Berco snowblower for vertical engine tractor TO horizontal tractor?

[ebinmaine 67,342]

I have the opportunity to get my hands on the berco snowblower seen in pictures below.

 

Seems to operate okay. Price is right.

 

What needs to be done to adapt from a vertical shaft tractor to a horizontal shaft tractor?

 

 

 

 

[johnnymag3 2,517]

Way too much to transform to Horizontal shaft kohler....possibly impossible...Due to the lack of side drive on the snowblower....

 

John

 

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by johnnymag3

[ebinmaine 67,342]

1 minute ago, johnnymag3 said:

Way too much to transform to Horizontal shaft kohler....possibly impossible...Due to the lack of side drive on the snowblower....

 

John

 

 

 

What about running a belt down to the mule drive and then something towards where the mower deck belt would be if there was one...

 

Vertical jack shaft with the belt going forward to the snow blower?

[johnnymag3 2,517]

I may have something you would like to see...

 

PM for preview before posting....Hint....2 Stage Ber Vac 46 Snowblower

 

[johnnymag3 2,517]

1 minute ago, ebinmaine said:

 

What about running a belt down to the mule drive and then something towards where the mower deck belt would be if there was one...

 

Vertical jack shaft with the belt going forward to the snow blower?

Far too complex to be creating and fabricating I think Eric...and then there is durability issues...

[johnnymag3 2,517]

I do have this in my possession, and I do have the suitcase weight that’s missing took it out for clarity on the Ber vac mount.  The snowblower is also ber vac. Made specifically for Wheelhorse 46 inch blower.

[johnnymag3 2,517]

Everything in the photograph is going to be sold complete perfect mechanical 312 eight with all attachments, blower wheel weights, chains, suitcase, weights, cab, snowblower, two-stage unsure if I want to sell the package complete or part out the machine. It also comes with a 42 inch side discharge deck.  Deck is solid no rot holes quiet spindles, no issues.

[ebinmaine 67,342]

44 minutes ago, johnnymag3 said:

Everything in the photograph

 

 

Quite the package there. 

 

This one that I have been offered is local to me. Friend of mine.

Wasn't something I'm specifically looking for but I might give it a go just the same.

 

 

[johnnymag3 2,517]

The Ber Vac 2 stage is an incredible unit.....will throw snow 30 ft. into the woods !!!!!  Ccanadian made for Wheel Horse. Also the factory fit rear weight bracket. 

[cafoose 3,354]

@ebinmaine I got a Berco horizontal shaft off my 520HC listed on the big show buy and sell thread. I moved to Tennessee and don't get snow anymore. Make me a reasonable offer and it's yours. Everything included for mounting up. It's in PA now. I can bring it to the show if you can find someone to bring it to you.

[wallfish 16,992]

Looks like a 90 deg gearbox mounted on the side and a pulley or 3 or maybe a chain and sprocket to drive the blower shaft like the Toro does. A 5/8 bar for the Tach A Matic

Of coarse a little fab work for the mounting but doesn't seem like it's a crazy amount to do.

There's a Peerless 90 deg gearbox in the hz one pictured

[ri702bill 8,296]

A word of caution if you are going to add a DIY 90 degree gearbox. The bearings in the box are only there to support the gears and the "seperating" forces between them in use. Any drive pulley or output device MUST have its own bearings and be coupled to those gears with NOT a solid rigid coupling. A Lovejoy spider style  - rated for the shock load - type coupling should be used. If not, do not get too attached to the gearbox......it will fail.

Bill

[ebinmaine 67,342]

3 hours ago, ri702bill said:

A word of caution if you are going to add a DIY 90 degree gearbox. The bearings in the box are only there to support the gears and the "seperating" forces between them in use. Any drive pulley or output device MUST have its own bearings and be coupled to those gears with NOT a solid rigid coupling. A Lovejoy spider style  - rated for the shock load - type coupling should be used. If not, do not get too attached to the gearbox......it will fail.

