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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- L2 Gleaner combine converted to a self propelled snowblower
14.00 The blower in action
Cost breakdown.
Combine 2200.00 (less 900.00 for parts sold) 1300.00
Blower 1200.00
Hydraulic hoses 1300.00
Bearings & pulleys 950.00
Misc. 1500.00
Wheels/tires 500.00
Modify rims for correct offset 750.00
Total cost 7500.00
Old fashion farm know how still lives! 🎉
I don't think my comment will do justice to this build. Growing up in the 50's, a project like this would be common place. And many friends and neighbors would have contributed to this glorious build. People didn't have much, but were rich in true friendships and mental acuity. People took great pride in their work and spent their time learning from others and books. This build would have been known to the community and looked at like the Wright Brothers working on the Kitty Hawk. America is no longer that place and time which was the backbone of her greatness. Sadly, men like you are far and few between. Many long hours were spent on her design and build, plus money and bartering. Young men used to flock to builds like this and idolize the builder, then strive to become like them. I salute you for what you have accomplished, and thank you for sharing the build with us. I pray that you are blessed in all of your endeavors.
Thank you for the well thought reply. I agree. I am 68 years old. Growing up my dad and uncles did a lot of their own fabrication. I feel sad when I see what types of equipment are on the scrap heap at the local metal recycler. We used to salvage all that old farm equipment.
@@hrodd2you are a genius! No surprise really being a farmer. I grew up in the 60s and 70s next to a dairy farm. Was always on the farm and worked there until I left for college. Farmers have always had a knack for doing so much with so little. Just one question, how many bushels an acre were getting? Happy New Year.
Well said!!
If a tractor broke down in the neighborhood
It was all hands...
I love it but you could actually simplify things considerably by going with the Edison motors diesel electric conversion.
But seriously great job using what you had to work with. Wish I had your skill.
The days of kids growing up wrenching on cars or dirt bikes and makeing and breaking things definately aren’t as common.
You`re gonna have a lot of new friends this winter...nice work. Bailing wire will not be your friend!
yup, pizza & beer!
Be sure and post up more videos of this beast, I could watch it run all day.
Plan on that asap
Awesome job. A lot cheaper than a new one and the tractor to run it. Should make short work of snow. Hydro drive gives you a great range of speed
thank you.
Cheaper only if someone possesses the fabrication skills, tools, time, & shop space as this gentlemen seems to have. Plus needing the used $$ combine w/ some value, & the willingness to cannibalize. Hydro is convenient BUT a front PTO tractor w/ a power shift transmission would also do nicely w/ this blower. Front PTO & 3 point linkage is becoming more common in the USA, many used European tractors imported here contain this combo feature. A popular importer is JB Tractors in his neighboring Millersville, MN
@@hrodd2 It seems obvious you enjoyed this project. Folks might be amazed @ the # of man hours invested. Did you keep track ❓Some portions required a helper ❓ Doing something a person loves is not viewed as a burden but we still should equate the inputs against what other activities could have performed w/ this effort to improve our lives, & generate income. A farm usually has many projects requiring winter maintenance.
@@billupstateny9151 Honestly i really did not keep track of hours. But it was a lot. But, hey we work for free, right? Perhaps better for me if I am in the shop instead of the bar or casino.
Love the build! Nice work. The prairie view is always amazing to me.
That ol girl is great. You did a fantastic job.You will be able to rescue all your neighbors with that thing.
Thanks 👍
.
Nice build . Well thought out
Really cool I love it
That's genius! Right now a thousand guys are looking for an old combine that you just helped double the price of! I was just made for it!
I have my string running F , my son and grandson are on this 😎
Wow - what a machine! In many ways the combine offers a good base for that project - the rear engine mounted high is out of direct snow spray that might build up the the air cleaner. And of course the cab position as you noted. Hope to see this run in a deeper snow!
Yes, forecast for this evening is 8+ inches. She may be put thru the paces then
That sure is a snow removal beast! You planned so well, and left yourself room for improvements. Have you considered a salt or media box and spreader on the rear? Looks like plenty of room back there. I was even thinking about a pick up truck box or a flat bed for tools, equipment, etc.
Great idea and execution on your build! Good luck and have fun with it!
