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Which Power Broom for x758

11K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  rydplrs 
#1 ·
Hi guys

I have an x758

Just wanted to know if you do use a broom how do you like having it or is it rarely used?

I was going to get it mainly for clearing smaller amounts of snow, I have a front mounted snow thrower also.

The dealer says two types available, a 52 inch that can brush up to 2 inches of snow and a heavy duty 60 inch that can manage up to 7 inches of snow.

The 52 inch is about $2600 and the 60 inch is about $4000 and requires extra mount kit.

How long does it take you to change using your quick hitch to change the snow thrower to the broom? This is really important in my decision because if it’s a big hassle I can see how I may not be too bothered and would stop using it out of inconvenience
 
#2 ·
Disclaimers: 1) I don't own a x758, 2) I don't own a front snow blower; so on those two fronts I'll be useless.

Regarding the broom, I have a 1025r and purchased a HD60" specifically for snow removal, secondarily as a lawn dethatcher .

The dealer's use case claiming 7" snow removal is an inch more than what's in the manual and 2 inches more than what works on our snow type (mostly dry), I find depths up to 5 inches about maximum. If your removal pattern requires that you move the snow onto the next pass, the maximum snow depth will decrease and you will be taking more passes or have to run slower. In 5" of dry it's, not a problem, I can throw the snow far enough (20 feet) that I'll not have to re-sweep it, wet snow will just kind of roll to the side and get re-swept.

Installing can be little tricky, the weight of the broom hangs forward of the gauge wheels, and there's a floating action with the depth adjustment. Without messing with the depth adjustment screw, I never found a way to engage the top pins before the bottom would make contact, and found the pins would bind and not seat fully. A small pry bar wedged in the mounting fram can help move the weight backwards and the pins seat. If the quick hitch is already installed, you can have it ready to run in 3-4 minutes. You did not mention whether you have the hydraulic angle kit, in my opinion that's a must have. I'm always angling it left then right when making passes up the drive but throwing the snow same direction.

I have zero regrets purchasing the 60", full left or right angle will clear the tractor's path. The broom is offset to the left a small amount so when a full left tilt, the broom will clear 12" beyond the tires. The right will clear maybe 8" beyond the tires. (guessing on distances) I like that when I'm done sweeping the drive, it's clean, nothing is left to pack down, half melt, then refreeze.

We had a couple of snows this season that were light but wet, where the snow was driven on it would stick too tight for the broom to remove. I started pulling a small 3pt blade, and in the one pass sweep and pull packed the snow loose.

Hope that helps, best of luck with your decision.
 
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#3 ·
I'm getting my driveway paved this spring and have been looking into a 52" broom.Between snow and other things I can find plenty of uses for it.Once in awhile they come up on CL or at a dealer but seem to go fast.X748SE has a few videos on using his 51" broom.
 
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#4 ·
Eire1916,

The 60" HD broom is a fantastic piece of equipment and it is more geared to what I would relate to be commercial or power operators who would use it quit a bit as opposed to the home owner who would use a broom less frequently. If you have the extra cash, the space to store it and will use it quite a bit then the 60" would be the one I would go for.

The 52" broom would be just fine for what you mentioned and the amount of times you would use it for. It is smaller (easier to store) and lighter which would "sort of" make it a bit easier to put on your quick hitch. They would take about the same amount of time to install as your blower/snowthrower would.

One thing with a broom is that you would need to install the angling kit for your quick hitch.

I have a 51 broom which is basically an older version of the 52 broom and I do use it to clear those light snowfalls. My snow removal attachment of choice is the snowblower though.

The video that TRJ posted is one of mine and I have a do have a few more of me using it.

Winter



Spring - This is one of me cleaning gravel out of the ditch that the snow plow placed over the winter. I think that 60" would be too big for this type of job in my case.



This video is of a 60" HD broom in action for comparison.



Either broom would do what you want so it really comes down on price and storage requirements.
 
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#5 ·
It’s funny, those videos are my ‘refer to’ points already! They are great and thanks for doing them.

I’m not commercial it’s just for clearing my lot, primarily of the small amounts of snow or the snow left over after the snow thrower had to be used. My big hang up though is, that if they are a hassle to swap out ie the snow thrower to the broom, then I’d likely just not bother and use just the snow thrower and let the sun try melt the rest.

