New Holland snowblower ?

[Lone Oak Landscaping]

Any one have any expierience with a 74 or 84 inch new holland snow blower ( I think woods makes them ) or any other brand front mounts for that matter,
would like to know how you think it works ( good ,bad or ugly any info is appericeated)
I currently have a 72 inch blade with the sub frame and was thinking of a front mount snow blower. Or a inverted erskine pull behind I plow commercialy during the winter and have too many driveways to be going in reverse the pronovost snow blowers look nice but my tractor a tc40da does not make enough pto horse power for thier smallest inverted blower.( I think 50 pto is the min.) Could I get away with it anyway or would it be a waste of money.

How well do the scrape down to the asphalt is one of my biggest concerens especialy after cars have driven over and packed down the snow. Thank you for any info you can give . John

 

[RADIUM]

well I can't speak as far as asphalt, but on my 1400 foot gravel driveway it rarely digs in I have the 84 inch model it's built like a tank no problem last winter tractor never slowed down my model is the 2420, my dealer tested my PTO output it was around 57 which goes to show you new Holland under rates there PTOs the tractor is supposed to only have 60 hp yet my PTO was putting out a little over 57 at 2500 RPM go figure . I would've bought the smaller model to save a little money but would not cover my rear tracks, due to the fact that I moved the tires out so far for stability. On my previous tractor a TC 40 DA I had the front mount snowblower 74 built pretty darn tough but nowhere near the 84 augurs or fans structural integrity. I don't believe it's Woods I was looking at other manufactures it looks more like a company out of Canada I just can't remember the name, either way you can't go wrong to tell you the truth I can't think of anyone with an asphalt driveway that doesn't complain about snowplowing or blowing they all seem to do some sort of damage nature of the beast ;-).

 

[RADIUM]

the most important thing I forgot to mention, I install a backup camera I never have to look back, as a matter of fact I'm going to get a bigger LCD screen installed inside the visor a friend owns a car audio shop, then just flip the sunshade down and back up all day long believe it or not it's really not that hard I maintain three other driveways of considerable length and curves last winter with a small 7 inch LCD and of course my side mirrors so just imagine how easy it's going to be with a 14 inch LCD . It's just something to think about it saves you a lot of money on a rear Mount snowblower take care

 

[Lone Oak Landscaping]

Thanks Radium, If you can remember about how much did the 74 front mount set you back, I already have the sub frame for the front blade so I guess I just need the mid pto and the blower . will it scrape down to the asphalt about as good as a plow thats all I need it to do?
The set up with the rear camera sounds sweet but I think I need a front mount or a rear pull (going forward ) mount snowblower for sure.
I plow on average about 12 to 14 hrs straight on the backside of a 1300 ft mountain with some really steep driveways and there is usually some wild sliding involved when it gets FREEZING RAIN and ICE so the rear mount is basically out for me.
The hydro trans is pretty scary at times when you slide from 1or 2 to 20mph in a few short feet without a clutch ,sometimes it is like having the brakes locked even in high rabbit with the forward pedal to the floor to try and gain steering traction . You just cant get the speed when it is steep to catch up with the slide speed otherwise I luv the hydro except for wishing it could be clutched when I slide 180 degrees or so. yeee haaaa
I have gotton pretty good a banging the shifter into neutral real quick weather it likes it or not just to be able to steer away from the cliff or ditch side of some driveways.
I have chains but only used them once because getting from one driveway to the next is WAY too slow with out shaking the tractor apart or rattleing my fillings out of my teeth so except for an all out ice storm the chains will just keep rusting away, I did run a few ice screw studs about the middle of last winter and the helped big time but I lost a few here and there and it does hole the tires some( a little )but I have to get the traction even though it damages the tires a bit. luckly no flats from any of the screws that pulled out , at least my tires anyway.
Any more description on how the front mout works like on powder or slushy snow is greatly appericeated ! I was glad to hear it is made pretty tough and if where I plowed wasn't such a steep nightmare I would go with a rear mount without hesitation.
Take care RADIUM ,John Lone Oak landscaping















