Blowing snow - volume question

[muttbarker]

Still very much a neophyte when it comes to tractors, snow, country living, etc. My wife is always telling me I should go to tractor school and I try and explain that OTT is as good as it gets when it comes to learning. So yet another dumb'ish type question. I have a L4060 with a L4479 - 74" front mounted snowblower. This is year #2 with it. Last year was a real trial as I learned things when it it stops blowing snow you probably broke a shear pin and that following the maintenance guidelines helps ward off issues like having a chain to loose to turn the auger.

Having said that - last year was a really light year in Northern Utah in terms of snow. This year is very different. We just came off an epic storm that dumped multiple feet in a 24 hour period. I have to blow a ¾ mile driveway and the average depth was 24" - 36" - I went into this running the blower right at it and the auger would jam quite quickly, sometimes within two or three minutes. So my shear pin supply was rapidly depleted. After hitting my head against the proverbial wall a bunch of times I came up with the idea of doing multiple passes, each time just taking off about 12" - 16" of snow. Took 2 to 3 times longer and I had a nice base of ground in snow which I will go back and clean up at some point with my rear blade, but I did the whole drive without breaking a shear pin.

So, a couple questions:
1. Does anyone have a favor spray to help snow from sticking - I use Ariens Sno Jet non-stick spray as it seems to work on the blower I use at my house. But it does not do anything on the wet stuff at my ranch.
2. Is the approach I took the most effective? How do you handle large amounts of snow at once. The blower has a working height of 26" so in hindsight trying to clear 3 feet is just asking for trouble.
3. What about when the snow is very heavy and wet. One of our local mountains reported getting 56" of snow with a water content equal to 100" - so that has to be impactful to say the least.

I just have to say that I LOVE this site. I really appreciate the knowledge shared by all of you "old timers" and also the humor that seems to eventually make its way into any long thread. I did a post on taking down beavers and it went "south" in a good way with a lot of funny comments and suggestions.

Thanks,
Kevin Barker

 

[rc51stierhoff]

That sounds like a lot of fun…my response is really only related to number 2 and maybe sort of to number 3 pending how you view it…I don’t deal with that volume of snow, no do I own a snowblower (I’ve used them but don’t own one)…I use a plow…so the first thing I wonder are you blowing all that snow you mentioned (total depth) at once or doing it many times in much smaller depths (meaning keeping up with it as it is coming down). For me with a plow I think it is easy to do frequently and keep up with…so I set an alarm multiple times during the night to get up to plow if I am worried about it….that to me is easier than dealing with the 3-5’ drifts. Maybe that applies to blowing snow is my thought….should be easier on the machine and quicker I would think. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. I am not sure I helped.

 

[muttbarker]

Hey RC - thanks for the reply. Alas, the property is in Oakley UT and my primary residence is in Park City. It is a half hour drive with no weather but when we get a storm like this last one I wait it out and go when the weather and the roads are more accommodating. So I am almost always dealing with the snow after the fact.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Hey RC - thanks for the reply. Alas, the property is in Oakley UT and my primary residence is in Park City. It is a half hour drive with no weather but when we get a storm like this last one I wait it out and go when the weather and the roads are more accommodating. So I am almost always dealing with the snow after the fact.

That’s a beautiful area. Years ago I used to travel to Ogden for work. Well for your situation I am of no help and you can file that mail above appropriately. . I have a second property 4 hrs from my residence and in the snow belt, and that really makes visitation a challenge when winter weather decides whether travel is possible. In that case I supply neighbor with beer/fuel to open my drive up there just to get off the road. There is no efficient way when remote other than ‘pay the neighbor’.

 

[RCW]

Kevin - many of your questions will answer themselves with experience.

2 or 3 feet is tough to deal with, even if light. BTDT more times than I care to admit. Your tractor is huge compared to my BX. I’ve had a front mounted snowblower since 2002, first on a JD425 Garden tractor, then the Kubota.

