Snowblower Mounts On Old IH Combine

Snowblower Mounts On Old IH Combine SNOWBLOWERS Snowblowers 22-6-18 "It does a better job than anything on the market, especially when you consider how little it cost me," says Lawrence Basener, Belmond, Iowa, who mounted a 7-ft., 2-in. International snowblower in place of the header on a stripped-down International 615 combine. The pto-driven snowblower mounts on a 3-pt. hitch that bolts onto the front axle. An 8-ft. Rhino blade can also be mounted on the combine. Basener bought the 1970s-era combine for $1,750. It was equipped with a 70 hp 6-cyl. gas engine and hydrostatic transmission. He removed all sheet metal and grain-cleaning components and then centered the cab between the two front wheels. He moved the engine down behind the cab and positioned it lengthwise so the radiator faces backward. The gas tank was moved beside the engine. He narrowed the front axle 21 in. and the rear axle 11 in. to put both axles on 60-in. centers. The original combine frame was made from small angle iron so he used 3 by 5 rectangular steel tubing to make a new, stronger frame that extends between the front and rear axles. To mount the snowblower he welded a steel plate onto the front axle and then bolted on a 3-pt. hitch off an old Allis-Chalmers 200XT tractor. The 3-pt. is equipped with a quick coupler. The snowblower is pto-driven off a shaft that's belt-driven off the combine's original separator drive pulley. A speed reducer reduces the 2,200 rpm engine speed to 540 rpm's. The output shaft is connected to a double-yoked shaft that's hooked to the pto shaft supported by the Allis-Chalmers 3-pt. hitch. He built linkages down to the pto that allow him to control the snowblower from the cab. The blower spout is cable-operated by an orbit motor that mounts on a steel shaft. The motor operates off one of the combine's three hydraulic valves. One of the other valves, which was originally used to raise or lower the header, is used to raise or lower the 3-pt. "I use it to clear driveways in town. I couldn't be happier with it," says Basener. "I have a good view of the blower in front of me and don't have to turn around like I would with a rear mount snowblower. The wheels are well inside the machine which makes it easy to maneuver around shrubs and basket-ball hoops. I built it because I wanted some-thing with good visibility and didn't want to spend money on a tractor and front-mounted snowblower. My goal is to make enough profit every winter to pay for half of our family's annual summer vacation. "I paid $1,000 for the blower. I built it with the wheels on 60-in. centers because I thought that someday I would mount a sprayer on front and use it in row crops." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Lawrence Basener, 408 7th St. N.E., Belmond, Iowa 50421 (ph 515 444-4052).

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