Snowblower - Front vs. Rear RPM Question

2fast916 · Feb 4, 2015

To start, this is not the standard question of which is preferred...front vs. rear. I am 99% sold on getting a blower for the rear of my BX25, so I still have access to the loader bucket / plow...and plan on plowing as the primary means of snow removal. That being said, my question is really relative to the RPM output of my front PTO vs. the rear...the front spins at 2,500 rpm while the rear spins at 540 rpm. Is there a gear reduction unit on the front blower to make it spin closer to the rear pto output? Guess what I'm really asking is does a front mount blower spin faster and blow further than a rear mount blower?

Thanks for any advice received!!!

oldnslo · Feb 4, 2015

Rear blowers are made to operate at 540 and typically throw snow a similar distance as the front mount equivalent. I believe if you closely at the front mounts there is some form of gear reduction between the drive shaft and the blower fan where on rear mounts typically the drive shaft is direct drive to the blower fan.

uglyboywith11fingers · Feb 4, 2015

A word of caution if you are looking at Kubota snowblowers...
When I got my BX24 it came with a rear mount Kubota B2781 blower.
A B2781 was typically used as front mount blower on B series tractors, in which case it has a reduction gearbox to reduce impeller RPM to 900 from the front PTO of 2000.
On my rear mount B2781, it is direct drive to the impeller, so impeller speed is max. 540.
It does not throw snow very far, & clogs easily with wet snow. The impeller is only 16".
If getting a rear mount blower, get one with a much larger impeller.
Just my opinion.

Pete

alltherage · Feb 4, 2015

Good idea...Our rear loftness blower has a 27" impeller and catapults the snow!

PILOON · Feb 4, 2015

Blowers are really all 540RPM and front mounts generally have reduction mechanisms (and reversers) to compensate.
Fronts are generally matched to engine RPM and not PTO 540.

The larger the impeller and the more blades the better the performance. (also close tolerances fan to drum)

Another observation is front units very often use light duty gear boxes (like walk behind's use).

2fast916 · Feb 4, 2015

Thanks all for the advice!!! Exactly what I was looking to hear...

flyingcow · Feb 5, 2015

In the bigger blowers, a 4 paddle deep fan is better, usually. If you gotr a blade on front, blower on the rear, you'll make quick quick of clearing snow.

DHD · Feb 5, 2015

Looks like you already got the info you asked for.
In regards to the larger impeller and 4 paddle fan.
For your BX25 a 54" wide RM snow blower will probably be what's recommended.
Some manufactures may only offer a 20" or 21 " diameter impeller.
The John Deere Frontier SB1154 has a 24" 4 padder impeller and with recommended Min 16 HP. PTO - Max 35 HP. PTO
For my Kubota B7800 I have the slightly bigger SB1164 which has the same size impeller as the SB1154, and it can blow snow over 35', and I've measured it blowing 38'.
I bought it used and have used it for two years, and only had to replace the occasional broken shear bolt.
Only issue with the Frontier is, it's green. lol.

2fast916 · Feb 5, 2015

Thanks again for the additional advice!

I called my Kubota dealer today to inquire on rear 3-point snow blower for my BX25. I did this mainly as a pricing point and to pick their brains a bit but, was very surprised by their response. In most cases, they usually do not recommend Kubota 3-point snow blowers. This seems to align with one previous post that suggested the Kubota offering might be sub-standard vs. others available. The dealer recommended a Bur-Vac Blizzard 48” snow blower and after looking at Bur-Vac’s specs, I am in agreement that 48” is likely preferred for my tractor vs. the larger 54” model. The 48” model has a 20” fan diameter and the 54” has a 24” fan diameter…so there is a definite impeller difference and it’s not just a wider blower. At any rate, the dealer is working up a quote for me that would include both hydraulic chute rotation and deflector.

Any opinions on Bur-Vac as a brand in general….I will search the forum but, thought I would ask, as I’ve never heard of them before.

Shift4200 · Feb 5, 2015

Hey guys, just wanted to toss my $0.02 on this topic.

I have a Mahindra Max25, rated at 19-20hp at the rear pto. I have a Woods SB54 rear blower that runs at the above stated 540rpm. When I have the snow chute all the way open, it really tosses the snow.... easily 50-60ft if not more. I've cleared several storms (only had it for this season) with varying types of snow. No clogging issues and no complaints. This has been a great unit so far.

The Woods blower has a 22in 4 blade fan that is 6in deep. I opted for the 54in version over the 64 as i felt the 64 would have been a bit big for my tractor. I would say that going any smaller than 54 would be too small. As it is, it's a tight fit to keep all the tires in the blowers track.

OP your BX25 is really close to my Max25. What is your deciding factor to go with the smaller blower? Keep in mind, if you have HST trans on your tractor, you have infinite speed variations so bogging down the tractor with snow isn't as much of an issue as it is for the guys with shuttles.

I've posted this video before, but this is my Max/Woods in action about a week back. In this shot I'm clearing roughly 20inches of snow, with a full 54in bite. You can see that the tractor handles it with ease.