You realise that he lowered the engine, right? I don´t think it´s a problem, more like an advantage to stability. Anywhere around the engine is hot anyway, so I figure snow spray is no problem unless you could aim directly at the intake. I love this machine, this build! I even see some possibilities for later upgrades, like pressure control depth gauging and edging wings, for instance. Great project!
Edit: when I think about it, maybe that "chaff drum" in front of the radiator is no longer needed when it´s doing winter chores? No harm, of course. (Sorry I don´t know the right name for this, It´s not my native language). You made a cool looking air limiter for it, though!
@@SPCLPONY I don’t know where you’re from. Or where @hrodd2 is from but I’m from an area of Canada that doesn’t use broadcast spreading very much. Perhaps it wouldn’t be very useful?
@@lukassawatzky604 I'm in rural New York on the Pennsylvania border. We use salt on our roads in NY, and cinders in Pa. The Township's allow residents to get a bucket or two of cinders during the winter. It helps with traction on driveways and steps. One can also buy bagged rock salt or calcium that we use with a walk behind spreader on our sidewalks.
This would be on the Prairie Farm Report if that was still a thing! Nice work!
That's badass!!!!!!! Congrats on the build
That's a fantastic way to keep an old harvester alive!
I bet the Alice Chalmers executives wouldn’t have dreamed that someday their Gleaner L2 combine would become a snowblower! 🌨️❄️Great job! 👍
Thanks for the comment. No, probably not
The operator's cab is perfectly positioned to see the area surrounding the machine, around the blower, and any obstacles that need to be avoided. Very nice conversion.
thank you
Well, I think it should be higher.
The view is not the best right now.
Make an upgrade so that the cap can be moved up above the chute.
Farmer ingenuity!
thanks, yeah we do what it takes at times!
I built one several years ago. I used a IH 815 combine. Works great. The Edmunds 815 Snobine
@@ronedmunds7119 Great!
Kudos. You did a great job all around. Your machine does what a $200,000 machine would do. I often thought that the best tractor would have been a Ford Versatile that would be similar to your machine. Nothing more rewarding than building something unique and overcoming obstacles. I modified an old F10 loader that I got from my dad in the mid 70's. It was built on an old truck frame but was difficult to operate. I bought an old Buick 225 for $100 and replaced the truck portion of the loader. I retained the rear end from the truck to carry the weight. When finished it was quite homely but had power steering, power brakes, and an automatic transmission with an additional 4-speed Brownie transmission to accommodate the large tractor style tires. Anyone could operate this loader with ease, and it turned on a dime with the rear steering. I later bought a 4-wheel drive loader, but one of my hired men always preferred to feed cattle with the old F10. You might consider adding a rear-view camera to your rig for greater rear visibility.
Best use of and old combine yet ! A lot of moving parts in one of these..........lol..............
Awesome build and so many good enhancements baked into this. As a Buffalo, NY native that can get big snow falls I love seeing these types of projects.
@@Slimtc1 thanks
Great job!
Must be so satisfying to see your ideas come to function so well. You couldn't even buy a new 10' snow blower to $7500. Well done.
Yeah, when I was watching the auction for the blower the suggested retail for a new one was 18K
This thing is going to go viral, keep posting content on all of the platforms and cash in! I love seeing obscure builds like this!
Thanks
Wow that thing is awesome! I could use something like that today! That ole girl needs some deep snow to work in. Great work!!
Awesome job !!!!
Thank you!
I believe Top Gear in Britian BBC did this, but this gentleman's version is much more elegant, useful and encouraging, good 'ol American resourcefulness.
I have read other comments regarding Top Gear. I have not seen that episode. Thanks for the comment
Well done, I've seen these projects done before but I would say you have the cleanest looking machine by lowering the engine and the cab.
Thank you. I plan on uploading an updated video soon
I think someone is having way too much fun! Nice job.
ya think? Who said moving snow was fun?
Fantastic job on repurposing the old combine. I have a skid steer with a hydraulic snowblower like yours it to has the swivel shoot and deflection hood. It’s five feet wide same width as my tracks, Im thinking on adding a set of wings to give it just a few more inches in width, also to catch any snow from sneaking out the sides, nothing worst than having to go back for just a small windrow of snow. You did an awesome job of narrating the video it was perfect on explaining what you did and why. Have a great new year and hope to see it in action again. 🍻
Thanks. If we have some ridiculous snow fall I may add some more video content.
That is a huge win win!!! Every place wrestling with a lot of snow needs a machine like that!