Bill

 

I'd use something specifically designed for the purpose of driving a belted implement like a Toro Groundsmaster deck gearbox. 

 

 

[Handy Don 12,178]

The thing to note before getting too deep is the needed direction of rotation. I suspect the blower’s driven pulley has to turn clockwise when looking from above.

 

A gearbox mounted under the tractor on the blower frame driven via a shaft extending out to the right under the PTO would do it if there’s room under the tractor. I’d think of one off a Gravely front-mount mower or off a later JD mower deck from a 400 series tractor.

 

A standard front “mower” mule would also do it, driving a dual-pulley jackshaft mounted directly under the tractor engine on the blower’s frame. Less complicated, and handles the vertical lift motion of the blower smootlhly. Switching the pulleys in the mule lets you reverse the rotation direction of the driven pulley, if needed.

[wallfish 16,992]

10 hours ago, ri702bill said:

A word of caution if you are going to add a DIY 90 degree gearbox. The bearings in the box are only there to support the gears and the "seperating" forces between them in use. Any drive pulley or output device MUST have its own bearings and be coupled to those gears with NOT a solid rigid coupling. A Lovejoy spider style  - rated for the shock load - type coupling should be used. If not, do not get too attached to the gearbox......it will fail.

Bill

Peerless gearbox as on all of the 2 stage blowers. No external bearings at all and works perfectly fine. Directly side loaded from the belt on one shaft, side loaded from a chain on the other. They were also used on some WH vertical blowers as well. They have their own bearings inside and can handle the side load. I'm attached to them!   I can get the numbers off the cover if anyone needs it

I can see that same box in the pic above for the hz Berco blower too. No external bearings or additional couplers

[wallfish 16,992]

6 hours ago, Handy Don said:

A standard front “mower” mule would also do it, driving a dual-pulley jackshaft mounted directly under the tractor engine on the blower’s frame. Less complicated, and handles the vertical lift motion of the blower smootlhly. Switching the pulleys in the mule lets you reverse the rotation direction of the driven pulley, if needed.

I was going to do that for a 2 stage Craftsman blower before I found a WH 2 stage. Saw one for sale cheap $150.00 over the winter and thought about picking it up butI got enough crap around here to work on.

[ebinmaine 67,342]

7 hours ago, wallfish said:

I was going to do that for a 2 stage Craftsman blower before I found a WH 2 stage. Saw one for sale cheap $150.00 over the winter and thought about picking it up but I got enough crap around here to work on.

 

The snowblower in the pics above is even less expensive or I wouldn't have brought it up. 

 

Looks like it wouldn't be too bad of a fab job to get it going.....? 

[wallfish 16,992]

1 hour ago, ebinmaine said:

 

The snowblower in the pics above is even less expensive or I wouldn't have brought it up. 

 

Looks like it wouldn't be too bad of a fab job to get it going.....? 

The correct gearbox as Bill and Don mentioned is the key. Direction of rotation.

Without inspecting it in person to look inside there's plenty of assumptions being made but going by appearance it doesn't really look that involved to me. BUT, stuff like that is within my wheelhouse as I've already modified quite a few things that wasn't originally designed for a WH tractor. Chipper, Rotory Broom, blowers, etc plus have a pretty good stock pile of parts and such. Direction of rotation can be changed with the addition of a gearbox from a 1962 round hood blower that does exactly that for those blowers. Or gearboxes from mower decks from different makes. Some Ariens tractors drive their decks with a 90 deg gearbox that you can move the gear inside to the opposite side of a shaft and change the rotation direction of the output shaft. I buy weird stuff like that at the shows, or take stuff off of things for parts. Just like you asked about scavenging parts from that car, it may not get used for years but it's here if the light bulb lights someday. Yes, there's a bunch of "junk" around here

 

[Handy Don 12,178]

6 hours ago, wallfish said:

Yes, there's a bunch of "junk" around here

I think I’ve got to find a way to visit your “stash” for inspiration!