kco
Veteran Member
When I bought my Kioti I also bought the front mount blower for it. ($8,000.oo)
I found that heavy wet snow and snow blowers do NOT get along. They plug up and I found that I spent more time clearing chute obstructions than actually blowing snow. I haven't used my front mount for three years and have no intentions of using it this year. In fact it is for sale the first 4 grand takes it AND the harness and drive shaft away. A bucket is better IMHO, because IF you get stuck you can pry yourself out with the bucket. You can't do that with the blower on the front.
I have a 72" MK Martin pull-type on my DK35SE HST. I can avoid heavy wet snow (we get a lot of it) plugging as long as I keep a good volume of snow going through it. I do that by adjusting the ground speed to ensure there is a continuous thick column blasting through the chute. If I need to stop or slow down I first raise the running blower so small amounts of snow are not entering it. When I lower it again I make sure I have it moving fast enough to keep the blower very busy. It seems that as long as it is pushing a continuous column the blower will not plug.
I do find the blower will occasionally plug if I leave it too long while raised but not blowing snow. When I start up again it can instantly plug. I think the snow on the side of the chute settles at the shelf at the lower end of the chute and the column of snow can't force it out when I start blowing again. It won't happen as long as I don't pause too long. It happens perhaps 2 to 3 times in a year. I carry a tree planter's spade ( Planting Shovels ) to clear the chute.