Kubota B2601 compact tractor. B2782B snow blower. Using down pressure on the blower. outdoors.
Vložit
- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
- Kubota B2601 compact tractor. B2782B snow blower. Using down pressure on the blower.
I have several inches of hard-packed snow but I don't want to scrape the driveway all the way down to the bare ice underneath. The driveway is not level and has a lot of undulations so trying to lift the RB1672 rear blade to a certain height, causes hits and misses along the driveway, as the tractor goes up and down over the undulations. So, today we try a different method with the Kubota B2601 compact tractor and using the B2782B snow blower to plow the driveway. Come join me out here in the outdoors, up at the cottage. Cheers!
www.gpoutdoors.ca
#kubota #snow #snowblower
I have had to use the down pressure for the same reasons and to overcome uneven driveway surface.
I will switch from 4 wheel to 2 wheel when doing this, it does seem to help keep the tractor moving. I am keeping my front wheels up in the air for as long as the tractor goes straight and keeps moving.
I have experimented with the diff lock and using the brakes to help steer.
Question, do you feel that the rear blade is appropriately sized for your tractor or would you prefer the 2672? I am currently debating this purchase. The 1672 is in stock, but the 2672 is a couple weeks out from the factory.
Cheers!!
Good morning Tom. I appreciate you sharing that. That's exactly why I have to do it sometimes as well. The driveway is not flat and when I try to use the rear blade for this purpose, it either scalps or misses as the tractor rolls up and down over the undulations and uneven spots. Re: the blade. I have not used the 2672 before but I see that it can take more accessories than the 1672, weighs quite a bit more, and has a higher moldboard. I am very happy with the 1672 except that I wish it was heavier. When pushing backwards with the 1672, it will often ride up on the snow and I have seen on youtube that others will strap cement blocks to their rear blade to give it more weight. So, I might offer to ask your dealer his thoughts, too. Mine recommended the 1672 for the B2601, but if your dealer thinks your B can safely use it, then I would wait for the extra weight and higher moldboard height (assuming the price difference is reasonable). Good luck and thanks for the comments!
I have the 2672 blade for my B2650. Its heavy enough to move snow without riding up. Im only limited by traction so you should buy tire chains. It does a great job scraping frozen ground and for landscaping, its heavy enough to dig right in.
My older brother has successfully used an old pull type tandem 8' disc loaded with as much weight as his tractor could pull...with chains of course. LOL He leaves it uncrimped, so as it is pulled a few rounds, the discs cut deeply into the hardpacked snow/ice and leaves them churned up in the roadway. He drops the disc and hooks up the blade then scoots all the loosely cut chunks off the side with the blade angled. But the tractor is about 6,000 lbs and is a 1952 model and the disc is from the 40's. Dave's idea with the scarifiers is similar to how the disc works. Good informative video GP....and as always, perfectly produced !!
Morning T. It always amazes me that those old tractors still run after all these years. Remarkable. Interesting setup he has for sure. Not sure I could duplicate it though. LOL. Have a great weekend T!
Hi Gord. I use the down pressure on mine a fair amount. Does a real good job shaving down the snow. One thing I found is when going around a curve with the skid shoes on, they tend to “steer” the blower not necessarily where you want it to go. Once you have a snow base, try removing the skid shoes altogether. The blower will be more receptive to the turns and will enable you to shave even more.
Thanks Gerry! A few folks suggested that in the past- I haven't tried removing the skid shoes yet but happy to hear from you on it. I didn't know if I should remove them. I might give it a try before the end of the season. Thanks Gerry!
Hi GP! Looks like down pressure is your friend in this situation. Makes a real difference! Your snow covered property is so beautiful and it’s very soothing to watch you using the snow blower! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Martin. Cheers!
How's she goin'? People used to ask me why I didn't plow our road right down to the gravel. When I told them about leaving a snow base for better traction, they didn't believe me. Then we had some rain. Now they understand!!! Take care GP and have a great week!!!
