubota L3940 (40hp), but this rear front facing blower looks promising. My drive is about 200ft long but I also help maintain a 1/2 mile private drive. I'm in the snow belt of Lake Michigan. We get 75-100" in an average winter and so far my tractor with R4's hasn't been stuck, so I think I would have no problem with the forward facing blower.

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You may want to look at the Riest Single stage series 2000 pull type snow throwers as well since they have fewer parts and they require less power and being that the Canadian Dollars is weak the USD is more valuable in Canada.


www.riestindustries.com


Reist Industries Snow Throwers 2 Series Inverted - YouTube

 

[airbiscuit]

 

[airbiscuit]

They must be tough ..

 

[leonz]

Thanks for uploading the video airbiscuit.

I checked and they have a used Series 2000 pull type snow blower in stock model number 2087PT,
ID 13548542. it has a hydraulic drive motor for the chain driven chute rotation and a double acting hydraulic cylinder for spout control and requires two remote outlets

They want $5,000.00 Canadian dollars for it plus the 8 percent sales tax $400.00(Canadian dollars)which is refunded to the buyer at the border crossing station.

So the net cost to the buyer is $3,786.72 USD plus freight :drool:

 

[leonz]

It is just one more reason that a single stage front mounted snow thrower should be brought back to the US market for lawn tractors. Wheel Horse, Simplicity and IHC did it for years and they were bullet proof.

 

[NonTypicalCPA]

Which is better, single or two stage?

 

[radios1]

It is just one more reason that a single stage front mounted snow thrower should be brought back to the US market for lawn tractors. Wheel Horse, Simplicity and IHC did it for years and they were bullet proof.

they can't throw the snow as far though.. you can only make the auger go so fast, beyond that, it will fly apart, hence, the 2 stage..

 

[leonz]

Hello Radios1,

Yes they can and do, and no they will not fall apart as they are built much more strongly than 2 stage snow blowers of equivalent width of cut and the single stage units have fewer parts.

They have a lot of single stage snow blowers used on tractors and railroad snow plows in Europe.

My current toro snow pups continue to make my JDLA115 an embarrassment to own with their 2 cycle Tecumseh engines and direct belt drive with the paddle rotor. All I have needed is a drive belt and spark plug since for each one since 1996.


back to mules with snow blowers;

When the mule is pushing 540 RPM to the gearbox the snow blower rotor is rotating at 600+ revolutions per minute and the snow blower rotor can rotate even faster by changing the sprockets to smaller drive and driven sprockets which increases the drive sprocket speed and in the process it increases the driven sprocket speed on the snow blower rotor.

Snow removal comes down to five basic items that are required when using single stage and two stage snow throwers.

1. gross horse power
2. net horsepower available at the Power Take Off to create the torque needed to provide the force needed to spin the gear box when the implement is operated at the rated PTO speed of 1000 rpm OR 54O rpm.
a. hydrostatic transmissions and power trains are always subject to power loss from heat where the mechanical transmissions and their power take offs are gear driven.
3. adhesion from chains and or ballast weight
4. travel speed.
5. an operator that will not try to move to fast which complicates things as the snow pack is pushed forward with 2 stage machines whereas the single stage units pull all the snow into the snow blower rotor and eject it.

Two 2 stage snow blowers have open augers that will push the snow forward rather than break it up in to smaller pieces to be more efficiently disposed of.

The Riest single stage snow throwers tear into the snow pack and at a high speed of rotation and convey the smaller bits of snow pack into the center where the 4 paddles in the center eject it quickly up and out of the chute and spout.


In just one example with my past experience involving an original 1967 IHC Cub Cadet hydrostatic lawn tractor which is an excellent example; the V Belt drive to the one to one right angle bevel gear box to the final chain driven single stage snow blower I grew up with had no issues with throwing snow 50 or sixty feet with an original 12 horsepower 1967 IHC cub cadet with a horizontal crank Kohler engine.

I also used and owned wheel horse tractors with single stage snow throwers and they never had issues with any type of snow either.


5. The condition of the snow pack is the major factor as freeze thaw cycles will affect any single stage snow thrower or two stage snow blower performance.

Having a smaller mule 40 horse power mule with a turbo or a larger mule with a 60 horsepower engine with a larger engine frame size provides plenty for power for the single stage snow thrower like the series Riest series 1000 single stage or series 2000 single stage pull type snow thrower.

Two stage snow blowers cost less to make simply because they use thinner steel, no one admits that.

It takes a lot of work to engineer and build a single stage snow thrower as it take more steel with its large frame and side weldments.

1. trying to move too fast to clear snow will only cause you problems
2. the more power you have the better for snow removal BUT by simply traveling slower with a mule with less power you will still get the job done with a smaller mule with a single stage snow thrower as it has plenty of power and torque to do the job.

If your not going to operate the power take off at the 540 RPM speed and travel slowly to remove the snow pack you will have problems.

 

[NonTypicalCPA]

So I'm getting quotes of approximately $3,500 for a Sno-Way or Sno-Dogg quick attach snow plow for my FEL, or around $4,000 for a Meteor pull type blower. Between these two options, what do you like?

 

[airbiscuit]

So I'm getting quotes of approximately $3,500 for a Sno-Way or Sno-Dogg quick attach snow plow for my FEL, or around $4,000 for a Meteor pull type blower. Between these two options, what do you like?

My preference would be the Meteor rear pull snowblower with a loader on the front. You could always modify a ($500) truck plow to attach to your your loader if you felt the need.

