3 point snowblowers

[mesupra]

Any recommendations. I posted last week about a grapple bucket and got some responses.

I've been looking around and not rising many used 72" blowers. The woodmaxx brand seems to get great reviews and is around 2800 shipped with electric shoot rotator and deflector.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

I recommend using a tractor with a cab.

In all seriousness, I don't know much about one brand versus another, but I'd love to own a snowblower for one of my tractors someday. It seems like we just don't get as much snow as we used to, and half the years, I'd never even use the blower. I know some parts of Maine get socked in pretty well, but around here, a three point back blade does a fine job for me. Good luck with your decision, and let us know what you end up with!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

IF I was buying another one, I'd make darn sure it had a FAST fan speed, because if it doesn't, it's not going to blow the snow very far...

That was the biggest complaint I had with the one I owned.

SR

 

[mesupra]

What brand did you own?

 

[NSMaple1]

What do you have for a tractor & do you get, like, really dumped on?

A side discharge is handy when dealing with big or heavy snow - no worries about the chute plugging, it's out & gone (far) before it hits the chute. If you want to send it that way.

 

[stevetheboatguy]

One of the best things I ever bought for the tractor. I love it and love it even more when I don't have to use it!

I have a case IH 585 55-60hp diesel. It runs my 7ft two stage inland just fine. Mine is only a 540 pto I would love to see it compared to a 1100 on a different tractor.

And a cab definitely is a huge plus. Just make sure you have a way to clear off your glass. It can freeze over fast in the right conditions.


Edit: Also If you paint the inside of the discharge chute with slip plate. It makes a huge difference. It blows much better and clogs are a thing of the past if you use it.


Steven

 

[mesupra]

I have a bobcat ct335 it's made by kioti and is the same as a dk35. I really like the tractor. For it's size it's a very capable machine. At 38 hp I think a 72" blower would be a good fit. I would like to get a 84" in case I go bigger but I feel with our storms we experienced last year a 72" would be a better fit.

We got several storms north of 16" last year with the great dumping being around 28" without drifts.

 

[mesupra]

If you get a chance let me k ow what you think of the woodmaxx brand. The specs look good.

 

[mesupra]

They also just released a video of a new sawmill that will be for sale this fall.

 

[alleyyooper]

Got a Bur Vac 72" with a hrydrlic chute control in 1978, ran it with a Ford 2000 3 cylinder gas tractor 31 PTO HP. It did a good job but live power PTO would have made it better. Switched to the Ford 5000 gas tractor dyno ran 57 HP after last overhaul. Now this tractor has live power and those huge drifts were childs play and easly will blow the snow 70 feet and if with the wind much more.
Still have the blower today only having to replace a few shear bolts thru the years as expected. Just wax up the chute after the last use of the winter with regular car wax.

If I were going to buy a new one today it would be a Bur Vac again maybe even bigger.

Al

 

[Sawyer Rob]

What brand did you own?

It was the same brand that was painted green and sold by john deere, Alloway.

These days I put a sno-blower on my diesel powered zero turn,

It's amazing how much snow this thing will move!! AND it blows it quite a ways too...

It really made my zero turn worth buying, using it summer AND winter.

SR

 

[Big_Eddy]

I have a smaller (JD 855) tractor with a 60" 3 pt blower. No cab, manual chute rotation.

A couple of things to note.
1) Make sure the blower is at least 8" wider than your tractor tire spread and loader bucket. Otherwise you will continually get stuck when you turn even slightly.
2) Don't oversize the blower. If you're wondering between a 6' and a 7', get the 6' (as long as it meets #1) . Deep heavy wet snow takes lots of HP and if you have too large a blower, you overload the engine and then the blower fan speed drops and the snow goes no where.
3) The wind will ALWAYS blow snow back at you, even when you blow it down wind. No cab = snowman. Cab = whiteout. As Steve said - if you have a cab - you need a way to clear the glass on the back.
4) Check the clearance between the impeller fan and the housing. Less gap = better throw distance. Especially if looking at a used one.

I have a Meteor brand - it was cheap and it has worked great for 25+ years. First week I had it, I welded wider skids on the bottom to keep it from sinking into the gravel. They were 1" wide - now they are 4".

Shortly after you get one - and especially if you don't have a cab - you will figure out that it's better to start upwind and throw the snow across the drive to the downwind side than try to blow it to one side on the way out, and the other on the way back. Lots of times it's better to go out to the other end of the drive first and only blow while travelling one direction.

