SB 1051 three point blower

[sandyc]

There are 3 settings for the distance of the blower to the tractor. The blower ships set for max distance away from the tractor. Has anybody changed this to move blower closer to tractor?

 

[Dave M7040]

There are 3 settings for the distance of the blower to the tractor. The blower ships set for max distance away from the tractor. Has anybody changed this to move blower closer to tractor?

One important factor often overlooked in these decisions has to to with the life expectancy of the pto U joints.

As the blower moves closer to the rear of the tractor, the angle the pto joints will operate at increases.

Look at the info posted below.

A joint operating at a 5 degree angle has a design life of 450 hours.

Increase the angle to 25 degrees and the design life drops to 20 hours.

This data is from COMER a worldwide very reputable drive line manufacturer

Make your decision armed with this information

Dave M7040

 

[sandyc]

Thanks for that info. I'm going to leave the blower at factory set distance.
Presently the pto shaft is almost a straight shot between the tractor and the blower.

 

[Smokeydog]

One important factor often overlooked in these decisions has to to with the life expectancy of the pto U joints.

As the blower moves closer to the rear of the tractor, the angle the pto joints will operate at increases.

Look at the info posted below.

A joint operating at a 5 degree angle has a design life of 450 hours.

Increase the angle to 25 degrees and the design life drops to 20 hours.

This data is from COMER a worldwide very reputable drive line manufacturer

Make your decision armed with this information

Dave M7040

You are a wealth of good information!

 

[art]

Just another note on this as we have had people change the location or shorten up the hitch. Make sure your driveshaft is not going to bottom out!!! That can get really costly.

 

[sandyc]

As a follow up, I reread the manual and note that landpride does not offer any cautions on the three positions other to mention “if the customer wants”. I believe that the manual should offer more of a caution. Just my .02 worth.

 

[RichT]

One important factor often overlooked in these decisions has to to with the life expectancy of the pto U joints.

As the blower moves closer to the rear of the tractor, the angle the pto joints will operate at increases.

Look at the info posted below.

A joint operating at a 5 degree angle has a design life of 450 hours.

Increase the angle to 25 degrees and the design life drops to 20 hours.

This data is from COMER a worldwide very reputable drive line manufacturer

Make your decision armed with this information

Dave M7040

Consistent with recent conversation with Kubota dealer parts guy about pto generator driveshaft options. We were discussing length of driveshaft and, even though the generator will be fairly stationary during operation, he said the longer the driveshaft the better - to reduce u joint angles/wear. Orig plan had the generator very close to the tractor, but after our discussion I modified the mounting frame to extend the length of the driveshaft. Improves access to connect/disconnect the driveshaft as well.

 

[sandyc]

Further thoughts.... I guess you might want to move the blower three inches closer if you added the quick hitch as it would preclude not having to get a new pto shaft.

 

[CobyRupert]

Do those seem like really short u-joint life spans to anybody? They’re probably assuming speed is a constant 540rpm, but you’d think varying torque (load) would also make a lifespan difference.

When it comes to deciding how far away from tractor, the trade off with the u-joints is probably front end weight. The farther away the blower, the lighter it gets. A big deal? Depends on your tractor, and do you have weights, a FEL, independent brakes, etc....?

Agree with others, make sure shaft can slide short enough when blower is raised to shortest PTO shaft position. (Typically when shaft is horizontal, but may vary).... test this prior to PTO connected or that gets expensive.

 

[Dave M7040]

Do those seem like really short u-joint life spans to anybody? They’re probably assuming speed is a constant 540rpm, but you’d think varying torque (load) would also make a lifespan difference.

When it comes to deciding how far away from tractor, the trade off with the u-joints is probably front end weight. The farther away the blower, the lighter it gets. A big deal? Depends on your tractor, and do you have weights, a FEL, independent brakes, etc....?

Agree with others, make sure shaft can slide short enough when blower is raised to shortest PTO shaft position. (Typically when shaft is horizontal, but may vary).... test this prior to PTO connected or that gets expensive.

My point in providing the COMER data is not to define actual or expected U joint life but to show how the change in operating angle brings about substantial shortening or increasing of operating life.

If, in an application operating at 25 degrees, you achieve 2 or 3 times the stated life, you can safely assume by decreasing the angle to five degrees, you will also realize 2 or 3 time the 450 hour stated life.

Each application is different but the comparative life expectancy of any application can be improved by an angle decrease.

Dave M7040