IH 80 snowblower

[hillman]

The fan in my 70

I don't think some ppl understand where I am coming from.  We build OEM parts with close tolerances and when I repair or restore something OEM quality is my goal. Just can't get much done  due to our work load and the setups never suit my needs . We could mass produce those fans 

 

If I were to make a new fan it would be an exact duplicate . It would be laser or plasma cut. I wouldn't do the job if anyone could see any discrepancies 

Also a pic of 2 formed angles if anyone don't know what 11 gauge looks like ....usually around .115 to .120 which cost me $95 ..i think I am done with that shop

[stronger800]

I bought a 4x8 sheet of 11 ga (1/8”) ($90) a half sheet of 3/8”, 20’ of 1 1/2” x 1/8” Angle iron and 20’ of 1 1/2” x 1/4” angle iron yesterday, for $304.     330 pounds worth.  You had me nervous.  I actually expected it to be more.  The only service charge was for the  cut  on the half sheet though.  I need to have 24’ bent up into a C, next time.  Idk what that’ll cost 

[M35A2]

Two of the best tractors to use on a snow blower would be an IH Hydro 100  and a Versatile Bi-directional tractor.   

[Rawleigh99]

I don't know why you couldn't make one just like in Hillman's picture. A flat disc and some channel iron. Weld a hub in the middle. Do simple  balancing on a nail sticking out of a fence post.  I think the whole thing is being overthought. Once the big chunks of snow and Ice start going through it it's naturally going to be out of balance anyway.

[hillman]

1 hour ago, Rawleigh99 said:

I don't know why you couldn't make one just like in Hillman's picture. A flat disc and some channel iron. Weld a hub in the middle. Do simple  balancing on a nail sticking out of a fence post.  I think the whole thing is being overthought. Once the big chunks of snow and Ice start going through it it's naturally going to be out of balance anyway.

it can be made . the debate is if its done at a fab shop and or if it is a perfect re-pop

[Rawleigh99]

Oh, I thought the guy just needed it to work.

[hillman]

3 minutes ago, Rawleigh99 said:

Oh, I thought the guy just needed it to work.

not sure what he wants.. thread went a little sideways LOL

[lotsaIHCs]

Just how critical is balance on something that turns at 540 rpm? I have pto shafts that are far from balanced and at 540 rpm you don't really notice it much. 

[yellowrosefarm]

1 hour ago, hillman said:

not sure what he wants.. thread went a little sideways LOL

A little?????????   

[stronger800]

One side is loaded with heavy snow, other side has no load, I’ve seen pretty big chunks of sod stuck to mine, neighbor hit a rock and knocked a paddle off of his when I was a kid, I’m not sure he ever put it back on. 
 

-so I’d say balance is Super Important.  (Or not) 

[Dan Perry]

On 6/21/2024 at 8:08 PM, farmall666 said:

THE OLE 560 WILL BE  PRAYING TO THE LORD. THAT BLOWER TAKES POWER..PUT IT ON A 766-1066

I used to run a Schweiss blower very much like this 80 on a 706 diesel. Had a Westendorf WL-40 loader on the front it was a great setup for clearing snow, my only problem was I only had 2 remotes so would have to jump out and swap the bucket houses and the blower spout hoses around. If id had the money I would have loved to either set up a joy stick for the loader or install an electric splitter valve on that circuit. 

[Dan Perry]

On 10/31/2025 at 9:55 AM, ChrisNY said:

 

I have had a 80 blower for 25+ years. Think I paid 1000 at dealer for it at the time. It has been all repainted about 10 years go since this picture was taken. Think I have used it 3 or 4 times since. It sits in the back corner of the shop if needed. Have a 5' Farm King blower as well but 99% of the snow gets moved with V plow on pickup. But occasionally only a blower will work.

 

That's a chilly job running a blower on an open station tractor 🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶

[Dan Perry]

15 hours ago, lotsaIHCs said:

Just how critical is balance on something that turns at 540 rpm? I have pto shafts that are far from balanced and at 540 rpm you don't really notice it much. 

I would want that fan balanced pretty well. If not you'll destroy the gear box and make a heck of a ruckus real quickly. That fan rotating at 540 RPM is a heck of a lot more mass in motion than a pto shaft that may not be "perfectly balanced". Not to mention a 100+/- # of steel in untethered motion.

[stronger800]

Sure balance is better, but I think as long as a guy builds one that “looks” symmetrical, and doesn’t use 1/4” iron on one paddle and 3/8” on the next, that it’ll be close enough.    I hate frozen sod/mud/cow poop stuck to my blower fan…but it happens,  effecting balance obviously, and I don’t usually think about it. 

