Grader blade or rake

[Dcf1999]

Skid steer

well that makes sense now lol

 

[Fallon]

Skid Steere Quick Attach. It's the standard attachment option on almost all skid steeres. It's standard on most premium tractors. Economy tractors often have pin on buckets that take a lot of time & swearing to swap. SSQA takes 60-120 seconds to swap from 1 impliment to another. JD & a few others have quick attach standards that are different from SSQA (but also offer SSQA options).

I welded a 3pt quick hitch to a SSQA plate. The lower hooks on the 3pt QH are the mount point for the crossbar on a truck plow.

 

[paulfun9]

Unless you compacted that trench in 4" lifts, it will be settling for a year or 2 as others have said. Running over it with a wheel helps, but not nearly enough.

Personally i sold my back blade. I built a SSQA snow plow & got a box blade. Those do more than the back blade ever did. I could see a place for a rake in my lineup though.

Funny but for me its the opposite. My box blade has sat idle for years but the use of a good heavy rear blade with gauge wheels has been a constant for everything but driveway maint. For the driveway maint I use a grading scrapper.
I think one of the biggest problems people have with rear blades is they are unwilling to pay the price for one with any weight to it or options. Having once had a lightweight rear blade like most I see being tossed in favor of the box blade I can understand why so many don't fully understand the benefits of a rear blade.

 

[Dcf1999]

Lol it seems like everyone is partial to either a box blade or rear blade. They love one and dislike the other. I have a gravel driveway in northern WI that needs to be redone every year or two after plowing season. I'll probably try to learn (and become proficient) with a rear blade and rake for the driveway.

I know a lot of people will say that the box blade works great for that (and I'm sure it does) but it's a lot of money to be used every other year to clean up the driveway. Plus it's not that long of a driveway. I can see me using the rear blade more than a box blade for things around house (I.e. I need to pitch the ground away from the house better than it currently is). I know someone with a box blade that I may borrow just to try out, if I like it, I may wind up with one...

 

[jeff9366]

I think one problem people have with rear blades is they are unwilling to pay the price for one with any weight to it or options. Having once had a lightweight rear blade like most I see being tossed in favor of the box blade I can understand why so many don't fully understand the benefits of a rear blade.

Certainly true but I will expand on your statement: Three Point Hitch mounted ground contact implements rely on WEIGHT for effectiveness. Specifically, WEIGHT PER UNIT OF WIDTH. Effective ground contact implements take 85% to 90% of tractor's power and traction to pull, loaded.

Explaining this to tractor neophytes so they 'get it' is difficult. And, certainly, heavy costs more than light.

 

[Dcf1999]

Certainly true but I will expand on your statement: Three Point Hitch mounted ground contact implements rely on WEIGHT for effectiveness. Specifically, WEIGHT PER UNIT OF WIDTH. Effective ground contact implements take 85% to 90% of tractor's power and traction to pull, loaded.

Explaining this to tractor neophytes so they 'get it' is difficult. And, certainly, heavy costs more than light.

It makes total sense about weight. Just for curiousness ... How much should a 6' rear blade weigh then?

The other question is, would my machine (JD 2305) be able to handle a blade of proper weight or would it not have enough power to fully use it (heave blade fully loaded)?

This is all very good learning...

 

[bcp]

...would it not have enough power to fully use it (heave blade fully loaded)?

This is all very good learning...

Remember that it doesn't have to lift all the dirt in front of the blade when you lift the "fully loaded" blade, just a tiny bit of the total it is moving.

Bruce

 

[tman1020]

I have a rear blade a rake and a box blade. They are all useful and each has its own benefits I have used all of them on multiple tractors. From what you have stated I do not think the rake is the tool to use for the job and I have never used gauge wheels on a rake. Most rakes I have seen are Springtooth design which means when they hit something hard or large they spring over and are best for light debris and very loose soil. When I have a grading job to do I am either going to use the straight blade or the box blade or move up to a finisher but that's a whole other story.

If you're only going to buy one attachment for now I would make it a straight blade. And get one that can be turned completely around so you can drag it backwards to finish off things. The only time I use my rake is if I'm cleaning up a bunch of sticks and twigs removing small rocks from a finished grading job or just touching up a driveway.

 

[paulfun9]

It makes total sense about weight. Just for curiousness ... How much should a 6' rear blade weigh then?

The other question is, would my machine (JD 2305) be able to handle a blade of proper weight or would it not have enough power to fully use it (heave blade fully loaded)?

This is all very good learning...

Some years back before I got the grading scraper, my neighbor asked me why it seemed I could fix my driveway (about the same size as his) with so much ease and so much quicker? My answer was very to the point! "Your box blade and rear blade added together don't match the weight of my rear blade alone" This finally struck a bell deep inside him and the next year come spring time he had a nice new at least Medium duty blade from Landpride.

My rear blade weighs in over 1000LBS his medium duty blade is probably closer to 700LBS and he seems to be much more pleased with the results of almost doubling his weight compared to his old blade. I wish there was a simple answer to how much it should weigh but in all honesty it depends on the intended use and the type of dirt your working with.

 

[jeff9366]

It makes total sense about weight. Just for curiousness ... How much should a 6' rear blade weigh then?

I cannot speak to angle blades.

But Box Blades are not effective in my Florida sandy-loam until they are 100 pounds per foot of width. The Box Blade I use now, a Bush Hog (brand) Rollover Box Blade is 125 pounds per foot of width. If you have clay/gravel or other tough soil you would likely want 150 pounds per foot of width.

 

[jeff9366]

Would my JD 2305 be able to handle a blade of proper weight or would it not have enough power to fully use it ?

