Rear snowblowers

[BlacknTan]

I'm starting to think about winter and clearing snow with my B-7800.. I've decided to keep the FEL in place for the winter so I'm committed to a rear blower..
I've done a search and read many of the snowblower threads.
What i'd like, is first hand experience and degree of satisfaction with the different brands, including the Kubota blower, on thractors in this size range.
Also, being in NY's North Country, I need something a local dealer handles or can get..

 

[BXRICK]

I used a rear blade to clear snow (probably not as much as you...) for two years. Then, last July, I bought a rear snowblower.
It was great. We didn't get too much snow - only a couple of storms over 4 inches - but it sure moved what we did get very well.
Like you, I wanted to keep the FEL on, so I opted for a rear blower.

My comments:
- Depending on your driveway surface, you'll likely need a few spare shear pins. Don't wait until during the storm to round these up. Carry the wrenches to install them with you.
- You do have to drive backwards. I don't consider this a problem. I was doing it with the backblade.
- Between driving backwards and having to control speed to match the blower's throughput, I suspect a gear tractor would be a bit difficult. My HST was easy, though.
- I have a BX. The whole thing may be easier or harder with a larger tractor.
- Most of my driveway is bordered by woods. I could therefore turn the chute to blow to either side, so I was always blowing downwind, which kept the snow off of me. It easily can blow snow across the driveway, so you can drive on the right side and blow all the way to the left side.
- If you don't already have them, you'll want backup light(s). It's always dark in the winter. You don't need much light - when the ground is covered with snow, any light bounces around a lot. You're not going very fast, so a single light facing mostly down works just fine.

-Rick

 

[SacandagaBrad]

Where in the Adirondacks are you? I just had a back and forth on a NH thread describing my satisfaction with a Woods unit with a hydraulic chute. You can check that out if you're interested.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/nh-owning-operating/104987-rear-hydraulic-remote-tz25.html

A few dealers down in my neck of the woods in the southern part of the Dacks, not sure what you have in the north country.

Brad

 

[MichaelE]

I have used a Lorentz 5' rear blower for many years. It has been on a couple of other tractors I've had but most recently my B2910. It works well, I have a graveled drive, so the first couple of snows I keep it up an inch or two so you're not blowing all your gravel onto the lawn. Once you have a hard pack, you can put it all the way down. I use a remote valve that turns the chute with a small hyd. motor. I am satisfied with the durability of this unit. They are made in Benson, Minnesota

 

[BlacknTan]

Thanks fellas for the replies..

Brad, I'm a little North of you in Indian Lake.. I assume you're down around Northville??

Thanks for the link, That SS54 looks great in NH Blue!

 

[joe48]

I have a 60" SMYTH made in Canada ( they know snow) , which I purchased in the summer at TSC and got a great clearance deal. This machine is very heavily built and rugged. My only complaint is it doesnt have adjustable skid shoes. I had to add my own for my gravel drive. My Kioti Ck20 HST (18pto hp)handled it just fine , the only thing that slowed it down were heavy frozen piles I had made with the loader but with HST just slow down. Normally the CK20 will handle 6-12 snow a fast as you can drive in reverse.
And yes you definitly need auxillary lights on the rops for night work.

 

[art]

The bulk of the blowers we sell up there are front mount and a good one helps! One of my favorites is the provenost line made above the border. The Puma is their economy line and pretty good compared to many but then they also have the commercial line which is one of the best I've worked with. I would recommend that you get hydraulic rotation as it makes it real easy to adjust the direction the snow is going. When we clean out the banks at the store with these we get people just stoping on the road to watch it blow as it clears the wires and then some with good distance.
There are other blowers that are well built to with good clean welds and detail but there commercial are about the best I've seen.

 

[hench861]

im in lancaster ny i bought a meteor from romance and sons in arcade new york works great on my b7200

 

[SacandagaBrad]

Brad, I'm a little North of you in Indian Lake.. I assume you're down around Northville??

Yeah, I'm between Mayfield and Northville. I used to have relatives in Indian Lake and still have a few over in North Creek.

Where do go for a dealer? Glens Falls area I would assume?

Brad

 

[driver444]

The company I work for has a b-7800 with a "Blizzard" rear mount snowblower. It's a 64 inch wide unit, and it uses the tractor's hydraulics to control the chute.

Anyway, that machine took care of anything we could throw at it this past winter. I'm in upstate New York too, and I used it during the Valentine's day storm and the one after that, which dumped a couple feet on us. Very impressive..

 

[BlacknTan]

Thanks for all the replies. I've got some homework to do!

Brad, got my Kubota from Evans Equipment in Remsen, out west. Great people to deal with. It was between them and Whites, in Lowville, who also has a great reputation. Evans was just a tad closer.
I don't believe Kubota has a presence in Glens Falls anymore. The JD dealer recently took on Branson.
Out to the East , I had to go all the way to Salem Farm supply. Good people, but, I would have had to travel thru the city when I needed parts. Don't like cities or the traffic involved..

Thanks Art, maybe we can do business on one of those Pronovost's, as that's the way I'm leaning.. But, I'd like to hear more about the Kubota blower..

 

[ByronBob]

Thanks for all the replies. I've got some homework to do!

Brad, got my Kubota from Evans Equipment in Remsen, out west. Great people to deal with. It was between them and Whites, in Lowville, who also has a great reputation. Evans was just a tad closer.
I don't believe Kubota has a presence in Glens Falls anymore. The JD dealer recently took on Branson.
Out to the East , I had to go all the way to Salem Farm supply. Good people, but, I would have had to travel thru the city when I needed parts. Don't like cities or the traffic involved..

