Overtaxed
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2016
- Messages
- 367
- Location
- Gaffney, SC
- Tractor
- Kioti NX6010, JD 2720 w/46BH, Honda Pioneer 1000
I've had my new blade for about a month now and I think I can provide some commentary on it now that will help others. I ordered from Iowa Farm Equipment, ordering was easy, delivery was prompt. Pretty nice process all the way around. Total price was about 2800 bucks. It's an 8' blade and I equipped mine with hydraulic angle and tilt with manual offset (you can get that hydro too or all mechanical or any combo of them). Came delivered on a big pallet, everything well packed and everything made it intact. Assembly was easy, but it's real heavy, I needed to use my tractor to put the blade onto the 3pt setup. Total setup is around 1000 lbs. I'm pulling this with a Kioti NX6010, loaded ag tires, cab.
So, what do I think? It's perfect for my use. I need to crown about a mile of trails through the woods and this thing can CUT. Put an angle on it, tilt it and "hold on". It'll easily push the tractor sideways, the limit in cutting is the traction of the carrier, not the blade itself. And I'm digging in hard/heavy soil (Georgia clay here in SC). It's easy to dig a 9-12" ditch through virgin soil in one pass for me. I can't really use the offset feature because, again, my tractor just isn't heavy enough, when it's offset it just pushes the machine sideways when it starts to cut. So I keep it right behind the tractor and just use the angle/tilt to get into the right spot. I cannot imagine having a blade like this without the hydro functions. I use it constantly to adjust my profile and, this thing is massively heavy. If you were trying to manual adjust this you might need a pry bar to move it. Get the hydro where you think you'll need it. I could do without the angle, no way without the tilt, not for what I'm doing. Angle and tilt are the cat's meow for digging ditches though!
I looked a few different options, the Land Pride 3 series (couldn't get any dealer to call me back), the EA Land Shark (looks great, good price, but too much lead time for me) and a bunch of used options in my local area (but none had hydro and very few were "heavy" (at least 100lbs per foot)). Very glad I held out. The Kioti is up to the task, but you sure know it's back there. It puts the machine to task and would probably be even better with a machine in the 8-10K lbs range. I don't feel HP limited, it's weight; the blade will push me sideways if I get in deep. And the way I'm using it is about as hard as you can get on a blade, lots of angle and tilt to get it to dig a ditch and throw the scarf up onto the trail (to wind up with a raised trail with less mud).
I'm impressed. It's a simple tool, so I'm sure I would have been happy with any of them that weighed enough and had the hydro functions. Would have bought it locally if I could get someone to call me back/order it, but, alas, my local dealers strike again.
So, what do I think? It's perfect for my use. I need to crown about a mile of trails through the woods and this thing can CUT. Put an angle on it, tilt it and "hold on". It'll easily push the tractor sideways, the limit in cutting is the traction of the carrier, not the blade itself. And I'm digging in hard/heavy soil (Georgia clay here in SC). It's easy to dig a 9-12" ditch through virgin soil in one pass for me. I can't really use the offset feature because, again, my tractor just isn't heavy enough, when it's offset it just pushes the machine sideways when it starts to cut. So I keep it right behind the tractor and just use the angle/tilt to get into the right spot. I cannot imagine having a blade like this without the hydro functions. I use it constantly to adjust my profile and, this thing is massively heavy. If you were trying to manual adjust this you might need a pry bar to move it. Get the hydro where you think you'll need it. I could do without the angle, no way without the tilt, not for what I'm doing. Angle and tilt are the cat's meow for digging ditches though!
I looked a few different options, the Land Pride 3 series (couldn't get any dealer to call me back), the EA Land Shark (looks great, good price, but too much lead time for me) and a bunch of used options in my local area (but none had hydro and very few were "heavy" (at least 100lbs per foot)). Very glad I held out. The Kioti is up to the task, but you sure know it's back there. It puts the machine to task and would probably be even better with a machine in the 8-10K lbs range. I don't feel HP limited, it's weight; the blade will push me sideways if I get in deep. And the way I'm using it is about as hard as you can get on a blade, lots of angle and tilt to get it to dig a ditch and throw the scarf up onto the trail (to wind up with a raised trail with less mud).
I'm impressed. It's a simple tool, so I'm sure I would have been happy with any of them that weighed enough and had the hydro functions. Would have bought it locally if I could get someone to call me back/order it, but, alas, my local dealers strike again.
