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Snowblower hitches FDT to fit a RBT


kenmill1958

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Would a snowblower hitch fro an FDT tractor {Garden Mark Squire} fit an RBT Tractor {Allis 917}? I realize the FDT's use a 2 pulley system and front PTOmand RBT's like my wide frame Allis 917 use a single pulley and mid PTO. If the basic frame of the hitch is the same I can make the modifications to a single pulley set up. Thanks for any help Ken
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Would take a lot of cutting, especially because of the PTO engagement parts. The framework is much taller. I think there are enough people looking for the FDT hithes that you might be able to sell if for enough to recover a large portion of the cost to buy the right one. Also if you're using the blower from a foot dragger, the driven pulley on the blower itself needs to be changed or it will turn the wrong speed.
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There are four main differences between the FDT 2 pulley and RBT 2 pulley hitches. They are: 1) A clutch is built into the FDT hitch. 2) The length of the snowblower mounting ears are about 2" shorter on the FDT hitch. 3) The angle and placement of the pulleys is slightly different. 4) The mule pulleys are different sizes. The difference can be seen in the following pics:


(I cut the clutch operating arm off of the pictured hitch to allow the hitch to fit on my GTHL RBT)




Why they're different: 1) On RBT tractors, the clutch is a contained in the front driver pulley setup (front PTO), either manual or electric depending on brand. FDT's have a hard mounted driver pulley. 2&3) On snowblowers designed for RBT's, the driven pulley (and driver pulley) is larger than the snowblowers designed for FDT's. IMO since the driven pulley is larger, the driven shaft has to be mounted further away from the mule pulleys dictated by belt/pulley design guidelines. (Roy, your thoughts?) 4) ??? The difference in the mounting can be seen in these pics:




(The above pics are with a FDT designed blower, the only blower I had before learning about the differences.) And I found a small difference between versions of the 2 pulley RBT hitches as can be seen in this pic:


I believe the difference relates to how the driven pulley is mounted on the snowblower. Early RBT snowblowers had the driven pulley mounted with the hub to the left (as viewed sitting on the tractor). Later model RBT snowblowers (including those designed for use with the 7100 series single pulley hitch) had the driven pulley mounted with the hub to the right. Hence the difference in the mule pulley mounting location. IMO, many of the snowblower belt issues (jumping off pulleys, life, etc) are caused by using an unmatched hitch/snowblower head combination. Ken, this is probably alot more than you wanted to know. However, I agree with Chris, that it would probably be better to sell the FDT hitch and buy the single pulley hitch. But, with the ability to weld, you can convert a FDT hitch into a single pulley hitch. There is a recent post about the exact dimensions, etc to do the conversion.
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Bill, Thanks for the Great Info!! That explains everything in detail. I do not actually have the snow blower or hitch at this time. They are available to me if I want them. Just trying to get an idea of what will work and how much modification will be required. Thanks Again, Ken
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