Snowblower as the basis of a motorized wheelbarrow?

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There are plenty of cheap used snowblowers around here and I've been thinking maybe I could use one to power a wheelbarrow bucket. I don't need a concrete buggy; I'd be happy enough if it could push the amount of dirt that I've been hand-bombing. I just want to do more loads before I tire out. So anyway, could I take the auger part off, fab a frame to hold the bucket and attach some front wheels?  Or maybe there's a reason a motorised wheelbarrow costs 4x the price of a new snowblower.A man who can't weld is as poorly educated as a woman who can't sew
Reply:I dont know if the drivetrain of a snowblower is going to be able to haul several hundred #s of dirt around, but youll never know until you make one, seems like a good next project idea btw!Miller Dynasty 300dxSpeedglas 9002XMiller Spectrum 375 XtremeLincoln PowerMig 255xtLincoln PowerMig 140cMilwuakee Portaband
Reply:Usually when I think of a motorized wheelbarrow, I also think of a seat and steering wheel, big set of slicks ...... nevermind, I've been hanging out on the DIYKarts.com forum too long ...As Sidthss said, give it a try.  I would suggest planning the entire thing out first through sketching and design notes before you even pick up your torch - where the drivetrain will sit, how far apart should the load wheels be, engine controls, is it going to be a tipper, etc.  I'd go for a reverse-trike tipper, with the drive wheel in the rear on a pivot for steering.  Forward tipper could be set up with a long lever on the side.  Once you have your design laid out, then you can start fabbing the necessary pieces to match your drawings.  Most importantly, take your time.On a bike build I did recently, the design process took almost three weeks of sketches and various notes.  I would do some notes, leave it for a day or two, come back, read over what I'd written, add some more, draw a sketch or two, then leave it alone for another day or so.  This process went on for a while, and by the time I actually got to building, the build only took about a week.Last edited by SpyGuy; 11-18-2009 at 03:00 AM.
Reply:I doubt the snowblower will push that sort of weight.All of this sort of depends on what size wheel barrow you have and how you load it. The little 4 CF home owners ones or the big 7-8 CF contractors units like we use. I run into issues with this all the time with concrete drivers and our laborers. The driver wants to fill our 7 CF ones to the top, like he's used to doing with most guys 5cf units. Thats about another 3-400 lbs of crete minimum. Also with dirt and stone we'll load them as high as the material will stay stacked.   With us, "Wheelbarrow Rules" apply! The guy with the shovel can keep shoveling until you move the wheelbarrow. If you want less, you'd better move. He's going to shovel as fast as he can to bust your balls! I'd take a good look at a Georgia Buggy used for crete. They are designed that way for a reason. The weight is over the drive wheels for maximum traction. The motor is behind the bucket so the weight counter weights the unit as you go to dump. The pivot is set behind the center of gravity so the bucket will automatically dump as soon as you release the lever, yet it's not set so far back that the weight tips the unit before it dumps. Also the small trike steering wheels lets the unit spin a tight turn around the front wheels.You might be better off using something like an old garden tractor, ATV or 3 wheeler as your base to start from. They have the torque to handle weight better than a snowblower.I hope in the next two months to build a small dump body for friends small tractor. Something a bit better than the standard yard cart. I'm thinking the same idea on the hopper as a Georgia buggy / off road dump. Large hopper aft of the pivot set high, so it dumps completely..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I have built a few over the years on the basis of a DR power wagon.  We just use a lawn tractor rear end like they use and a small push mower motor cause they are cheap.    make the rear wheel a caster wheel for walk behind useage or steered for a ride on.    The walk behinds work great. Ive made more of them than the ride ons.    I built 2 for a clean up job last year on the lake where I could let my helpers  move 20 inch diameter logs cut up in sections around a maze of walkways.    I moved 4 75 foot trees like this on one job.  One axled housing did break when I used the excavator to set a 2200 pound slab of concrete on it.  And ran it up to a dumping area for sorting.    It broked when it slid off the  ramp and landed on on wheel.    Came home torched the bolts out of another mower axle and put it back to work.    I later sold them both to cabin owners i worked for.
Reply:i know nothing about what you are trying to do, but if the snow blower doesn't have enough power, you could always do a small chain setup and then play with different gears and such to get more torque or whatever.  like i said, dont know much about it, but it might be a possibility.
Reply:Originally Posted by taylorlambertI have built a few over the years on the basis of a DR power wagon.  We just use a lawn tractor rear end like they use and a small push mower motor cause they are cheap.    make the rear wheel a caster wheel for walk behind useage or steered for a ride on.    The walk behinds work great. Ive made more of them than the ride ons.    I built 2 for a clean up job last year on the lake where I could let my helpers  move 20 inch diameter logs cut up in sections around a maze of walkways.    I moved 4 75 foot trees like this on one job.  One axled housing did break when I used the excavator to set a 2200 pound slab of concrete on it.  And ran it up to a dumping area for sorting.    It broked when it slid off the  ramp and landed on on wheel.    Came home torched the bolts out of another mower axle and put it back to work.    I later sold them both to cabin owners i worked for.
Reply:I dont have any scanned to the computer Ill see what I can dig up here. I do have the first one I built out back of the hop with the bed and motor off it.   It was a ride on with a self loading dumper.    Wasnt heavy enough to scoop much disrt but masonary sand and mulch it was a  good machine.
