Controlling an attachment flow rate with throttle? JD 333g

[Kn1ghtWolf]

Hi everyone, I have a john deere 333g and am possibly acquiring a used snow blower that uses 30gpm. My standard flow maxes at 25gpm and 40gpm on high flow obviously. I was curious if I can achieve the maximum gpm of the blower by running at a lower throttle with high flow enabled or am I risking damaging the attachment. I know I can probably run it just fine at 25 but just curious how flow rates work with engine throttle in general. I'll also run the blower on my 326E with 21gpm flow rate but again not worried that I'll have to slow down as I don't plan on doing commercial work in the snow, just running it down a 4 mile road when the banks get too high from plowing.

 

[Arny L]

If you ever read pump output specs, it always gives stated gpms at full throttle, oil at operating temp. So you shouldn't do any damage running at max rpm standard flow, however, it may lack the performance you want, if rated for more gpms. I personally don't like running any equipment at full RPM, for obvious reasons. On the flip side you could damage the blower in highflow at max rpm, because your going over manufactures specifications and blower is not rated for it. Ideally, you want whatever attachment your running to be at max flow or close to max flow, when engine is in sweet spot of power band. One other thing to consider with a used attachment, is you don't know the condition of the oil or components inside of it, and run the risk of cross contaminating your machines oil, although I think most auxiliary oil is caught in the filter before returning to tank. Something to consider.

 

[Kn1ghtWolf]

If you ever read pump output specs, it always gives stated gpms at full throttle, oil at operating temp. So you shouldn't do any damage running at max rpm standard flow, however, it may lack the performance you want, if rated for more gpms. I personally don't like running any equipment at full RPM, for obvious reasons. On the flip side you could damage the blower in highflow at max rpm, because your going over manufactures specifications and blower is not rated for it. Ideally, you want whatever attachment your running to be at max flow or close to max flow, when engine is in sweet spot of power band. One other thing to consider with a used attachment, is you don't know the condition of the oil or components inside of it, and run the risk of cross contaminating your machines oil, although I think most auxiliary oil is caught in the filter before returning to tank. Something to consider.

Thanks for the info. Ideally I would match my machine with a unit that fits my gpm range but right now my budget doesn't cover a perfect match. I am always worried about trash and dirty oil contaminating my system so I will definitely be flushing out the old stuff and examining for fragments and dirt.

 

[ianjoub]

I would be surprised if the attachment said MAX of 30 gpm. Does it have a case drain?

 

[KSSS]

I would run that snow blower on the low flow aux. on the JD. If you want high flow performance, you need to get a high flow blower. There is no doubt a noticable difference between Hiflow and low flow on a snow blower. Especially if you have a wider snow blower. If you try and hold back the throttle on the CTL you will eventually blow the seals on the snowblower pump, its only a matter of time. Take the money you will spend on fixing the low flow blower, and put it towards the blower you really want now.

 

[Simon C]

I fixed a blower that got installed on a high flow machine, while only being an auxillary flow blower. The motor was completely destroyed and all the parts were into the hydraulic system.
Don't go there. I did not have to pay for it, but still it got junked.
Simon C

 

[ianjoub]

I fixed a blower that got installed on a high flow machine, while only being an auxillary flow blower. The motor was completely destroyed and all the parts were into the hydraulic system.
Don't go there. I did not have to pay for it, but still it got junked.
Simon C

Why I asked if there was a case drain. We still do not know if the blower he is talking about is high flow or not.

"acquiring a used snow blower that uses 30gpm"

I have never seen an attachment that says it 'uses' x gpm. I have seen 'requires' x gpm. One that uses 30 sounds like it IS high flow. The presence of a case drain would confirm that. If it is high flow, run it on that deere on high flow and at full throttle. You will like the result!

 

[KSSS]

What? I have a 40 GPM max blower that does not have a case drain. You can call 30 GPM high flow if you want to, but if it has a max capacity of 30 GPM and his machine makes 40 GPM, that's not going to end well. You can call the OEM of the blower and ask them to be sure. Typically an attachment gives the max flow that the attachment can handle optimally. The other thing to be aware of is the PSI that the attachment can handle. I don't know what the 333 runs at, but I would imagine 3500 psi unless Deere has a special package that runs at 4K (I have never heard of Deere doing that). If that snow blower is older, it could be maxed out at 3000 PSI. I blew the seals on a wheel saw last year it was speced at 3K and my CTL and SSL's are 3500 and I took the seals out of the wheel saw.

 

[Kn1ghtWolf]

The blower is an older erskine 2418 84 inch width and is "high flow".