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[RADIUM]

point well taken, I wouldn't care how big the LCD was I would want to back up either ;-). As far as prices go my tractor was equipped with the mid-PTO from the factory, snowblower subframe installation was close to $8500. If you check on this form I helped a guy back in September of 08 with his 45 I think it was close to 10,000+. They definitely will scrape low, my neighbor's driveway has slight scruff marks from the shoes, neighbor says no worse than the plow Company had done in the past. other advantages of the front snowblower it definitely throws snow further than my rear one, it also frees up your three point hitch for a back blade with a rubber edge to scrape down to the road. Now do yourself a favor I have a neighbor who had the rear pull type, he kept it for one season continuously packing up with wet heavy snow and breaking shear bolts, you will laugh if I can find the picture of the pile of snow pack in the blower or the time my blue tractor had to pull his green tractor out of a snow bank he drove into at -25 below, he walked to my place for help thank God he was all right just a little cold . well anyway you can't go wrong with that front snowblower I had mine for two seasons never a problem 48 inch snowstorm no sweat, to tell you the truth I would love a front mount snowblower on this new tractor it's just too expensive I was quoted close to $14,000 ouch. some photos the first picture February's 06 48 inch storm there is a car under that pile you can just about see my tire tracks a little close but better than digging by hand the second picture just a typical morning what they call around here a little storm.

 

[Lone Oak Landscaping]

Thanks Radium , If I can swing the money this year I will go with the front blower if not , I am using a 7 ft. blade easy to fit around the cars and such with a rear box blade .
The set up works well and around 8 grand for the blower I might just have to wait another year.
Best Whishes , John ---Lone Oak Landscaping----

 

[Charles Billings]

Hi,

Originally, I thought that I needed a front mount snow blower, but due to the cost (front mount about $8500) I ended up with a 72" Buhler pto/3-point hitch snow blower for my 1/4 mile steep driveway. At $2200 this has been one of the best attachments for payback that I own. Hiring someone at $50 per plow, sometimes 2-3 times a day, adds up quickly. Most times I wait until the snow storm is over before removing snow. If I had a blade it would take forever, and I would have to plow numerous times for the same storm to keep up with it. Running the tractor in reverse didn't end up to be as onerous as I thought. Having the loader on the front is a huge advantage to keep the snow banks in check, deliver sand to the icy spots, and to reach some difficult areas.

 

[stevem5215]

If anyone is looking for a deal on a 73" Allied snowblower let me know. I'm looking to sell it this fall.

Steve (Pittsburgh, Pa)

 

[Lone Oak Landscaping]

Sorry for picking your brain so much RADIUM , but one more question about the front mount ....
How were the controlls set up ?
What picked it up and down ? and what controlled the chute direction and chute deflector on the top ? Hydro off the loader stick control or electric or bolth ?
Hope I an not becoming a pain in the a$s with all the questions , and thank you for the pictures they are great I have to get my better half to teach me how to get some pictures posted.

 

[RADIUM]

No problem at all, that's what so great about these forms you can get a lot of insight and heads-up on all kinds of equipment. First off I'm glad you're going with the front to clear the snow so much safer on those winding mountain roads. Yes basically everything is run off the loader joystick up and down and shoot rotation however since you already have the plow I assume you control the up-and-down with a remote that will free up your two loader outs for rotation and deflection, the first year I didn't have the snow deflector, what a mistake getting out every time to adjust the snow throwing angle when the winds would whip up pain in the @@@ . I found some more pictures some of the snowblower without the hydraulic shoot deflect, angle shots of the tractor hooked up with the blower, and its final day waiting for the new tractor to be delivered and take my little baby away, boy I miss that front snowblower if you zoom in you can see the hydraulic deflector. Now there's one other thing in the pictures of the snowblower where the gear housing bolts to the blower it was held by two bolts on top and two on the bottom after two weeks the bolts would constantly work loose even with Loctite. I thought I had a picture of the repair but I can't find it so I'll try to draw it you'll get the idea tell your dealer if you do buy the snowblower you want him to put a plate of steel on the top to grab the next two bolts it stops the twisting action which loosens the gear housing as your snow blowing from vibration. My dealers dad is an ex-engineer he fabricates things you couldn't believe how professional it looks he welded a 4 inch plate continuing from where it ended you couldn't tell it look like it was always there and the best part no more loose bolts. Now I'm not the best at explaining things but I think you get the idea when you see the picture and maybe new Holland has changed the snowblower for my design but if not make sure they fix it you're going to be doing a lot of snow blowing it sounds like and it will definitely come loose. Well take care I should be getting my tractor back tomorrow or Tuesday from its recent mishap, I had his dad fix one other problem for me I think a lot of people will like this solution especially if you work in the fields with all the dust it entails the exhaust system going vertical .