CC 580 Snowthrowers

[MartinDH]

Noobie here.

I've had the same CC 580 Lawn Tractor (with 44" Deck and EZ-Vac attachment) for 24yrs and I'm more than happy with it...except for a couple of problems that I may explore in another thread.

Anyway, I'm tired of paying the snow plowers $60 each time snow accumulates to more than 3" (so we can pay many times during a snow storm)...and they're raising their rates this coming season. But I'm too old and buggered to shovel a 140' driveway and a 3000 sq ft parking area and too lazy to walk behind a snowblower.

So...snowthrower attachment (perhaps)!

From reading the threads in this section, it seems that I should be looking for a QA36A or a QA42A snowthrower attachment and ensure that the pulley matches my PTO belt width.

I've also seen mention of the QA36B and QA42B attachments. What's tha difference between the A & B models?

Also mentioned have been the Hagen H42 and H48 attachments, but it seems as though a a helper spring is required for non-hydraulic lifts.

And finally someone talked about 190-364-100 (no manufacturer) which comes with helper spring, blower frame, front mounting kit, and a 45" two-stage blower.

Would any of these be right for my tractor or are there limitations that I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance.

[Methos]

[Matt G.]

You can use a QA36A or QA42A with a 5/8" pulley on the input shaft. The QA42B is meant for the 82 series tractors, so it already has the 5/8" pulley. I don't think there is a QA36B, but if there is, same deal as the previous one. In my opinion, when these were configured for use on an 82 series, it was a bit of an afterthought by IH and CCC. The engine on the 82 series tractors is tilted up at the front slightly, and the input shaft on the thrower isn't tilted accordingly. This has caused the QA36A on my 782 to eat belts. I've yet to have one last more than half an hour. I will not be using it this year unless I can modify it slightly so that the belt will line up and stop wearing funny. Or maybe something's worn on mine that's exacerbating this alignment issue.

I would stay away from the Haban H42 and H48...they're huge and heavy, and the parts for them are NLA. The engine in your 580 isn't strong enough to run a 48" snowthrower.

The 364 is made by Cub Cadet and is sort of rare, it seems. If you can find one, it would probably be a good choice, but the engine in your 580 may struggle to move large (~8"+) snowfalls since the blower is so wide. I can stall the 18 hp Kohler in my 782 with my little QA36A if the snow is heavy enough...

[MartinDH]

Thank you Matt...very helpful.

Now I know what to look for in Craig's List, e-bay, bargain news, etc. etc.!