Winter is now gone and it’s time to put away that snowblower. Well, it seems that [SWNH] either didn’t hear the news or thought not using his snowblower for most of the year was a waste of a great resource. No, he’s not using it to blow dirt around, he converted it into a Power Wagon.
A Power Wagon is just what it sounds like, a wagon that is motorized and it is used for moving stuff around your yard. [SWNH] started by disassembling the 2 stages of the snowblower. They came off as a unit with only 6 bolts. Next up, the wagon bed was made, starting with an angle iron frame with a plywood bottom and sides. Two large casters with rubber wheels supports the front of the wagon.
Using the power wagon is easy, fill up the bin and use the snowblower controls to drive the cargo around. [SWNH] says that it steers like a shopping cart. And since the wagon bed is bolt-on, it can be removed and the blower assembly re-installed next winter to take care of that pesky snow.
I’m having a hard time seeing the point of this.
I you have something so heavy that it requires being pushed by a motor, something you wouldn’t easily push around in a wheelbarrow or a simple cart, the front wheels would fail to turn or buckle under. Seems like a waste of a perfectly good snowblower engine.
Like our DAKR models
http://www.prag-info.cz/_shop/index_.php?shop=MTMyOQ==&akce=detail&id=126618
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dakr.cz+panter
I dont think it is a waste, I will say the drive train for snow blowers arent meant for being loaded on (based on prior manufacturing experience, ones I worked on used friction wheels as a clutch) . I will also say that the engine is a piece of shit but if it no longer threw snow It’s better than throwing it out.
I have an old wheel chair that I use all the time for moving heavy stuff around. I stripped the seat and arm rests off of it and bolted a piece of plywood to the frame. I can walk behind it with the joystick in my hand. A couple weeks ago I used it to carry landscaping rocks, last week I use it to move some kitchen appliances, a few months ago I moved a stack of cinder blocks. A simple movers dolly wouldn’t work very well, the platform is too small. A wheelbarrow would not work that well for carrying appliances, and to get the landscaping rocks on it would require me having to lift them up pretty high to get them in. The wheels look almost identical to his, two casters on the front and two drive wheels in the back. It’s not like his castor wheels are made out of 30 gauge sheet metal or something. Besides, who says it’s a permanent conversion? I have a huge snow blower and tiller that use the same engine, I swap them engine between them every fall and spring.
The difference is that yours have powered steering by the rear wheels, while his doesn’t. When he loads up enough weight on that you can’t easily push it, you can’t turn it either. It’s the full shopping cart effect – it either goes straight, or everywhere.
you also have to think about that snow blower engines are tuned to work in cold weather not in the summer time where it is hot.
I don’t think that’s really an issue. They’re just general purpose motors.
General purpose motors without air cleaners…
But there is a YouTube to fix that…
Clearly you don’t understand this site. Often times things posted here are created simply “because they can” and not “because there’s a broadly appealing point.” If it works for this guy, great. It’s about showing of clever hacks to ordinary stuff by extraordinary people. If an article looks pointless to you, just move on. It may spark an idea in someone else to create something better or more useful that would appeal to you later. Lots of stuff is pointless, but I can appreciate the ingenuity and/or creativity that went into building it, even if it doesn’t strike my fancy. If it works for this guy, then bully for him.
For what it’s worth, there may be a few shortcomings in the design, but come on – for the effort he put into it, it’s pretty bad-ass.
This comment should be automatically copy-pasted every time someone has a “hard time seeing the point of __’
Exactly ! Move firewood hell of a lot easier with this than traditional cart !!! Haters gonna hate .
Eh, really not that much difference in concept than the people that strap a snow blower attachment on their riding mower in winter.
It’s actually more difficult to do it the other way around, because the output belt of the lawnmower doesn’t turn fast enough. There’s kits of course, but getting the speed up so the blower has any sort of throw has been the sticking point in my experience.
Here is better video clip with similiar function
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcpESvAeahM
I am not seller or product promoter I am DAKR customer. I bought it few years ago its quite good mechanical horse :)
That thing has tiller steering on the right front wheel. Not free-flopping casters.
Well if it lasts it’s a great summer reuse of a snowblower.
That’s a good first half. Since he just built a (very) small tractor, why not take it all the way and use the blade driveshaft as a PTO for other things?
It would be nice to have one all purpose machine than several single purpose.
Seasonal equipment like a:
Snowblower
Roto-tiller
Powered wagon
Log splitter
Chipper/Shredder
Could all use the same powertrain.
I just saw an ad for this on TV a week or two ago: http://www.troybilt.com/equipment/troybilt/flex
That’s called a garden tractor,,, just sayin,
You mean a Toro Power Handle?
Obvious first choice is to make the wagon bed dumpable a la a dump truck.
The point of this is how many neighborhood chicks he’ll pick up driving that thing around the yard. They’ll think he’s rich because he has a yard tractor, but he’ll know he just repurposed his snowblower. Everything is about picking up chicks. Sometimes, you only realize it after you’ve turned your snowblower into a yard tractor.
Chicks aren’t hard to pick up, they’re light weight. It’s the full grown gees that’re tough to pick up, they get nasty with their beaks.
If someone wanted to pick a standard power takeoff design to use on a project like this, what would be the best design?
(Yes Wookie, chicks love a nice power takeoff. That usually means the farmer is about to feed them ;-)
Most(all?) snowblowers do not have a differential to drive the axle.
I’m pretty sure Power Wagon is a registered trademark for Dodge
I’ve often pondered doing something similar with an old Deere blower I have; primarily a cart for moving trailers around my yard. This may just be the motivation I needed!
The basic design of snowblowers like this hasn’t changed much in decades. They’re made to come apart in the middle to be able to change the auger drive belt.
Various companies have made snow blowers that split apart easily, without tools. The idea being to swap among a set of attachments like a garden tiller, sickle bar mower, snow blower etc. SWNH’s blower obviously isn’t one of *those*.
any way to hook up the auger to steer larger front wheels?
Nice Job of Innovating! A good repurposing with little to no downside.
Yes, there have been a Variety of single axle “MULES” since the dawn of motors. The use of a power source, (be it steam, electric, diesel, gasoline or propane), to help get the job done without busting your own back is the whole point. Hat’s off to this guy for thinking and making something useful and practical! Good Job.
BTW: Don’t pay any attention to the armchair crowd who for the most part haven’t done anything.
I’ve got an old Toro snow blower that I want to use as an ice fishing mule, any idea if I can switch the gears around to pick up a little speed? I just pulled it apart to find the blower shaft shot due to bearing worn out and driven til it wouldn’t turn. so the blower is gone but the motor and trans work great. Thinking like the old Gravely’s but just came up with the idea and wondering if there were any ideas, problems?