84 inch frame mount blade

[swhite]

I bought a 4710 from a landscaper with 11 attachments recently. One of the attachments is a JD 84 inch hydraulic frame mount blade (still in the crate). Is this a proven piece of equipment?
Does anyone have any experience with this piece of equipment? I am trying to decide if I should keep the blade or get rid of it and just use the loader.

 

[kennyd]

That blade you have is built like a tank! It's even designed to do mild bulldozing! The down side to it is that you have to take the FEL mounts off to mount the blade, it takes about 2 hours or so to switch over (my friend has a 4400 with both, that's how I know) The blades sell new for about $1500 or so...

I think plowing with the blade will be more convenient that the FEL, but you will have to better describe your plowing need to get a better answer to that.

 

[kennyd]

Oh, And WELCOME to TBN

 

[dirtworksequip]

swhite, I suspect the reason the blade was still crated up is that as KennyD said you have to remove the loader mounts to install the blade mounts and that is very impractical. The good news is that with a little customization you can have the best of both Worlds. You can actually mount the blade mounts under your loader mounts and then be able to change freely between the loader and blade without having to remove any mounts. I set up both my JD870 and new JD3520/cab this way. The cab tractors are a little more work to convert. I'm not familar with the 4710 loader mounts, but if the blade mounts are compatible with the tractor then it should be possible to make the customization. You will find that doing the conversion is well worth the effort as a frame mounted blade is an invaluable attachment. KennyD hit the nail on the head when he stated "that they are built like a tank"
If you have any questions as to how to do the customization feel free to email me at dirtworksequip@aol.com or PM me here.


Sincerely, Dirt

 

[swhite]

Thanks for the reply guys. I'm sort of a newbie to all of this. My 4710 does have a cab and the idea of some customizing to make it easier to switch back to the loader is something I think I'll do. Most of my snowplowing will be long driveways and around mailboxes. The blade does look well made and I can't wait to try it out!

 

[dirtworksequip]

swhite, I'm glad to hear that yu are going to do the customization needed to make your tractor be compatible with the loader and front blade. You will love the versatility of it. And the frame mounted blade is an awesome snow mover. The hardest part of the whole customization is the initial removal of the loader/cab mounts. That is assuming that is how your model tractor is set up. I found that once I had the bolts out I could jack up the cab a little and support it with 4x4 blocks. That made the whole process go easier. Then after the mounts were off the tractor a friend did the necessary cutting and welding. If you have any questions once you start give me a shout at dirtworksequip@aol.com

Sincerely, Dirt


Below pic:JD3520 with JD390 blade and custom mounts.
Image of 3520 w/390 front blade - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

 

[Manitou]

That blade you have is built like a tank! It's even designed to do mild bulldozing! The down side to it is that you have to take the FEL mounts off to mount the blade, it takes about 2 hours or so to switch over (my friend has a 4400 with both, that's how I know) The blades sell new for about $1500 or so...

I think plowing with the blade will be more convenient than the FEL, but you will have to better describe your plowing need to get a better answer to that.

Kennyd I had a series 74 blade mounted on my 4410. The frame brackets were mounted behind the FEL mounts and stayed on the tractor year round. It was very simple to hook up the blade. Just a matter of a couple of minutes. I have since taken the brackets off the tractor and have tried to sell the thing with no luck in Northern Ontario. A 6ft. 3pt snowblower works a lot better for me. When the snow leaves the chute it is GONE . With no banks. If anyone is interested in the series 74 set-up pm me. Garry

 

[kennyd]

Kennyd I had a series 74 blade mounted on my 4410. The frame brackets were mounted behind the FEL mounts and stayed on the tractor year round. It was very simple to hook up the blade. Just a matter of a couple of minutes. I have since taken the brackets off the tractor and have tried to sell the thing with no luck in Northern Ontario. A 6ft. 3pt snowblower works a lot better for me. When the snow leaves the chute it is GONE . With no banks. If anyone is interested in the series 74 set-up pm me. Garry

Interesting. That must have been a change from the 4400 to the 4410 maybe? Or it could be a difference in the loaders, as the 4400 used the 420/430 series vs. the 300x series on the 4410's.

I guess SWhite will have to let us know, and show pictures I hope

 

[Manitou]

Kennyd I have the 430 series loader on my 4410. Garry

 

[swhite]

I recently mounted the 84 inch hydraulic blade to my 4710. I had to remove
the brush guard to bolt the 2 plate brackets to the front. I then removed the FEL loader mounts and put the 2 rear plates on. It fit great and the whole assembly snaps right on to the plates once the hydro lines are connected. The back plates are about 1/2 inch thick and I was wondering if I
simply got some longer bolts if I could put the FEL mounts back on over those back plates. Has anyone out there done this?

swhite

 

[dirtworksequip]

swhite, yes it can be done. I did it on my old JD 870 12 years ago and just recently did the same on my new 3520 cab. I always do some custom cutting and welding to make sure the loader mount is the same length. I have never tried to mount the loader without changing the mount to assure that it is the same length. A friend of mine cut 1/2 inch off the loader tube and then rewelded it to the mounting bracket. The cab tractor mounts are somewhat different than the open station. On my mounts we cut the1/2 out of black part of the loader/cab mount.

Here's a pic of the blade bracket mounted behind the alreaded modified loader bracket. It makes for a sweet set up and I can change between the blade and loader in less than 10 minutes.


frontbladebracketrearcloseup.jpg - Image - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

 

[kennyd]

I recently mounted the 84 inch hydraulic blade to my 4710. I had to remove
the brush guard to bolt the 2 plate brackets to the front. I then removed the FEL loader mounts and put the 2 rear plates on. It fit great and the whole assembly snaps right on to the plates once the hydro lines are connected. The back plates are about 1/2 inch thick and I was wondering if I
simply got some longer bolts if I could put the FEL mounts back on over those back plates. Has anyone out there done this?

swhite

If you have the older style loader (460?) on your 4710, then I think you will need to move the tabs that center the loader on the mounts in 1/2".

 

[swhite]

Kennyd,

I do have the 460 loader. I have the loader off the tractor now with snow coming in. I hope to try the blade out this week. The tabs that fit into the v-groove on the loader have a little bit of leeway. Maybe the 1/2 inch won't be a big deal. I'll do some careful measuring to be sure though. Having the tabs moved will be good little project for a cold winter day in the workshop.
This is a great site and I really appreciate the quick reply to all my rookie questions.

swhite

 

[Manitou]

swhite......When I removed the rear brackets on my 4410 I put in a piece of plate to make up the 1/2" but you should be able to get away with it as you suggested. It would be a lot less fooling around. I should have tried it myself . Live and learn keep us posted. Garry