Love to see people use their heads to make things. Yours is very amazing and practical.
thank you
this is awesome, about the only thing that would make this even better would be some 5inch wings on the side of the blower at a 30 degree or 45 degree angle to keep any access snow from spilling over and out of the shoot.
That's friggin awesome. Love old school and farmer ingenuity. Too bad the younger generations don't get this.
Must be in the prairies, looks like a dry snow. Excellent job!
Impressive build! You’ve definitely got an impressive skillset. I feel like the biggest downside is that it’s so efficient, your “play time” with it is limited! Good stuff and I hope it fares well in tonight’s storm.
Yeah, we do not "play" with snow, we just put up with it. But it does help to have good equipment
Nice fabrication! That machine will save you lots of work.
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Love the ingenuity! Great project and thanks for sharing!
thank you
Nice reuse of good old machinery. Great work. There is nothing better than a front mounted blower for moving snow. Place it where you want, no worrying about running out of space like with blades.
You got that right!
Awesome snow machine Ray! Your engineering and fabrication has re-created the best blower possible. The mods to the main frame and cab look great. The power delivery to wheels, auger & blower is exceptional! Great Job, thanks for sharing Ray👨🌾
thank you
I seen a guy once to take a small diesel combine engine and set it in an older Ford Mustang and set it up to where it would run on just about anything. He said he’s been running it off of used hydraulic fluid that was very intriguing as a way to try and save money. however, I think your idea for a combine is probably the coolest idea I have ever seen that is very cool.👍😊
What a great build, well done
thank you
GENIUS! I love it! These old machine are all over the place, and what a great use of that old iron!
@jonh142881 thank you. Hope to upload some new video within the next 2 weeks
There’s some pretty cool stuff people make out of old l2 gleaners. I’ve seen a sprayer and a rock collector and now a snow blower!
Great Job Ray! That is simply amazing work! Looks like you'll need it today and tomorrow with 14" + of snow forecasted along with 30 mph + winds!!!
Thank you
I hate to see a nice L2 cut apart, but it lives on as an awesome snow removal machine. They always had a nice comfortable cab. Great Job, Thanks for sharing.
That is a beast! You did an awesome job. Please upload more videos with it in action, if you can.
WOW THAT'S AWESOME! You did an amazing job to figure out all the drive's! Happy Holidays y'all!
Thank you 🤗
I have never seen anyone do that before, great effort! And it works well too.
There is a video of a gentleman in Canada that converted an IH rotor combine to snowblower. I have read that they are easy to convert as he reused the gearbox that would normally run the rotor to power the blower. The Gleaner was easier than I anticipated to convert. Thanks for the comment
Add a cab heater with blowers on the glass and window wipers. You will appreciate it on the cold winter days.
Have that already
Awesome! I’ve wanted to do this for 20+ years, still haven’t gotten to it. Did keep an old gleaner just for the purpose. Maybe someday yet. Though I’ve often though the new idea unisystem power unit would make a good conversion. Flexible, 4wd, setup to send power in multiple directions. Someday….again great job! Very very well done!
Thank you for the comment. Yeah, previously I had a small Yanmar with no cab and 5' blower. It actually worked really well, but I was getting tired of the cold and rear facing. Getting too old for that!
wow this could be a money maker in my area.... only thing i would do is add the screw in studs on tires would eliminate tire spin/ slipping ..... hmmm might be a great project in my future... thank you for the video sir
Ray, you have great engineering/fabrication skills and now have a very efficient, warm in the cab snow blower. it looks like you can handle the 'big one' with no problems. Happy New Year and blessings to you.
Thank you. Well it will help make winter tolerable!
Good way to reuse an old combine. Back when Dad was still farming he had a Gleaner L2 Windrow Plus combine. Loved that machine, was great in its day.
Thanks for the comment
What a great build! Its obvious you are a good planner and like to think out-of-the-box, as well as being an excellent fabricator and a perfectionist. I'll be curious to see if you come up with further modifications to make this unit even better - if possible! I'm thinking you have the basis for a snow-blower manufacturing business...
LOL, well 1st we will have to find a supply of neglected combines. On the serious side I like to think that we can make use of a lot of items, rather than discard or spend ridiculous $ for new. Of course I should modify the cost of the project, you notice that there is zero amount for labor. That's cause some of us work for free? Thanks for the comment
You built the ultimate snow removal machine and it looks really really cool...OEM like.