LOL! Thanks Grampie. I guess after a while we all get to know our driveways and what works on them. Have a great week!
Wow! Imagine doing that with a walk behind snowblower! Another use for our Kubotas.
LOL Andrew. It's a long walk! All the best!
Hey buddy, I am sooooo jealous of all the snow you get to play in up there! I live in Colorado and to date, we are way behind in snowfall, in fact, I have only gotten to plow twice so far for the season with my B2650. Love your channel, I think I'm living vicariously watching you! Cheers, Scotty!
LOL. Good morning Scotty! Well, I would send some your way but we haven't had too much until recently ourselves. Hopefully there is a big snowfall coming your way soon, so you can put it to work out there! Have a great weekend and thanks!
@@GPOutdoors Awesome! I really enjoyed your video on getting started with CZcams I just started my channel back in November, it is definitely a work in progress!
That's great Scotty - best of luck to you!
Hey GP I love your channel, keep up the good work! A safety concern, I've seen you start that Kubota while standing in front of the rear tire. I'm old school, and I would only start the tractor from the operators seat. IMO Kubota is the best compact tractor out there, but anything that can go wrong, usually will. I hate to hear of you being run over by your own machine I'd miss the videos. Blowing snow is one of my favorite activities in the winter, keep getting it done.
Good morning and thanks for the great advice Jim. You must have been reading my mind. I did it again yesterday, and as I was doing it, for some reason it came across my mind as to what would happen if it jumped forward on me. Especially if my wife was not here and I was alone. Good point and thanks for supporting me and the channel. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Beautiful video GP....Cheers
Thanks and cheers Roy!
Hi GP, your first project next summer should be make your shed bigger. I think you should have scraped it down to the ice,you may regret it later. Best of luck for the rest of the winter.
Morning Joel. Thanks - LOL. saving for a garage but I may have to rethink that in the interim. Good point about scraping it down - it's sometimes a crapshoot - the weatherman is not always correct. Thanks again and have a great week Joel!
Lot's of mixed precipitation in Mn this winter also. It's great to have a good tractor, thanks for the video.
Cheers Cleon!
That worked pretty good GP! A little pressure seems like the trick! Have a good one and keep warm!!
Have a great week LA! All the best!
Very well done. My self try to throw my snow to the down side of driveway to keep the spring run off from messing up the driveway as much and reducing ice. Keep up the work and enjoy your day.
Thanks Tee Jay. That's a good point and helpful idea. I should start thinking about that spring runoff too. All the best!
Always a peaceful site in the snow and woods GP! Along with music in my ears I could stay out there all day. You have a great place bud.
Thanks Rob! I like it very much here, too. Happy you enjoyed it - have a great week out there!
That is nice having the blower on the front- sure beats having to keep turning around when using a 3pt. blower!
If it gets to icy try using the box blade and drop the scarifiers. They should leave grooves in the ice that will help with traction. Just remember too 'weave' across the road going in both directions - it will help with traction also.
Michael from Alberta
Good morning and thanks Michael! I tried that last year a couple of times and it worked pretty good. However, your advice to weave across the driveway is helpful and I think will work much better. I will give it a try when I get the opportunity again. Hope all is well in the wild west! Cheers!
Real nice canadian forest along your driveway gp.and a good job as always.
Thanks very much Michael. Be well and all the best!
Hi GP. I have a lot shorter driveway then you hahah and mine it pavement.
I do blow a lot out back to my buildings and float it there. I only use down pressure on my pavement.
Right down to black..
Right now I can't even go off my driveway the rest is mud. Hahahah A very different winter here so far here in the north east..
Cheers..
Good morning Gus. I would love a little bit of flat pavement. LOL! Yes, odd winter here so far, too. Finally starting getting some reasonable snowfalls but it sure came late. Be safe and all the best!
