"I built my own self-propelled snowblower out of an old Deere combine. I like it because I have a good view in front of me and don't have to turn around like I would with a rear mount blower," says Todd Jensen of Ramona, S. Dak., who mounted a 9-ft. wide snowblower on a 1978 Deere 7700 rear wheel assist combine.

The pto-driven snowblower mounts on a 3-pt. hitch that bolts onto the combine's front axle.

He bought the combine from a local dealer. He removed the feederhouse, grain-cleaning components, return elevators, grain tank, unloading auger, and big rear drive wheels, keeping the cab, engine, rear drive axle, wiring harness, and hydraulic pumps.

He installed the right angle gearbox out of a Gehl 800 silage cutter in place of the threshing cylinder. It drives a self-contained pto unit out of an IH 4366 tractor which has its own clutch. A shaft from the pto drives the snowblower. The 3-pt. hitch came off a Case 2470 tractor.

The engine was worn out so he overhauled it. He moved the engine down behind the cab and positioned it lengthwise so the radiator faces backward. The fuel tank was moved beside the engine. The fuel tank is off a Massey 410 combine. He narrowed up the big drive axle by 15 in. so it would match the width of the 9-ft. snowblower. He used the hood that originally covered the straw walkers to cover the relocated engine.

He removed the 30.5 by 32 wheels and tires from the front. The wheels were replaced with 18.4 by 38's. The wheels were made from tractor dual clamp-on wheels, and the centers were made from 1/2-in. thick flat steel.

The spout on the blower operates hydraulically from inside the cab. "I simply used the hydraulics that used to fold the unloading auger in and out," says Jensen.

"I built it three years ago but it hasn't snowed enough since then to even use it. The wheels are well inside the machine which makes it easy to maneuver around objects. And I'm up in the air where I can see real well," says Jensen.