SNOW BLOWER update

[Rick Prentice]

Well, George gave the blower a good workout today.

We're not happy with the results . The 16 hp engine seems to bog down when you hit heavy snow and the Cub still goes alittle fast, even at idle.

We shredded two belts. They just can't handle the bogging down part. Both belts were the heavy industrial kind. The second was a $16.00 green Gates.

Another problem is hearing the Cub engine run when the blower is singing. It's easy to stall the Cub, trying to get it to travel slow enough.

I'm back to the drawing board. This experiment was designed to see if it was practical or not to install a Blower on the regular Cub.

Right now, the not practical is winning

Rick

[BigBill]

Come on don't throw the towel in yet!!!!!! You need to speed up the blower so it can match the tractor speed with blowing snow. Its a balance of the ratio's on the belts to the speed of the tractor. I think we all knew it wouldn't fly on the very first shot so adjustments need to be made. This is the fun of going were no cub has ever gone your a pioneer and breaking new ground with a cub. I really miss doing R&D work since i retired thats the most fun to design it and make it work from no prints the plan is in my head.

[Bill Hudson]

Rick,

Shoot, I was looking forward to pictures of snow flowing in a HUGE arc from the front of the cub, throwing snow into the next zipcode. I have even thought I would follow suit and make one of my own. I'll just have to wait until the master works out the kinks (which I'm sure you will).

Good luck fine tuning the design!

Bill

[Rick Prentice]

Bigbill wrote:

You need to speed up the blower so it can match the tractor speed with blowing snow.

Bigbill, already had that figured in. I installed a little bigger pulley on the engine to get that extra kick, if needed. George had this thing screemin' and it still bogged the 16hp engine. It sure throws the snow, just not in the next zipcode

We need EJP's speed reducer or a 32hp engine

Some more thought has to go into this project .

Hold off on your's, Tamu, for awhile.

Rick

[beaconlight]

Chain drive? Motorcycles do it.
Bill

[evielboweviel]

sure sounds like a speed reducer is needed
Ron

[Rudi]

Rick:

I am sure that there will be a viable solution to this. Has to be. I know in me heart that this can be done.. I have been pondering this for a couple years.. and have talked to many about it. They all for the most part also believe that it can be done. Some naysayers always say that the Cub isn't strong enough, fast enough or slow enough for stuff.. but it always seems to work out.

I know that the Cub is not the be-all and end-all, but it is a pretty darn good unit, and it will be up to this. It is just a matter of figuring out the engineering details of the problem.

I have a lot of faith in ya Rick.. and I know that the solution will come. It may take a while, but it will come..

[Jack Donovan]

Go to smlar rear tires, It may look funny but it will slw it down

[Mac from NS]

Rick how would the belt drive like a snowmoble uses work on something like that?

[kinelbor]

Our tractor has a 24hp twin, the blower is geared down a fair bit, I would guess a 5 inch pulley on tractor and a 10 on the blower. I have to creep about as slow as it will go in deep snow. 4 foot swath.

[RAW in IA]

Years ago I had a Wheel Horse with a snow blower (not the one for that tractor)and it was running too fast. I had to slow it down some to get it to blow snow. Was just soaking up all the power and not getting anywhere.

[Dan Robertson]

Rick, I went back and looked again at the pics you had earlier posted of this project. I did a similiar setup a few years ago with the drive belting on a Toro front mount mower. I removed the mower and fabricated a leaf vacumn/blower on the front. The drive belt changing direction 90 degrees as moves around the lower pulleys situated in close proximity to the driven pulley creates alot of stress and heat in the belt. Add to this the occassional shock load created by the equipment powered as it's load varies. Additionally the faster the belt is moving, -ie; higher RPM, the more heat buid up.
MY THOUGHTS;
A possible gear box to eliminate the two lower belt pulleys, and OR; some sort of flywheel at the driven pulley to soften the shock loads and help maintain blower rpm at all load conditions.

I agree with most of the others. Don't throw in the towel just yet.I have faith in you. "YOU WILL PREVAIL"

[CubitisNH]

Rick-- I think Jack has a good idea with "smaller tires"--one of my parts Cubs has 15" white spoke rims on the rear, with quite large tires that I think are a LOT shorter than any 24" Cub tire. Something to consider as this would change the effective gear ratio a fair amount. Granted, it would look a little strange, but looks aren't everything! Any junkyards in your area might have something similar--it would be cheaper than a howard CD-6 speed reducer. Only possible glitch is the amount of ground clearance you have ---
Mike

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

You ain't gettin my speed reducer, and that's final. since the pto isn't in use for this application, what about fabricating a hydra creeper to run off the TC pump and dirve it via the pto?

[kinelbor]

I like that idea John!