# Bercomac Snow Blowers



## Calheavyrigger

I am considering a Bercomac 54" 23HP snow blower for my Polaris Ranger 6x6. I have heard the Berco's have problems with the electrical system and the steel is not heavy enough and easily gets bent and damaged. Any thooughts? Any other brands? Bercomac seems like the only big one out there.


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## grasskeepers

i have the 66 inch with the 23hp drove it around town alot and its built just as heavy as some skid steer blowers, used it on 15 places all winter i'll never go back to a plow


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## Calheavyrigger

Did you have any problems with the eletronics/electric? I have heard those are poor quality and expensive replacements? I have a Ranger 6x6, what do you have? Do the support wheels take the weight or does the ATV take the weight?


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## ry_rock

Grasskeepers,

When you say you drive it around town, do you litterly drive with the blower attatched around town? if so did you have to do any modifications?, how does it handle when transporting? how far do you travel from place to place? what speeds do you travel at?

Thanks for your answers and input!


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## grasskeepers

i added singal lights, horn and beacon light and a slow moving vechile sign to the rhino.
i had itp mud lites on last winter they weren't the best for transporting around town using a different tire this winter with more surface area. Bernco says max transport speed is 10 kph, depending on roads i could do 20 kph. i travel about 7 km to my farest account.

the only thing i don't like is that you can't turn the engine on in the cab. 
get the 66 inch the 54 will be to narrow for your machine


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## MtnCowboy

I haven't used a Berco but have operated a variety of blowers. I prefer a 60" blade for my ATV because its dramatically faster than a blower and will handle 2' of fresh wet snow just fine. I do however also have an older garden tractor with an Agri-Fab blower that is built similarly to the Berco tractor models and it works wonders (slowly) in deep snow.

One thing most small blowers have in common is a dislike of rock and gravel. I maintain a mile-plus of gravel mountain road and I learned long ago to set the blower skids for the highest lift possible (4") and then keep my fingers crossed. Small gravel can catch between the augers and the blower body resulting in broken shear pins; a football-sized rock can bend augers and impellers, though with some effort they can be reasonably bent back into shape.


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## Calheavyrigger

Great commentary Mtncowboy. Thanks.


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## jejennings

*Bercomac electrical*



 Calheavyrigger;1305497 said:


> Did you have any problems with the eletronics/electric? I have heard those are poor quality and expensive replacements? I have a Ranger 6x6, what do you have? Do the support wheels take the weight or does the ATV take the weight?


I saw that YouTube video titled "$8000 piece of Junk" featuring the 72" Bercomac three days after I ordered one and was really concerned, so I wrote to the manufacturer. He told me they did have problems with the control boxes that causes the battery draining complaint in the video, but replaced all the bad ones they could find. My 72" was built in November and shipped the second week of December. Have mounted it on a JD Gator HPX but haven't had a chance to try it out. Top answer you questions, the electrical problem has been fixed and the dolly wheels take the weight of the blower. I'm making some modifications for the conditions encountered here in Southern New Jersey. The Bercomac is designed for Canadian winters where the ground is frozen all winter. Where I live the ground is seldom frozen and when it does snow, the snow insulates the ground and keeps it from freezing. This doesn't matter when clearing on concrete or asphalt but my guess is that when I hit sand, it's going to bury itself. I'm modifying the dolly wheels and making bigger skid shoes to provide more flotation. The pix below shows what it looks like so far.


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## granby45

*Question*

I am thinking about putting a Bercomac on my Polaris Sportsman 6x6 ATV. Bercomac says the 66" blower is only for a UTV, I am wondering why it wouldn't work on my 6x6. I am planning on replacing my 6X6 with a ranger in a couple of years, so I would like the 66" if I can handle it. Thanks for the help.


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## sublime68charge

granby45;1612806 said:


> I am thinking about putting a Bercomac on my Polaris Sportsman 6x6 ATV. Bercomac says the 66" blower is only for a UTV, I am wondering why it wouldn't work on my 6x6. I am planning on replacing my 6X6 with a ranger in a couple of years, so I would like the 66" if I can handle it. Thanks for the help.


it would work on your 6x6 though you will need weight in your box to help with traction and steering might problem as well you'll have weight in front and weight in back but no weight for the tires that point you where you want to go.

you might have to make up your own mounting system for your 6x6. if your going to a UTV in a few years or 2 I would get the utv Mount when you get the blower and make that work to you 6x6

I did for my 44" blower which is a 4 link set up the front of my Honda Foreman and then I use some ratchet straps to transfer some of the blower weight to the front on the ATV which helps in Traction and steering.

