Snow Plow Horsepower

[pfrederi 17,685]

I have always been of the opinion that HP wasn't big issue with snow plowing you last traction long before you ran out of HP.  My Charger 12 has been my faithful snow mover for many years now.  This year she got more weight and a 54 inch blade.  We haven't had that much snow but I do get a lot of drifting and drifted snow is dense.  She now  drags down the engine in the heavy stuff. Think next year I may have to switch her with an Electro 16

 

 

[Ed Kennell 38,047]

8 minutes ago, pfrederi said:

Think next year I may have to switch her with an Electro 16

You may as well go big Paul.

 

       The Big "O" doesnt even grunt when the 54"er is loaded.

[ebinmaine 67,328]

I'm thinking you'll be happier with the big single. 

 

My recent addition of a 75 C160 Automatic has been good. That engine is tired and still has plenty of grunt until the plow gets full. 

And that's with a 60"+ plow blade.  

 

 

[SylvanLakeWH 25,502]

I plow with a 10 hp kohler and a 6.5 hp predator swap. C 105 and a C 85. Turf tires. No chains no added weight. 3 flat concrete drives. Each about 100’ long and 15-20’ wide. Michigan slop to snow… Never a problem. I plow in 2 high.

 

 

 

[pfrederi 17,685]

43 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

You may as well go big Paul.

 

       The Big "O" doesnt even grunt when the 54"er is loaded.

 

 

Since chasing electrical problems is not high on my list of favorite pass times (especially in the winter)  will not be having any 520s.  I am currently using the 16 on my low impact plow set up.  i have a short stretch of pavers, so she has no chains on front tires rubber on the back and plastic 48 blade edge she has about 150 lbs added and she will spin out with out any engine  speed change.    The Charger 12 never showed any stress until the new blade and weights so i think 16 should be adequate.

[ri702bill 8,296]

@Pullstart As they old racing saying goes "Ain"t no replacement for cubic inch displacement". Same here ...

Kind of like a fire extinguisher hanging on the wall - better to have it and not need it instead of needing it and not having it.

Bill

[squonk 41,040]

The wider the blade the more weight you need = more power needed. 

[JoeM 7,871]

 

That thing means business!

[ebinmaine 67,328]

5 minutes ago, JoeM said:

 

That's the rare and very desirable high performance hood scoop option.  

 

I heeerd tell they had a Roots type pressurizer under the hood.   

 

 

 

 

[Ed Kennell 38,047]

1 hour ago, ebinmaine said:

high performance hood scoop option.

It actually didn't  change the temp in the cab, so it joined the other pile of bad ideas in the junk corner of the barn.

The right side collector keeps the cab a toasty 30F higher than outside temp.

[cschannuth 3,816]

Very little horsepower is needed to push snow. The little 6.5 hp Predator pushes heavy wet snow in high gear even with the upsized engine pulley.  Something isn’t adding up. 

[Pullstart 62,812]

13 hours ago, cschannuth said:

Very little horsepower is needed to push snow. The little 6.5 hp Predator pushes heavy wet snow in high gear even with the upsized engine pulley.  Something isn’t adding up. 

Maybe the snow density is different?

[oldlineman 1,481]

I believe that snow has a great deal of variations and is very hard to compare from place to place. Just like our horses vary like weight, weight placement ,tires, gearing, operator weight  and other differences. Bob 

[peter lena 8,589]

@Ed Kennell  like your idea  pile , regularly try out a different approach to  a nagging issue . another thing I do , is to replace things while i,m in there . verify function , and  make things  solidly reliable . spring is definitely on the way , just did a quick aeration  spiking trial . the bird swarm that came after that was amazing . keep tying stuff , pete  

[JoeM 7,871]

16 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

It actually didn't  change the temp in the cab

Until he ate the Reuben sandwich that was shoved up in there!

[JoeM 7,871]

54 minutes ago, oldlineman said:

I believe that snow has a great deal of variations and is very hard to compare from place to place

Day to day here also. One day wet one dry half fluffy. 

I just take a little less of a swipe when it is heavy.

[cschannuth 3,816]

3 hours ago, Pullstart said:

Maybe the snow density is different?

It might be and I’m sure it is but so far I’ve been able to push anything that mother nature has thrown at it. The white powdery stuff is simple of course. The heavy wet stuff we get around here because of the warm temperatures is probably more difficult to push but it also comes off cleanly on the concrete as in the video below.  That helps with traction. I’ve just never needed much horsepower pushing up my steep concrete driveway. It’s only a 42 inch blade so that helps as well. The 54 inch on my dad‘s C-161 would be a better test I guess but with 16 hp it doesn’t notice it on there either. 

[pfrederi 17,685]

halving a bare paved surface to work on makes a big difference.  I have mostly gravel /dirt that is usually frozen and has a packed snow ice coating.  Chains are mandatory. Also with over 1200 feet to plow i go flat out 7 mph speed does take horsepower.

Edited March 14, 2022 by pfrederi

[Ed Kennell 38,047]

                                                                                  

 

            I use the chained up 520H on the stone road and grassy right o ways around the farm.. 

    Traction  and enough power to maintain max ground speed  is necessary to get the snow to roll off the 54" angled blade on the long runs.    I plow at WOT and full forward with the blade runners set 1" below the blade so I don't pick up stones or catch a rock or root.

Front chains and front weight are also necessary to prevent the angled 54" blade from steering off course.

On the small paved driveways, I use the 312H   with turfs and rubber chains to push the 48" blade.   Most of this work is a short  push and reverse  operation.

[ebinmaine 67,328]

3 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

Front chains

What do you use?

[Ed Kennell 38,047]

5 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

What do you use?

They are a modified walk behind blower chains.       I tried the sprocket chain and had one come off and nearly go thru a blower, so I made these.

[ebinmaine 67,328]

1 minute ago, Ed Kennell said:

modified walk behind blower chains

So they're shaped a lot like a standard rear drive tire chain?

 

I've been thinking of doing that on my oversized fronts. 

20 x 8 x 8 so chains are readily available.  

 

 

[SylvanLakeWH 25,502]

You could perhaps weave your roller chain through the standard chain crossings eliminating roll off potential and giving you your desired center line as well as forward traction on your dirt trails etc… 

[Ed Kennell 38,047]

4 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

So they're shaped a lot like a standard rear drive tire chain?

Yep, I added cross chains to make them 2 link.

Better pic.

 

[ebinmaine 67,328]

5 minutes ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

You could perhaps weave your roller chain through the standard chain crossings eliminating roll off potential and giving you your desired center line as well as forward traction on your dirt trails etc… 

I'd thought about doing something similar but with link chain instead of roller.