Go BottomNew Holland front mounted snowblower
 | Snowy
Join Date: Posts: 1 
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2002-01-05 34282
I'm intersested in front mounted snow blower for a NH 2120. I think the NH part #is 716B 72". I got the # from the New Holland web site. But very little information about the specs. I do know it needs to be run of the rear PTO. I know these front mounted blowers are very expensive. But I am hoping a commercial application might be worth it. A couple of questions. Approx. how much are they, $4k, $5k, $6k, $7K? Who makes NH snowblowers? Are these blowers capable of handling a commercial application, lasting and not wearing out? Do the creeper gears need to be installed or is the standard low range 1st gear good enough? The blower would be used to open drives from drifts and/or major snow that the plow trucks can't do effeciently. The snow moisture is about 90% of the time semi-dry to dry.
Thanks for your help
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley 
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2002-01-05 34286
Can't be much help with price since I work in $'s CAN, but I'd guess at least $4000 U.S. if the blower has it's own mounts and frame and a rear to front PTO conversion.
I'm not sure if the if the blower on the NH site requires a rear PTO or your tractor doesn't have a mid-PTO. Most front blowers work from mid-PTO’s. I looked at a front blower for my 1710 (without mid-PTO). A front to rear PTO conversion kit was over $1000 CAN. I got a 3ph blower. In conversion kits, it's important to be certain to get the right speed and rotation for the blower.
I saw a good-sized tractor with a big bucket and about an ‘8 3ph blower the other day in town. I think it was bigger than your 2120, and It looked to be in commercial service. You might want to think the following idea through. A lot of commercial work in the winter is with loaders.
Loaders are used to push back banks when the plow drivers guess wrong and run out of space. Loaders also are used to stack snow. There may be more commercial work for loaders than for blowers. Of course, the loaders used to push back big banks the plows leave are big commercial units.
I haven't thought it through, but there may be a problem using blowers in some commercial work. Blowers throw things out their chutes, and it wouldn't be good for a client’s business to have a customer ‘beaned’ in the head with a rock from across a parking lot. Of course, it may be rare for a blower to be in a parking lot since they aren't too useful in clearing wide areas.
Blowers also are a lot slower than truck plows, because most tractors only go 12-mph or so. However, blowers do strut their stuff on private drives that don’t get much junk thrown on them, in heavy snows and in places where there's no place for a plow to put the snow.
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 | cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York 
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2002-01-05 34287
Snowy,
I don't know if this will help but I priced the 60" front mount when I bought a NH that would run off the mid PTO. It was $3500. That did not include the additional plumbing needed for the hyd. chute, which in my case would have been just hoses and fittings.
Most of the large tractors in my area run a loader blade and three point blade combo. As Tom mentioned in his post, these machines are used for large parking areas and such and need to be in and out before the opening of business. A blower would be too slow and with the distance from shore to shore in a big lot being what it is, you would be blowing the same snow numerous times. I would think a large offset rear blade and front loader blade that either clamps over the bucket or replaces it would be the way to go. I do recall seeing some of the fruit farmers in the area that have large Ford and J/D tractors, mounting truck blades such as a Western or Myer on these machines along with a rear blade and then going to get another machine with a loader when the need arises, but then they have them in their barns sitting all winter, so why not.
I remember a fella some years ago buying a front mounted blower for his CJ Jeep. I don't recall who made them but it was the only light commercial one I have ever seen. It did not meet with much success in the battle of the driveway cleaners around here. Seems to me it had it's own auxillary gas engine mounted on it with a remote starter. Again, as Tom mentioned, people did not appreciate seeing their possesions or their pets flying through the air. Seems if they aren't the ones doing the cleaning, those items left in the driveway before a snowfall aren't that significant until you destroy one of them. I actually felt sorry for the guy that had invested in this thing, he was a decent person and was getting torn up by his customers.
My next tractor investment will be a cab and a used blower for the three point hitch. All I have to do is sell the Curtis blade to cover the cost, I am sure the wife will move me to the unheated barn to live if I don't. Hope I gave you some fodder for thought. ....
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| Jeff B
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2002-01-05 34302
Cutter, which tractor were you running the Curtis blade on, and was it not doing what you needed? JeffB ....
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| cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York
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2002-01-05 34309
Jeff,
I bought it new last winter and had it mounted to the N/H tc29. When I traded for a 2910 late this summer, it was a simple matter to reposition the loader mounts to fit the Kubota. You have to understand, I learned to drive on a 49 Willie pushing snow at 13 years old and running a blade is something I have done all my life, need it or not. These loader blades are very different in operation, they are great for piling snow as you still have some loader function available to you. The down side is that in order to get it to operate without tearing up the driveway, it has to be in the float position. You lose steering and front end traction, and if your brakes are on the same side as the hydro, you can't use them to steer. I had already made the blade purchase, so I made the mount switch when I traded machines. My plow is new, the paint isn't even scratched on the scraper blade but the dealer wouldn't allow me anything for it on a trade for a rear blower when I swapped machines. This year we haven't had any snow to plow, so I don't know how it will work on the 2910. I may be able to steer it due to the hand lever cruise control on this machine, but now with another 300' of driveway to plow back to my barn, a rear blower and front bucket would be much more effective. ....
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| snowy
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2002-01-07 34335
I know a larger loader is most likely the best solution but very expensive to purchase, out fit with chains, maintain, and than have is sit around for 6 to 7 months. We do have loader work contracted out which does work well. Tthe only draw back is you can't get these guys right off. It usually takes a day or two. I do understand the the high risk of hazards in using a snow blower along with them being very slow. I am more concerned with opening a driveway that is drifted in than using it every day snow removal. We call on around a 120 driveways. Almost half of them are around a quarter mile long or longer and are vairing from steep, to many turns, to open meadows. Last year the ski area here received 571" of snow fall. We had some drives that required a loader 2 to 3 times to open up a drive that was not possible. I guess I'm just trying to make due with what I have at my disposal.
Does anybody know who makes New Holland snowblowers.
I did try a fisher plow mounted in the bucket works well but slower the plow trucks.
BTW, I like the US dollar compared to theCanadian dollar and the border is less the 20 miles away.
Many thanks for the input, please more suggestions!
snowy ....
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| snowy
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2002-01-07 34337
Forgot to mention I do have a Curtis cab with heater and wipers.
snowy ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2002-01-07 34338
There might be a problem with warranty servicing a Canadian NH blower in the states. Might be an interesting discussion with Customs officials why a used blower is crossing the border several times. A blower form an after-market manufacturer may not have the gray market problem. Pronovost blowers are Canadian made. They are generally well regarded and pricy. I don't know if they make a front blower. I have a moderate priced 3ph Meteor-- also Canadian made. A Canadian dealer would know these things.
It sounds like you may have a front blower application. 1/4-Mile drives get a little much for 3ph blowers, and more than one of them is a lot of driving backwards. 3ph blowers also can be slower. At least my blower clears moderate snows faster than I'm willing to drive in reverse. Blowers require less traction than plows, and a blower will cut it on hills and deep snows when a plow won't. Of course, for commercial work, you do have to keep in mind that a blower is about worthless on gravel drives until after freeze-up. Even then it's a good idea to scrape drives clean with a blade at least once to clear off junk and loose gravel. It wouldn't do business any good to have to tell customers that their drives can't be cleared because the gravel isn't frozen.
Plow truck and loader contractors do get busy during heavy falls and sometimes can't get to every place in a day. Of course, 120 1/4 mile drives would be difficult just to drive to on a tractor in a day unless they're very close together.
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