# Snogo snowblower: pass or buy?



## Md122701 (Sep 4, 2020)

Hello, 

A local guy is selling a Snogo self contained snowblower near me and I’m trying to decide if it is worth purchasing. It is called a “truck loader” on the tag(see picture) and the serial listed is 1538. It is powers by a 350 SBC and the gearbox is free and full of fluid, stored indoors, and seems in good shape but hasn’t run in the last 10 years or so. They are asking 1500 for it as is Good deal or pass?


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

are you clearing a airport? it's old and very beat up. PASS!


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## 4getgto (Jul 20, 2020)

What are you thinking of mounting it on ???


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## Md122701 (Sep 4, 2020)

4getgto said:


> What are you thinking of mounting it on ???


It’s self contained and has metal skid shoes so I’m just going to push it with my case 780 backhoe. Plenty big enough. It’s more of a long term project, the engine probably needs work too, but I saw ones online like this going for 5-10k running so I thought it might be worth it as a project


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## Md122701 (Sep 4, 2020)

captchas said:


> are you clearing a airport? it's old and very beat up. PASS!


Well I’ve got a mile and and a half of driveway and trials to clear and we average about 300 inches of snow per year and what I have just ain’t cutting it anymore


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

What you need to worry about is the weight as its heavy enough that your excavator will not be able to move it let alone use it.
A larger double auger machine like that is ment to be mounted on a 10 wheel plow truck or an FWD dump truck. 

I would pass on it unless you have a heavy 2 axle dump truck that has enough frame steel to weld a mounting frame on it.

What do you use now for snow clearing???


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## Md122701 (Sep 4, 2020)

The Backhoe can lift 6400 pounds 12 feet in the air and about 14000 a foot off the ground so weight isn’t really a concern for me. The best that I can tell, the machine is designed to be pushed along the ground like a sled, as there are really heavy 1/2 inch plate skid shoes and there is no mechanism for it to pivot. I’ did some measuring and the brackets are a standard width and will pin right up the the backhoe loader arms with the bucket removed. Right now I just push and lift the snow with the 780 front bucket which works but is incredibly time consuming.


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

The main issue is needing asphalt or solid concrete to run it on.


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## Md122701 (Sep 4, 2020)

It’s part blacktop and part sand but the sand freezes rock solid in winter anyway. I know it’s gonna take a bit of tinkering and problem solving, I’m just trying to figure out if it is a good price for it or not. I can always get it running and sell it later if it is a good price for what it is inherently


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

That's funny, the different perspectives on this stuff. My reaction was that it's a massive piece of equipment, for the price of a mid-range new walk-behind. But it ought to clear just a _little_ bit faster. Therefore it seemed like a good deal to me, given those very-basic criteria. 

Can you get a big snowblower to mount to your equipment? That's probably easier to get going, but maybe something like 5-10X the cost?

I dunno, with what you're up against, for the driveway, it seems like it might be worth a shot.

A big truck with a plow might do it too, but I'd guess that you might start to have trouble if you couldn't plow until there was already a lot of snow on the ground? I get the impression that blowers handle deep stuff better than plows, at least if traction is a problem.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

only way i would consider it is if you were getting it for scrap price. there is a good chance you would have to spend another couple thousand in repairs/maintenance it needs from sitting outside in the elements. i wouldn't surprised me if every singe hydraulic line needed to be replaced from just sitting outside. also to me it doesn't look like it is meant to just be pushed. looks like the tractor would need to support/lift the back side and you would need to make a mount of some sort to do.


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## Md122701 (Sep 4, 2020)

Yeah you’re right there, it does need a lot of work, but I’m looking for a long term 25+ year solution to 350 inches of wet snow a year. I’ve rebuilt so many 350 SBCs that i can practically do it blindfolded. I’m not gonna use it this winter probably. Just tying to gauge the general opinion here. He said he’d go as low as 750 if I loaded it which is probably darn near scrap price by the looks of it.


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

SnoGo in action at the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority - Wausau Equipment






www.wausauequipment.com





l;ooks like it can be mounted on a BIG loader as it's still made by wausaue eq.


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

Your located at Stevens Pass?


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## 4getgto (Jul 20, 2020)

Md122701 said:


> Yeah you’re right there, it does need a lot of work, but I’m looking for a long term 25+ year solution to 350 inches of wet snow a year. I’ve rebuilt so many 350 SBCs that i can practically do it blindfolded. I’m not gonna use it this winter probably. Just tying to gauge the general opinion here. He said he’d go as low as 750 if I loaded it which is probably darn near scrap price by the looks of it.


I think you'll find it useful from what you say. Plus you have something to push it around (in the warm)...!
Might be a fun project. And 300+ inches of snow a year I'd be thinking something bigger than my 5' plow and 24" snowblower too. .!👍


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## Md122701 (Sep 4, 2020)

leonz said:


> Your located at Stevens Pass?


I’m in Michigan’s Keweenaw near Houghton


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

now i understand more why the need, super lake affect snow falls. agree about the point when a loader or plow no longer work due to plow banks and drop zones being more than any machine can do, more where one could use a train loco with a rail line blower in front .


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

Quite frankly I expect that to have a lot of weight to lift on a tractor, bit I'm no expert on this. I know a guy that bought an old Army 2.5 ton truck for hauling logs, I think something like that would be a good vehicle to hang a big blower on, especially with it having a drive axel in front also.
Just a thought.


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

one thing i hope is that the OP understands this is a hobbyist home owner type of forum, and that he is asking for help on a very large industrail/ air port/highway machine that most have never seen. save maybe a handful who know of rail road machines


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

And that is where leonz comes in !


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

Thank you for the compliment RIT333.

:^)


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

captchas said:


> one thing i hope is that the OP understands this is a hobbyist home owner type of forum, and that he is asking for help on a very large industrail/ air port/highway machine that most have never seen.


I dunno, there's 2 augers and an impeller. That's basically a Cub Cadet's 3X stage blower, right?  
3X® 26" Three-Stage Snow Blower | Cub Cadet US


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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

FWIW, in that part of MI, those are pretty much a standard city/municipality/large business plow (although most of those are 3 augur). I can't say that I have ever seen one on a dump truck - just fairly large loaders. (The other trucks get blades and a salt spreader for lighter loads at highway speeds.

The big ones are the dedicated trucks with the blower engine in the rear. As noted, with that chute, truck loading is one use, but most SnoGo gear has a chute bypass.that lets them go hundreds of feet.

So, I dunno . . . if in fair shape, and a decent engine core, if you have the $750, it could be interesting as a project.
(I grew up in Houghton 1962 -, so know the sjow well. A lot of it, but historically pretty dry . . .)


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## dr bob (Dec 12, 2015)

Late to the party, but...

get fluid samples from the critical systems, get analysis so you have an idea what's been working well and what's been chewing on itself. Since it's not going on a PTO, how do the controls remote to your tractor cab? Is anything obviously broken? Last but no least, can you find out why it was parked? I used to dabble more in interesting cars. Some "finds" are represented as "ran when parked ten years ago", but there's always a critical reason something was parked. Usually, it turns out, it was a failure that was going to cost more than a couple new-car lease payments to fix.

Got the tools and talent available to bring this one back to life? How much will the $1500 hurt if it ends up as scrap? Will they deliver it?


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