Snow removal tractor input

[mpatterson]

Need some input from you guys who have tractors set up for snow removal duty. How you like them, things you would change, add, remove, alter, etc. I am pretty sure my shoulder isn't going to let me use my walk behind blower much anymore. So I am on the hunt for the ideal, dedicated, snow removal tractor. I want the option of either mounting the blade or the 2 stage blower on it. I can not use a single stage blower here. I am leaning towards the solid cab, Sims or Hiniker style. I have a 782 I can set up for winter only duty, but was kinda leaning towards the 782 parts tractor I have. That way I can still have a 782 for summer time. BUT, I do not have a motor or a tranny in the parts tractor. So do I repower that one, or find another tractor that is better suited to working with in the winter? I need something that will start easily, since I only have an insulated garage to keep it in - no heat on the horizon for that building. I do most of my snow removal before I go to work in the early morings or later at night when I get home. So I need something that will start easily when its cold out and have the proper lighting on it as well. Is there a specific tractor model I should stay away from for winter work? With time, I'd like to have the tires fully loaded with chains on it for those slippery days. I will likely use it for blowing mostly, since I have a plow on my atv if needed. But its always nice to have the option of using either.

What do you guys have set up for winter duty? Pictures are great, we all like pictures! I am guessing that a 2 stage blower will be hard to find, but I am going to try to find one.

Any input or suggestions would be great!

 

[jchamberlin]

Mike: I'm probably the last guy to advise you on snow duty, but I do own both a 782 and a 149 and from some of your comments I can confidently share with you the following:

1. For snow duty, I would stay away from anything older than a Quiet Line.

Reason: Starting with the Quiet Line, IH got away from the starter-generator. Ask Melody Schultz how much fun it is to have snow pile up in the driveway and a perfectly good tractor in the garage that she can't start. A hydrostatic transmission only makes the situation worse.

2. I would go for a Hydrostatic transmission: A hydrostatic is desirable for the same reason that the hydrostatic is favored for mowing duties; you can set the speed depending upon the conditions of snow and traction quality, not the gear ratios in the transmission. It can make for hard starting, so I would seek ways to warm either the engine oil or the transmission (or both). Perhaps something as simple as an incandescent bulb will do the trick (assuming you can still find them for sale).

3. Go for the power: From all the accounts I've heard, snow blowing taxes a tractor as much as plowing virgin earth. You'll want at least 12 HP and 16 HP isn't too much.

Adding it all up, I think you're in the market for the parts to get your parts tractor 782 up-and-running. I have found two (2) M18 motors for a re-power, finding them takes luck and persistence, but they're out there.

2-Stage -- Really? After reading of Donald Tanners adventures with his 2-stage snow blower, I wouldn't discount a single stage snow blower. From all the accounts I've heard, the single stage work fine, they just aren't as "sexy" as a 2-stage. The ascendancy of the 2-stage snow blower was more a function of marketing than actual performance. (I will admit a slight conflict of interest here, I have a single stage snow blower I'm looking to sell, but if I felt I needed a snow blower, I wouldn't hesitate to use it and recommend it to others.)

Anyway, I applaud your willingness to share your thoughts and I sympathize with your dilemma: I'm always thinking of reasons why I need another Cub (and how I can justify the purchase).

 

[kmcconaughey]

Best way to help a Hydro start in cold weather baring a heated garage is to use a magnetic heater placed on the bottom of the rear differential. Provided of course that you have a Cast Iron rear and not an aluminum rear... Place it right about here:

Here's the magnetic heater that I have, a 200watt Zerostart brand.

A properly setup single stage snowthrower can certainly move snow.

For best traction weight, narrow tires with chains and even more weight is your best bet.

I usually end up clearing the snow when it's dark so I like having the extra headlights. The strobe on the cab is nice for when I clear out the end of the driveway. I want to be seen by any passing vehicles.

 

[wsdrake]

Mike, i respectfully disagree with some of what Jeremiah has to say. I live in the Snow Belt in Ohio, so I know snow pretty well. A foot of snow at one time is not uncommon. My setup has been a Cub 2135, Hydro static, with Tire chains and weight on the wheels. It did okay, but not as well as I felt it should. Enter the 108 I recently purchased. I helped the friend i bought it off of plow his drive, and he gave me the 108 to use. It only had Bar tires on it, and 75lb. wheel weights on each tire (no chains), and it outperformed the 2135. In my opinion, a starter generator makes no difference. Horsepower does, but that 10 HP Kohler on the 108 did just fine. The blade or snow-thrower is really a matter of personal preference, but if you want a snow thrower, a 12HP should be the minimum. This is my .02 cents worth. Always liked this little clipart:

. Talk at you later. Bill.

 

[dschwandt]

I've been following this thread w/great interest as here in eastern Iowa a foot of snow or more does happen at times.

Great pictures!! The temp here dropped a few degrees as soon as I opened the thread!!