What? I have a 40 GPM max blower that does not have a case drain. You can call 30 GPM high flow if you want to, but if it has a max capacity of 30 GPM and his machine makes 40 GPM, that's not going to end well. You can call the OEM of the blower and ask them to be sure. Typically an attachment gives the max flow that the attachment can handle optimally. The other thing to be aware of is the PSI that the attachment can handle. I don't know what the 333 runs at, but I would imagine 3500 psi unless Deere has a special package that runs at 4K (I have never heard of Deere doing that). If that snow blower is older, it could be maxed out at 3000 PSI. I blew the seals on a wheel saw last year it was speced at 3K and my CTL and SSL's are 3500 and I took the seals out of the wheel saw.

Good point of the psi, my 333g is at 3450 on the manual so I will have to see if I can find some specs on this blower.

Why I asked if there was a case drain. We still do not know if the blower he is talking about is high flow or not.

"acquiring a used snow blower that uses 30gpm"

I have never seen an attachment that says it 'uses' x gpm. I have seen 'requires' x gpm. One that uses 30 sounds like it IS high flow. The presence of a case drain would confirm that. If it is high flow, run it on that deere on high flow and at full throttle. You will like the result!

Yes it has a case drain and it is considered a "high flow" model. When I say it uses 30gpm I mean the sticker unit is rated at 30gpm.

I fixed a blower that got installed on a high flow machine, while only being an auxillary flow blower. The motor was completely destroyed and all the parts were into the hydraulic system.
Don't go there. I did not have to pay for it, but still it got junked.
Simon C

My 333g high flow system is togglable so I can run standard at 25gpm according to the manual so I don't have a worry there.

I would run that snow blower on the low flow aux. on the JD. If you want high flow performance, you need to get a high flow blower. There is no doubt a noticable difference between Hiflow and low flow on a snow blower. Especially if you have a wider snow blower. If you try and hold back the throttle on the CTL you will eventually blow the seals on the snowblower pump, its only a matter of time. Take the money you will spend on fixing the low flow blower, and put it towards the blower you really want now.

I don't disagree that I would love a blower perfectly fit for my machine but with attachment costs these days I want to save when possible and a comparable direct drive one that would suit my 333g would be over 3x the cost. I don't see a market for using such a big machine for profitable snow work anyways.

 

[KSSS]

Mine is 84" Quick Attach which is the same as Erskine. You can spec those blowers to fit the machine, I would guess that blower was speced for a machine with lower high flow capability. If it is older, I kinda doubt it is able to handle 3500 PSI. Depending on where your at and how much snow you get, I think there is certainly a market for large machines with a blower. Taking 84" of snow and thowing it 50' (cold snow) is something not a lot of machines are capable of doing, depending on how you bid that certainly can be a receipe for profitability.

 

[Kn1ghtWolf]

So it looks like this blower was spec'd for a bobcat 863h at 3000 psi. Guessing that means it wouldn't be a smart idea to run on either of my machines? Would suck if that's case.

Mine is 84" Quick Attach which is the same as Erskine. You can spec those blowers to fit the machine, I would guess that blower was speced for a machine with lower high flow capability. If it is older, I kinda doubt it is able to handle 3500 PSI. Depending on where your at and how much snow you get, I think there is certainly a market for large machines with a blower. Taking 84" of snow and thowing it 50' (cold snow) is something not a lot of machines are capable of doing, depending on how you bid that certainly can be a receipe for profitability.

I am up in the woods near the Arrowhead region of MN so we get a good amount of snow but not near town.

 

[KSSS]

You could speak to Erskine and ask them what their thoughts are (I think they are in Alexandria, Mn). Short of them saying its ok, I wouldn't. Its not made to handle your GPM or PSI. Once the snow goes away (probably July this year) the prices will come down on blowers.

I don't push lots in town, I will blow roads open to cabins. That is much more profitable and few of the guys in town will take work like that. This year with all the snow, blowers are really the only option. Its a niche deal, but justifies having it.

 

[Kn1ghtWolf]

You could speak to Erskine and ask them what their thoughts are (I think they are in Alexandria, Mn). Short of them saying its ok, I wouldn't. Its not made to handle your GPM or PSI. Once the snow goes away (probably July this year) the prices will come down on blowers.

I don't push lots in town, I will blow roads open to cabins. That is much more profitable and few of the guys in town will take work like that. This year with all the snow, blowers are really the only option. Its a niche deal, but justifies having it.

I will contact Erskine to see what they say I'm not worried about the gpm because I will just have standard flow enabled but the psi I could see a problem. You make a strong point so I'll look at all the options on new units next winter and see if I can find some good paying driveways.