[mikeinri]

Hey guys,

I have the following, and need some advice on getting the snowblower to install onto the mounts:

Tractor: 2003 GT5000, 917.276020

Snowblower attachment: 46-inch, 486.248460

I acquired these items (separately) before the last season (Dec 2010), and everything works great, except that getting the snowblower itself onto the frame brackets took forever, even with a helper (I wasted over an hour alone, to no avail).

I would get close, and it would always slide off the mounting pins. I tried to pin one side, then the other, that didn't work.

The manual says you may need a helper, and/or may need to put blocks of wood under the skid shoes. I'm looking for real-life experience that actually works every time, preferably without a second person.

I used to have a 2003 DLT3000 with the 40-inch blower, and could always install that one single-handed.

Thanks in advance.

Mike

PS: I did a quick search, and didn't see any threads that spoke to this, if there is one, please post a link.

 

[DocG]

Don't have any tips or tricks for you, however I can validate your experience with it. It's the same on my GT3000, a major pain in the butt.

So am watching this thread closely in the hopes that someone has found a trick for it.

 

[A1CNC]

I have a Gt3000 and that sblower, I put mine on for the 1st time the other day by myself.

Initially I was ready to light it on fire! Then I found a spot where there was a slight slope. I pushed the tractor so it was trying to roll towards the sblower slightly. Then I put a 2x4 flat and a 1x 6 flat(~3" height) under the sblower skid shoes. Release the lift handle. Let the tractor roll towards the sblower, manipulate the handle, the tractor and the sblower into loving each other all at once and your good! It actually wasn't that bad once I came up with the wood and the slight incline. I found I needed to get the wood at the balance point for the sblower and that allowed me to get it all to work.

 

[mikeinri]

Thanks, that sounds like it might just do the trick.

I store the blower on a pallet, which seems to set it too high to line up with the slots on the bracket. I tried putting it on the ground, on various other pieces of wood, nothing worked. Somehow, with the second person, we were able to manhandle it into place.

I store it next to my deck, and the ground slightly slopes away from this spot (drainage for the house, I presume), which means the tractor tends to roll away from the blower. I was thinking about trying to reverse the setup (as you mentioned). Never was an issue with the other blower and tractor, but I think the mounting setup was slightly different.

If anyone else has any magic tricks, I'll be watching closely. We still don't have snow in the forecast (so I'm not in a panic to do this today), but I know it's only a matter of time...

Mike

 

[357]

It's probably not good for your back, but what I got to work the easiest is standing in front of the blower, reaching over it and grabbing the large black bar (the one the manual says to lift from) and scooting the blower forward with my legs.

It went on rather easy when I finally tried this method.

In the past my wife would lend a hand and we'd each grab that bar (with one hand, each of us on opposite sides of the tractor) and muscle it into place. She's 8+ months pregnant and not feeling so well. So, I was on my own.

This was the only way I could figure on how to do it alone. I had the blower directly on the ground and the lift handle in the down position if I remember correctly.

 

[MattH]

ive got no clue.. but it sounds like a pain to mount these blowers...

How can they make some so tough and some so easy... I can install my pto and and blower in ~10 mins. The blower is about 1 minute of that time. Not sure what the mouting looks like on yours but mine has the pins the bracket slips on.. .then you put the bar in to match the top of the mounting plate in place...

 

[DocG]

"It's probably not good for your back, but what I got to work the easiest is standing in front of the blower, reaching over it and grabbing the large black bar (the one the manual says to lift from) and scooting the blower forward with my legs."

I tried that method, but because I do have a back injury, it didn't 'bode well for me. I also tried mounting it with a neighbor, we still had a heck of a time. Hmmm, maybe I'll get out there with a beer or two and just sit and stare at it, and see if an idea pops into my head.

I hadn't planned on putting it on this year (there's no predictions of big snow for this year), but maybe it's the perfect time to "play" with the mounting of it?

 

[357]

"It's probably not good for your back, but what I got to work the easiest is standing in front of the blower, reaching over it and grabbing the large black bar (the one the manual says to lift from) and scooting the blower forward with my legs."

I tried that method, but because I do have a back injury, it didn't 'bode well for me. I also tried mounting it with a neighbor, we still had a heck of a time. Hmmm, maybe I'll get out there with a beer or two and just sit and stare at it, and see if an idea pops into my head.

I hadn't planned on putting it on this year (there's no predictions of big snow for this year), but maybe it's the perfect time to "play" with the mounting of it?

Not sure if you're a hunter, but if you have a pulley system for hanging a deer, it should be stout enough to lift the tractor side of the blower to save your back. Then you should be able to push it from the front. Similar to what I did, but without the back injury.

 

[DocG]

That's probably be good idea, except mine is stored in just a regular ole tin shed. Don't think the "beams" would hold the block and tackle...

 

[A1CNC]

Hey Doc,
Why not chain the sblower to one O' those green things in your pic (If it has the hydraulic lift) and lift/ drive it on the front of the Gt?

 

[DocG]

thought about that actually, though the JD wouldn't fit into the metal shed to get it. I'll get it all figured out though

 

[mikeinri]

How can they make some so tough and some so easy...

I think I see the problem, and it is a design issue all the way.

The 42-inch blower uses shoulder bolts on the tractor frame brackets.

The 46-inch blower uses "mounting pins" (that's what they're called in the manual) that then need to have washers and cotter pins installed to hold the blower in place.

I think the heads of the shoulder bolts helped the brackets hold the 42-inch blower in place while maneuvering everything around to line them up. I think that I would line up the blower within the heads of the shoulder bolts, then lift and slide it into place. The shoulder bolt heads seemed to help guide the blower onto the bolts.

With the "mounting pin" arrangement, if you get one side to connect, it might slip off while you try to get the other side lined up (I know, if everything was aligned correctly, they should both go on at the same time). I tried putting the washers and cotter pins on first, that didn't work (not enough clearance).

Anyway, maybe I'll get some fender washers and weld them to the outer ends of those "mounting pins" to give them "heads." If that doesn't work, I'll remove the "mounting pins" and replace them with shoulder bolts. Maybe I should buy some spare brackets first in case this modification goes sideways and it snows in the meantime...

I've attached the pages of the manuals to show the difference.

Mike

 

[mikeinri]

OK, took a caliper out this morning and did some quick inspection/measuring on the 46-inch setup.

The mounting pins on the brackets are 3/4 inch in diameter. The space between the bracket and the inside of the flat washer (when installed with the cotter pin) is 1/4 inch. The thickness of the snowblower frame here is 3/16 inch.

Also, the mounting pins are welded in place from the factory.

I can think of these options, can you guys think of better ones?

1. Remove the mounting pins, replace with a shoulder bolt arrangement.

2. Drill and tap the mounting pins, to accept a small bolt, which can be used to hold fender washers in place.

3. Weld a fender washer to the outer end of the mounting pins.

Once installed, if using the mounting pins, one must install the flat washer in place and hold with the cotter pin (this keeps the blower assembly from moving side-to-side too much).

Each of the options listed above has pros and cons, and I'm definitely open to new ideas.

Mike

 

[mikeinri]

Quick update:

Going with Option #2. Gave the brackets to my dad to have the mounting pins drilled and tapped. Nice to be related to a tool maker!

I should get them back next weekend, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Mike