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 | Kevin
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 64 New Hampshire 
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2001-12-20 33925
My question is sort of general but I still hope you can help me. Are front mounted snow blowers used on tractors generally two stage or single stage machines? If they are single stage, why is that? It seems that higher end snow blowers are typically two stage. Also, if they are single stage (which I suspect they are), how do they work on gravel driveways? It seems to me that a high speed auger would be easily damaged by rocks and stones. A two stage blower might be less susceptable to rocks since it it moves slowly and the impeller of a two stage would less likely get rocks passed into it? I am trying to decide how best to tackle my snow removal. I have paved and gravel to contend with. I would like a tractor mounted blower but maybe a two stage snowblower would be better. Thanks in advance. Kevin
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 | Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York 
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2001-12-20 33926
Kevin the tracotor that you own or looking to perchase will often dictate what snowblower you will have. First about stages of blowers. Single stage blowers work just as good in fresh fallen snow as a two stage and sometimes better, depending on the design. Two stage was designed to deal with old snow, banks that have melted and iced up and will not flow into the blower well. The slow moving auger will chew up the large pieces so the impeller can blow them. Now for the part of a gravel drive, snowblowers and gravel don't mix so it is important to allow a base to develop to keep the stones covered at all times. ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2001-12-21 33944
I've never actually seen a single stage tractor blower. My 3ph blower is a 2-stage blower (auger plus fan), and the other tractor blowers I've seen around here are 2-stage as well. I believe Art's comments should be taken to heart. I think that if a blower actually is depended on, a 2-stage one is the more general and dependable tool.
I understand that the low-speed auger chews up hard pack and feeds it to the fan so a 2-atage handles old snow better. However, I don't know how well a 1-stage does with slush and very heavy snows.
For 2-stage blowers, I know they will go through slush without clogging the chute often and throw slush about 15'. In very heavy snows, the auger may feed snow faster than the fan can clear it, even at very slow ground speeds. However, the blower then turns into a bit of a plow and pushes snow ahead of it. The tractor is stopped periodically and the auger just sort of chews away at the pile and continues to feed snow to the fan until excess snow is cleared. I don't know how well a 1-stage does in these environments. However, there always seems to be freezing rain that turns snow to slush, highway plows throwing salt/sand over the drive entrance and several heavy fall a year. It doesn't take too heavy or too messy a snow for me really rather not want to do the drive with loader bucket, hand blower or shovels.
Regarding durability, a low-speed auger may very well kick out some large rocks before they jam up the works. However, shear pins are designed to protect things. I got a broken chunk asphalt in the works. It got past the auger and jammed the fan, which is higher speed than a 1-stage auger I think. The shear pin broke and there is no apparent damage to the blower.
Things are improving here and I shouldn’t break more shear pins. We got out wet snow yesterday and I pushed slush with the bucket and left a packed layer over the gravel. Enough snow fell after I plowed to make a rough layer when it freezes. So now, I'll have a solid base that is free of loose gravel and not too slick for vehicles and walking. The one thing not to do, especially with gravel, is to slick it off and let if freeze. It turns into a skating rink. It's even worst to plow or blow right before freezing rain is expected.
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| Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2001-12-21 33946
Tom, the auger on a single stage normally is spinning at the same or about the same speed as the impeller on a two stage. They will handle the same slush and wet snow that a two stage will and can blow the same distances as any two stage depending on initial designs. Many or the large road clearing blowers are single stage blowers. Depending on there construction they will go into old banks and remove built up snow with ease. There are many built that will not handle the crusty old snow but I also feel some manufacturer's have lowered the quality of the two stage and they are not built tough enough for the removal of old snow banks as they often are bending the auger. There again the diference is with the design construction and some single stage blowers will definitely out work the two stage blower. One plus of a single stage is you don't push any snow and the auger speed when coming up behind a car or up to a wall will often suck the snow in and remove it. ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2001-12-22 33959
Thanks Art: Good information as always. Sounds like a blower choice might have been a tough call for me. There is plenty of old snow; especially since I don't blow necessarily after each snow. I might wait a week or more during times of daily light snows until it gets deep enough to justify using the tractor.
I didn't know that 1-stage blowers don't push piles in front of them. I wish my 2-stage didn't. I have to clear several highway drive entrances and go onto the highway shoulder. When I stop blowing there's always this mound across the shoulder even though I try to angle it into the ditch. Well, you just can't leave the pile there for the highway plows since it might freeze and somebody could hit it. I have to go onto the highway to push it all into the ditch. I really don't like playing on icy highways that have a lot of transport traffic. All things considered though, I'm probably better off with my 2-stage. Happy is a person who's satisfied with what they've got I guess.
Something else I don't know is how 1 & 2-stage blowers compare for clogging chutes. I know that with fairly wet snows, my chute will clog every time I stop unless I run the blower long enough to clear the auger. Hence, a live PTO is very important to have with a blower. Otherwise, I'd have to mount a broomstick holder on the tractor and look for quick-release seat belts. Well, maybe I am overstating things.
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 | Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2001-12-23 34002
Many of the large train blowers are single stage. The fan on these is nearlyas large as the locomotive. I believe they use these as they are much faster. ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2001-12-24 34014
Ground speed is an issue for me with my 2-stage blower. Fairly heavy snows and the ground speed has to be kept down or the fan won't clear snow as fast as the auger feeds it. With my 3ph blower, it's not much a problem though. Most times the blower would clear faster than I'm willing to drive backwards.
A friend is driving a blower that's mounted on a truck and used to clear runways at a military base. I don't know if it's 1 or 2-stage, but I imagine that the military wants their runways cleared in a hurry and the fastest type of blower would be used.
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| Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2001-12-24 34018
Tom in this area the bulk of the airports use single stage as they are the fastest and of coarse they are cheaper to build and most important they move fresh fallen snow quickly. ....
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