5 Best Yanmar Three Point Hitch Snow Blowers For Cold Climates Farmers Use

Waking up to a foot of heavy, wet snow blanketing your farm lane is one thing. Realizing it has drifted three feet deep against the barn doors is another problem entirely. For anyone with a Yanmar tractor, this is where a three-point hitch snow blower transforms a day-long struggle into a manageable morning chore. It’s not just about clearing a path; it’s about reclaiming your time and keeping the farm operational when winter does its worst.

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Key Features for Tractor-Mounted Snow Blowers

Before you even look at brands, you need to know what makes a good snow blower. The heart of the machine is its auger and impeller. A serrated auger is a must for chewing through hard-packed drifts and ice, while a larger, four-blade impeller throws snow farther, preventing tall banks from collapsing back onto your path.

Control over the chute is another critical factor. Manual crank systems work, but they’re slow and require you to stop and get off the tractor. Hydraulic rotation and deflector control is a game-changer. It lets you aim the snow on the fly, which is crucial when clearing around buildings, fence lines, or parked equipment without creating a bigger mess.

Don’t overlook the small details that signal build quality. Look for heavy-gauge steel in the housing, adjustable and replaceable skid shoes to protect both the blower and your driveway, and an easily accessible shear pin system. A well-designed blower is built for years of harsh winters, not just a few seasons.

Yanmar YST Series: The Perfect Factory Match

If you want a guaranteed, no-hassle fit, the Yanmar YST series is the obvious first stop. These blowers are engineered by Yanmar, for Yanmar tractors. This means the PTO shaft length is correct, the driveline is properly matched to the tractor’s horsepower, and the three-point geometry lines up perfectly without any guesswork.

The main advantage here is simplicity and dealer support. You buy it, they hook it up, and you know it’s going to work as intended. Models like the YST62 (62-inch) and YST74 (74-inch) are matched directly to specific Yanmar tractor series, taking the anxiety out of pairing your implement.

The tradeoff is often price and features. While perfectly capable, they might not have the same heavy-duty construction or advanced options as some specialized aftermarket brands. You’re paying a premium for the peace of mind that comes with a factory-matched implement, which for many busy farmers, is a price well worth paying.

Woods SB64 Snow Blower: Built for Tough Drifts

Woods has a long-standing reputation for building tough, farm-ready attachments, and their snow blowers are no exception. The SB64 and its siblings are designed for people who deal with more than just fluffy powder. They feature a reinforced body and a heavy-duty gearbox built to withstand the shock of hitting a hidden chunk of ice or frozen ground.

This is the kind of blower you want for end-of-driveway piles left by the county plow or for clearing packed snow in livestock yards. The design focuses on moving heavy, wet snow efficiently, with a deep auger housing and a large-diameter fan that prevents clogging. It’s an implement built with the expectation of abuse.

While it’s a fantastic aftermarket option, you need to confirm the PTO horsepower requirements. Woods blowers are built to work hard, and they demand adequate power from the tractor to perform at their best. Underpowering a robust blower like this will only lead to frustration and a half-cleared lane.

Land Pride SB15 Series for Compact Yanmar Models

Land Pride is another top-tier attachment manufacturer, and their SB15 series is an excellent match for many compact and sub-compact Yanmar tractors. These blowers strike a great balance between performance, durability, and price, making them a popular choice for hobby farmers. They are well-engineered without being overbuilt for the typical tasks of a smaller property.

The SB15 series, available in widths like 64 and 74 inches, offers features that matter for daily use. This includes adjustable skid shoes to set the cutting height for gravel or paved surfaces and a replaceable, hardened steel cutting edge. These are practical, long-term ownership features.

Think of the Land Pride as a versatile workhorse. It’s more than capable of handling significant snowfalls on a long driveway and clearing paths between outbuildings. It might not have the sheer mass of a Woods, but for a Yanmar in the 25-40 HP range, it’s often a perfect, balanced fit that won’t over-tax the tractor’s hydraulics or PTO.