 

[CentaurG2]

I would never even consider a 3 pt snowbower for our tractor just on storage issues alone. We use a little honda 1332 tracked snowblower and it does a fantastic job. In most cases it is faster than the backhoe with way less damage. The little honda has a crazy fast impeller speed that throws snow/slush farther and faster than anything else I have run. Never gotten it stuck or even plugged up and I have run it through areas that were 8” of water with some snow mixed in. Only thing I don’t like about it is the cost of the shear bolts and I wish the hydrostat had a little more speed.

 

[sirbuildalot]

My brother has a 60" Woodmaxx. I'll ask him how he likes it.

 

[mesupra]

That would be great. I've ready a bunch about woodmaxx

 

[NSMaple1]

I would never even consider a 3 pt snowbower for our tractor just on storage issues alone. We use a little honda 1332 tracked snowblower and it does a fantastic job. In most cases it is faster than the backhoe with way less damage. The little honda has a crazy fast impeller speed that throws snow/slush farther and faster than anything else I have run. Never gotten it stuck or even plugged up and I have run it through areas that were 8” of water with some snow mixed in. Only thing I don’t like about it is the cost of the shear bolts and I wish the hydrostat had a little more speed.

Our blower sits outside all year, doesn't take up all that much room. You must not have a very big driveway/yard? I also have a walk behind blower. It's not a Honda, 'only' a Toro - it only does tight spots around doorways etc.. I would have to be hard up to do our driveway & yard with it, vs. the tractor. 6' snowdrifts with a walk behind might be easier than doing with a shovel, but gimme my tractor please.

 

[mesupra]

The fu*k I'm using walk behind with a tractor in my yard. I've done the walk behind thing. I'd much rather ride.

 

[CentaurG2]

Our blower sits outside all year, doesn't take up all that much room. You must not have a very big driveway/yard? I also have a walk behind blower. It's not a Honda, 'only' a Toro - it only does tight spots around doorways etc.. I would have to be hard up to do our driveway & yard with it, vs. the tractor. 6' snowdrifts with a walk behind might be easier than doing with a shovel, but gimme my tractor please.

Driveway proper is about 300’ long with lots of blind areas in and around the outbuildings. Average storm cleanup takes about an hour with the little blower. We have a nice Kubota m series tractor with loader and a 9-ton backhoe. Don’t even bother putting the chains on the backhoe anymore.

We have several 3-point implements for the tractor. All are stored inside and I have always remarked how much space they take up for how little time they actually get used. Stuff that sits outside looks like crap after a couple of years. Resale value of 3-point stuff is terrible. I think a lot of people purchase 3-point implements to justify owing a tractor. I will take the little honda any day. Does a great job with little to no damage to the gravel drive, sips fuel, easy to transport, great resale and is so easy to use you can run it with one hand.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKTRtjCFyGM

 

[NSMaple1]

Driveway proper is about 300’ long with lots of blind areas in and around the outbuildings. Average storm cleanup takes about an hour with the little blower. We have a nice Kubota m series tractor with loader and a 9-ton backhoe. Don’t even bother putting the chains on the backhoe anymore.

We have several 3-point implements for the tractor. All are stored inside and I have always remarked how much space they take up for how little time they actually get used. Stuff that sits outside looks like crap after a couple of years. Resale value of 3-point stuff is terrible. I think a lot of people purchase 3-point implements to justify owing a tractor. I will take the little honda any day. Does a great job with little to no damage to the gravel drive, sips fuel, easy to transport, great resale and is so easy to use you can run it with one hand.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKTRtjCFyGM

Long as you're happy with it in your circumstances, that's the main thing. No way I would want a walk behind over a tractor in our 5-6' deep of drifted driveway & yard though. Sounds like you maybe don't get as much snow if you can do that in an hour.

 

[alleyyooper]

Well I look at it that who ever is going to sell my stuff after I die will get something out of it no matter what it looks like. But in the mean time I am alive and able to climb on my tractor I will take the big Bur Vac and Clean my 400 foot drive around the mail box and the road around the mail box run down to the neighbours circle drive and clean it all up in an hour even his drive to thr horse barn and have time to have a cup of coffee with him.

I do have a walk behind that I found on the curb with a trashed engine, is a 24 inch MTD. I put a 6.5 HP Predator on it installed impeller kit and that sucker blows the wet sticky snow a good 30 feet. But it is only used on my mother in laws drive way.


. Al