GP when are you going to built a nice garage for your poor tractor left in the cold and miserable weather ??? LOL I will probably use ice scarfiyer on the rear blade with extra weight on the blade to shape the road marks !!! Nice video GP !!! Stay warm and keep up the good work !!! Cheers !!!
LOL. Hey, she has a block heater - she doesn't need a garage.LOL . Yes great idea to use the BB Dave. Have a good one!
Liking the down pressure. We have been dealing with temperature ups and downs this winter here too. Have a good one and take care!
Cheers PP!
Good evening GP, looks good around there. Like the things you’re showing with the tractor and front mounted snow blower. You got it working good for you. Nice scenic drive today. Thanks for sharing with us.
Good morning and thanks ODD! Hope all is going well down in TX. We are starting to get some half decent snowfalls now, so winter is starting to look like winter. LOL. Be well and all the best!
G P we don't usually have that problem sometimes must get it out of flot wish had control of blade if depth could be held would be good I believe you have it on the kubota B
Thanks
God Bless
PaK
Good day Peter. That's a good point. Yes, the B has markings to hold a position consistent ( no down pressure unfortunately though). All the best Peter!
Greetings from Wisconsin, and another great video, as always. I get the same climate here in my winters, rain, snow, rain on top then snow and cold. -40F this time last year, regular temp. What I find that works great for me is turning your rear blade backwards, yet at an angle, putting it in float and using the blade's weight to provide the down force. Adjusting the top link will adjust the the aggressiveness of the blade, but it doesn't provide enough to scrape, and the snow left behind kinda gets "groomed" (sled talk, lol) as you go. My blade is much heavier, so I couldn't guarantee same results, but the more experience I get with mine, the more I like running that rear blade backwards. Even with the blade facing forward, and my driving backwards, it's pushes snow over my grass without doing any damage to the grass. Just sharing a little experience, God bless, and "Cheers"
Good morning and thanks for the great suggestion IHB. A few others have suggested similar ideas. I should try that again and see if it works better for me. Hope you are keeping warm- that's cold! Cheers and all the best!
Leaving that little bit of snow on top does help with traction. And if it was down to ice someone might be in to a tree
Hi G.P. I love the snow but we don't get as much as you do. Here in Virginia U.S.A. our big thing is cutting grass. We've had a very lite winter and have been noticing the grass is beginning to green and grow already. Keep up the good work spring is coming. Thanks and have a good week
Good morning Ronald. Wow - green grass already. Our winter has been a little odd here too as you know but we are starting to get some good snowfalls now. Thanks for watching and for saying hi this morning. Cheers!
You talked about wanting to rough up the driving surface and mentioned the scarifiers on the box blade, but it looks like those chains to a pretty good job roughing it up already. You might get by with just a few trips back and forth with the implements raised and let those chains break things up to give the regular vehicles more traction. It would certainly be easy if it worked. Cheers from Arkansas....I have snow envy.
LOL. I would send you a little snow if I could PHP! That's a really good point. I can see the chains dig it up really nicely. And if the temps stay cold afterwards, then that dug up snow will get crusty and provide good traction as you suggested. Thanks PHP! Have a great week out there!
good comparison GP.....traction is more important than trying to scrape it down to ice......Keep up the good job and take care my friend........ :)
Cheers and thanks Don! You too pal.
Heyhey Gord, Nice job as always. I sure hope I can get on my tractor soon. Way too cold here for a month. 25- 40F below here . Longest cold spell we have had in a few years. If it get above 20 below I will get out there.
Good day AK! Nice to hear from you - happy you are staying safe and warm. Wow - that's cold! Hope it warms up soon for you!
Good day Gp. if you dig to the ice your going to need more work to scrape the ice and sand. If you don’t scrape it you might have a bigger job and Spring to clean your driveway Good luck
Good day Denis. A good point to consider. Spring is not too far away. Cheers!
