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Snow brings a lot of joy to children, and for adults, the exhausting work associated with cleaning the paths and the territory adjacent to the house begins. In the northern regions, where there is a large amount of precipitation, equipment helps to cope with the problem. If you have a rotary snow blower for a walk-behind tractor and, of course, the traction unit itself, cleaning the territory will turn into entertainment.
Features of the snow blower device
All rotary-type snowplows for walk-behind tractors have almost the same device. Only the technical characteristics of different models can differ. Most often, this is due to the width of the grip, the range of snow ejection, the height of the cut layer and the adjustment of the working mechanism.
As an example, consider a snow blower on the Neva walk-behind tractor. There are several types of hanging attachments. All of them consist of a steel case, inside of which an auger is installed. The front of the snow blower is open. Here, snow is captured while the walk-behind tractor is moving. On top of the body there is an outlet sleeve. It consists of a nozzle with a fitted visor. By turning the cap, the direction of snow ejection is set. On the side is a chain drive connected to a belt drive. It transmits torque from the engine to the auger. On the back of the snow blower there is a mechanism that allows hitching with a walk-behind tractor.
Now let’s take a closer look at what snowplows consist of inside. Bearings are fixed to the side walls of the housing. The screw shaft rotates on them. Skis are also fixed from each side in the lower part. They make it easier to move the nozzle through the snow. The drive is located on the left side. Inside it consists of two sprockets and a chain. On the top of the body is the leading element. This sprocket is connected through a shaft with a pulley, which receives torque from the walk-behind tractor motor, that is, a belt drive. The lower driven element is fixed to the screw shaft. This sprocket is chained to the drive element.
The design of the auger resembles the mechanism of a meat grinder. The basis is the shaft, along which the knives are fixed in a spiral on the left and right sides. Between them, metal blades are fixed in the center.
Now let’s look at how a snow blower works. During the movement of the walk-behind tractor, the torque from the engine is transmitted through a belt drive to a chain drive. The auger shaft begins to rotate, and the knives capture the snow that enters the housing. Since they have a spiral design, the snow mass is raked towards the center of the hull. Metal blades pick up the snow, after which they are pushed into the nozzle with great force.
Snow plow model SM-600N for the Neva walk-behind tractor
One of the popular snow blowers for the Neva walk-behind tractor is the SM-600N model. The hinged equipment is intended for intensive long works. Model SM-600N is compatible with many other brands of walk-behind tractors: Plowman, MasterYard, Oka, Kompakt, Kaskad, etc. A front hitch is installed. The torque from the engine is transmitted by a belt drive. The snow blower SM-600N has a snow strip width of 60 cm. The maximum thickness of the cut layer is 25 cm.
Snow removal with the SM-600N attachment takes place at speeds up to 4 km/h. The maximum ejection range is 7 m. There is an adjustment of the height of the seam capture from the lower ski. The operator sets the direction of snow ejection by turning the visor on the sleeve.
The video shows the snow blower SM-600N:
Installing a snowblower on a walk-behind tractor
The snow blower for the Neva walk-behind tractor is fixed to a rod located on the front of the frame. To connect, do the following:
- The trailer part of the motoblock frame has a pin. It must be pulled out before installing the snow blower.
- The following steps are for attaching the hitch. There are two bolts along the edges of the mechanism. They are designed to fix the connection. Bolts must be tightened after hitching.
- Now you need to install the belt drive. To do this, remove the protective cover from the walk-behind tractor that covers the working pulley. The drive belt is first put on the snow blower roller connected by a shaft to the chain drive sprocket. Next, the belt is pulled onto the drive pulley of the walk-behind tractor. After completing all these steps, the protective cover is put in place.
That’s the whole installation process, only before starting you need to adjust the belt tension. It shouldn’t slip, but it shouldn’t be too tight either. This will accelerate belt wear.
Preparing a snow blower for work does not take much time. The nozzle can be left connected to the walk-behind tractor for the whole winter. If the dimensions do not allow driving into the garage, it is not difficult to remove the snow blower, and reattach it if necessary.
Snow blower recommendations
Before you start cleaning the snow, you need to check the area for the presence of foreign objects. The snowplow is made of metal, but hitting a piece of brick, rebar or other hard object will result in the blades jamming. From a strong blow, they can break.
They start moving with a walk-behind tractor only when there are no strangers within a radius of 10 m. Snow thrown out of the sleeve can injure a passing person. It is desirable to work as a snow blower on a flat area where the snow has not yet caked and iced over. In the event of severe vibration, slipping belts and other malfunctions, work is stopped until the problem is corrected.
Whichever brand of snow blower you choose, the principle of operation of the nozzle is the same. If you want something cheaper, then you can buy a shovel blade for the walk-behind tractor.