What is the bare tractor weight of a Deere 2305?

What tires? Tires with air or tires with liquid? What tire width?

2-WD or 4-WD?

What kind of soil do you have?

 

[Fallon]

Power is never the problem, you can always gear down & go slower. Weight means traction, & that is the limiting factor.

 

[Fallon]

As far as box vs blade, assuming weight is about equal I prefer the box. If you drop the teeth or angle it forward you can put all the weight on the teeth & loosen up almost anything. The box contains dirt a bit better than a blade & prevents spillage. That let's you move material more efficiently & smooth more efficiently. Tweaking the toplink (I have TnT) just a hair makes it easy to go from filling the box a hair to emptying it a hair. A lot of that has to do with it riding on the front or rear blade.

I'm planning on a land plane grade scraper at some point, but my box blade works for now & is more versatile. It my go to digging impliment when doing light excavation, not my loader.

 

[Dcf1999]

What is the bare tractor weight of a Deere 2305?

What tires? Tires with air or tires with liquid? What tire width?

2-WD or 4-WD?

What kind of soil do you have?

Weight ~2000 lbs
Turf saver tires (Going to upgrade to the AG tires soon) Air filled
4WD

Where I live now, the dirt is a nice top soil (don't know if there is a specific name for that) for the first foot, then clay below that. At the cabin (where driveway will be graded) is all sand and driveway is road gravel.

Now... I'm sure if i have a heavy blade, i can (as someone else stated) just go slow and not move as much material. I'm actually surprised by what that little machine can do. I just dug a 4" wide x 20" deep x 90' long ditch with it using a home made ripper shank and "trench maker" (cultivator sweep angled to dig out and move dirt along trench).

I'm sure it will handle a heavier blade just well. I'll have to do some shopping around (craigslist and local dealers) for more quality ones. I've always been the type to spend more for better anyways.

 

[Dcf1999]

Here is another thing (and this may be for another thread) but i'm doing research on implements (rear blades, tillers, and rakes) from Frontier, Countryline, King Kutter, Tarter, and Behlen. They all look to be the same... at least from studying the pictures. The way I've been reading, Frontier and Countryline source their stuff from other companies (like what Craftsman does) but KK, Tater and Behlen are all manufactures.

So I'm looking at the Frontier rakes (LR50L for example) and it looks exactly like one TSC (countryline) has which looks exactly like the ones made by both Tarter and Behlen. I think the one at TSC is made by either Tarter or Behlen. I'm sure the TSC one is a lot cheaper though. I've learned there must be gold flake in anything painted green

Same with tillers... I've been reading that TSC's countryline is made by either Tarter or Behlen. Then I look up Tarter and Behlen, study the pictures, and they look exactly the same (Even the labels are the same) I mean I can't tell one difference between them. It seems like one company makes these and all these other companies relabel them. Unless the parts each company uses comes from one company so it makes it look the same (i.e. gear box is made by XXX but is used by all the companies making tillers). I guess there could be slight differences that aren't noticeable, not that many ways to make them different, or they just copy each other as closely as possible.

If you look at the Everything Attachment or Wood's rake, they are definitely different and bare no resemblance to any of the above mentioned brands or each other, so the argument that "there isn't that many ways to make certain implements" can't be true. I don't know... just something I noticed.

 

[paulfun9]

Yes you will find many look alike products. My take on it is if you can get the same thing at TSC with a different color paint then your still in the very light duty blades and need to search a little deeper.

 

[Dcf1999]

Yes you will find many look alike products. My take on it is if you can get the same thing at TSC with a different color paint then your still in the very light duty blades and need to search a little deeper.

Yea I figure the same.

 

[Egon]

Weight; it can be added. Anything that will stay on the blade works. Also you can change blade tilt to what is required for the task at hand. ( watch a grader operator angle & tilt his blade to cut or carry or spread.)

Blade weight and width must definetly be matched to tractor size.

to work properly a blade require's guage wheels.

 

[paulfun9]

Weight; it can be added. Anything that will stay on the blade works. Also you can change blade tilt to what is required for the task at hand. ( watch a grader operator angle & tilt his blade to cut or carry or spread.)

Blade weight and width must definetly be matched to tractor size.

to work properly a blade require's guage wheels.

I have seen many of the light weight blades and box blades come apart, bend and simply break when people tried adding weight, heck I have seen many come apart just under their own weight! Be carefull of the design before you go adding too much weight to one of the cheaper blades. My best advice would be to pay a little more at the start and forget about needing to do anything but use it.

 

[jeff9366]

Frontier, Countryline, King Kutter, Tarter, and Behlen, all look the same... at least from studying the pictures. The way I've been reading, Frontier and Countryline source their stuff from other companies (like what Craftsman does) but KK, Tarter and Behlen are all manufactures.

From looking at pictures, you could reach this conclusion. Look at implement weight after admiring the pictures. As someone who owns numerous implements, and sold of one set for another when upgrading from a Kubota B3300SU to a much heavier L3650, there is a great difference in performance with heavier implements. Unfortunately, heavier implements cost more than light implements in real terms. Usually not too much more if you compare price per pound, although there are worthwhile exceptions here too, Monroe Tufline among brands who make ag implements for CUTS. (Monroe Tufline paints some of their Disc Harrows for Deere Frontier.)

I concur that ETA make fine implements for the dollar. I have four, just took delivery of an ETA Subsoiler, which I am looking forward to trying on old stump roots.

I am much more in agreement with PAULFUN9 in Post #39 than esteemed EGON IN Post #38.