Reply:I don't know about older snow blowers but I bought a troy bilt last year and was lubing everything up for this winter.  When I took the cover off I saw how the drive train and speeds work.  To make the wheels turn faster or slower(mine has 6 forward and 2 reverse speeds) they use a rubber drive wheel against a metal wheel.  To change the speed or go in reverse you move the rubber wheel farther out on the metal wheel.  I would think this would slip pretty easy with all that weight on it but I might be wrong.  Here is a picture to show the drive of my blower  .  Maybe other blowers have a different setup that would be able to handle more weight better.  Deffinately a great project if it works out.Last edited by ponch37300; 11-18-2009 at 09:13 PM.
Reply:smaller wheel barrow and more trips. or rent a real machine and get it done.Life is tuff,so be sharp  lincoln sp 100  cutmaster101  miller bobcat  miller 250 mig  $thousands in snapon
Reply:http://www.shopfloortalk.com/forums/...t=18494&page=3Link to a post I did on my power wheel barrow from a commercial lawn mower.  I think I've carried close to five hundred pounds in it on about one hundred occasions.  Had to upgrade the bearings in the front casters!  the second one is more of what you are thinking with and old snow blower.  I gave that one to the inlaws to haul luggage up the dock to their lake cabin.  Originally had one caster wheel on front but had to upgrade to two because they load it so heavy.  climbs the grade great.  steers easy by pulling back on either handle.http://www.shopfloortalk.com/forums/...ad.php?t=15020Hopefully you can see the pics.  I don't have copies of the pics with me right now.  TB
Reply:Seen pictures, where a landscaper took the engine and transmission, removed the mower from a bigger commercial walk behind Toro.  A Proline belt drive.  He hinged the barrow of the wheelbarrow to dump forward.  The Walk Behind mower generally have 4 or 6 speeds forward and two reverse.  But geared a bit faster than a snow blower.Chains are easy to come by for blower.  So yes I think you could build one that would work.  Make sure the front casters are larger wheels, easier to roll.
Reply:This is my motorized wheelbarrow.  We were building a new goat pen and trying use the push wheelbarrow was difficult going.  So I went to the shop and in ten minutes I had an attachment for my excavator.  Worked perfect.  Wife thought I was crazy until I told her to push a load in the normal wheelbarrow. Then she thought it was very smart. Attached Images
Reply:Now thats an accesory I haven't seen for the excavator. I've seen mud buckets built for skidsteers before. I'll have to show that pict to my buddy who does concrete. A combo of that idea and the mud bucket would be great for pouring walls and steps..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Show him this picture. It gives a better view of actually pouring the concrete. I know it looks a little like overkill but it really saves a lot of work. Attached Images
Reply:this one is filling the wheelbarrow in front of my 60 year old concrete mixer. The mixer has a one cylinder diesel motor with a crank start. You have to put a cartridge in it to start it. Attached Images
Reply:I have most of the stuff to build something like this except for the transmission. Would this type of tranny be available off the shelf? This unit is made in Germany. More pics on Ebay where I found it. http://cgi.ebay.com/MOTORISED-WHEELB...item53d8d5021b Attached ImagesA man who can't weld is as poorly educated as a woman who can't sew
Reply:[QUOTE=woof;333574]There are plenty of cheap used snowblowers around here and I've been thinking maybe I could use one to power a wheelbarrow bucket. I don't need a concrete buggy; I'd be happy enough if it could push the amount of dirt that I've been hand-bombing. I just want to do more loads before I tire out. So anyway, could I take the auger part off, fab a frame to hold the bucket and attach some front wheels?  Or maybe there's a reason a motorised wheelbarrow costs 4x the price of a new snowblower.[/Have you thought of using a powered lawnmower as the basis. Using a frame resting on the mower deck to support the hopper works very well and gives one additional unloading options. See diywheelbarrowpowersolutions.webs. The mower was bought in Canada so I am sure there are plenty of partially used mowers up there.]
Reply:Say burn I like that idea that you have with the concrete bucket is that permanently attached to those forks or does it quick release?Co-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:Specter. i showed the picts to the guy I used to work with. He's of the assumption that it uses a QD  bucket mount to attach/detach the asssembly. He liked the idea, but thought it would be too much trouble for him pulling bucket pins to change to the unit. His bucket is 42" and weighs over 1000 lb's. on his small excavator. He did think he might adopt the idea of he ever get a QD mount for his machine..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:[Have you thought of using a powered lawnmower as the basis. Using a frame resting on the mower deck to support the hopper works very well and gives one additional unloading options. See diywheelbarrowpowersolutions.webs. The mower was bought in Canada so I am sure there are plenty of partially used mowers up there.=Robert Ducharme;346251] Originally Posted by Have you thought of using a powered lawnmower as the basis. Using a frame resting on the mower deck to support the hopper works very well and gives one additional unloading options. See diywheelbarrowpowersolutions.webs. The mower was bought in Canada so I am sure there are plenty of partially used mowers up there.There are plenty of cheap used snowblowers around here and I've been thinking maybe I could use one to power a wheelbarrow bucket. I don't need a concrete buggy; I'd be happy enough if it could push the amount of dirt that I've been hand-bombing. I just want to do more loads before I tire out. So anyway, could I take the auger part off, fab a frame to hold the bucket and attach some front wheels?  Or maybe there's a reason a motorised wheelbarrow costs 4x the price of a new snowblower.[/Have you thought of using a powered lawnmower as the basis. Using a frame resting on the mower deck to support the hopper works very well and gives one additional unloading options. See diywheelbarrowpowersolutions.webs. The mower was bought in Canada so I am sure there are plenty of partially used mowers up there.]
Reply:Just what you are looking for..http://worcester.craigslist.org/grd/1565963733.html...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Very beautiful pictures.motorized wheelbarrow