So, with that in mind, what model blower should I be looking for to fit the 1650QL ?? I thnk the blade on my 1200 will do just fine for the lesser amounts say 2-3"

Dave S.

 

[dfrisk]

MIKE P. - I disagree with Jeremiah on a couple things too. I think the 1X8/1X9 series make great snow blower tractors. A creeper in the GD would help, and the hydro works fine as is. Even a NF can move a lot of snow in a hurry as Kraig's 125 shows.

If you have to have a 2-stage,, not sure why, but you might as well put a blower on your 982, then you have hyd lift. I think the single stage works great on up to 12 inches of snow on a hydro. You'd need a 42 inch blower for any tractor with tires wider than 6-12's & 4.00/4.80 frts.

Your 782 parts tractor sounds like getting it running to be a snow removal tractor would be a money pit. I'd look for a different 782. Any enclosure is better than none for blowing snow. The soft cab like Kraig has is great. The reason I don't blow snow anymore is because I don't have an enclosure. I use my FARMALL Super H to push snow, or on light snows (1"-2") I've used the old CC #70& 42" blade.

DAVE S. - For your 1650, a QA-42A or the later version, QA-42B should work. The "B" version was for the red tractors, you'll probably have to swap drive pulleys to use a 3/8" wide drive belt, great time to install a smaller pulley to increase rotor speed for better performance.

 

[jbaker]

I have to say the tractors before the QL are best for snow removal (jmho) I have used both QL geardrive with creeper and 149 with a blower and blade And I prefer a 149 with hydro lift.

Either way weight,traction, and ground speed are the key to it.

 

[jjsmith]

I agree jeff. My 1450 set up for snow removal has 23x8.50x12 turfs with 5gal of washer fluid in each and chains. Plus I slap on 70# worth of wheel weights. Only a 42" blade but it will push a lot. I ran into problems steering it in the slippery conditions so I installed some 4.80x8 front tires and made some custom lead front wheel weights. Works awful good for what it is. I personally like the hyd lift especially in the winter. And as far as the hydro in the cold it has never let me down. Turn on the gas, pull choke, roll er ober and within 3-5 spins she's runnin no problem. I have a pic of it decked out with the plow and weights if somebody is interested in uploading it for me

 

[kmcconaughey]

Joseph, feel free to email me the photo and I'll get it posted. My email is in my profile.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Here's Joseph's Cub:

 

[mpatterson]

I apprciate the response so far on this chilling topic. Right off the bat, the 982 IS NOT going on snow removal duty! I couldn't imagine subjecting it to the road salt and crap in the winter. That being said, the 100 won't be signing up for that duty either. Yeah, I know - must have rocks in my head, but they shouldn't be required to do winter duty. Reasoning behind the thought of a 2 stage blower....I have a wood shed to get to at the back of my property and I was always under the understanding that a single stage blower could only be used on hard packed gravel driveways or on pavement? I figured the lawn rolling up and down would not do well for the single stage? After all, doesn't it need to auger the snow into the housing as it blows it out the shoot, so I don't think it would like hitting the high parts of the lawn. Going with that train of thought, the 2 stage blower has the adjustable "feet" that I can set up so its cutting about an inch or so above the ground, lessening the chances of running the cutting edge into the ground.

I do that currently with my 2 stage walk behind blower, to cut down on the number of ROCKS I throw all over my lawn from my driveway. I do not have a paved drive, and well, the rocks are not that well packed either, so I spend about two days raking rocks in the spring if I do not set the blower or the plow up off the ground. Just didn't figure the single stage could pull the snow in effectively if its wasn't right on the ground.
Certainly if I had the option, a hydro would be the best. Like you's have mentioned, the ground speed alone varies so much depending on the conditions. I have a fair number of drifts to deal with here, so do not want to wear a clutch out before I need to if I was to be riding it all the time on a manual transmission tractor. But I guess that is one reason why they make creeper gears? Hmmmmm.... so many things to consider! So unless I can find a tranny and something to repower my 782 parts tractor - its best to be looking for another tractor. So is there a model/series out there to stay away from? Can you actually produce some heat in those soft cabs? My luck I would have so much frost and condensation forming in one, I'd be further ahead to sit out in the wind and blowing snow. Figured I could have a small fan in a solid cab to move the air around??

 

[dfrisk]

MIKE - A single stage only has trouble with REALLY and I mean REALLY wet slushy snow, the kind you make a snow ball with and the water drips out of your hands. They will blow snow off of grass just fine. And I'm not sure ANY snow blower/thrower can tell the difference between snow and crushed rock. I know none of my blades can. I know Kraig raises his single stage blower up a bit the first few times he cleans his drive and the packs the snow and lets a layer of packed snow/ice form. With my concrete I have to get down as close as I can, or I'll never make it up the slope.

