Ruegg cat 0/1 Combo 3ph for JD455 - ordered

[vmurray]

Based on some positive feedback from members here, I've decided to go with this 3ph for my 'new to me' JD455. Being in Canada, it was a little complicated with customs paperwork but not overly so.

From posts here, I understand that accompanying documentation can be a hit and miss affair, understandable given Bill is a fabricator, not a writer (his words).

So, while I wait for this Bad Boy to arrive (Tuesday) to see just what is included for instructions, I will document the process for Canadians wanting to purchase this product in exchange for some input on installation from folks who already have.... maybe post a photo-copy of the instructions that came with yours?

Ruegg offers both a cat 0 and a cat 0/1 combo 3ph for the 425/445/455 JD. Here's the picture from his site (Ruegg MFG - Cable Rollers, Hitch Kits, and Drawbars), but it may be the cat 0 version, not specified on the site but it will give you an idea of what you're getting anyway:


(If Bill has a problem with me posting this pic, a note to me will have it removed. If Bill has a pic of the combo, I'd be happy to add it)

Because Ruegg manufactures this product in the US, our trade agreement allows Canadians to import it duty-free with the following documentation provided by Bill at the time of shipment:

Certificate of Origin - UPS: NAFTA Certificate of Origin
Commercial Invoice - http://www.ups.com/media/en/invoice_4.pdf

I've emailed him copies of these documents and links to them for future reference but it never hurts for you to have them as well, just in case.

You will still pay a "brokerage" fee to the shipper (UPS) clearing it through customs. In my case, this is about 75 bucks. Not fun, but not a deal breaker as my local stealer is charging more than 200 bucks above my total cost for this combo unit for their cat 0 3ph. And in the end, I'd much rather support a small business than a giant.

Anyway, be sure to provide all your contact data for the customs paperwork. I am completing this process as a Canadian Citizen making a purchase, not a Canadian Business. This may effect duty so chat with the UPS customs folks at 800-742-5877 if you need clarification.

Finally, Bill seems a very good guy to do business with, probably the sort you'd enjoy a beer with

Thanks in advance for any install input. More as it happens...

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[Gittyup]

Is this better than JD's?

 

[vmurray]

Well, I have no experience with it yet but I've read a lot of good things about it. Most folks saying it edges out the oem. It was enough to convince me to try it, where any negative feedback would have prompted me to go the safe route of oem.

I like to get the best price but I also believe that I'd rather spend a little more than I wanted to spend than a little less than I should have spent.

A product that doesn't meet my needs/expectations is a waste of money. A satisfying product which costed a little more than I wanted means just pennies over its service life.

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[vmurray]

Arrived today... only surprise so far was duty fee, they (UPS) were off by about 100% on their estimate, came to 127 rather than roughly 60 bucks. Still ahead if all works as planned, particularly with the cat 0/1 combo flexibility - assuming my understanding of that is correct.

I'll post a pic of what was in the box once my image hoster comes back on-line.

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[jenkinsph]

Here's a few pics of the 6' pine straw rake I bought to use with my x749. This is the handiest attachment and the one I use the most. The new one EA makes with replaceable tines is even better. I can rake in 2 hours what takes two people all day to do I also use it to cover seed when broadcasting new lawn areas.

 

[3930dave]

Us Canucks can use all the help we can get, finding good deals - thanks for posting this process vmurray.

I find UPS's typical brockerage fees into Canada to be exorbitant.

One option I've used for USA originating product is to ship what I want to a convenient UPS store, just across the border. You don't need to have a mail box there, they just charge you a one-time fee - which is much less than their brokerage fees.

Rgds, D.

 

[vmurray]

Here's a few pics of the 6' pine straw rake I bought to use with my x749. This is the handiest attachment and the one I use the most. The new one EA makes with replaceable tines is even better. I can rake in 2 hours what takes two people all day to do I also use it to cover seed when broadcasting new lawn areas.

It does a great job and sounds like it paid for itself on job 1, excellent!... I want to add a rear scraper blade for snow and a manual operation would mean leaving the back window out... makes having a heated cab pointless. I'll likely get a 5' angling/reversable and -possibly- slide. Just haven't quite figured out what's best bang for buck yet for usefulness.

Also considering a box scraper but not sure that's a good choice. I want to be able to use it to scrape snow from garage front and dig out any hard ridges left by the plow going by (a little wider and angling=good, slider=better?)... wet stuff can freeze pretty quick around here and the blower would be useless to get it out.

Also want to scrape down the drive if some consecutive light snowfalls get packed and starts to ridge. Makes blowing harder down the road.

Us Canucks can use all the help we can get, finding good deals - thanks for posting this process vmurray.

I find UPS's typical brockerage fees into Canada to be exorbitant.

One option I've used for USA originating product is to ship what I want to a convenient UPS store, just across the border. You don't need to have a mail box there, they just charge you a one-time fee - which is much less than their brokerage fees.

Rgds, D.

No worries.... and yes, I've heard of that and have some friends who do it. In my case, I was figuring on 60 bucks so with a ~3hr return trip and 40-50 bucks in gas, I figured I was taking the best route. At 127, it'd still be a tight call unless I have the spare time to make the run.

I will be trying this out though just to get familiar with how it works and whether there might be any issues with duty crossing back into gods country


Finally got a moment to check my hoster and they're back on-line... here's that photo of the parts I promised. Haven't had a moment to install it yet though and the weekend looks wet and miserable so not sure if I'll get to it this weekend or not - I'm also scheduled to take my Murray 10/29 walk behind out for her tri-anual service so she's ready if I need her - starts first pull even after summer rest. Also taking my buddies craftsman 10.5/29 in for him at the same time because its pouched (he say's, I haven't had any spare time to look at it for him).



SWEET!!!!


The instruction sheet seems straight forward but I won't know until I get into it as I've not done this before.




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[jenkinsph]

I bought a cheap TSC 60" rear blade for my mower, works with IMatch too. I considered buying a Frontier rear blade first but for once decided that for pushing snow that the lighter blade would cause less damage. I have used it for 2 or 3 years for snow moving and it works well for me. Doesn't damage smooth asphalt as I was concerned about this specifically.

Looking for a picture with the rear blade but here are two pics with the landscape rake and box blade.

 

[vmurray]

I see they have both a cat 0 and cat 1 version of this... does your cat 0 version reverse? I see the site states the cat 1 version will but it isn't stated on their cat 0 page.

Cat 0 would be better for me (even though 3ph is combo 0/1) because I'd get better lift clearance. Slide and tilt are less important than height/clearance, angling and reversable.

Thanks for the pointer, looking forward to the picture.

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[jenkinsph]

My rear blade is the yellow County Line cat 1 version with a fold down leg not shown in picture here is a link CountyLine® Grader Blade, 5 ft. W - Tractor Supply Co.

I use an IMatch for all of my tractors now as it is easier if all are the same, the implements above have all been converted since those pictures were taken. One of the things I found out was that having multiple implements you are much more likely to get full use out of them if you can change them out at a whim. Unless I am using my MC519 cart the IMatch stays on my mower all the time. Here is a shot with the IMatch and landplane.