Snow Pull behind snowblower

[carlhwv]

My neighbor just bought a B26. We share a 1/4 mile lane. We can have snowy winters, most storms are in the 4-6" range. He told me about a pull behind blower he is looking at. Anyone have experience with these? I just have an 84" bucket and back blade on my m7040. I mostly use my 4wheeler and blade on the smaller snows as it goes pretty quick. Not sure what model he is looking at but it has to cost some $$$$. Are we going to see some value it this attachment ?

 

[Thomas]

Not sure about newer rear pull blowers but the older ones work good if rear tire had chains,only problem we had was pack snow drifts

 

[Tor Arne]

pull behinde snowblower works just fine, is it a 2Stage or V type? If it is V type make sure it is straight side walls on it otherwise you're going to be royal p**** first time it's wet snow to blow

 

[Fallon]

Your M7040 might be able to pull one, but not a B. You need to be able to drive throug the snow & drifts. My L3200 often had problems with drifts & wet heavy snows here in CO. Pull behind is cool if you are big enough to drive through the snow & pull it. If 6" is the most snow you get probaby not an issue, unlike the 3-4' drifts I get.

 

[carlhwv]

Thanks for the feedback guys. We talked about it this morning while we were laying salt for the for the freezing rain that fell. It's a two stage and he really wants it. In 10 years we have only had three big snows over 18" so I guess we will see. I guess the bucket will get a workout on any bigger ones.

 

[SeymourBota]

Thanks for the feedback guys. We talked about it this morning while we were laying salt for the for the freezing rain that fell. It's a two stage and he really wants it. In 10 years we have only had three big snows over 18" so I guess we will see. I guess the bucket will get a workout on any bigger ones.

Our former neighbor used to clear our 1/2 mile access road with this type of blower. He just made a pass every 4-6" of snow. He was retired and really enjoyed it!!

 

[airbiscuit]

Thanks for the feedback guys. We talked about it this morning while we were laying salt for the for the freezing rain that fell. It's a two stage and he really wants it. In 10 years we have only had three big snows over 18" so I guess we will see. I guess the bucket will get a workout on any bigger ones.

Friends don't let friends stop them from spending money on implements.

 

[fishhead]

I use a pull behind for the bulk of my clearing, and love it. For me its the best way by far to clear my 6/10 mile road and my neighbors odd shaped drives. I even like it better than a previous front blower.

In this case I would have 2 areas of concern, hp and weight. It looks like he only has 19 pto hp and tractor is relatively small for a heavy rear implement hanging off the back. Generally speaking you usually see inverted blowers on larger tractors and as a result there are not many smaller blowers on the market, I just did some looking and found 2- 60 in ( erskine and lucknow) and 2 68in (normand and mk martin)

Of those i am guessing the erskine might be the easiest to get in the mid-atlantic but it is pretty heavy-840 lbs - that might easily cause steering issues on snow unless you put a fair amount of weight in front. The lucknow is almost 300 lbs lighter and has a bigger fan (22 vs 20 inches) but i am guessing they might be a bit hard to come by

if they go up to the 68 in blowers they then can clear a 10ft swath in one up and back but might have to go a bit slower. Can't seem to find a weight on the meteor but the normand is about the same as the lucknow.

As far as use an inverted works great on a 4-6 inch snow, where there could be an issue is if you get a noreaster and don't clear during the storm- an inverted blower needs you to be able to drive the tractor through the snow- if you can't drive through it you are bucketing or backing up and going forward repetitively. On that small a tractor i don't think the lift height would be enough to really enable the second method.

Not sure if the drive is paved- that really helps with any blower in an area with marginal temps as you may not get to build an ice layer to protect the gravel. One of the things i like about my pull blower is that i use it for pretty much any time it snows, even quite small ones, if i waited for a big snow like most do with a rear push i would not see the value as much.

hope this helps

 

[carlhwv]

Very good points. We have blacktop. He got turf tires and has it chained up on the rear. I'm a bit concerned about his front but I guess we will see pretty GUI like how it goes. His drive is steer...12.5 degrees for about 100 yards till it intersects the lane which is 4-7 degrees to the top. I've got enough weight coming in about 10k lbs and don't use chains in fear of destroying the blacktop. Half the snows it's quicker for me to run the 4wheeler up and down with a 60" blade. I tried going down to his house but needed chains to plow up. I tried the tractor one time and lost traction enough not to feel comfortable. I really appreciate the feedback which will help us plan our strategy. With one ice storm under our belt so far I think we will have ample opportunity to figure it all out.