[nepoweshiekfarmalls]

22 hours ago, M35A2 said:

Two of the best tractors to use on a snow blower would be an IH Hydro 100  and a Versatile Bi-directional tractor.   

I totally agree with you 50%!!!!

 

[stronger800]

Your snow must be colder out there.  Never have snow on hood around here 

[hillman]

On 11/4/2025 at 11:51 AM, stronger800 said:

I bought a 4x8 sheet of 11 ga (1/8”) ($90) a half sheet of 3/8”, 20’ of 1 1/2” x 1/8” Angle iron and 20’ of 1 1/2” x 1/4” angle iron yesterday, for $304.     330 pounds worth.  You had me nervous.  I actually expected it to be more.  The only service charge was for the  cut  on the half sheet though.  I need to have 24’ bent up into a C, next time.  Idk what that’ll cost 

I asked the guy who does our quotes today what the 11 gauge material I had formed was worth = $15.87 . So the fab shop charged me $80 to shear and form them ! The boss was involved in the conversation and they were telling me they have sent out quotes to smaller shops to do some of our  small volume work. They were very surprised how high the quotes came in at. They said they would do a job like mine for about $35 if I could wait a year LOL 

[stronger800]

My  11g sheet was actually only $91.  Dropped off the 3/8 and half of the angle iron this morning.  Don’t laugh at my bungees. It was raining and I was only going 3 miles.  There was a cyber truck on a charger about 500’ away when I took this pic.  I almost pulled over beside it but couldn’t figure out exactly what the joke would be. My trucks are aluminum 

I’m hoping to have another 1/3 sheet bent into 8’ c channels next week.  Maybe that’ll hurt 

[lotsaIHCs]

14 hours ago, stronger800 said:

Sure balance is better, but I think as long as a guy builds one that “looks” symmetrical, and doesn’t use 1/4” iron on one paddle and 3/8” on the next, that it’ll be close enough.    I hate frozen sod/mud/cow poop stuck to my blower fan…but it happens,  effecting balance obviously, and I don’t usually think about it. 

A 235/75R15 tire is running around 700 revolutions per mile, so at 60 mph that's 700 rpm. A tire and wheel has more mass than the impeller of a snowblower. So if the impeller is off by an ounce or two I don't think you'd ever notice it. I'm not talking way out of balance, but a few ounces. I completely agree with you.

[766 Man]

6 hours ago, lotsaIHCs said:

A 235/75R15 tire is running around 700 revolutions per mile, so at 60 mph that's 700 rpm. A tire and wheel has more mass than the impeller of a snowblower. So if the impeller is off by an ounce or two I don't think you'd ever notice it. I'm not talking way out of balance, but a few ounces. I completely agree with you.

  I don't think anybody is worried down to how many ounces of weld each impeller receives.  I worry about the other extreme where if they run out of 3/8 plate for one impeller they grab 1/4 sheet for the next.  Somebody uses up the 1/4 while the other impeller is being made then they reach for the 3/4 in the scrap pile.  There are farms I know of where the engineering is that crude and if the boss is always screaming and yelling then the concentration is not there to do quality work.  

[hillman]

On 10/31/2025 at 8:00 AM, Qc.Can.IH man said:

I would buy that blower in a heartbeat!
 

 

 

Did you buy.it? $840 CAD or appr $640 USD 

CHEAP! Not worth fixing blowers!

[766 Man]

11 minutes ago, hillman said:

Did you buy.it? $840 CAD or appr $640 USD 

CHEAP! Not worth fixing blowers!

  The pictured blower going by appearance is better than 90 percent of the blowers you would find on an online ad (Craigslist) or the area auction yard.  Pretty hard to go wrong with it for 640 dollars.  

[hillman]

There was a lot of nice blowers in that sale. I didn’t watch them but I expect they didn't sell for more than that #80

[lotsaIHCs]

1 hour ago, hillman said:

Did you buy.it? $840 CAD or appr $640 USD 

CHEAP! Not worth fixing blowers!

If it had been jn my area I would have bought it just to have a back up or put one on each tractor. But around here it would have been triple that price.

[hillman]

29 minutes ago, lotsaIHCs said:

If it had been jn my area I would have bought it just to have a back up or put one on each tractor. But around here it would have been triple that price.

That has been my point all along 

We should learn from regional differences not argue about them