Anyone put a 2 stage thrower on a Cub 149?

[wolverinefan]

I put a 36" wide 2 stage snow blower off of a Snapper LT-16 on my 129 last year. I was given the Snapper blower before I bought the 129. The 129 came with a single stage, which I have not used and do not plan on using. I was worried about the 129 having enough power, but it has plenty.

The Snapper blower only has 1 gear box, which is on the auger. There is a set of belts and pulleys behind the blower, which reduces the blower speed. This blower spins very easily and does not seem to consume a lot of power. The blower will spin even after turning after disengaging the PTO.

[jetwarog]

Thanks for the pictures. That looks like a great installation on your 129. That's basically what I am trying to do.

[toyman]

Originally Posted by R Bedell

For the record, I do not own a "snowblower" nor have I operated one in the Cub Cadet sense.



This comment was the area of my address.



I respectfully do NOT agree with this statement. I have looked into the typical Cub Cadet Snowblower, model 190-450-100 for example, and the Parts Diagram reveals this.

Gear Box #1


Gear Box #2


Thus, a snowblower has two (2) gear boxes to power up as oppose to a single gearbox on a snowthrower.

Now, before even one flake of snow hits the impeller of a snowblower, this has a additional load, in that in now has to churn air. I know, being a HVAC/R Tech, fan blades or wheels take power to run them. Pay attention the next time your furnace starts up and the ~1600 CFM blower powers up and the length of time it takes to come to full RPM.

So, a snowblower has...
Load #1 - Gear Box #1
Load #2 - Gear Box #2
Load #3 - Air Resistance

Now, for an accurate measurement of required power, one would have to have an exacting and metered power plant and then hook up both pieces of equipment for evaluation. Now, I will admit that I do not have such and I am willing to bet that Matt doesn't either.

Once this test is performed, then a Snow Load would have to be interjected for evaluation. This would be somewhat difficult to get both pieces of equipment with the same exact snow load (ie: mass, condition, type, compaction, rate of interjection, etc)

Thus, I am going to have to rely on the statements that the IH engineers made when I referenced it above.

Each type of snow removal equipment, has their pros and cons. One will have to decide for themselves, which best suits their needs.

Roland, excellent points! I had the same thoughts. (ok, similar with a lot less detail and documetation) The two gearboxes on my 450 came to mind immediately, as a opposed to a single stage. Aren't the Cub 2 stage blowers physically larger (height & width) than the singles, so you are adding more potential volume along with the 2 gearboxes?