Can a 414 manage a 2 stage snowblower?

[dsholler 54]

Well, now that spring is here, my thoughts have turned to .... snowblowers....

I have a middle aged 414 (87).. . I have seen a number of 2 stage snowblowers for sale, but they all seem to be mounted on 520 series tractors. does my 414 have enough umph to drive one of those?

As far as I can tell, the engine is in decent shape and it does not seem to have any trouble spinning the 48" mower deck.. but I know that snow is heavy.

[whfan74 2,071]

I don't know what the factory suggests but I would say you would be ok chucking the snow out in the yard with a 14 h.p. Kohler. I have seen them mounted on a 12 horse before, it works but the added horsepower is definitely a bonus.

If you can grab one reasonably priced, I would go for it.

[buckrancher 2,694]

you may need a hydro to lift it up the 44" 2 stage is a monster and weights a ton

the 414 has enough HP to run it you may not have enough arm to raise it

Brian

[Forest Road 594]

I just answered that question last weekend in NY state. I blasted into a couple of huge snow banks with my 314H. It threw slush about 20' and she bogged down. I adjusted my speed and at a crawl she did well. In typical fresh snow my answer would be yes your 14hp tractor would be ok. Keep in mind it was in the 70s all week and rained a couple times. My blower was completel y rebuilt last fall. .

Now I brought up my recently acquired 1008 hour 520h. I swapped the blower over and hit some snow banks. There's just NO comparison. The520 was throwing slush 30 - 40' with ease. And at a pretty decent ground speed.

I believe that in loose fresh snow the 14 will do well.

I kept my single stage blower. Strictly because they're getting harder to come by. You can easily run a single with as little as 10hp. But it takes more to lift the single than the 2 stage with a manual lift. The lift system is pretty sweat on those big two stages. Also the single stage won't chew through a snow bank anything like the 2stage.

BTW I do have a 2 stage listed in the classifieds.

[Sparky-(Admin) 23,149]

Our very own Duke has been tossing snow with a two stager on a C-120 auto with no major complaints.

Mike..........

[dsholler 54]

So the question is.. if you only had the 14 horse tractor, and you had a choice between a 2 stage and a single stage blower, (for roughly the same price) which one would you buy?

[Sparky-(Admin) 23,149]

Conecticut eh? I think the decision should be made with consideration as to how much snow (on average) you get. I have a tall chute single stage and it handles what I get here in central Ct. just fine so I dont think a two stager is nesassary where I live. Most times I just snow-blade it off the driveway. I didnt snow-blow once this year but did use it quite a bit last year. If your in the northwest part of Ct. you might consider it as they always seem to get snow before my part of the state does and more of it as well. If your anywhere near the shoreline its not worth it.

The two stage unit takes up alot of space during the off season, much more than a single stage, so make sure you are going to have room to store it for 7-8+ months of the year.

I've never used a two stage or even seen one in action other than videos, but I do know a single with a tall chute will throw snow real far!

As far as lifting it with a manual lift machine like your 414, I've been told with the assist spring its not any harder than a single stage.

Just some thoughts.

Mike...........

[can whlvr 994]

i have 2 414,s and they run singles pretty good,in the last three years we havnt had any real big snow falls,8 inches tops and thats as long as ive had the older 414,in wet snow its a slow go,but she will do it,the singles are very simple in design,so easy to repair,the 2 stages will toss snow farther and as stated eat snow banks,the single isnt the best at that but will do it slowly,i use my c160 for real snow falls as it is way stronger than the 414,sorry dont own a 2 stager but my neighbor has one and it will throw snow well over a 100 feet,but thats on a 520

[dsholler 54]

@sparky, I am down by the Merritt, so I probably get less snow than you. The issue is that my house has two garages (one under the house and one freestanding with a very large paved area in between them.. so either I would have to be able to push then snow from 60ft of driveway off to one side, or I will have to throw it about 30 feet. I figured the throwing made more sense. even today, the guy with the movable truck plow still puts the piles of snow in places that make for tight maneuvering, so I figured a plow was not a good option. Also, the plows in decent condition do not seem to be that much less money than the blowers.. once you factor in getting them here..

[Hydro 131]

I have a 2 stage. I ran it with a 14 Hydro. Personally I was not satisfied with the power so I pulled the 14 and replaced with a 16 Single. I'm not into Onans anymore. It works way better. The hydro needs 2-3Hp to drive it so your tractor would be more efficient being an 8 speed. There are videos on Youtube with various wheel horse tractors and blowers/throwers you might want to watch. There is one in particular that shows the operator raising the blower with either hand so it can't be all that bad.

I can tell you the 2 stage is a very big and heavy attachment. You can feel it flex the tractor and my guess is that it is the biggest most power demanding attachment made for our tractors... but it sure works well. I am going to attach rubber blades though to the 2nd stage after watching Duke's video. We talked about that and it realy improves the efficiency

:twocents-02cents:

[MalMac 1,332]

Yes the 414 will work with a 2 stage, but at a cost to the engine. You will put more wear and tear on the engine in trying to make it work using a 2 stage. The 2 stage were mainly built for the 20hp tractors. Your 414 will throw snow with the 2 stage just not as efficiently or effectively and will put more were on the tractor and operator. You will not have the hp's to make it work more than you would with a single. If you have got the power then you would see a difference.

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,532]

My brother has a restored 416-8 with the Kohler K (really nice machine). I was over his house today and he has a 44 inch 2 stage berco blower on it. I drove it today and the amount of weight on the front end makes it veyr difficult to turn. I have the 38 inch verison on my 417 with the upgraded 520 front end and gear reduction steering and it is night and day difference. I have no concern with the hp of your 14hp driving the blower rather the front end weight.

[dsholler 54]

Sounds like I should be looking for single stage blowers.. Now to the next question.. what is a fair price to pay for one that has been refurbished? (I have a line on a refurbished one, but all the similar ones i have seen for sale are in need of some work. )

[can whlvr 994]

i think in your area they arnt real scarse,so probally 250-350,depends on lots of factors,but somewhere in that area