Heavy-Duty Leaf Blower
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“I live in the middle of a woodlot and have about 7 acres of lawn to maintain. I wanted to use a blower to clean off the leaves but didn’t want to spend a lot of money. So I converted a silage blower. It’ll blow leaves up to 30 ft.,” says Kurt Cook, Youngstown, N.Y.
He bought the silage blower from a neighbor for $25. He cut off the tongue, wheels and the blower’s conveyor/auger, and fitted it with a 3-pt. hookup.
The blower was equipped with a movable band on the blower housing which he rotated downward 90 degrees to one side. He rebuilt the blower frame to accommodate the low spout position, adding a deflector that forces air down to the ground to dislodge wet leaves. He wasn’t getting enough air into the blower, so he used a hole saw to cut a series of 2 1/2-in. dia. holes into the blower’s front and back sides. Expanded metal guards cover the holes for safety.
The blower originally had a hole on the back at the bottom for silage intake. He unbolted the backside of the blower and rotated it to move the hole to the top. Then he closed up the hole by covering it with a section of sheet metal.
“It turned out to be a big project but it really does the job,” says Cook. “I use my Kubota 35 hp. tractor to power it. I blow the leaves to the edge of my woodlot where they stay put. I go pretty slowly, about 2 mph, and run it at an engine speed of 1,700 to 1,800 rpm’s, which comes out to a pto speed of about 300 rpm’s. It’ll easily blow leaves as well as small branches. I mounted the rollers off an old set of reel mowers on front and back so it rolls over uneven ground. I can adjust the roller up or down by changing the position of a pair of bolts.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kurt Cook, 3983 Calkins Rd., Youngstown, N.Y. 14174 (ph 716 525-2299; cookjandk@gmail.com).
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Heavy-Duty Leaf Blower FARM HOME Miscellaneous “I live in the middle of a woodlot and have about 7 acres of lawn to maintain I wanted to use a blower to clean off the leaves but didn’t want to spend a lot of money So I converted a silage blower It’ll blow leaves up to 30 ft ” says Kurt Cook Youngstown N Y He bought the silage blower from a neighbor for $25 He cut off the tongue wheels and the blower’s conveyor/auger and fitted it with a 3-pt hookup The blower was equipped with a movable band on the blower housing which he rotated downward 90 degrees to one side He rebuilt the blower frame to accommodate the low spout position adding a deflector that forces air down to the ground to dislodge wet leaves He wasn’t getting enough air into the blower so he used a hole saw to cut a series of 2 1/2-in dia holes into the blower’s front and back sides Expanded metal guards cover the holes for safety The blower originally had a hole on the back at the bottom for silage intake He unbolted the backside of the blower and rotated it to move the hole to the top Then he closed up the hole by covering it with a section of sheet metal “It turned out to be a big project but it really does the job ” says Cook “I use my Kubota 35 hp tractor to power it I blow the leaves to the edge of my woodlot where they stay put I go pretty slowly about 2 mph and run it at an engine speed of 1 700 to 1 800 rpm’s which comes out to a pto speed of about 300 rpm’s It’ll easily blow leaves as well as small branches I mounted the rollers off an old set of reel mowers on front and back so it rolls over uneven ground I can adjust the roller up or down by changing the position of a pair of bolts Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Kurt Cook 3983 Calkins Rd Youngstown N Y 14174 ph 716 525-2299; cookjandk@gmail com
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