Gord, I’ve seen your tractor and blower operating dozens of times and it still amazes me how well that combination works! I have plenty of hp from my L4060 but I don’t think I get half the distance with my old Agro Trend 72” rear blower even when running a bit over 540 rpm off the pto. Although it’s is 25-30 years old, it’s in great condition, but it just doesn’t have the speed and efficiency in the impeller as the new Kubota (RAD) blowers. That said, if we keep having winters like this, maybe it doesn’t matter LOL!
Have you tried the blower without the skid shoes? Now that there’s a bit of frost in the ground and an ice base, you may find you can scrape down a bit more without down pressure. I don’t have any shoes on my rear blower and find I can make significant changes to how deep it cuts with a tweak of the top link. I just wish that top link was hydraulic so I could adjust it on the fly as I have a variety of undulations and a short step hill on my driveway. Maybe next year!
Cheers!
Good morning Dave. I am super happy with this front mount. A few folks have suggested I try taking the shoes off and maybe I should try that. But I notice too, that the sides of the blower, where the shoes bolt on, has no flat bottom - it is just the end of the plate steel. Whereas, the rear blower I tried out last year, had a bent flat surface on the bottom of the sides of the blower, so I did take those shoes off on that one. Perhaps it doesn't matter but I feel like the blower should ride on flat surfaces on the sides. I might check with my dealer and see what he thinks too. Thanks for the idea Dave. Have a great week!
Morning Gord! Good point that your blower has no flat sections at the sides, parallel to the ground. My old blower doesn’t have “shoes”, but does have small flats that taper from the side of the blower inward about 3” (at the back edge)over maybe a 6”-8” length starting at the cutting edge. These dimensions are estimated from memory so I maybe off somewhat but basically it a stretched right angled triangle, mostly behind the cutting edge. And the cutting edge itself has a flat bottom in the order of 2-3 inches, so that too will make the blower float if the top link is pulled in a bit. I certainly don’t have any trouble keeping it from digging in with a tiny bit of lift on the angle of attack.
If you don’t have the side flats but do have a couple inches of flat along your cutting edge, you may find that if will float along just fine without the shoes, depending on said angle of attack. I’m not sure how much top link adjustment you have on the front mount, so that might be a limiting factor. Might be interesting to give it a shot, assuming it’s now frozen underneath.
Cheers!
Be careful with down pressure! I accidentally engage mine from time to time when clearing my trails which are very uneven. Happens when I need to reverse to make a tight turn, raise my blower, and then try float again when there is only an inch or so of clearance. Causes the blower to dig and occasionally pull up dirt. That's a pain because it can pull up a rock or tree branch that blows out a sheer pin, but the real risk is to the big pin that holds the subframe on.
I recently found that 1 foot pin while walking my trail after clearing it!! I think I must have accidentally engaged the down pressure which when lifting the tractor sheered the Cotter pin off that holds that retaining pin. The pin then eventually worked its way out when my wheels were turned going around a bend. I didn't notice it because I'm working in a cab and didn't hear a change in operating noise from the midmount. Fortunately doesn't seem to cause permanent damage but could have messed up my mid mount transmission. So check your subframe pins after using down pressure!
Good day Paul and thanks for the great advice. Happy you didn't suffer any serious damage. Have a great week!
Oops spoke too soon, it happened a second time and this time will cost me about $800 to replace the spline rod in the subframe (bent) and the PTO Connector that attaches to it. Ouch.
Now I'm zip tying the hinge pin that secures the retaining pin. Helps it stay in place
Oh wow so sorry to hear about that Paul. Did that all happen because the little slip pin came out of the tongue that holds the blower on?
@@GPOutdoors No, it happened when the big pin that holds the subframe under the tractor came out.
Oh - that makes alot more sense.
Gosh your place is beautiful with the snow my wife and I love snow but we're in ky we only had maybe half inch here so far
Good morning and thanks kindly Stacey! I do enjoy it up here all year. Each season brings different sites to see. Have a wonderful week - all the best to you and your wife.