I have extra weight on the back of this quad as well and it will manuver with the blower pretty good.

Before this I had the blower on a 350 Honda Rancher and the ATV was to light to pull it self out of trouble spots. though I did not have chains or weight on the rancher.

Id say your 6x6 with some rear weight and made some on front as well for steering you'll due fine. what is you blowing area?

Pic of my 4 link set up with ratchet straps for weight transfer


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## granby45

Thanks for the info. I have a 60 by 80 gravel parking lot/driveway plus a 20 by 80 gravel driveway that is on a hill. Now I am plowing all of the snow up my driveway because there isn't anywhere to put it at the bottom. I am hoping the blower will be a better solution.


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## sublime68charge

I'd think you'd be Ok with the blower. on the 6X6.

word of advice is due your area's in 10-20 yard sections.

I have blown a single path and then you have to try and back down same single path and if you get off track backing up you can't turn your front to get back on track cause your in a tunnel created and you can't raise the blower up high enough to clear the sides and steer back on track and then your off in the deep stuff stuck. Dont ask How I know this.

being 66" wide will help your wider than your machine but you still have the same problem of not being able to swing blower left or right. My Quad is 46" wide at rear so I already knocking snow down at rear tires going single track but have been 30 or so yards out on single track spun out, slid sideway's, killed blower ETC and pain to get back to cleared area. So I learned to clean 10 yards in, back up move over 1 width clean track again, 
get area done and then move foward again. That method works good for me.

good luck 

sublime out


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## jejennings

Calheavyrigger;1305497 said:


> Did you have any problems with the eletronics/electric? I have heard those are poor quality and expensive replacements? I have a Ranger 6x6, what do you have? Do the support wheels take the weight or does the ATV take the weight?


The only design problem they have with the electrical is that the clutch solenoid is mounted up under the engine and is not protected. It has weak "push-on terminals rather than a full multi vonnectionplug. As a result the connections can falsity come loose.

The support wheels take the weight, but if you are working in dirt the single wheels sink in. I've replaced mine with triples on both sides and also made bigger skids


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## JustJeff

Have one on my garden tractor. Not the self powered unit you're asking about, but belt driven from the tractor. Never had any issues with it whatsoever. I blow my driveway (and it's long) rather than plowing because of limited space to stack snow. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.

Also, that problem that sublime was talking about above, backing down your first narrow path and getting stuck can easily be cured as well. It's slow, but on your very first pass, just clear three feet or so and then back up and clear an area about six feet long directly next to it. Just keep doing that all the way through your first pass. You're actually doing two passes at once, but not one continuous pass. By the time you finish your first pass, you'll be two passes wide and not have the problem on the rest of your drive. That should only have to be done in very deep snow, otherwise you should be just fine.


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## Icicles193

Calheavyrigger said:


> Did you have any problems with the eletronics/electric? I have heard those are poor quality and expensive replacements? I have a Ranger 6x6, what do you have? Do the support wheels take the weight or does the ATV take the weight?


The control box on my 54" berco seems to have died in its second year. My neighbour says he replaced two control boxes on his in two years. Is this a common fault and does anyone have suggestions for preventing water getting into the box and corroding the wires/connectors?


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## jejennings

The support wheels support the weight, but did not have enough ground contact area to support it in only partially frozen Southern New Jersey sugar sand. They should be fine on asphalt. I'm in the process of adapting my 72" from the JD Gator 4 x 4 to the load on my JD 3039R tractor. The Gator did not have enough ground clearance to suite me and din't have a heated cab. Waiting for enough snow to try it out..


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## MT-SNOBLO

jejennings said:


> *Bercomac electrical*
> 
> If he paid $8000.00, he's a fool to start with.
> 
> I saw that YouTube video titled "$8000 piece of Junk" featuring the 72" Bercomac three days after I ordered one and was really concerned, so I wrote to the manufacturer. He told me they did have problems with the control boxes that causes the battery draining complaint in the video, but replaced all the bad ones they could find. My 72" was built in November and shipped the second week of December. Have mounted it on a JD Gator HPX but haven't had a chance to try it out. Top answer you questions, the electrical problem has been fixed and the dolly wheels take the weight of the blower. I'm making some modifications for the conditions encountered here in Southern New Jersey. The Bercomac is designed for Canadian winters where the ground is frozen all winter. Where I live the ground is seldom frozen and when it does snow, the snow insulates the ground and keeps it from freezing. This doesn't matter when clearing on concrete or asphalt but my guess is that when I hit sand, it's going to bury itself. I'm modifying the dolly wheels and making bigger skid shoes to provide more flotation. The pix below shows what it looks like so far.
> 
> View attachment 106651


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