Thank you
I’m curious how it’ll balance and steer roading it. I might do a similar build with my parts l2. All the empty space could potentially make an interesting salt spreader location or a huge headache to do. Great job on this
A great piece of engineering, thanks for sharing. Must have been long hours sitting in the shop and figuring. Oh and lots of sleepless nights and dreaming of what will work and what won't.
Super cool project! Based on what I've seen of the airport snow blowers, you might be a bit light on Horsepower, but it's a nice machine for sure.
Thanks. A person never knows. This combine is around 130-145 hp. The blower is rated for 180 hp tractor.
Allis Chalmers do not lack HP
Brilliant use of an old Gleaner, when I lived in Tennessee there were many of them sitting around retired, They should be shipped north, great machine for the snow blower, amazing.
A lot of that old equipment can be repurposed. Thanks for the comment
Very nice and looks very powerful looks like you did a lot of thinking about how to make it work, not sure how thick the snow was would love to see it in action with 24 inch
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Sir I said before you are ingenious you are way past that. It's extremely impressive what you have not only done but also with what!
Thank you for the comment. Guess I started out with an idea and it grew from there.
Thank you for sharing this. I like and enjoy creative stuff like this. Have you given it any thought about adding 8-12" wings or scopes on both sides of the snow blower? I would think it would be helpful to keep the snow from ever having a chance of being pushed out on either side, while also clearing a little wider track with each pass. You could place some kind of marker or guide pole on the outer top edge of each wing so not to hit anything with them. Just an idea.
Not really, when i was dealing with the width issue and large wheels the thought occurred to me. Here in MN, sometimes we have the blizzard conditions when the snow is whipped around for hours with high winds, and those banks are like concrete. So it could be difficult to break that material down so it feeds in. But you never know. Thanks for the comment
Maybe helpful for covering for snow accumulation over the exposure where it's more open sides front too back snow goes every where.
I'm wanting to make snow removal machine also & grain cart out a combine too.
Great project. We tried to find a snowblower big enough to fit in front of our Massey Super 92 which also has a heated cab, but to no avail. Instead I put a 12 foot home made snow blow blade from an under ground fuel tank and the piece ended up being 3 feet tall by 12 feet long. I couldn't believe how much power this combine had. I still wish it had a blower, but for now we push snow. Loved the video and Great job on getting this beast to where it is now. This is simply awesome.
thank you for the comment. Yeah, whatever it takes!
great job.whats the deepest snow you used it in.and how does it handle drifting snow
At this point, still waiting for the "big one" It did handle the drift by my grove easily, which was about 36" tall. I am becoming more comfortable with it now and do not forsee any mechanical issues. This blower was designed for a 180hp tractor. So, the blower should handle just about anything. Just a question of the mechanics . Thanks for the comment
Nice work Ray! This is great
Thanks Wes!
Paul from Iowa, Great Job. Good use of a Good Older Combine
thank you. Yeah, save that old iron from the scrap heap!
Wow, there's a lot of work gone into that! Especially like the custom offset for the front wheels.. well done sir.
thank you
A really good idea . The end results were very interesting. It is really nice when a project comes together.
Thank you
Impressive !!! Wery well done!
I think you need to get in touch with that TH-cam channel that does old vintage tractors and unique tractors, and things of this nature. I believe they might just probably be wanting to do a whole show on you and your creation.👍😊
Awesome build! I really enjoyed this. I’m happy I randomly got this recommendation, it good to see that TH-cam is recommending such a recently uploaded video too
thank you
I've seen similar projects but never saw the mechanicals up close. Thanks for the look into how it works.
Your welcome. It is so easy to make videos too long, however I tried to attempt to as simple explanation as possible on major items
What an awesome build.Thank's for sharing.Enjoy!
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Great job on converting the old combine into a snowblower it turned out great
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Nicely done Happy New Year, I am quite familiar farm Tractors/Combines I worked for Versatile Farm Equipment back in the late 70's through the 80's so i remember allot of those components and systems you took apart and recycled, hydrostatic drive is really nice , so easy to control the speed, this is all well planned out and built and especially i love the cab , easy to enter/exit and you got the best seat in house, more important you can see all your components that are important, very cool , when you were operating it towards the end of the video ,it reminded me of the old Allis -Chalmers rough terrain forklifts that were basically a tractor turned around, I played with my share of those a bit having worked in the forklift industry for a few years, good times, your neighbour to the north in Manitoba , hope you get the snowstorm and get to play with your new home built behemoth of a snowblower, its pretty cool 👍oh yes, i agree about the cab, no more sore neck/shoulders i did my share of that for my uncle and dad when they got into their 70's, it was a nasty job in deep snow and high winds , cab is king
Thanks Bob. Yeah, everything you said is true. SO far I am very happy with the result.
