1810 Snowblower Help - 450 or 451?
 

I've got an old 1810 that's been parked for years that we just got running again. The plan is to put a snow blower on it for doing my driveway. From what I can find online, it looks like the model 450 snow blower is the correct one for this tractor. I can't find any model 450s near me, and the ones that are a few hours away it seems like guys want a lot of money for them ($750 as is- $950 repainted). Anyways, there happens to be 2 or 3 model 451s listed very close to me. I've been told these run at a "different RPM" and won't work with my tractor. Can anyone confirm this for me? Is there any way I can make a 451 work with my 1810 easily?

Thanks.

the 451 needs the 6" pulley on the PTO. I put a 451 on my early 2182 and needed to get a new PTO with the 6" pulley. Everything works great now. You will need a longer belt too. Don

Thanks for the info. There happens to be a guy right in my town with one he wants to sell (I posted a wanted ad on craigslist yesterday). It seems like he's asking a reasonable price for it. It sounds like there are a couple things it needs- A tensioner spring for one of the pulleys (not a big deal), and he said it looks like the lifting rod was extended. If you look closely at these pictures, it looks like he's right. Is there any reason someone would do that??

Are there certain things I should look for when I go to look at this blower?

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...r/000_0804.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...r/000_0803.jpg

I paid $650.00 for my 451, and had to drive across 2 states to get it. Looks like the lifting rod is bent compared to mine. Maybe for a differant model? Spring you mention is about $6.00. Great blowers once the are set up right. Don

So, I picked up the 450 that I found locally last night(the one in the pics). It looks pretty nice. It bolted right up nice and easy. The only problem right now is that lifter rod that is bent and extended. It's not even close to lining up correctly. I might fix that one, or just buy a new one for $50.

Anyways, I see there's a model 449 lift assist spring kit. Is that required for a manual lift machine? If it's not required, is it highly recommened? As part of the kit, I see some stuff that attaches down under the machine, that I'm not sure the purpose of. The main thing it looks like is a big spring that attaches on the left side of the blower, back to the side of the tractor. Could I just fab up a spring holder here and attach a large spring myself since that kit and spring are no longer available? Does anyone have any specs on what size spring should be used??

You are definitely going to need that spring assist...I think that blower weighs 200+ lbs if I remember correctly.

Just looking at your blower it appears to be identical to my 451. My 451 comes with a bend in the lift rod to clear the front axle. I have hydraulic lift for mine so yours may be for the hydraulic lift. After dragging mine around a bit if you are using manual lift you will definitely need spring assist. That puppy is very heavy. Without spring assist your right arm will be of weightlifter quality by the end of the winter.