Can't you pick it up with the deck height handle, or isn't yours rigged to come up? The one we had when I kid was a balanced unit that adjusted, and we had chains for the back wheels and I just built a pole for the hitch hole and put barbel type weights on it.
It does attach to the lift handle. In fact I'm right now restoring that to the factory setup. (The previous owner bent a steel rod in a jury-rig to replace the lift rod.)
I bought a generic set of tire chains. I have fingers crossed. I'm anal to an extent to like keeping it original, which is why I have some trepidation about the tire chains. I think saved $30 or so. :smile:
I just ordered the official JD weight bracket and two 42 pound "suitcase weights."
Sure it is! At least mine was today (also 42" attached to a tractor, though it's a Simplicity, not JD). Raise the blower, go until your wheels hit, back up, lower the blower, go again.
I was also dealing with a rock wall that already has enough snow that parts of it prevent the blower from blowing over the top, and snow piles up against the wall anyway - I drove right through it, and the snow that went over the top stayed in a nice ledge with nothing underneath! So I made a swipe with the blower raised too.
Making two passes (blower up, blower down) also allowed me to cut a notch into the huge pile next to the road that was left by the snowplows - Gotta have someplace to put the trash cans out, ya know!
Correction: Mine is 38" wide. It's still a lot more than the 26" blower I used before.
I used that technique where I could. The flaw, in my case, is the tractor itself needs the path to be clear to power through it, so I can go as deep as the "reach" of the blower.
I also tried slicing off a section of half the width or less horizontally with some limited success.
It also stalled a couple of times when the load was too big.
Yeah, chains are a good thing.
People built like you and I don't need weights, just chains.
I thought of that. My mental calculation framed the problem as being as much having the CG aft over teh rear wheels as gross weight load. Maybe I'll need to order a few more suitcase weights, at which point it WILL be too heavy to move.
(I did wonder if my weight is what causes it to scalp a bit when mowing but the suspension doesn't work that way.
)
I'll practice some more after I put the arm on my neighbor to help me install the chains.
At least these last couple of storms have been good blowin' snow - Not too dry and feathery (goes everywhere), and not too wet (goes nowhere). I've been getting a nice arc that deposits the snow 30-40 feet away.
I don't know why, but snowblowing is a lot of fun to me.
I was grateful that it hasn't clogged. I'll see what happens when we get wet snow.
I'm also impressed by the way JD engineers and designs stuff. I can't think of a thing on mine with all of the accessories where I curse the design. Installing and removing the stuff is a bit of a bear but it sure fits right and holds up. Who knew there were such smart folks working in Moline?
I won't say I'm as enthused about the manuals with muddy and non-obvious pictures ....
The worst was last night watching the neighbor across the street who was getting throws of 40 feet on what I swear was the same kind of Toro single stage blower I had.
I need to experiment with the angle thing on the end of the discharge chute Maybe I have it at too sharp of an angle.
) and made a second adventure pass.
