Skid Steer Snow Blowers: High Flow and Standard Flow Attachments

Working out the flow you actually have

Machine brochures quote auxiliary hydraulic flow, but the number that reaches the attachment is lower once you account for hose losses and coupler restriction. Two practical points.

First, flow is not pressure. A machine can have plenty of pressure and still be unable to spin a large impeller if flow is low, because flow determines rotational speed and pressure determines torque. A blower starved of flow will turn slowly and throw poorly even though the engine sounds fine.

Second, flat faced couplers restrict less than older pioneer style fittings, and worn couplers restrict more than new ones. If an attachment that used to perform well has become sluggish, check the couplers before assuming the motor is failing.

As a working guide, if your machine is rated at 20 gpm, size the attachment for about 18 gpm and you will not be disappointed. Sizing right at the rated figure leaves no margin.

Single stage or two stage on a skid steer

Most skid steer snow blowers are two stage, with an auger feeding a separate impeller, exactly as on a walk behind machine but at far larger scale. Some smaller mini skid steer units are single stage, which keeps cost and weight down but limits them to lighter accumulations on hard surfaces.

For any commercial or shared use, two stage is the answer. The volumes involved and the likelihood of wet or compacted snow mean a single stage unit spends too much time packing rather than throwing.

Chute rotation, deflector and throw control

At this scale, chute control is not a convenience feature, it is how you avoid making the job harder. You are typically clearing a lot where the snow has to go to specific places, not simply away.

Hydraulic rotation is standard and should be. Deflector control is often a separate function and worth having, because throw distance matters when you are trying to build a pile in one corner rather than spraying snow across a road or a parked vehicle.

Check how many auxiliary functions your machine can control. If you only have one auxiliary circuit, you may need an electrical diverter to switch between drive, rotation and deflector, which is workable but slower.

Sizing for a commercial lot

Coverage rate is roughly clearing width multiplied by working speed. A 72 inch blower at a realistic working speed clears in the region of 1,800 to 3,000 square metres an hour in average snow, depending heavily on depth and moisture.

For a typical small commercial lot of 2,000 square metres with a metre of accumulated banks around the edges, expect the open area to go quickly and the perimeter and corners to take disproportionate time. Budget by perimeter length as much as by area.

Where blowers genuinely beat pushing is on repeat storms. A pusher box moves snow to the edge until the edge is full, then you are stacking or trucking. A blower keeps throwing over the bank all season, which is why municipal and industrial operators run them.

Cold weather hydraulics

This is the failure mode that catches people out on the first hard morning.

Hydraulic oil thickens as it cools. Starting a machine at minus twenty five and immediately engaging a high flow attachment can spike pressure past relief settings, blow a seal, or in bad cases damage the motor. Let the machine idle until the hydraulics warm, then cycle the auxiliary function a few times before putting it under load. Five minutes of patience saves an expensive repair.

If your machine sees regular deep cold, ask about a lower viscosity hydraulic oil rated for winter operation. It matters more than any attachment specification.

Mounting, weight and machine balance

A large blower on the front of a skid steer changes the balance considerably, and unlike a bucket it stays out there full of nothing but its own mass. On a compact machine at the top of its attachment rating, expect reduced rear traction and a noticeably different feel over uneven ground.

Rear counterweight is the usual fix and is worth fitting rather than working around. Check your machine rated operating capacity against the attachment weight, not just whether the plate fits.

Maintenance through the season

• Shear bolts on the auger driveline, kept in stock, correct grade only
• Gearbox oil checked at the start of the season and after any significant impact
• Skid shoes and cutting edge inspected regularly, since these wear fast on abrasive surfaces
• Hydraulic couplers and hoses checked for chafing where they run to the mount plate, which is the most common leak point
• Case drain line, where fitted, connected correctly. Running a motor without its case drain connected will destroy the seal quickly

That last point is worth repeating because it is the single most common expensive mistake with hydraulic attachments. If the unit has a third, smaller return line, it must be connected to the machine case drain, not left capped.

Buying used

Inspect in this order: the hydraulic motor for shaft seal weeping, which indicates case drain problems or worn seals; the auger and impeller for cracks and previous weld repair; the housing bottom edge and side plates for rust perforation; the chute rotation ring and its drive for wear or seized bearings; and hoses for cracking and chafe damage.

A used unit with a clean motor, sound housing and tidy hoses is usually a good buy, because these machines are simple and the wear items are cheap. A weeping motor is the one to walk away from unless the price accounts for a replacement.

Common questions, continued

Operator technique that saves real time

Plan the throw direction before you start rather than reacting. On an open lot, work from the centre outward so you are always throwing onto uncleared ground rather than over ground you have already done. Along a building, take the first pass with the chute angled away and the deflector low so you are not packing snow against the wall.

Overlap passes by roughly a quarter of the clearing width. Less and you leave ridges that freeze into ruts, more and you waste time. In deep snow, take partial bites rather than full width, since a blower that is fed steadily throws far better than one that is repeatedly stalled and cleared.

Choosing between a blower and a snow pusher

A pusher box is faster per pass and cheaper to buy. It is the right tool where you have somewhere to put the snow and the season is short. A blower costs more and moves less per pass, but it does not build banks, so it keeps working in February when a pusher has run out of room. On lots with limited snow storage, or where banks would block sightlines or parking, the blower wins across a full winter.

Noise, and working hours

Skid steers with hydraulic attachments are loud, and most commercial clearing happens overnight. Municipal noise bylaws vary and some restrict powered equipment before certain hours in residential zones. Worth checking before committing to a clearing schedule for a contract.

Matching the attachment to the work, not the machine

It is tempting to buy the widest blower your machine can drive. In practice, the constraint on a commercial lot is usually manoeuvring rather than raw coverage, because most of the time is spent on perimeters, corners and around parked vehicles rather than the open middle.

A slightly narrower blower that lets you work confidently in tight areas often finishes a real lot faster than a wider one that forces awkward multi point turns. Size for the tightest part of the job, not the easiest.

Fuel and running cost

Running a blower off machine hydraulics puts sustained load on the engine, so expect noticeably higher fuel consumption than bucket work. Budget accordingly on contract pricing, and factor in that the machine is running for the entire clearing window rather than intermittently.

Training and handover

If more than one operator will run the machine, walk them through the same three things: how to warm the hydraulics before load, how to recognise restricted flow, and never to disconnect the case drain. Those three account for most of the avoidable damage this category sees, and a five minute handover prevents all of them.