Well. Box Blade set at 1.5 inches. Or build another house at the other end of the road - then you will have a winter home and a summer home. I thought I saw Yeti in the background. Did you notice.
LOL Gazoo! I sure hope not - that tractor does not go very fast and neither do I. Cheers and enjoy the week!
Hi Gord. Sometimes I wish tractors had down force on the 3pt for implements such as a post hole digger, blades, etc. Would be handy, but gravity works too, unless you're on the Moon or Mars, LOL. I always wondered if you could run a compact tractor on the Moon if you could pack enough oxygen to run the engine. I think about things like that, LOL. Another great vid and I really like how you're progressing in the editing dept. The transitions are great and I love the music. Keep up the great work.
Cheers my friend.
Thanks so much Tim. LOL. First tractor on the moon. Now that video would go viral, I think. :)) Thanks for noticing. You probably noticed I tried to sync the transitions to the music. Takes quite a while longer but I think it turned out pretty good. Have a wonderful week Tim!
Wow this is some crazy weather GP. I think I'd rather have the snow. Rain, in your case makes ICE and that can be dangerous.
Good day Dean. Yes indeed - strange whiner so far but I have been getting a few good snowfalls lately so I thin it finally showed up. LOL. And I agree - I would rather have the snow for sure. Hope you have a great week Dean! Cheers!
Nice video - do the driveway and then some fishing
LOL. Thanks and all the best!
It would be a nice touch, from an artist perspective, if you included some wildlife shots from within the woods that surrounds you. This a beautiful place! Cheers
Good day Mike! Thanks for the great suggestion. I have been able to capture some on several past videos - beavers, moose, deer, herons, and fish jumping. But will try to keep an eye out for more and get them in there when I can. Thanks again - Cheers!
I didn't know you had down pressure with the snowblower. Looks like you had some of that messy snow on the weekend. We had wet heavy stuff too.
Good day Alain. Yes, I get some - works off the same lines as the FEL. I just have to manage it to make sure the front wheels don't get too light up front. Have a good one!
Another great video GP! Nice scenery and always nice music. Have you considered shortening your top link with your rear blade? I think with a little experimenting you can get it to just shave a little off at a time.
Good morning and thanks very much! Yes, that is a great idea. I have tried it different ways but the challenge is that the driveway is not flat - it has a lot of humps and undulations ( I have lots of work to do to fix it) so as the tractor goes up and down over the humps, the blade either scalps or lifts too high off the ground. So this seems to be the best alternative I have figured out so far. Thanks again for the suggestion. Cheers!
That was not an easy one! Wet snow freezing... I've tried to snow blow the 8in wet snow here... very difficult... 33hp is not enough! Do you think your snowblower handles better the wet snow or it's preferable to let it freeze? Thanks!
Good day Joe! That' a good question my friend. It throws wet snow very well but if I wait till it freezes then it gets pretty hard so I often need to blade it into the middle first and then blow the ice and crispy snow. Can't wait to see your quick hitch on the tractor. Great project to make Joe! Cheers!
Hello GP. As always, a great video. I live just a couple hours north from you and we experienced similar weather conditions, albeit we had more snow than rain, or freezing rain. I too have found that in certain circumstances a wee bit of downward pressure on the blower, vice allowing it to float, is required to effectively move the snow. My gravel driveway is now hardpack, so there's no danger of digging in too deep. This is my first winter with a tractor mounted blower and I've learned to use various snow removal techniques to satisfy different conditions; it's a learning process. As I was watching your video I noticed that the heavy, sticky snow didn't seem to stick to the inside blower housing as much as it does on mine. Do you wax the inside housing and throat? What type of product? Again, thank you for the great video; your efforts are much appreciated.
