Snowblower modification

[mhtmr]

For 15 years I've been using a front mounted 60" Yanmar YMS-60 blower driven by a VW engine mounted in the back of a 1960 CJ jeep via a drive shaft through the passenger area, under the hood and out the grill with a chain reduction to the Yanmar gear box assembly. Really worked great up here in the Colorado mountains! For various reasons I'm about to part out this contraption and need some advice since I don't know much about tractors or blowers, for that matter!
The Yanmar reduction gear box had been welded to the front bumper and really isn't easily salvageable and there appear (from the manual) to be other tractor mounting parts I don't have. Is it more practical to convert the front mount blower to a universal 3 pt. hitch or find a functioning gear box and associated parts to restore the original configuration? Is this front mount very specific to the Yanmar (Model YM-240, in those days)? The blower is in good shape and I'd like to see someone get some more years out of it.

Marty

 

[jas67]

You gotta post pictures of this before you take it apart.

 

[skidsteer.ca]

Yeah, I gotta see this!
Ken

 

[keeney]

Tractor front-mount blowers are different than 3-point (rear-facing) blowers in that the direction of rotation of the input is typically opposite. On tractors with a mid-PTO, the gearing may also be different (1000 or 2000 rpm vs 540 for the rear PTO).

If you are junking out the Jeep, and you want the gearbox, just take part of the bumper with it.

- Rick

 

[smiley]

mhtmr
I'd like to see your pics also for ideas. These terrible photos are some I took of something similar in Rome NY when it was almost dark, without flash and I lightened them on my photo program with the results you see.
It is a GM 4wd pickup with a cap on the back and a GM 6 cyl engine mounted backward in the box. A sprocket and short shaft is mounted on the transmission with a chain running down around the driveshaft to another shaft mounted below the driveshaft, in a very rugged framework that goes to the truck frame. That shaft runs all the way forward, under the engine to a pillow block where the PTO shaft to the blower is mounted. The lift for the blower is just a standard snowplow lift. It's neat looking and well built rig and should blow snow a mile with that 6 cly engine driving it.
Smiley