Snowblower

[ravensview]

Where are you in the UP? I’m in 5 miles south of big bay. My biggest reason for the front blower is my wife will be doing the snow blowing a lot when I’m out of town. She said no snowblower unless it’s up front. Kind of hard to argue with here lol.

Yep, that’s an argument that is un winnable, Alger/Marquette snow line, it will be snowing like a banshee out and I head into MQT, and it’s bright and sunny out, but I do try to limit my trips there, it’s just to dang busy

 

[Welder08]

Yep, that’s an argument that is un winnable, Skandia, Alger/Marquette snow line, it will be snowing like a banshee out and I head into MQT, and it’s bright and sunny out, but I do try to limit my trips there, it’s just to dang busy

You guys get dumped on out that way. We get moderate snow here. Can go either way really

 

[SidecarFlip]

One nice aspect of retirement is, snow removal in the winter for me is totally optional as I don't 'have' to go anywhere unless I want to. I can sit in front of the fire and watch it snow and don't have to go out in it.

I not so fondly remember the days of getting up at 4am and getting the road cleared to the pavement so I could get to work at 8am. Now, I just kick back and listen to the scanner and tune into all the police calls for assistance in fender benders.

 

[Welder08]

One nice aspect of retirement is, snow removal in the winter for me is totally optional as I don't 'have' to go anywhere unless I want to. I can sit in front of the fire and watch it snow and don't have to go out in it.

I not so fondly remember the days of getting up at 4am and getting the road cleared to the pavement so I could get to work at 8am. Now, I just kick back and listen to the scanner and tune into all the police calls for assistance in fender benders.

Sounds nice. I’ve got a few years before I can do that.

 

[eiresurg]

I have the L4469 on my L3560HSTC in Northern Minnesota and it's the perfect size. I've cleared 18" of wet snow, no problem. I think the L4479 would be fine, but it may bog down with the heavier stuff. Why not get the L4469? It's probably a little cheaper and still wide enough to cover your tracks.

As for front vs rear mount, I'd never consider a rear-mount at this point. If you can afford the front mount, get that. The only draw-back is mounting and dismounting the sub-frame. I find it to be a royal pain. If you plan to take the blower on and off so you can use other implements in the winter, this could become a real nuisance. If the only function this tractor will have in the winter is blowing snow, then this won't be an issue for you.

 

[Welder08]

I have the L4469 on my L3560HSTC in Northern Minnesota and it's the perfect size. I've cleared 18" of wet snow, no problem. I think the L4479 would be fine, but it may bog down with the heavier stuff. Why not get the L4469? It's probably a little cheaper and still wide enough to cover your tracks.

As for front vs rear mount, I'd never consider a rear-mount at this point. If you can afford the front mount, get that. The only draw-back is mounting and dismounting the sub-frame. I find it to be a royal pain. If you plan to take the blower on and off so you can use other implements in the winter, this could become a real nuisance. If the only function this tractor will have in the winter is blowing snow, then this won't be an issue for you.

By the looks of it I will be going the 4469 route. The blower will stay on all winter. According to my measurements the 64” will be slightly narrower than the tractor. They are going to put wing extensions on to combat this.

 

[200mph]

With respect to snowblower width... Having a blower as wide as the outside tires is OK when going straight, but becomes an issue when turning. When turning the rear tires will not track within the cleared pathway and will be forced to try and run over the unblown snow. In deep snow falls this can cause some problems.

I've used a L3130 with 6' front blower, that everyone will say is way underpowered and I agree. However this can be compensated for by slowing down. My technique is to monitor engine RPM and keep ground speed at a point where the RPM's remain high. Yes it is slower, with less HP, but having the rear tires trying to run over unblown snow can become an issue when turning on steep driveways. I've since moved up in HP with the L4740, but the rear tire width is much wider, so I made a set of extensions. Still using the same technique for ground speed.

 

[Welder08]

With respect to snowblower width... Having a blower as wide as the outside tires is OK when going straight, but becomes an issue when turning. When turning the rear tires will not track within the cleared pathway and will be forced to try and run over the unblown snow. In deep snow falls this can cause some problems.

I've used a L3130 with 6' front blower, that everyone will say is way underpowered and I agree. However this can be compensated for by slowing down. My technique is to monitor engine RPM and keep ground speed at a point where the RPM's remain high. Yes it is slower, with less HP, but having the rear tires trying to run over unblown snow can become an issue when turning on steep driveways. I've since moved up in HP with the L4740, but the rear tire width is much wider, so I made a set of extensions. Still using the same technique for ground speed.

They plan on putting extensions in the blower to help this issue.

 

[eiresurg]

You're going to love the L4469! It's a beast! Clearing snow has never been so much fun. In addition to 300 yards of driveway, I also had to clear a half-mile of road on several occasions where we got big dumps of snow and the township hadn't gotten to us in a timely manner. I too have the "wings" on mine. Haven't had a problem with the track width vs blower width. As long as you don't have to make any real tight turns, it shouldn't be a problem. Additionally, keep in mind that the subframe significantly reduces your clearance. I'd guess it's about 10" with the subframe. Not a problem with most driveways, but could be an issue in certain circumstances.

 

[Welder08]

Thank you for the reply. It’s reasuring to hear you say that. Was the blowing distance good with all types of snow?

 

[eiresurg]

Thank you for the reply. It’s reasuring to hear you say that. Was the blowing distance good with all types of snow?

Easily launched all types of snow 30+ feet. Be careful pointing it at your house or other fragile structures or plants. One of the best purchases I've ever made. The hydraulic chute rotates 180 degrees (maybe a little more). I only wish I had a third function to adjust the elevation (up or down trajectory of the snow) of the chute. That has to be done manually. Most of my snowblowing was done at night and a good set of lights is essential. I plan to install an LED light bar before the upcoming winter. The stock lights are nearly useless.

 

[Welder08]

Easily launched all types of snow 30+ feet. Be careful pointing it at your house or other fragile structures or plants. One of the best purchases I've ever made. The hydraulic chute rotates 180 degrees (maybe a little more). I only wish I had a third function to adjust the elevation (up or down trajectory of the snow) of the chute. That has to be done manually. Most of my snowblowing was done at night and a good set of lights is essential. I plan to install an LED light bar before the upcoming winter. The stock lights are nearly useless.

I’ll be having the third function. I gotta make it easy for the wife!

 

[Tim Horton]

We have an older 50" Allied Buhler Farm King 3pt blower..
Our tractor would handle a bigger blower, but that would have required more $ for a bigger blower..

The one we have works well, was available close by, was quite reasonable priced... All considered a combo of features I like..

 

[eiresurg]

I’ll be having the third function. I gotta make it easy for the wife!

You may want to try it without the third function to avoid the extra expense. I have never had to adjust the chute elevation. Depending on your scenario, there may be circumstances where you would need to, but it just hasn't been the case for me. Easy to add on later if you need to. In addition to adding better front an rear lights, I'd highly recommend some form of rear ballast. I have my tire filled and that worked great last winter. When blowing heavy, deep snow, the machine can take on a mind of it's own if you're not careful and slip you into a ditch. So, if any part of your driveway has a ditch, you need to be careful there. The ballast will help with limiting the effect of that. Also, I usually put the blower on "float" and this tends to increase the chances of the effect. In a tricky spot, I've found that taking it off "float" and just skimming the surface gives better control.