I've never actually run a 2-stg blower on a CC, but spent some time on a little off-color 8-26 walk-behind, meaning 8 HP Tecumseh & 26 inch two stage blower, and I thought it took a LOT of HP to toss the snow. The 2-stg may have an edge on throwing distance if that's an issue.

JEFF - Your comment about "Weight, Traction, & ground speed" is what made me park my CC's in winter and use my FARMALL's. My little loader tractor only weighs around 6000 pounds, the BIG loader tractor something over 7000 pounds. I should use the big tractor to move snow since it has power steering, but I like my old Super H. And even the winter we got over 100 inches of snow and "The Storm of the Centrury" a couple years ago I had no problem moving snow. I don't push snow fast, I hate to tear up my blade/loader, or tractor, and driveway.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Mike, I have a gravel driveway, I have my snowthrower set up to leave around 1" or so of snow so that I minimize how many rocks I throw into the yard. I also sometimes hold it up so that it's not even using the skids. If you look at the second to last photo that I posted you can see that the skids are up and how much snow I'm leaving by looking at the tire ruts under the tractor. Here's a detail of that photo and a photo of how I have my skids modified.

I also clear a section of my yard down near my fire wood piles. It's not paved and it's not gravel, it's grass, well OK it's weeds and weed grasses not lawn grass. In any case the single stage snowthrower works just fine here.

 

[mfrade]

Oh.. what the heck, I'll toss in my 2 cents. My "73" does double duty, grass/yard work and then snow removal. I like to use the blade for 6 inch or less snowfall, but I can only pile it / push it back so far and then I've run out of room. So after the sidewalks fill up it's time for the blower to stack it higher and higher. We have grass sidewalks here and I have no problems with digging into them or gouging the grass. And a lot of folks think 8 horse isn't enough but I have no problems going anywhere I want and tossing snow out of my way. My tractor does have a creeper but I have only needed it once. I needed to squeeze in another car into my yard for off-street parking during a snow parking ban here. To clear an area that was full of drifted snow / snow I had previously tossed into the yard with piles underneath from earlier snowfalls, I used the creeper and drove straight into it. It worked great! And I only needed the creeper for the first "cut", after that I would max out the thrower / engine by steering into or away from the snow. I guess if I had more horsepower it would add to the experience somehow, but I have NO PROBLEM at all with my setup! And since I do the neighbors on either side of my property, we're all happy with the results! LOL..

 

[thoffman]

ALL Cub Cadets do a good job with snowthrowers and or snow blowers. Last year I used a 800 with a QA-36....no problem. The first "cut" is the most difficult, after that, as Mike said, adjust the width of your cut.

THEE most important thing when pushing snow is you HAVE to get the the horsepower to the ground! If you don't have traction even a 18 hp. tractor is useless.

 

[ljones]

My original was my primary snow remover up untill two years ago when it wore out, it has a k-181 replacement and it never ran out of power. It is so cold sitting on the incorrect pan seat with holes in it. The last year I used it I used a set of 23x10.50x12 tires with chains and it helped a lot. This year my 122 is ready to go, and by the time winter rolls around my original will be ready as a backup.

 

[kide]

Cold weather staring with the 129 ?? I didn't even know I had a problem until '99 when I joined the Forum... before that I just followed the same cold start routine, even back when central Michigan used to get below zero weather (before global warming) - Choke full on, throttle partially open crank and slidethe choke off - it would usually start running "on the ACR" which meant it would spin faster, but not catch at which point you start bumping the throttle open as you shut the choke off. A couple of times of that (you'd have to reset and start over a couple of times) and it'd catch and the generator would run full charge for a couple of minutes. I guess it still starts that way, but I'd have to phone it in from Florida these days

)

As far as single stage versus two, you've got more of a chance of salvaging power cords from a single stage... I agree with Dennis on the slushy stuff, a 42" single stage will slow down to the point that it's just dropping big turds out of the chute when it's too warm - that's the point to give it a rest and get out the other tractor with a blade..

 

[mfrade]

Regarding slushy snow. 2 years ago we had the snow falling change over to rain before I got busy tossing it out of the way. Once I got out there it was making the turds talked about earlier but I found that if I got the speed & feed just right, it would work just fine. I almost believe I could pump water with this thrower if I could get the speed & feed right. I remember some discussions on here where folks were tossing grains / nuts / all sorts of things and I was always a bit skeptical.. But not now!

 

[kmcconaughey]

*IF* you have the auger housing and discharge chute coated with Slip-Plate or some other brand of graphite paint, wet slushy snow is not too much of a problem. The action photos I've posted were all from sticky March snowstorms, note the snow sticking to the trees and other objects. Granted the snow in the photos was not the really wet stuff but I've not had much problem with that either, it just doesn't throw quite as far and it's bigger chunks being thrown.

 

[thoffman]

Mike, I've heard of the grain and nuts being moved with a snowthrower too. What a great way to prep a snowthower for painting!