1. I’ve never used a spray, and doubt I ever will. No need. If you’re plugging, there’s another issue.

2. If possible, get at that 24” snowfall in 8-12” intervals. Don’t wait for all of it to fall.

Also, if you’re breaking shears a lot on the augers, slow down.

 

[muttbarker]

Well it's good you have a nice neighbor. I park my truck on the side of the road, slap on the snowshoes and trek about 1000 feet to my utility building which is on the front of the property. Dig it out, get out the machine and then blow to the main road so I can move my car before some big State highway maintenance blow buries it or hits it.

 

[muttbarker]

Kevin - many of your questions will answer themselves with experience.

2 or 3 feet is tough to deal with, even if light. BTDT more times than I care to admit. Your tractor is huge compared to my BX. I’ve had a front mounted snowblower since 2002, first on a JD425 Garden tractor, then the Kubota.

1. I’ve never used a spray, and doubt I ever will. No need. If you’re plugging, there’s another issue.

2. If possible, get at that 24” snowfall in 8-12” intervals. Don’t wait for all of it to fall.

Also, if you’re breaking shears a lot on the augers, slow down.

Thanks, yeah, I figured out the slow down part when I left it in high gear by mistake and started blowing. Broke a pin in under a minute which was new record for me. Now I keep it in low when in the deep stuff.

 

[jimh406]

The most snow we've had in 24 hours was 2 ft, and that was a record. We usually only get a few inches at a time. I feel for you having multiple feet regularly.

I haven't used any spray on my blades/bucket, but there are some on Amazon that have good reviews.

 

[RCW]

Kevin - wanted to add your system of taking half-passes is just fine. It does take longer, but with less damage.

I prefer half-passes when needed versus raising the blower. Raising the blower and putting it under heavy load causes some severe angles on your PTO shaft and universal joints, and could cause additional wear.

If you were to mow REALLY tall grass or weeds with a mower or rotary cutter, you’d do the same instinctively. Same applies to the blower.

 

[CAPT Seabee]

Spray: Gemplers. Make sure the surfaces are dry and the spray sets for 20 minutes before use. I've been struggling with a whopping 18hp to the front on a JD 1025R. A Grand L5460 with a 74" front blower shows up next week. Regardless, you don't want to overfeed the impeller, hence be suitably gentle with the augers. I'll be able to get my work done sooner and in more comfort, but I still have to be mindful of the mass that's getting processed. On deep snow, I tend to cut it halfway in and then let the overburden go over the blower and into position for the next pass. Heavy wet stuff requires more patience. You have a great setup so just let it work at its own pace for you. Beats walking behind or a shovel.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Amount of snow you can handle has more to do with it's constancy then depth.
We get hammered up here all winter long and some are much harder to deal with than others.
It's just a matter of practice and experience to deal with it.
Sometimes it can be faster to first run a path with it raised half way then a second pass to get it down, then take half bite passes down either side.

 

[BAP]

Make sure that you are running the tractor at the PTO rpm’s or wide open. If not running enough engine rpm’s to turn the blower fast enough will cause problems. Run as slow of ground speed as possible to allow the blower to digest and blow the snow without overloading it. May even require starting and stopping ground movement to all the blower to keep up. If plugged is a problem, just spray it with any cheap cooking spray or other cheap oil spray.

 

[mikester]

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time

Slow down, take more passess. If you NEED to go faster you need more PTO HP and more augers.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Snow ? No such thing as 'snow'. It's all different 'white stuff' !! Light and massive, little and wet, lot and wet, ... never the same stuff twice !!
As you've found out , size of equipment doesn't matter...you can and WILL break shear pins..nature of the beast...
Usually I make the first past, DEAD SLOW ground speed, full PTO to BLOW all the white far,far away. After that, the WIDTH I take is based upon how wet and/or deep the snow is. Take just enough to allow the blower to toss it far,far away. I've found 'the operation' that works best, is based on distance the snow blows NOT how fast you chew up lots of snow.
It's definitely a 'hands on' experience..only YOU know if it's wet, fluffy and how your ground is.
IF you know you're going to get more than say 18" ( based on your tractor and blower), I'd go and clear the driveway every 12" or so. Not only is it easier, less chance of breaking anything AND a huge safety issue. Sadly EMS or FIRE may need to get to your house, so a clear driveway could save a life.

