Electric Snow Blower (Gravely)

[Joe90]

Hi Guys,

Just wanted to share some build pictures and a video of my 1972 2 wheel tractor conversion.

The motor is a Heinzman PMS-126 that I bought here a couple years ago.
Sevcon Gen4 size 6 drive is overkill but this is what I had on hand.
I use my bike battery that is 24S11P li-ion of LG HG2
Cleaning my driveway require between 300wh and 1300wh depending on snow conditions
Most of the time it's around 500wh
I am not finished because I dont know how much power/current I actually use.
I programmed the drive to ouput 32Nm up to 3000 rpm and 180A phase current.
Limited the batt current to 130A input.

Here is the link to a not good video but at least you can see the operation of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE1ARneaODs&t=1s

[skeetab5780]

Awesome!

[pwd]

Thanks for sharing; that thing is a beast! I'd love to have an electric snowblower someday that can handle what my 10HP 30 inch ICE blower does.

[X2flier]

Joe,

I like the idea of a battery-powered snow thrower, but the extreme environment that snow throwers must endure seems like a real challenge to the batteries. The battery prices may be somewhat daunting, as well. I guess it would be okay if you have enough batteries lying around.

FWIW, I have an electric snow thrower, too. It cuts an 18" swath, and if I don't watch it, that unit will take snow from my place and put it across the street on my neighbor's driveway. It's a Toro PowerCurve; it's light, it's not expensive, and it runs on 60 cycle AC. Once you pile the electric cord where it feeds itself out constantly as you throw snow, electric power is fine. I use three prong power cords, of course. The motor inside is smaller than my fist, but it sings.

Gotta say, your conversion is a brilliant idea. It's downright inspirational. I have a big two-stage snow thrower also, and if that ancient dinosaur engine ever quits, I will be looking for an equivalent 60 cycle AC motor for the rig. My Toro runs on a toothed flat drive belt, so I know it will be easy to get the drive reduction needed, with the right belt pulleys. Drive belts are also a safety factor; if anything jams the snow thrower, only the drive belt will fail, where a gear drive would probably destroy either the jamming material, or the machine transmission, or both. D.A.M.H.I.K.

[Joe90]

Thanks for kind comments

[afewskroosloose]

That's a beast..love it!

What is the kw rating of the motor and how large of a swath does it clear and how deep have you cleared, if I may ask?

Im working on a custom r/c vehicle for snow throwing, mowing, and just for fun and am in the concept/research phase of the power system that will be required for a 42"-50" mow/snow clearing (6 acres and about 100yd rural driveway)

Thread so far is here:

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewt ... 34&t=97513

Awesome build!

[ENNOID]

Funny and very similar to my homemade battery powered snow blower:

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewt ... =7&t=98592

[LeftieBiker]

I also have a Toro Powercurve, and I agree it's great - within certain limits. It doesn't handle wet, heavy snow well, or more than 18" of powder. The effort of pushing it makes for a great workout, but I don't always want or need an extreme workout! For years, I've been thinking about a dual power electric snowblower with a battery pack AND an AC cord connector, to save the battery while near the house. It seems that Snow Joe makes one now, but it's a bit too small, and not, IIRC, self-propelled. I definitely need self-propulsion.

BTW, as of about two years ago, there are no more American-made snowblowers, and virtually all of the engines are made in China - even Briggs & Stratton...