Will a snowblower have any towing / pushing capacity?

[Fordiesel69 263]

Was thinking of fabricating my own cart / wheel barrow out of a rotted out ariens snowblower.  The front end was remove but the engine, handles, linkage and tranny box are all still intact.  Would this haul lots of firewood or cement with that little friction disc drive?

[ebinmaine 67,501]

Well that sounds like an interesting idea. 

I'll just start out by saying I do not have the answer but I'd like to offer up a couple thoughts.

 

Even the smallest cheapest snow blower auger and gear mechanism has got to weigh at least 50 or 75 lb? Maybe more?

Add to that the amount of pressure that it takes to push into fresh snow that is, say, 24 in wide by 12 or 15 tall.

 

Let's just say you're going to put the firewood out front.

You can only put out front an amout in weight less than that of what you can push down in the back then still be able to control the machine. 

 

I don't know how much weight you're looking to move at one time but I can't help thinking you'd be able to hold several good-sized arm loads all at once. 

 

 

[wallfish 17,000]

It will push pull as much as that drive can handle. A clean plate with a clean friction wheel grab pretty good and it's easier than man power alone so my vote is GO FOR IT! Not sure I'd want to be under a load of concrete going up hill but it should push pull it on flat ground.

I was actually thinking of that a few years ago but figured it was just as easy to pull a trailer with a horse so never did it.

[ebinmaine 67,501]

1 minute ago, wallfish said:

just as easy to pull a trailer with a horse

Agreed. I've had the same thought but never pulled the trigger either. I can see where the smaller size of a person held cart wheelbarrow type thing like that could be advantageous in tight quarters.  

[SylvanLakeWH 25,559]

Cool idea! 

 

Gonna need pics!!!

[stevasaurus 22,740]

How big is the Ariens ??  I have one from the 80's that has a 3 1/2 Tecumseh...no way I would think about this when I have a horse and trailer.  Mine and a sulky might pull me around a show.  

[Handy Don 12,232]

Snapper used friction drive on their rear-engine rider mowers throughout the production run. I am using one with a 12.5hp engine and I've used it to move a camper trailer and haul a 10 cu foot trailer heaped with split hicory firewood (at least 350lbs + the machine + me) uphill and on level ground. They had a 30" snow blade option too.

I'm also running a '75 Ariens snowblower with a 6hp Tecumseh and friction drive. That unit was actually sold as separable into a tractor and the blower with other options for attaching to the front of the two-wheel "tractor" including a wheelbarrow.

 

I agree with @wallfish--with a clean disk and a friction wheel without glazing or cracking it'll pull a decent load. One thing to note--many snowblowers use a live axle with the option to un-pin one drive wheel, i.e. no differential. Attempting turns with a live axle on a firm surface with good traction might become exciting!

 

[Snoopy11 5,714]

20 hours ago, Fordiesel69 said:

Was thinking of fabricating my own cart / wheel barrow out of a rotted out ariens snowblower.  The front end was remove but the engine, handles, linkage and tranny box are all still intact.  Would this haul lots of firewood or cement with that little friction disc drive?

You... lost me.. 

 

I... fabricate a lot of things... but I always try to visualize first. 

 

Don

 

[ebinmaine 67,501]

56 minutes ago, Snoopy11 said:

You... lost me.. 

 

I... fabricate a lot of things... but I always try to visualize first. 

 

Don

 

Picture a powered wheel cart. 

Handlebars in back. Cargo area in front. Engine in the middle.  

Vroooom.  

[Snoopy11 5,714]

2 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

Picture a powered wheel cart. 

Handlebars in back. Cargo area in front. Engine in the middle.  

Vroooom.  

Like... eh... gas powered wheel barrow? Sounds ludicrous...

 

I LIKE IT>>>> BUILD IT!!! 

 

Don

[wallfish 17,000]

 

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

I've repaired the auger drive gear case on my 8HP Craftsman walk behind twice in the past 10 years.

 

In a similar vein to using it as a 'power wagon':

 

If it goes out again, I'm going to put a 'cow catcher' blade on the front of it and use it to plow my sidewalks and path to the shop.  Most of that area is too tight to get the tractor into, especially when snow covered.

 

I'm figuring on the VEE plow (cow catcher) so the snow load won't try to steer it.  An angled blade would do just that.

 

I'm sure the friction wheel in that is up to the task.  Last I looked, no wear to speak of and it's been rode hard.

 

I think one of our RS mates put a plywood blade on a walk behind... seem to recall seeing pics of that.

[ebinmaine 67,501]

38 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said:

I'm figuring on the VEE plow (cow catcher) so the snow load won't try to steer it

Well that'd be interesting. 

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

There is more wear on a snowblower friction disc in the low "gears" than high. I would search on CL for a '50s Simplicity Model W Walk-Behind tractor. which had 3 forward and 1 reverse gear drive with differential. Cheap if not running and put a HF engine on it. 

[Superdutybuilds 2]

I built a super custom hauler out of a 9hp snowblower. It's has 2 types of detachable buckets, lights, power steering, power dump, all controls up by your hands, tractor battery for electric start, cruise control, etc. It can carry about 6 80lbs. Bags of cement. And it can dump almost 1000 lbs. I haven't tried to haul that much, but the dump bucket will dump that weight. I used the tank type of tracks off a broken snow blower in back and 15" wheels up front. I even Fabricated a sulky in back that you can stand on and it will pull you behind the machine. Like a man trailer. It came super sick!!!!

[Handy Don 12,232]

4 hours ago, Superdutybuilds said:

I built a super custom hauler out of a 9hp snowblower. It's has 2 types of detachable buckets, lights, power steering, power dump, all controls up by your hands, tractor battery for electric start, cruise control, etc. It can carry about 6 80lbs. Bags of cement. And it can dump almost 1000 lbs. I haven't tried to haul that much, but the dump bucket will dump that weight. I used the tank type of tracks off a broken snow blower in back and 15" wheels up front. I even Fabricated a sulky in back that you can stand on and it will pull you behind the machine. Like a man trailer. It came super sick!!!!

One of the mottos of this site is that without pictures it didn’t happen. 

Welcome to the site.

(by the way, you realize this thread is almost two years old?)

[wallfish 17,000]

8 hours ago, Superdutybuilds said:

I built a super custom hauler out of a 9hp snowblower. It's has 2 types of detachable buckets, lights, power steering, power dump, all controls up by your hands, tractor battery for electric start, cruise control, etc. It can carry about 6 80lbs. Bags of cement. And it can dump almost 1000 lbs. I haven't tried to haul that much, but the dump bucket will dump that weight. I used the tank type of tracks off a broken snow blower in back and 15" wheels up front. I even Fabricated a sulky in back that you can stand on and it will pull you behind the machine. Like a man trailer. It came super sick!!!!

If it's fabricated custom stuff, I'M INTERESTED. How about some pics?

[SylvanLakeWH 25,559]