New member here. I live in Western NY in what would be called Skii country, IE lots of snow and Hot Muggy summers. I have 2 D17's. One is a late series IV Wide with a Schwartz Front loader and Later Series III also wide. The Series III does not have a belt line and is blanked off.

Question is has anyone ever tried to fabricate or install a Series IV style Hydraulic pump in the belt line port? On series IV that is a live connection, while Series III and earlier that is a foot clutched PTO connection. Can it be done? If so would it be PTO based or live like the Series IV?

I know there are front crank mount kits, trying to NOT go that route.

My plan is to install a front mounted snow plow that runs off tractor hydraulics not off electric. My Series IV is VERY tired and when I use it for snow removal work, I usually end up creating a whole lot of work for myself in the spring putting SOD back.

What is different internally between the Series III and Series IV that makes one live while the other PTO driven?

So best case if I were to follow through with this, is that it could be done but would be foot clutch interrupted, correct? Hand clutch operation would leave the PTO active, correct?

There are three easier options.  You could put a snow plow rig on the front of the 17, I know, it's electric, but if you have an alternator, and have switched the tractor to 12 volts, it should work fine.  Another option which would be PTO controlled is to put a pump on the PTO and run lines forward from there.  I think you would also need to mount an additional tank on the tractor somewhere for the fluid for that system.  Another option, I ran a line from the hydraulic pump return port to the rear and created 2 way hydraulics, again, clutch controlled.  I ran my backhoe off of this setup, and there was know problems with the higher pressure output from the pump some might warn against.

If you are running a plow, the PTO issue should not be a problem.  It would seem you would be adjusting the angle and height on the move. 

I've run a 7' Meyer snowblade on my D17.  It is currently set up to run the stock hoist with power-angle, and to make it survive in Iowa conditions, I had to hang a pair of 4D batteries on the side of the frame, and switch out the generator for an alternator.

If your snow moving is less than mine, it'd probably be okay, but if you're in the snow-shadow of Lake Erie, I would say no-way-in-heck to recommending an electric operation.  My circumstances here get bad at times, but it's usually more a case of extreme windblown snow, with ice underneath, and ice on top, than 48" of lake-effect snow at-a-time.

The big downside of electric on a D17, is that you'll be constantly throttling up, and idling the engine, which will NOT give you high quantities of battery recovery.  Switching my D17's winter rig to LED floodlights DID help, but the pump motor takes a heckuva beating when voltage starts to drop.

To do it 'right', I'd suggest setting up a full-live hydraulic system, using low pressure/high volume, with a dedicated 10-gallon tank on the side of the frame, and at least two circuits, with two valves plumbed to the front of the tractor- one for lift, the other for angle, set them up so you can do both lift, and swing, at the same time, and put the control lever on the left hand fender, because your right hand, and both feet, will be VERY busy.