# Kioti Front Mount Snowblower: Share your experience!



## Lunch Peak (May 20, 2020)

I am getting ready to order a front mount snowblower as part of a DK4210SE HST CAB tractor kit and cannot find some important information. I really need the ability to use my loader periodically in the winter and cannot figure this out. 
First, how much time and effort is involved in taking the entire blower subframe on and off of the tractor? Is it something I am only going to want to do once per year or can I take it on and off through the winter so I can use the loader?
Second, it appears that the blower head can detach from the subframe of the blower; does this mean that I can pop the blower off of the blower subframe and re-attach the loader for the occasional winter job that requires a loader? Or does the entire blower subframe have to come off in order to use the loader?
Third, this sounds dumb but can I leave the loader attached all year and just run the snowblower while keeping the loader raised up high? Or is this going to be a nightmare for center of gravity and visibility reasons?
Thanks!


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## marc_hanna (Apr 10, 2017)

Without answering all your questions specifically, if you are looking to take the blower on and off multiple times throughout the season, i would recommend a hydraulically driven blower instead. This way you can just use the quick attach feature of you FEL. 

Regarding the other questions more specifically, the swap out of the sub-frame and FEL is going to be a fairly big task, especially if you have to do it outside in the snow and cold. I would expect the switch-over would take about 1.5 hours each time. 

leaving the bucket on and just raised up, I think you are just asking for trouble. 1. Reduced visibility, 2. Risk of catching overhead wires and limbs, 3. Too much weight dispersion to front end, and 4. Raised center of gravity creating a tipping hazard.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

I did a little search on the net and there is a video for this exact set up. It's pretty self explanatory




Seems like an expensive way to go, and looks to be a bit more primitive and complicated than the Kubota setup. 
First off, how many times do you think you may want to crawl under your tractor in the middle of the winter to unhook the midmount drive shaft.
Secondly, in the video, the dealer mentions that the loader can be used with the frame and all still attached, but there is a possibility that the bucket could contact the frame work.the doors 
And finally, it looks like the blower works fine with the loader up in the air, although it may cause some stability issues in some certain circumstances. 
Seems some issues are with clean up with the bucket after snow blowing, but I suspect you could get handy with the blower on the front and a box blade or such, on the three point hitch. Personally, I don't do much cleanup after snowblowing, just a bit of hand shovelling around garage and barn doors... it pretty much mandatory if you want to make sure you don't damage the doors.
Is there an issue with getting a rear mount blower? I have one, and although it's a pain in the neck and I do get covered in snow from time to time as I don't have a cab, I don't blow snow every day. Also think about where you are blowing. I have a few tight turns to get in and out of, and with the blower on the back, I can turn very tight almost pivot, with the blower being close to the rear wheels.


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## Lunch Peak (May 20, 2020)

marc_hanna said:


> Without answering all your questions specifically, if you are looking to take the blower on and off multiple times throughout the season, i would recommend a hydraulically driven blower instead. This way you can just use the quick attach feature of you FEL.
> 
> Regarding the other questions more specifically, the swap out of the sub-frame and FEL is going to be a fairly big task, especially if you have to do it outside in the snow and cold. I would expect the switch-over would take about 1.5 hours each time.
> 
> leaving the bucket on and just raised up, I think you are just asking for trouble. 1. Reduced visibility, 2. Risk of catching overhead wires and limbs, 3. Too much weight dispersion to front end, and 4. Raised center of gravity creating a tipping hazard.


Thank you for your feedback, this is exactly the opinions I was hoping to solicit. I am very much a novice and new to all this so I appreciate your advice. If it takes 90 minutes to switch between the blower and the loader then that is simply not going to work; especially since I don't have a garage and the swap would be taking place under a carport. As far as keeping the loader attached and raised up, the only real issue would be the center of gravity and visibility since I don't have any overhead hazards to worry about on the driveway. Do you think I could mitigate the center of gravity issue by removing the bucket? Then it would only be the loader arms raised up and they don't weight that much, especially since I am adding a 700 pound blower down so low to the ground. 

I am not completely against getting a hydraulic blower and a power pack, but just want to make sure that what I do get is going to be the best fit. I am worried that my 35HP at the PTO is not going to be enough to powerfully run a large blower.


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## marc_hanna (Apr 10, 2017)

I think the first thing to do is assess your needs. If you are doing a large open parking lot, you want to maximize power transfer; but if you are doing an irregular shaped driveway with obstacles, you want control and maneuverability (+maximum visibility). 

You can get a fel mounted blower that runs off the remotes or taps into the fel hydraulics.


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## Lunch Peak (May 20, 2020)

pogobill said:


> I did a little search on the net and there is a video for this exact set up. It's pretty self explanatory
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for your opinion. I watched the video you linked and it sure looks like its going to be tight for using the loader with the subframe attached, I wish they would have demonstrated if it works or not. The main reason I am wanting the ability to swap the blower on and off is that I anticipate doing *A LOT* of snow removal. Our land is in the mountains and has at least 6 month of winter each year with an average of around 15ft of wet heavy snow and a 1,000 ft driveway. But during the winter I still will have lots of tasks to be working on, pushing stuff, skidding trees, moving cords of wood up to the house, scooping out my gun range etc. The long winters and wet springs/fall pretty much necessitate a cab though, and I am not really interested in a rear mount blower because I will be blowing snow so often and we hope to live up here for the next 60 years. In my book a front mount blower is worth the extra cost for the luxury of it because of how frequently I will be using it.


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## Lunch Peak (May 20, 2020)

marc_hanna said:


> I think the first thing to do is assess your needs. If you are doing a large open parking lot, you want to maximize power transfer; but if you are doing an irregular shaped driveway with obstacles, you want control and maneuverability (+maximum visibility).
> 
> You can get a fel mounted blower that runs off the remotes or taps into the fel hydraulics.


Yes that is an excellent point. I definitely need the maneuverability, the driveway is steep, curving, narrow and long. With the exception of the driveway the other 26 acres are dense evergreen forest so no big open spaces needing to be cleared. We just need to keep the house accessible, we snowshoe around the property for the rest of the chores.


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## marc_hanna (Apr 10, 2017)

I think you have your answer. If you don’t mind the additional cost, hydraulic quick attach on the FEL, will be your best bet. 

There’s a slight mechanical trade-off but I think that is outweighed by the maneuverability. Remember, in the worse conditions, you can bump it passed rated rpm for a short time for a extra power bump.


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