 

[fishhead]

if he does not have blower yet i would lean toward the normand, on plow site numerous posters have claimed that they plus less than the alternatives. I have a pronovost and it does really well with the wet stuff but they don't make them small enough for him

I would say with chains and on pavement he would do well , just won't be able to haul ***, he may end up wanting front chains for control but he ought to try filling his bucket for a counter weight first

 

[fishhead]

my first time with *** coming up -too funny

if he does not have blower yet i would lean toward the normand, on plow site numerous posters have claimed that they plus less than the alternatives. I have a pronovost and it does really well with the wet stuff but they don't make them small enough for him

I would say with chains and on pavement he would do well , just won't be able to haul ***, he may end up wanting front chains for control but he ought to try filling his bucket for a counter weight first

 

[kco]

I use a pull behind for the bulk of my clearing, and love it. For me its the best way by far to clear my 6/10 mile road and my neighbors odd shaped drives. I even like it better than a previous front blower.

In this case I would have 2 areas of concern, hp and weight. It looks like he only has 19 pto hp and tractor is relatively small for a heavy rear implement hanging off the back. Generally speaking you usually see inverted blowers on larger tractors and as a result there are not many smaller blowers on the market, I just did some looking and found 2- 60 in ( erskine and lucknow) and 2 68in (normand and mk martin)

Of those i am guessing the erskine might be the easiest to get in the mid-atlantic but it is pretty heavy-840 lbs - that might easily cause steering issues on snow unless you put a fair amount of weight in front. The lucknow is almost 300 lbs lighter and has a bigger fan (22 vs 20 inches) but i am guessing they might be a bit hard to come by

if they go up to the 68 in blowers they then can clear a 10ft swath in one up and back but might have to go a bit slower. Can't seem to find a weight on the meteor but the normand is about the same as the lucknow.

As far as use an inverted works great on a 4-6 inch snow, where there could be an issue is if you get a noreaster and don't clear during the storm- an inverted blower needs you to be able to drive the tractor through the snow- if you can't drive through it you are bucketing or backing up and going forward repetitively. On that small a tractor i don't think the lift height would be enough to really enable the second method.

Not sure if the drive is paved- that really helps with any blower in an area with marginal temps as you may not get to build an ice layer to protect the gravel. One of the things i like about my pull blower is that i use it for pretty much any time it snows, even quite small ones, if i waited for a big snow like most do with a rear push i would not see the value as much.

hope this helps

The MK Martin brochure here:

http://mkmartin.ca/files/brochures/snow_equipment_2015.pdf

says their 68" pull type weighs 671 pounds.

I am also a fan of the pull-type blower. I have a MK Martin 75" on my DK35 SE. Although rated at just 28 PTO HP it easily handles the blower for my conditions. It easily handles up our normally maximum 12" heavy, wet snowfalls in medium range and had no trouble with a 27-year record snowfall of two years ago as shown in this thread:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...cknow-snowblower-post4063330.html#post4063330

I regularly clear 4,000' of my neighbours' and my driveways. We get several 12" or less snowfalls of heavy, wet snow. Winter is humid and 95% cloudy so the snow keeps building up over the winter. If it is plowed with a blade the driven surface eventually gets narrower and you must knock back the ridges. We also get no wind or drifting. A pull-type blower is ideal for such conditions.

 

[airbiscuit]

if he does not have blower yet i would lean toward the normand, on plow site numerous posters have claimed that they plus less than the alternatives. I have a pronovost and it does really well with the wet stuff but they don't make them small enough for him

I would say with chains and on pavement he would do well , just won't be able to haul ***, he may end up wanting front chains for control but he ought to try filling his bucket for a counter weight first

 

[carlhwv]

Nice example.

 

[roadhunter]

Your M7040 might be able to pull one, but not a B. You need to be able to drive throug the snow & drifts. My L3200 often had problems with drifts & wet heavy snows here in CO. Pull behind is cool if you are big enough to drive through the snow & pull it. If 6" is the most snow you get probaby not an issue, unlike the 3-4' drifts I get.