 

[leonz]

Neither, but it's your money.

Did any of these folks ask to come out to see what your plowing???? I doubt it.


A plow mounted on your loader will eventually damage the loader frame from pushing snow and if you encounter a rock that it cannot pass over due to frost heaving you will damage the loader frame.

The loader frame on your L3940 is only ment to lift light materials not push them and pushing back snow banks will also stress the loader arms.

For the money a Riest Series 1000 rear mount with a change order to make it 2 feet wider to a 6 foot cut is money that is better spent and you will have fewer mechanical problems as it is a single stage.


Like I said it's your money, take a few minutes and call the Riest folks in Elmira Ontario and tell them what you want to do with your L3940 and ask how much a widened to six feet in cut Series 1000 would cost and compare that to the used series 2000 they have or sale. Just remember the snow blower rotor on the series 2000 pull type is 19 inches in diameter and you will have to drive slower.

The series one thousand rear mount will not require as much power in usable torque as the series 2000 pull behind would as the snow blower rotor is smaller being 13 inches in diameter.

The idea is to have numb dumb simplicity on a machine when you are on a tarp in a snowstorm working with a flashlight in your mouth with no gloves on trying to fix it. That is why I bought a kerosene fired space heater to work outdoors and also have a source of heat when I am changing shear pins on my JD junk 2 stage unit.
A single stage front or rear mounted snow thrower will only break a chain link or two if it encounters a problem.
You have to try to eat a cinder block to choke it and break the driven chain.
The four paddles in the center of the snow blower rotor throw the snow out faster and farther as snow blower rotor is rotating at 600+plus RPM.

A plow will eventually become of no use if the snow banks become so big it narrows the road or driveway and you will have to hire an operator with a back hoe to remove it all.
A rear mount snow blower or a hydraulic drive single stage snow thrower eliminates that as all the snow is removed to edge of the shoulder if the access road has one.
A rear mount pull behind snow blower or snow thrower is going require diligence in removing snow every few hours and you will need loaded tires and chains. my brother has the same frame size mule that you have and he gets his unit stuck because he does not have chains or ballasted tires and I stopped mentioning that he needs them.........................................

For what you want to do you could also look at a 6 foot wide Series 1000 with a hydraulic power pack mounted on the three point hitch to use it as a front mount snow thrower on the loader.

 

[screamin400]

So I'm getting quotes of approximately $3,500 for a Sno-Way or Sno-Dogg quick attach snow plow for my FEL, or around $4,000 for a Meteor pull type blower. Between these two options, what do you like?

I would take the Meteor.

 

[LouNY]

The blower,
however with a FEL mounted blade when the snow banks get to high they can be topped and pushed back,
also a FEL can move a snow bank back it may take time but it certainly can be done.
Of course I run good chains all winter.

 

[radios1]

So I'm getting quotes of approximately $3,500 for a Sno-Way or Sno-Dogg quick attach snow plow for my FEL, or around $4,000 for a Meteor pull type blower. Between these two options, what do you like?

it still makes more sense to me, to mount the snow thrower on the front, so you don't have to push through snow, and then, use reverse multiple times to get the snow next to a building or obstruction.. you have the tractor in front of the snowthrower with the pull type, and yes, I saw the videos.. backup, go forward, backup, go forward, it just don't make sense.. what road crews use this to clear streets, or airports, I never saw this type!..

 

[airbiscuit]

With a front blower doing the same driveways, you would drive forward, back up, drive forward, back up, etc. A front mount blower has the advantage of watching all the action, but you have no loader. Also expensive, and harder to come by. Tomato, Tomaaaato.

 

[radios1]

With a front blower doing the same driveways, you would drive forward, back up, drive forward, back up, etc. A front mount blower has the advantage of watching all the action, but you have no loader. Also expensive, and harder to come by. Tomato, Tomaaaato.

I'd like to see 25 Foot high snow being removed by a pull type snowblower!. 25-foot high drifts cover most of the 5 houses on Fort Erie's Edgemere Rd.; which runs parallel to Lake Erie. In some cases; only rooftops and chimneys are visible above the drifts that were built up by gale-force winds and heavy weekend snowfalls. Some residents emerged from their homes yesterday for the first time since Friday. Mark Repa walks down a roof-high drift yesterday on Edgemere Rd. : Virtual Reference Library

 

[airbiscuit]

I'd like to see any CUT clear 25 ft snow!

 

[screamin400]

So back to my original question for the folks that have actually used a pull type blower.

Looking at new pull type snowblowers in the 80-90 inch range. My dealer can get me the meteor brand but rumor was they were not special. The brochure looks nice but still just a brochure. This dealers and others can get me just about whatever I want up to 10k. I am going no where near that number so some of the best brands will be left out. If you were looking at a pull type 80-90 inch with a max of 5k what would you be looking at?

 

[NonTypicalCPA]

A front mount blower with the 3 point power pack is expensive - $10-15K. Not worth it to me. Our worst lake effect snows might be 24" over a couple days, but most of the time it's around 6" or so. Plus is southern Michigan we usually get warm, melting weather in between storms. It would be different if I was in the UP. I plowed for several years with a Kawasaki Mule and did just fine. I've never owned a blower and would like to try one I think. My local Kubota dealer can get the Meteor for $3,995. There are also dealers in the area that sell Pronovost and Erskine pull types. Any idea which is the better unit?

 

[NonTypicalCPA]

Pronovost Puma 72-IV

PUMA-72-IV - Pronovost