Boxscraper for L4610

[JeffInDaUP]

Larry,
Well it's a little bit of a tough choice on what to go with. The Landpride 3578 manual is in the $1700-1800 range, can be delivered with my tractor next week, weighs 941 pounds, and I don't have to pay for 2 months. The Gill is 707 pounds, costs $1350, and I have to drive 4 hours RT to pick up myself. Then there is the Monroe Tufline, it weighs 697 pounds, costs $1030 with shipping($273 for shipping) and should be delivered within 2 weeks of ordering.
Decisions,Decisions, Decisions! I don't think I'll consult my wife on this one. Any thoughts???

Jeff...MI.

 

[Bird]

Jeff, I've had no experience with the Landpride and Gill, but have owned a Monroe Tufline box blade and it was one tough piece of equipment.

Bird

 

[JeffInDaUP]

Thanks Bird, it's good to hear your approval of Monroe Tufline. I'm not used to implement shopping yet, but it sure seems there may be a wide range of prices within a similar quality range.
On a side note, it would be an adventure for me to unload the Boxscraper off the trailer with my new 4610 and FEL-a good way for a tractor newbie to get some experience!-good thing I don't have any neighbors around to watch me mess up!!

Jeff...MI.
Oh, by the way, the salesman at Monroe offered to make the boxscraper with 1/2" sideplates to get the weight up to 697 pounds(a 72 pound increase) at that price-seems like a good company to work with.

 

[GlueGuy]

Jeff,

Here's an engineer's analysis (the only kind I do /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif). I plugged your numbers into a spreadsheet to add together shipping and travel costs. Don't know what your time is worth, but I used $40/hour. Adjust to fit your reality./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

So from the left is base cost, then travel time, then shipping. Fourth column is the sum of the previous three. Then comes the weight and size. Finally, is the calculation of the $'s/pound and $'s per inch. The landpride is the cheapest per pound, but only by a penny /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. The Monroe is cheapest by the inch.

The GlueGuy

 

[JeffInDaUP]

Glue Guy, your numbers are crystal clear, hope your paid well at whatever you do. It's even clearer since the Monroe price of $1030 included the shipping cost of $273-moves that cost per inch and pound down quite a bit. As long as quality is about the same, seems like an easy choice. I sure wish a could look at this stuff in person, Oh well!

Jeff...MI.

 

[scruffy]

GlueGuy, I may have mis-read Jeff's pricing here, so tongue in cheek, I think you have his Monroe priced incorrectly. Didn't he say the price was $850 (more or less) with $273 shipping?

 

[Anonymous Poster]

[[Any thoughts? ]]

Jeff,

I would write off the Gill. considering your time and pickup truck fuel/wear, you'll pay 30-40% more for it than for the Monroe, for a 1.4% weight gain (this assumes equal quality, though I'm not sure the Gill has the same rep. as the Tufline, (...maybe it DOES!?). I'm not comparing lengths, as you can probably get the length you want in any brand).

This leaves the Monroe as maybe the best bargain (still having good quality, if the reports are true),... and the Landpride as MAYBE(!) the best quality, and certainly the most weight (35%more than the Monroe) for 70% more money(figured @ $1750).

I say the Landpride may be the best quality, without having seen the Monroe, because after the looking I did, I came away feeling it was difficult to imagine anything "better" than the Landpride. And having had it around for some time, and looking at what other equipment I can, I feel the same way still. If I had to fight with "clips" the way some TBN members have reported, I'd soon have spent more "irritation-energy" than I would have saved dollars. I'm no genius, but I'm kind of an impatient guy when I run into something that seems obviously poorly designed,...particularly if it isn't corrected as soon as it's discovered. Building it the "wrong-way" once is a mistake,... continuing to do it is something-else. /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif And if I "don't-like" something about my rig, I'm going to be "not-liking" it until I die,... I'm retired, and will definitely only have the money to do this sort of thing ONCE!! After this, I just "live-with-it".

I don't know if the last point even applies, because I don't know what the scarifier adjustment/attachment-method is on the Gill OR the Tufline!?

So I see the choice between your candidates as being one between a very good(probably) "sensible" choice, and a more "extravagant" one that MAY be worth the extra money.(this will depend a lot on whether you are the kind of equipment "freak" who will look back at that Landpride box and think, "Damn, what a piece of gear!", or someone who just wants something that will give good "bang-for-the-buck", and get the job done.

I don't think the Gill is likely to give much-more "bang" for the extra bucks,.. but remember, these are just my thoughts. I went for the Landpride Hydraulic, and so may be the wrong person to ask. I'm certainly not wealthy, but I may be stupid! (But I LIKE that lookin'-back feeling of satisfaction. You're the only-one who knows how much money you are willing to spend for it, considering your other uses for the additional dollars).

One more "thought"; Wouldn't it be nice if the Monroe is every-bit the "quality" of the Landpride!? Then you can just stick some additional weight on it and you have the best of both worlds,... Landpride performance for Tufline price! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Best of luck with your choice!, (... I am still interested in seeing a Tufline, so tell us all your opinion, if you decide to go with it.)

/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Larry

 

[GlueGuy]

<font color=blue>the Monroe price of $1030 included the shipping cost of $273</font color=blue>

Right on! My bad/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif! I corrected the spreadsheet, and here's the new version (should be easier to read too)/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.

Have you looked at/priced the Woods/Gannon?

The GlueGuy

 

[gordon]

Isn't shopping fun---not!!! They always try to razzle-dazzle you with numbers. Some key thing to keep in mind other than weight. How the fingers are adjusted is key if your going to be raising and lowering them alot. If you are you might want to look into one with hydraulics right off the bat. You gave the price of the gill brand what about the woods and the gannon as well. Of those three I would pick the gannon first gill second and woods third and I own a woods boxblade. But for the price I payed it was worth it.

Something else to consider since you are gitting a tractor is some wheeling-dealing of the price on the Land-pride. Thow a lowball number at the dealer and see if he bites. Ya never know./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Say $1400 all he could do is laugh in your face ya never know unless you try.

Remember saving a couple of hundred now you might regret later! When it comes to the three point attachments buy the best and don't look back. You will be living with that box for quite some time.

Good luck in your quest
Gordon

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>If I had to fight with "clips" the way some TBN members have reported,</font color=blue>

Larry, I didn't have the hydraulic scarifiers, but the Monroe I had used some square pins that just dropped into the slots and each one had a short piece of chain attaching it to the main bar so they couldn't get lost. They were quickest and easiest of the manual ones I've seen.

Bird