That was my thought as well after seeing a foreign member post pic son the "snow weapons" thread. I don't understand why you would want to drive over a snow drift and then let the blower clean up behind. It packs the snow under the treads which causes problems and as the tractor climbs over the drifts the rear implement would need to be adjusted constantly to keep it close to the ground. I guess it would work if you lived in a place that got only light and fluffy snow in small quantities and no drifts.

 

[PILOON]

Hey guys, pull behind plows are for contractors that do suburb drives that are every 60 - 100 ft apart and speed is $$$.
Those guys run 80-100 HP tractors and do a drive every 3-4 mins.
Each tractor has maybe 100-150 clients.
Added to the above the tractors are shared , 1/2 for snow and 1/2 for farming with the dealer setting up all the lease contracts.
Complicated dealings but it works.

 

[airbiscuit]

Here is a little less expensive version ...

 

[fishhead]

If you are dealing with significant drifting often then, no, an inverted blower is not the weapon of choice, but the front range and the plains where you guys are from are some of the windier places in the lower 48. The OP is in western maryland, The drifting issue can exist but its just not the same.

The epicenter of the rear pull blower craze seems to have been in quebec then spreading west into ontario and east into atlantic canada, I researched this bunch before i bought and some of these contractors are in areas that get over 200 inches annually - something like 3 times Parker CO and 5 times the highest numbers for snowfall i have found for nebraska. From what i've seen on plow site its not all fluffy either.

Sure a rear push is better for super deep snow, but where the op lives he might get a multi foot storm every few years and that snow doesn't all fall in a couple of hours, So clearing with the storm is not really hard to do. In the case of it all falling uncleared then he might be able to drive through it in which case it will blow it (the compaction issue just plain does not exist) . If not then he can repetitively back into it and drive forward- not ideal but it will work the rare time this occurs. In exchange he does not have to deal with a rear push for all his clearing.

I think the issue is that every one reads snowblower and thinks clearing deeper snow, drifting etc. and that small snows should just be plowed or bladed. These things are different. I just go out and clear my drive 1 inch or 18 wet or dry or slush and it just does it. i don't have to think about height or blade angle, just where to point the spout so i never have to touch the snow again. I don't have to look back very often i just drive. Having the bucket on the front at the same time is just a total win as well.

That was my thought as well after seeing a foreign member post pic son the "snow weapons" thread. I don't understand why you would want to drive over a snow drift and then let the blower clean up behind. It packs the snow under the treads which causes problems and as the tractor climbs over the drifts the rear implement would need to be adjusted constantly to keep it close to the ground. I guess it would work if you lived in a place that got only light and fluffy snow in small quantities and no drifts.

 

[fishhead]

Fallon
were you plowing with the 3200? I am not sure what the limit is depth wise yet for my tractor but it needs more traction to push the snow than to drive through and blow it up to that point , and then if you are plowing or blading you have heavy piles to deal with.

A B26 probably weighs more than a l3200 btw 3000 lbs vs 2600

Your M7040 might be able to pull one, but not a B. You need to be able to drive throug the snow & drifts. My L3200 often had problems with drifts & wet heavy snows here in CO. Pull behind is cool if you are big enough to drive through the snow & pull it. If 6" is the most snow you get probaby not an issue, unlike the 3-4' drifts I get.

 

[Fallon]

Fallon
were you plowing with the 3200? I am not sure what the limit is depth wise yet for my tractor but it needs more traction to push the snow than to drive through and blow it up to that point , and then if you are plowing or blading you have heavy piles to deal with.

A B26 probably weighs more than a l3200 btw 3000 lbs vs 2600

I was plowing & blowing with it until I sold it. It ran off with my plow. I'm trying to sell the 60" blower as it doesnt fit my 72" track L4060. I started out with the plow & could plow a foot & a half with 2' drifts in good conditions. Then we got under a foot of nasty wet slush. I couldnt drive through it, much less plow. Ended up getting the blower after that. I still plowed 90% of the time, but flipped a 180 to blow drifts that were to big.

My L3200 was about 3,500lbs with loader, loaded R4s + the 600-700lbs for the bower. Adding front chains increased my capacity by about 25% & allowed steering when plowing. You cant fit rear chains with R4s unless you get wheel spacers. Gonna see how the L4060 goes before getting chains