Good day Peter and thanks for the comment. It's good to hear that others do it too. Actually no , I don't at all. A few others asked me the same question over the last few weeks. I have never applied anything to the rear blade or the blower. However - do you keep your tractor indoors? I am not sure but if you do, then perhaps it is because the steel is warmer compared to the outdoor temperature when you start out (?). Just trying to think what might cause it. Have a great week up there and stay warm!
Interesting thought, yes, I do store my tractor in our spare garage. The garage is unheated and although there is no supplementary heat, there is usually a temperature differential...inside it can be a little warmer, by as much as five degrees. So, that may be just enough to cause the snow to stick to the inside of the blower, at least until the metal cools sufficiently. Thank you.
Down pressure worked better. What is your weather like now? It was 68F today for me.
Good morning Roger. I think so too. It was 6 degrees yesterday. (43F). Cheers!
I think a shelter for your tractor would be a great project for the spring. Did you ever consider a shipping container to store the tractor in?
Good day Colin! I have thought about different shelters but for now, have decided to wait while I save for a garage. I cleared the area beside the parking area (beside the propane tanks) for that reason. I may have to revisit the idea though as it may take a while before the garage gets built. Thanks again for the idea. Cheers!
Could try lower down the shoes down more. But you know that. You forgot the flashing light on the ROP
Morning Larry. Yes not sure if I should try that or not but still pondering it. That's for the reminder. I usually only use the beacon when I use the carry all (the CA blocks my flashers). Thanks though - Have a good week!
Great video. What is the name of the accompanying song ? Sounds beautiful, but I do not know it.
I would like to know how to adjust my front blower unit to a "free weight" level where the blower simply does its job using its own weight. Thanks!
Sometimes it appears that your snowblower is tilted backwards when youre operating it. Is it possible to level it out more? It would change the angle of attack on the cutting edge and may help. I really enjoy the videos.
Good morning and thanks for the great suggestion Richard. Unfortunately this front mount can't articulate or be positioned differently - it rests into a stationary sub mount. But it would be helpful - my neighbour's blower can angle and he uses it quite often - it would be an excellent option. Thanks again - enjoy the rest of the week!
I think you can achieve a very slight angle my positioning the skid shoe front to back.
Have you tried really shortening up the top link on your scraper blade? Might make the blade less aggressive.
Morning Don. Yes indeed. Thanks for the idea though. The challenge is that the driveway has humps and undulations so when I try to position the blade slightly off the ground to shave it, the blade will scalp or miss the ground as the tractor goes up and down over the humps. But this kind of works ok for me - not great but ok. Thanks again for the idea! Be well and have a great week!
@@GPOutdoors Without seeing it up close and personal, I'm thinking you might have a pickup truck size round snow plow shoe adapted to the rear bracketry behind the blade. You could set blade ground clearance with the large washers and easily take the pad completely off when not needed.
Excellent thinking Don. I haven't got them but I believe I can order them for the blade. Perhaps I should reconsider my earlier decision . That would do the trick for sure. Cheers!
Do you have steering brakes? Could you use them when you are applying down pressure?
Good day Hanshaw. That is an excellent idea. Joe from Steel to Wood, suggested that last year and I did use it a few times. I totally forgot about using the brakes separately to help turn the tractor. Thanks for the reminder. Super helpful. I think I am getting forgetful. LOL. Cheers!
Why not , no down pressure but drag'n blade ?
Morning Bubba! Using the blade for this is iffy for me. The driveway is not flat and has constant humps and undulations so when I try to set the blade slightly above the ground, then the blade scalps and misses as the tractor goes up and down over the undulations. The blade works great when I want to scrape it down to the bare surface, but I am not too good at doing it for this application. Thanks for the suggestion - enjoy the rest of the week out there!
Liking the down pressure. We have been dealing with temperature ups and downs this winter here too. Have a good one and take care!
Liking the down pressure. We have been dealing with temperature ups and downs this winter here too. Have a good one and take care!