Wanted to share my new snow setup on my L5740. Totally overkill for most snow weather events here in Maryland, but it's "nice to know you can." Luckily we just had a couple decent snow events so I was able to test everything out shortly after building it.
Previous setup:
I had an older 8' commercial Meyer plow, pinned to a SSQA plate that I got off of craigslist years ago. It was slapped together pretty "economically" and it got the job done. However I hated how far out in front of the tractor the blade sat, and also due to the way it was mounted, I was constantly trying to prevent my lower loader pivot points and the back of the A frame from dragging my driveway. Also, the way it was built, there was no way to apply down pressure.
New setup:
I picked up a local used L4479 front mount snowblower with the subframe and the hydraulic deflector, for what I thought was a pretty good deal. All I had to do was add the mid PTO to my tractor which was a breeze.
In the past I had felt like my 8' plow was a little much for my L5740.... and I came across a garage kept 7.5' Meyer plow that was in like-new condition. From there I went ahead and fabricated a new underslung mount based on some inspiration from other users here and over at TBN. I made a point not to modify the plow in any way so that any classic Meyer plow could hook right up to my mount. In the process of doing so, I strategically made it so that it would fit on the front loader OR my three point hitch SSQA / trailer hitch combo that I built for my tractor. I also designed it so that by curling the loader I can either let it float on the chain, or curl down and put down pressure on the plow if I prefer. Once the mount was complete and after plowing some snow with the 7.5' plow it on the FEL, I can say there is a huge improvement with managing / leveling the plow on the loader with the underslung mount. Also with the plow not hanging SO far off the front, the 8' blade would probably be fine, but my 8' blade was old and crusty, and frankly to avoid the effort of stripping and painting it, I preferred to just stick with my pretty new looking lightweight 7.5' plow.
So now I have a nice new 7.5' plow setup that will go on my FEL loader quickly and easily for small snow events. If there is a large snow event, (or I just feel like having more fun moving snow) I can mount up the front blower and throw the plow on the back of the tractor. Having the plow on the back of the tractor is a sweet combo being able to push backing up, and blow going forward. Also being able to back drag away from garages and other obstacles is a nice touch.
Total time to remove the FEL and mount the snowblower (and vice versa) is 22 minutes, not too bad.
Final thoughts - after using this setup for a few events, I will say that I think that the FEL w/ blade and three point snowblower might be more versatile setup (and it allows you to leave the FEL on the tractor all the time). But for what I paid for my front mount, I couldn't have purchased a rear mount with hydraulic rotation and spout deflection in any decent condition. Also, snow blowing driving forward and using the loader joystick to control the blower is AWESOME.
Previous setup:
I had an older 8' commercial Meyer plow, pinned to a SSQA plate that I got off of craigslist years ago. It was slapped together pretty "economically" and it got the job done. However I hated how far out in front of the tractor the blade sat, and also due to the way it was mounted, I was constantly trying to prevent my lower loader pivot points and the back of the A frame from dragging my driveway. Also, the way it was built, there was no way to apply down pressure.
New setup:
I picked up a local used L4479 front mount snowblower with the subframe and the hydraulic deflector, for what I thought was a pretty good deal. All I had to do was add the mid PTO to my tractor which was a breeze.
In the past I had felt like my 8' plow was a little much for my L5740.... and I came across a garage kept 7.5' Meyer plow that was in like-new condition. From there I went ahead and fabricated a new underslung mount based on some inspiration from other users here and over at TBN. I made a point not to modify the plow in any way so that any classic Meyer plow could hook right up to my mount. In the process of doing so, I strategically made it so that it would fit on the front loader OR my three point hitch SSQA / trailer hitch combo that I built for my tractor. I also designed it so that by curling the loader I can either let it float on the chain, or curl down and put down pressure on the plow if I prefer. Once the mount was complete and after plowing some snow with the 7.5' plow it on the FEL, I can say there is a huge improvement with managing / leveling the plow on the loader with the underslung mount. Also with the plow not hanging SO far off the front, the 8' blade would probably be fine, but my 8' blade was old and crusty, and frankly to avoid the effort of stripping and painting it, I preferred to just stick with my pretty new looking lightweight 7.5' plow.
So now I have a nice new 7.5' plow setup that will go on my FEL loader quickly and easily for small snow events. If there is a large snow event, (or I just feel like having more fun moving snow) I can mount up the front blower and throw the plow on the back of the tractor. Having the plow on the back of the tractor is a sweet combo being able to push backing up, and blow going forward. Also being able to back drag away from garages and other obstacles is a nice touch.
Total time to remove the FEL and mount the snowblower (and vice versa) is 22 minutes, not too bad.
Final thoughts - after using this setup for a few events, I will say that I think that the FEL w/ blade and three point snowblower might be more versatile setup (and it allows you to leave the FEL on the tractor all the time). But for what I paid for my front mount, I couldn't have purchased a rear mount with hydraulic rotation and spout deflection in any decent condition. Also, snow blowing driving forward and using the loader joystick to control the blower is AWESOME.
