Snow Attachments Looking for guidance on NH 716B 60" snowblower for my TC21D

berda · Oct 29, 2019

I recently purchased a NH TC21D Boomer tractor 4WD for mowing and snow removal on our 3 acre property (21HP). The tractor did come with a blade but I have been searching for a 48" front mount 2 stage snowblower 716B which has been challenging.

According to the original literature that came with the tractor, the 21hp model should be equipped with the 716b 48" front mount snowblower. I am not able to find any for sale right now.

I was able to find a 60" model that is reasonably close to where I live. Based on my research, most of the parts between the 716b 48" and 60" blower are the same (like the PTO shaft for example). I know it is not recommended to run a 60" blower on the 21hp machine (16hp PTO).

My question is, would I be able to get by using this 60" unit to clear my 100' driveway in the midwest winter if I went slowly and did not take full bites out of the snow? I have seen some posts where people have said they are running their Kubota 21HP with a 60" + front mount without issue. I also spec'd out a new 21HP Kubota on their website and they list a 63" front mount as an option for that machine.

The operators manual shows the 48" can be run by tractors all the way down to 15HP (the NH 1120) and larger. The 60" shows a 25HP (NH 1530) as the smallest. Been hard to find an in between. Also, is there another two stage NH model that might fit my tractor that I could be looking for?

Any feedback/opinions are appreciated.

Adam

leonz · Oct 29, 2019

Hello Adam, welcome to the forum.

Do you have chains for your mule? Are the rear tires loaded with liquid ballast or are there wheel weights mounted on it?

If you have a creeper gear on this tractor or cruise control it "might" be able to handle the need for the required torque.
Its better of have the smaller blower because of the torque needed to run a two stage snow blower as they are very poor
snow blowers due to the open auger design.

If you want a front mount the only route would be to use a bercomac two stage snow blower.

To get the right model you should call Jims tractor as he sells a lot of bercomac front mounts for both
new and used tractors in many horse power classes.

berda · Oct 29, 2019

Hi Leonz,

The tractor is 4WD and does have high and low range gears. I have turf tires with no chains or weights on them. The prior owner used the 60" blade for clearing snow so I'm assuming he didn't have issues with traction. I could always add chains or weight later on if needed.

Reb954 · Oct 29, 2019

How deep of snow do you plan on blowing and how wet or dry is the average snow?

Where you are only blowing 100' of driveway I wouldn't hesitate to go with the wider blower but that depends some on the answer to the above questions. If you are blowing a foot of wet heavy snow you may struggle a bit to make the first pass but then you can take less than full width cuts. If the snow is a foot of dry snow you should be able to just pick a gear and go.

ruffdog · Oct 29, 2019

If it is enough snow to be blown, it will be too much for a 60" on your tractor. We had 3 ft of hard drifts and my TC33D worked to crawl through it with a 60" blower. It will all depend on the type of snow you plan on using it in.

RNeumann · Oct 29, 2019

The main issue with the front mount blowers is typically the are model specific. Not the blower itself, but all the mounting brackets etc. I’d be hesitant to get a front mount that wasn’t designed for my specific machine. With that said, I’d be inclined to look for the proper width rear mounted blower. Blowers are slower than blades and getting a blower that is too big is only going to slow you down more!

If you need to blow the snow because of space or other restrictions go with a rear mounted. Cheaper, simpler and more common. Plus you are only doing 100 feet. It’s not like you have a 3 mile driveway and you are going to be facing backwards for days on end. The other advantage of the rear blower is the fact you can leave the front blade on.

leonz · Oct 30, 2019

berda said:
Hi Leonz,

The tractor is 4WD and does have high and low range gears. I have turf tires with no chains or weights on them. The prior owner used the 60" blade for clearing snow so I'm assuming he didn't have issues with traction. I could always add chains or weight later on if needed.

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Hello and good morning berda,

Keep in mind that a snow plow can be a curse with a small mule when the snow banks freeze solid AND using a snow blower eliminates any snow banks except for the ones the municipality leaves you and leaves you saddled with the END OF DRIVEWAY MONSTER TO GET RID OFF.

Would you mind filling out the rest of your information as a fellow member of the forum may be closes to you and can help you further.

It will be easier on you and the mule to have a rear mount as it will cost you less to buy and own as it will only need 540RPM to run it through a right angle gearbox.

The mid mount PTO will be running at 2,200RPM+- and it will need a gearbox reverser on the snowblower frame to run it.
Front mount snow blower frames are vicious nasty things that will attack you with no hesitation and cause major bruising, cuts and stubbed toes.
A rear mount does not take up the room of a front mounted snow blower either. I have given up hoping my junk JD/RAD snow blower gets stolen.

The nice thing about a rear mount is you can afford to buy a wider one and simply make half cuts after the first pass.

As a new user you will have to decide how much money you can afford to spend on a rear mount and then which brand to buy.

As a new user, buying a well known brand of rear mount snow blower is a primary factor for you as that company is in the business of building all types of farm implements.

The representative dealer of this farm equipment brand will stock parts for it in their inventory too and if you have a warranty issue it will be repaired locally.

berda · Oct 30, 2019

Thanks for the feedback all! I am deciding to go with a rear mount 48" - 60" for this mule as originally spec'd in the manual. Appreciate the info. If anyone has a 716C for sale shoot me a message!