simplicity snowblower

[900kingcat162]

anyone have a simplicity single stage snowblower that mounts on the front of their simplicity garden tractor? i looked at one at the dealer and it looks to me like its built kind of flimsy. have you had any problems with yours. the dealer told me the 2 stage only throws the snow 10 feet farther than the single stage and it costs twice as much as the single stage, so they said the single stage is a better deal. but the 2 stage looks like its built alot better. it weighs twice as much too.

 

[wirev]

Don't have what you mentioned, but I would never run a single stage.

 

[snocrazy]

Yeah - those single stage blowers that mount on the front or riding lawn mowers are junk.

Go 2 stage for sure.

 

[G]

Whitchever you might buy they get to be a really long contraption. Had that set up once. If your Simplicity tractor is not a 4 by 4 you need a lot of weights hung on the back along with chains on the rear tires. Simplicity walk behind blowers are really good. Those front mounts - not so much. Before you give anybody any money for a set up like this have it all mounted up and try it to see if it will work for you. If you can. A lot of money if it doesn't work . Good luck.

 

[mezz]

2 stage is the way to go, unless of course your hanging a monster single stage on the front of an end loader, forget about a single stage. I am assuming that you have a Simplicity Rider, as such, you will need either a rear weight rack &/or wheel weights as well as tire chains. Weigh out your options as far as cost goes with that vs. a walk behind blower. You can get a good Ariens walk behind for around $1400, which is a bit more mobile than the front mounted rider version.-Mezz

 

[skutr]

Ive got an OLD two stage simplicity blower for my simplicity rider and with the right snow conditions I can throw the snow a good 30 feet but I get at least 10 feet with heavy wet snow. I can easily chew through the 3 foot snow bank that the snow plow always leaves in front of my mailbox. I like it so much that I keep welding it back together (or maybe I'm too cheap to buy a new one)....

 

[zimmer1310]

I have an 20 plus year old SImplicity two stage thrower and it works great. like Skutr says, it just works.

 

[classic_rider]

hey there kingcat ,,ive got exactly what your talking about simplicity single stage 14 hp tractor ive had it since 1997 love it
never a problem with the blower ,,,weights on wheels and chains ,,,have blown lots of snow in the years ,,never had a 2 stage but
single stage works great imo ....

 

[scott_l]

.

Personally I would look for a large walk behind and put one of thous "enclosure" things on it to keep the blowing snow off of you.

I personally would not run my rider in the snow/plow crap at the end of the driveway. Salt slop.....equals more/quicker rust. Plus the salt slop getting into electrical connection and more hrs on your rider motor.

But to each their own. Good luck

 

[900kingcat162]

classic,

how does it perform in hard, drifted snow? does it chew through it pretty good? it has never bent from some minor abuse? what about heavy, wet snow? i have a 20 HP broadmore and live in the country, so the roads are never salted, so I dont have to worry about that. dont feel like lugging around a walk behind. seems they dont have enough down force weight and I am always lifting up on the handles and pushing it along to get it to chew thru. i am hesitant on getting the 2 stage due to its weight and am worried that my tractor isnt big enough to handle it. i will put chains and weights on it. thanks for all the replies thus far!

 

[gary_in_neenah]

Let me throw my 2 cents in here regarding Scott's comment above about the enclosure. My father-in-law has one and whenever the son-in-law visits he usually ends up blowing snow. I hate that darn thing because whenever I push down on the handles to lift the front of the blower, the damn thing hits me on the top of my head! I'm 5'10" and I'm sure there's taller people out there so let buyer beware. Granted, it keeps the snow off of you but I almost feel claustrophobic in there and repeatedly getting smacked on the top of the head ain't where it's at. But like Scott said, to each his own and I'm sure you'll find a solution that works for you.

 

[elf]

I've got a JD with a single stage blower mounted on the front and it does a great job. And it has moved a a lot of snow in the 15 yrs I've had it. Windpacked/drifted snow it does great, it plows through the hard banks great, the only issue I have is the wet heavy snow as it does tend to get clogged up in the chute from time to time. With the weights on and chains it does a very good job. I do most of my snow removal with the ATV and plow but when the banks get big I get in there with the john deere and move them back. Also does a much nicer/cleaner job than the plow does.

 

[skeeter2010]

Why not just a walk behind blower? is the tractor mount units less expensive? I know they are wider and cover more ground. If you’re going to be into the thing for $1000 dollars or more, won’t a dedicated machine work just as well? The other thing I see is once people put chains on the tractors they tend to spin the tires and damage the drive. I personally have two snow blowers one for the light stuff a single stage 2 stroke I got for free does a great job of clearing its narrow so it cleans very well. I also have a 32" two stage a neighbor lady gave to me when she sold her house works great on flat surfaces if anything is cracked or off angle it leaves snow because the scraper is touching in only a couple spots because of the width. It always seems that dedicated machines used for a specific purpose tend to work better than machines used for multiple jobs. Example shop vac/leaf blower, utility trailer/ snowmobile trailer, crossover sled/ mountain sled. I am sure they all work but the ease of use of a dedicated machine just makes life easy. Sorry if I rambled

 

[classic_rider]

kingcat
it works great, in wet heavy wet snow ,,drifted snow,,,sometimes it works a lil hard with the 14 hp ,just go a lil slower ,a 20 hp
should be awsome,,i would not get a 2 stage ,,ive never broke or twisted anything on the blower its been great,,,i have a friend
that owns lawncare buisness,,he snoblows in winter and has single stage on his tracters and says they work great,,as far as the
walk behinds to much twisting and pressure on my lower back ,,,broke it in 1995 thats why i got the tractor,,love mine
but next one will have a few more hp

 

[campfire42]

I agree with classic_rider, single stage Simplicity works good. I was very leery of single stage too, but when I bought two stage unavailable, so I bought a used single. I was told the more snow you feed it, the further it'll throw, very true. When unit plugs up, I've learned to just run it into a snowbank and it will push the plug right out! And I like that the blower doesn't hang way out in front of tractor, takes up a lot less area in garage. Chains and wheel weights are enough traction help for me. Yes, spinning does make a mark on driveway, but anything will do that. My unit is 20 yrs. old, and I'm hoping new units aren't cheapened up too much. That would be disgusting alright.