One other concern is if you’ve to put your back into hauling it on and off that won’t be good either as my back isn’t the best (part of the reason I got the x758 etc) and I’m not the biggest guy in the world admittedly

Also, with it only being able to handle up to 2 inches of snow (the 52”) that puts it into the Stihl yard boss territory that I already have, it’s not the biggest lot in the world! But it’s convenient and easy to use
 
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#6 ·
The 60" HD Broom is well built, that's for sure. In typical John Deere fashion, it's an implement designed to be used, not an impractical "trophy" attachment like sold by some companies. It's not inexpensive, but it's a high quality attachment that will last for a very long time if maintained.

I bought the 60" HD Broom with my new tractor and other implements and it's still at the dealership as I have no room for it until my new storage building is ready. I can see where it could be handy for some snow removal but I wouldn't want to bother switching back and forth between the broom and the blade regularly. We are in a lake effect snow area and regularly get more than 4" to 6" of snow so personally, I just stick with the front blade.

If you already have the front drive unit for a snowblower with the Quick Attach hitch, then the broom is all you need. If you don't have the front drive unit, plan on up to nearly another $1,000 in cost for the front drive assembly, etc, depending upon what components you have for front mounted implements for your tractor..

The actual switching with the front Quick Attach is fairly easy and straight forward. I would suggest storing the blower / blade / broom on carts with dolly wheels to minimize the lifting and physical manipulation to swap implements. Otherwise, it requires some physical labor to position the attachments in a typical garage storage situation to get them in position to mount on the tractor.

Even such simple things as the Heavier four wheel Furniture Dollies sold by Harbor Freight for around $10 each can make moving and storing the front mounted attachments much easier on your back, legs, etc. Simply lower the attachment onto the dolly's, disconnect from the tractor and wheel into position for storing and the reverse for using the attachments.

The following is a picture of my custom made front blade getting ready for storage. It's 7'3" so it doesn't fit through the 6' door opening in my current storage building. As soon as I sit it through the door way, it goes onto small 4 wheel dollies which make rolling it to it's storage position much easier. Unfortunately, the ideal storage place doesn't permit me to keep it on the small carts so I have to lift one end of the blade and put it on the cart to get it out of it's summer storage spot. The top of the blade won't clear the shelf supports when I leave it on the carts, meaning it would have to stay the depth of the shelf away from the wall, which isn't acceptable, so I lift the blade into it's storage space by hand.

You can see the dolly's I use for moving the blade, blower, etc. in the bottom corner of the top photo.

Vehicle Construction equipment


Floor Vehicle Flooring Hardwood Wood
 
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#8 ·
I have a 52" broom that I use on my 1025R. The 52" unit works great. I have no problems with mine. Even angled, it sweeps a path wide enough for the tractor.

My local dealer had bought out a dealer that had gone out of business and this broom was in their inventory so my dealer got it along with everything else. They told me that they had never sold one before and they knew I was looking for one, so they called me when they received it. It was still in the crate but it did not have the short PTO shaft. They sold it to me for $1500.00 and I had to buy the short PTO shaft which was around $250.00.

It does a fantastic job clearing snow up to about 4" and then it has to be fluffy snow. When the snow gets over that, I use my front mount blade up to about 6" of snow. Deeper than that, I put on the snow blower. With either, I then usually do final clean up with the broom.

I have used my broom two seasons now and would not want to do without it. In PA, most of our snows are the 2" to 4" snows so I almost always use the broom.

Concerning changing from the snow blower to the broom. It doesn't take long at all. You do have to disconnect the chute rotate hoses and connect the power angle hoses and then simply drop off the snow blower and install the broom.

I set all my attachments on these https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/solid-wood-dolly?cm_vc=-10005 so I can roll them around easily in my garage. These also make installation so much easier as you can roll it to the tractor and align.
 
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#9 ·
I ended up getting the 60HD broom while my x758 is in the shop
Just waiting to try it out once I get it back
We are getting some slush and light snow Thursday so I’m hoping I get it back by then
 
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#10 ·
In my world the only people I see using brooms are working for the town, and clearing what's left behind by the sidewalk plow. For the life of me I just can't see using the broom for anything but sweeping sidewalks and parking lots. I would love to own one, and they're built like a tank, but I wouldn't use it very often at all, and I certainly wouldn't use it on my lawn. But that's what's great about tractors. Something for everyone and for every purpose.
 
#11 ·
They are often used in the spring to get sand off a lawn, but I agree they don’t have a lot of uses. I just got one working that’s for resale, if we get the 2-5” forecast I’ll give it a try. The x475 will be ready for backup.

 
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