Also when you get to the road, blow away 20-40 feet of snow that's on the roadside so the plow doesn't dump THAT snow into your nicely cleaned out driveway !

 

[DustyRusty]

Snow ?......................


Also when you get to the road, blow away 20-40 feet of snow that's on the roadside so the plow doesn't dump THAT snow into your nicely cleaned out driveway !

If you do this, which is a good idea, make sure to wash all the salt out of your snowblower as soon as possible. If not, that salt will destroy your snowblowers case, and that can get to be a very expensive repair.

 

[shelkol]

When the snow is over the top of the blower, drive into the bank a little, wait for the fan to handle that load. Back out and hopefully the snow above where the blower went in will fall down, then blow that snow out. Do this until you get the first pass through the drive. Then take maybe half the blower width for the next and succeeding passes. Go SLLOOOWWWW.

Watch how much the fan is blowing out, if it is full, go slower, if it is only blowing a little, go faster. If the snow is piling up in front of the blower go slower and/or check your shear bolts.

In your tool box on the tractor keep a drift punch, two appropriately sized wrenches, spare shear bolts, and a hammer.

BTW, I prefer plowing because there are no shear bolts. y drive goes through a wooded area and has branches that fall down, get caught in the blower and there goes another shear bolt. Plus I can go faster But with 24" of wet snow I don't think I'd want to plow that with a BX.

 

[gssixgun]

Mostly all answered,

The best answer I read, and you read, was try and move it when it is LOWER than the Blower height Moisture content really changes the dynamic, we had a 45° temperature swing after Christmas which made moving the White SLUDGE very hard on the machines

Spray; Honestly my rear blower will toss SLUSH if I use the cheapo CRC Silicon Spray at Walmart I love that stuff LOL

 

[dclauria]

Kevin - I have the same tractor (mine's a GrandL) and snowblower, which I bought 3rd hand last year with less than 500 hrs. It's my first tractor. I live in Northern Michigan snowbelt area. This is my 2nd winter using it. I haven't yet broken a shear pin - who knows - maybe the previous owner put in a Grade8 bolt. The storm 2 weeks ago was the most snow I've had to move so far. I snowblowed 3 times over the weekend, each time - only about 6-8". However, I had to go to a friend's house about 2 miles away and take care of his driveway while they were sick. I went thru a snowdrift of packed but light/dry snow about 36" high. I had to keep it in Low gear - turtle speed, and stop occasionally. It kept dragging my PTO down below 400. Normally I can snowblow in medium or even high with just a few inches of snow. I've never tried spray - still learning. Now I know why the guys in this area that use Kubotas for professional snowclearing have GrandL6060s - I'm sure the extra HP does wonders keeping the PTO speed up.

 

[DustyRusty]

If you don't know the grade of the shear pins in the used snowblower, then you should buy some from the Kubota dealer and replace the ones that are in the machine now or at least compare them with the correct pins to make sure that they are not any stronger than the machine was designed to handle. I have bought used snowblowers and all too often people that don't know any better use a standard bolt that is too strong and it can lead to a damaged gearbox if it doesn't break when you encounter something that the snowblower can't digest.

 

[CAPT Seabee]

Great comment on shear pins. If you check the blower specs, they should say what grade bolt is required. My current JD blower specifies Grade 5. Since they are 1/4x1 inch bolts, buying a 100 pack off Amazon was the way to go along with the nylox nuts. Never go higher. If you go lower, just expect to burn through more of them. I don't know what the specs will be on my new Kubota 74", but I'll research that carefully when I get the unit and docs.