Thanks Art, maybe we can do business on one of those Pronovost's, as that's the way I'm leaning.. But, I'd like to hear more about the Kubota blower..

I don't think Kubota makes a RMSB so your going to have to buy an aftermarket brand for the rear.

I too am looking for a RMSB and the meteor brand is nice but they don't have a web site to look at. That makes me a little nervous about getting one. The others as is mentioned are good choices.

The woods model is really heavy in weight which makes me wonder if a BX could pick it up.

 

[hench861]

i think meteor is made by another company ill look in my lit and let you know i know its made in canada

 

[BXRICK]

The blower I bought is a Meteor. It's made by Forage King in Elmira, ONT.
It does not have perfect fit and finish, but it's not bad. Definitely solid.
I have the manual shute rotation.
I paid, I think, $1000 for it, new, July 2006.
That seemed overpriced, until I used it, at which point, I didn't care.

Mine is I think 44", maybe 42". It covers the tracks.
I use it in a BX1500, which handles it just fine. It's possible to bog down, but only when doing the plow drifts on the road.
I might actually modify the chute rotator, since on my small tractor, it can hit me in the head when the blower is raised.

 

[8561]

The Meteor is a decent blower, I have one with both hydraulic rotation and hydraulic chute deflection. However, it is not as nicely made, nor nearly as heavily built as the Pronovost Puma. The Blizzard is also a nice unit. The fan tolerances on the Meteor are not as tight (at least on the units I have seen) as the Pronovost. I chose the Meteor to save a few bucks because it is adequate for my needs. I have a short driveway, and the lighter duty Metoer is fine for what I need.

 

[WayneB]

Hi Bill, I have a woods rear snowblower for my B-7500 and looked at getting the front end snowblower, but the cost was much more than I wanted to spend plus I wanted to keep the use of my FEL.

Dealer told me that it was really simple to attach and remove the front-end blower and hook up the FEL. Well, I just couldn't see me doing that during the winter, just too **** cold!

At first I was worried about looking backward to blow snow, but soon found out that I could basically turn sideways in the seat and blow the snow. Always in low gear and going slow so it is pretty easy to manage.

I use my heated snowmobile helmet, which keeps the visor cleaned off when the snow blows back into the tractor! A motorized or hydraulic snow deflector would be nice, but I have not had too much of a problem manually adjusting the direction. Our driveway is about 1000 feet down hill so it is just a bunch of seat time.

I use to plow the snow, but once the banks got up a bit it was impossible to move the snow so I would spend a bunch of time with the FEL moving the banks back. Now I still have banks but they are 20 to 30 feet away from the driveway.

Buy extra shear pins and keep them available. On the woods the pin is at the yoke of the PTO shaft where it attaches to the tractor, so it is a pain to change and each time I have had to remove the PTO shaft to do it.

We have a place in New York up near South Colton on the Raquette River. We spend a good amount of time there during the spring summer and fall, but winter we tend to stay away and wait for the snow to melt in the spring.

Wayne

 

[8561]

Wayne - where do you plug in the helmet?

 

[BlacknTan]

Hi Bill, I have a woods rear snowblower for my B-7500 and looked at getting the front end snowblower, but the cost was much more than I wanted to spend plus I wanted to keep the use of my FEL.

Dealer told me that it was really simple to attach and remove the front-end blower and hook up the FEL. Well, I just couldn't see me doing that during the winter, just too **** cold!

At first I was worried about looking backward to blow snow, but soon found out that I could basically turn sideways in the seat and blow the snow. Always in low gear and going slow so it is pretty easy to manage.

I use my heated snowmobile helmet, which keeps the visor cleaned off when the snow blows back into the tractor! A motorized or hydraulic snow deflector would be nice, but I have not had too much of a problem manually adjusting the direction. Our driveway is about 1000 feet down hill so it is just a bunch of seat time.

I use to plow the snow, but once the banks got up a bit it was impossible to move the snow so I would spend a bunch of time with the FEL moving the banks back. Now I still have banks but they are 20 to 30 feet away from the driveway.

Buy extra shear pins and keep them available. On the woods the pin is at the yoke of the PTO shaft where it attaches to the tractor, so it is a pain to change and each time I have had to remove the PTO shaft to do it.

We have a place in New York up near South Colton on the Raquette River. We spend a good amount of time there during the spring summer and fall, but winter we tend to stay away and wait for the snow to melt in the spring.

Wayne

Hi Wayne,
Have you ever taken the cruise of Raquette Lake on Dean Pohl's big steel boat?? It's a beautiful trip in the Fall, or anytime for that matter. And, you can get a gourmet meal served inside surrounded by glass.
The cruise is fantastic!!

Raquette Lake Navigation Company - Adirondack Boat Tours & Boat Rides Adirondack Great Camps Tour & Adirondack Heritage Tours

 

[WayneB]

thanks for the link although we have never been there, will check it out one of these days.

We are up near South Colton on Blake Falls Flow. When we first started going there it was mainly a bunch of hunting camps on Whitehill Road. Now the place is populated with summer homes, but still affordable compared to other areas.

 

[StrangeRanger]

Hi All,

Another northerner here, northern VT. I too have been looking into a rmsb and like the Pronovost Puma.

I have a question about chute control for ya'll though. If you get a hydro control, where do you tap in for it? I've got a basic L3400 w/ FEL and some 3pth items, but nothing that requires a hyrdo hook up out back. Would I need to get another remote valve?

I've got a 2,200' gravel monster for a driveway and for the past 2 yrs I've used the FEL and back blade to clear it. And I've had enough, I'm gonna pony up for a rmsb.

Any pointers greatly appreciated. Thanks,
j