I'm very impressed. I always thought of doing something similar, but don't have the skills you have. Lowering the engine was a great idea so you can see backing up.
Love the tires on the blower - smart deal!! I will be heading that direction as I am rebuilding the 1973 Mercedes Benz Unimog 406!
Nice build. You must be proud and can't wait for the next blizzard .
Very complete video, and good old farmer based common sense at work. Really like how you separated the fan drive from the auger drive. Very nice workmanship. As one wheel reinventor to another- Well done sir!
Thank you
That is a clever repurposing of obsolete equipment. I appreciate your ingenuity and resourcefulness.
Thanks for the compliment
Brilliant! Very creative and effective use of resources. I love seeing people thinking outside the box!
Cool A job well well done, congrats.
You know u gotta great running machine when it purrs while working, this thing is harmony to my ears
Thank you for the kind remark. This season it is going to get rear wheel drive. More time in the shop, however should be a huge improvement
That was one of the best hand made snow blower machines i have seen so far your #1 #2 is a pick- up truck outstanding job on your build really enjoyed watching it in action 👍👍🇺🇸😎 from Ohio
Thank you. I did get it painted last summer. Also currently working on adding RWD. However, have only used it once this season. We have been experiencing an extremely mild winter.
Great job.
Just WOW! Amazing repurpose job! That thing is a BEAST!
Thanks, as i was building it I kept my friends posted, cause honestly who knew how successful it was going to be? So early on I started referring to it as "The Beast" LOL
Very nice job. You can now look forward to a good snow storm. As someone stated your neighbors were pleased to see the finished product. Look forward to seeing it work in 24 to 30 “ storm.
Thanks, so far 2024 has light snowfall here. We shall see
Great idea 22:41
Love it. American ingenuity at its best. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the comment
Love it. Great ingenuity and performance. I would suggest a 1" dia steel bar ahead of the auger/chain drive on the left side of the chute, to protect same. Also, a 2'x2' rear window. Fenders for the rear wheels? No need to go right to the ground when snowblowing. Those narrow wheels will give more traction than the wide ones under many conditions.
I have seen one of these before, but not in detail. Well Done Sir.
Thank you
@@hrodd2 This is another Conversion. th-cam.com/video/pp6XpnXQW6E/w-d-xo.html
@@gordbaker896 Yes, I have watched that video. He did a nice job with that unit and was one of the reasons I decided to take a go at it.
That's a very impressive build! Liked and subscribed. Thank you for taking time to film, edit and post this video.
Much appreciated!
Yup. Looks like it moves a lot of snow. Good job!
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Great job, I always wanted to do something like this with a swather and make sure you put a heater in the cab.
Initially I was going to use a swather, however after I picked up the blower it was obviously too large for a swather, so I went with a combine.
Thats the right size snowblower for that driveway. Well done. The View from the cab must be great.
yes, thank you
Add some car tire side walls to your fan blower to give it a bit tighter fit.
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This is a great repurposing of an item that might have ended up in the junkyard. Wish I had the knowledge to do something like this.
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If you need to you can increase the fan speed by changing sprockets in the gearbox chain. Very good work, I like that you took the time to lower the engine assembly and cab. It that snow it was hard to tell what it would be like hard blown cold snow that you can walk on. I would like to see how it works in that. Thanks for sharing your project with us all, hope you have a very healthy and prosperous 2025. Cheers from PEI Canada
Actually I can change fan rpm with the variable speed pulley on the combine. Same unit that used to run the seperator. Thanks for the comment
looks like my now retired neighbors combine. he would farm 500 acres with that combine every year. only him and one of his friends worked on his farm. it was amazing what those 2 guys could accomplish
Great work! Have seen a few New Idea Uni-systems with blower conversions. Well suited as the motor is low on the main frame.
Thanks. Yes I remember when I was young. New Idea had a snow blower attachment for their Uni system.
great job, looks amazing, the town will be calling the next blizzard you get