been looking at getting a PTO snowblower and trying to figure out what brands are worth buying, I see them pop up on the local craigslist here and there for doable prices
one I am looking at is northern tool nortrac brand, 50 inch blower at 1600 bucks and I find that cheap for a brand new blower
are they worth buying? anything not serviceable about them?
thanks for the input
tractor is B2301
Another member on another form was wanting to run a Nor Trac blower on his old Ford Jubilee and wanted comments.
I suggested he look at the most critical parts(s), of which one would be the gearbox, and call a dealer acting like you already own one and need a gearbox. Find out if its in stock for next day delivery and the price.
Many importers of the Chinese stuff, which I think Nor Track is based upon the same brand of tractor on Northern Tool's web site, don't invest in an inventory of repair parts when they bring the equipment into the USA or Canada.
You can be waiting the entire winter for parts to arrive from China and this situation is not going to get better with Trump beating on China.
Also avoid the blowers with the gearbox between the two halves of the auger like a walk behind snowblower. Owners are paying between $700 for a replacement box to $1,500 for an upgrade to an older blower to stop the frequent breaking of shear bolts.
This Canadian blower From Smyth Welding shows a high quality blower with a serious Comer gearbox. Note the auger is one piece and there is a chain drive for the blower on one end of the auger.
The design features of this blower are the same as ones for 300 hp tractors regardless of front or rear mounted.
In short, the 3 pt blower is going to be the most reliable, most common and cheapest.
Buy an American or Canadian made product and you can get parts, however, RAD technologies makes blowers for many different makes of tractor brands, They just change the paint color. These units, as a Canadian, I am ashamed to say, are not what you want.
http://www.radinter.com/snow-blowers.
Note when you go to the RAD web site, the gearbox between the split auger halves.
A friend runs a 48" 3 pt blower on a 1980's B7100 HST with no problem and we get snow.
The blowers which are front mounted and are driven with the mid pto require a chain system to lower the approx 2,500 rpm mid pto to 540rpm which is the common design speed for most blowers.
My suggestion is to find some and post a few pitures and get some comments.
Dont' do what many have and buy something, have problems with ti and then come to this forum looking for a fix.
Dave M7040