Frontier SB11 Series: Versatile and Reliable

Frontier is John Deere’s attachment line, but their implements are widely used on tractors of all colors, including Yanmar. The SB11 series is known for its reliability and excellent parts availability, a critical factor when a breakdown during a storm can shut down your entire operation. You can find parts for these almost anywhere.

The design of the SB11 is straightforward and effective. It features a solid auger and impeller system that handles a variety of snow conditions well, from light powder to moderately wet slush. Many models come standard with a manual chute rotator, but the optional hydraulic kit is a highly recommended upgrade for anyone with rear hydraulic remotes on their Yanmar.

This is a safe, dependable choice. It’s a proven design from a major manufacturer that does exactly what it’s supposed to do without any fuss. For a farmer who values reliability and easy serviceability over having the absolute heaviest-duty model on the market, the Frontier SB11 series is a smart investment.

Worksaver SSS-62: A Heavy-Duty Farm Option

The name says it all. Worksaver builds equipment for agricultural use, and their SSS-62 snow blower is a testament to that focus. This implement is designed for moving high volumes of snow quickly and aggressively. It’s a great fit for small farms with long lanes, large parking areas, or the need to clear around barns and feed bunks.

What sets the Worksaver apart is its aggressive design. It typically features a heavily serrated auger that shatters ice and hardpack, feeding it into a large, high-speed impeller. This combination results in impressive throwing distances, which is essential for preventing massive snowbanks that cause drifting problems later.

This is not a light-duty machine. It’s built with thick steel and heavy components, so you’ll need to ensure your Yanmar’s three-point hitch has the lift capacity to handle it comfortably. For the farmer who sees snow removal as a serious, time-sensitive chore, the Worksaver is a tool designed to meet that challenge head-on.

Pre-Season Maintenance for Your Snow Blower

The worst time to find a problem with your snow blower is during the first blizzard of the year. A little pre-season prep in the fall can save you a world of trouble. Before you even think about snow, hook up the blower and run through a simple checklist.

Start with the gearbox. Check the oil level and, if it looks milky or you don’t know its history, change it. Next, grab your grease gun and hit every single zerk fitting you can find—on the auger shaft, the driveline u-joints, and the chute rotation mechanism. Finally, inspect your shear pins. Make sure they aren’t rusted solid and, most importantly, buy a handful of spares and tape them directly to the blower’s housing. You’ll thank yourself later.

Also, take a hard look at your wear parts. Check the main cutting edge at the bottom of the blower for excessive wear or damage. Adjust or replace the skid shoes so the blower skims just above your gravel or pavement. Doing this 15-minute check-up in October ensures you’re ready to go when the snow flies in December.

Matching Blower Size to Your Yanmar’s PTO HP

The single most important factor in choosing a snow blower is matching its size to your tractor’s PTO horsepower, not its engine horsepower. The PTO is what actually powers the implement, and if you don’t have enough power, even the best snow blower will perform poorly. A blower that’s too big will bog down your engine, clog constantly, and put unnecessary strain on your tractor’s drivetrain.

A good rule of thumb is to have at least 4-5 PTO horsepower for every foot of the snow blower’s width. For a 5-foot (60-inch) blower, you’ll want a minimum of 20-25 PTO HP. If you regularly deal with deep, wet, heavy "heart-attack" snow, you’ll want to be on the higher end of that range.

Let’s be practical. If your Yanmar has 28 PTO HP, you might be tempted by a 72-inch (6-foot) blower to clear your lane faster. But in heavy snow, that blower will constantly struggle. It is always better to get a slightly smaller blower that your tractor can run at full power than a larger one that forces you to crawl along. A 64-inch blower running at full RPM will clear more snow, more effectively, than a 72-inch blower that’s constantly on the verge of stalling.

Ultimately, the best snow blower is the one that fits your tractor’s capabilities and is built for the kind of snow you actually get. Whether you choose a factory-matched Yanmar model for its simplicity or a heavy-duty aftermarket brand for its rugged build, the right choice comes down to an honest assessment of your needs. By matching power to size and investing in a quality machine, you can turn winter’s biggest challenge into just another manageable farm chore.