hydraulic angle blade, worth triple the price?

[BGigHarbor]

I just pulled the trigger on a LP BB with a hydraulic scarifier bar today. Really expensive but I decided I'll use it a ton and worth it in the long run.

tough decision because it cost fully triple what a pretty decent looking HD ETA BB costs.

But where does it end? Do folks think getting an rear angle blade (or landscape rake for that matter) with a hydraulic angle adjustment worth triple the price of a fully manual one (I will have TnT)?

Maybe I can rent an manual angle blade and then decide if triple the cost is worth it.....

 

[TripleR]

I have a bb similar or the same as you, but don't have the need for one on my grader blade or at least not enough to pay for it. Our renters have on their big John Deere and it is nice, I just don't use a blade that much.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

A couple of questions. Do you think that you will use the rear blade very often? If so, just what will you be using it for?

Pulling the lever, especially while your on the move sure is nice compared to stopping the tractor, getting down off the tractor, walking back to the blade and changing the angle, walking back to the tractor, getting on the tractor, start moving and then realize that you forgot to offset the boom. Now you get to do that all over again. Lets see, 5 minutes vs 5 seconds. You know what they say, speed costs money, and lots of it.

I know that I made the mistake of getting a $1000 medium duty manual adjust rear blade. Good blade for the right tractor and for someone that was not going to be using it all that much. None of which met my conditions. Two things, if you are going to be using it very much, get hydraulic adjust, at least the angle. If you can afford it, just do it right and get the whole thing hydraulic.

If you want all hydraulic and want to save some $$$, buy the unit without any adjusters or hydraulics. Waaaaay cheaper to get it that way and get aftermarket cylinders. I learned that the hard way.

Last thing, ARE YOU GETTING ANY YOUNGER? :confused3:

Good luck with your decisions.

 

[mikehaugen]

I have a real old blade that has provisions for hydraulic angle. It is locked in place with rust right now, and there is nothing in the the cylinder mounts! I am debating trying to put a cylinder on it to try to free it up, or if it would be a waste of money. It works for what I need it for right now (fixed in an "almost" straight position) but I definitely wish it could move it from the seat... well really being able to move it at all would be nice- especially for snow removal. I think when I go to buy another one, I will spend the money and get hydraulic angle and pitch at a minimum.

 

[npalen]

Brian, reading this thread made me think that you need to come up with hydraulic side shift on the 3PT.:stirthepot:

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Brian, reading this thread made me think that you need to come up with hydraulic side shift on the 3PT.:stirthepot:

You and a half dozen guys down in Australia. Just don't have the time. I have to tell you I sure wish that I had the money that I use to have. I would be producing a lot of different things for tractor use. But I guess that it just wasn't meant to be. Not yet anyway.

 

[BGigHarbor]

All food for thought. And I assure you my body has had a rough life and is not getting any younger.

And when I think about it all it seems like ETA could do well to come up with another version of their version 3.0 angle blade with the angle adjust hydraulically.

They've said their isn't much market for a BB with a hydra scarifier bar, but imo that is largely because the price of commonly available hydra BB's jumps towards the $4k mark.

I guess they feel they need to build things they sell jillions off to be cost effective But I think if there were more hydra choices in implements at lower price points than the big name ones (woods, LP, etc) more folks would be getting onto the rear remotes bandwagon.

Maybe a compromise is to build some of their implements ready to accept hydraulics like some of the LP blades.

But what do I know.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

All food for thought. And I assure you my body has had a rough life and is not getting any younger.

And when I think about it all it seems like ETA could do well to come up with another version of their version 3.0 angle blade with the angle adjust hydraulically.

They've said their isn't much market for a BB with a hydra scarifier bar, but imo that is largely because the price of commonly available hydra BB's jumps towards the $4k mark.

I guess they feel they need to build things they sell jillions off to be cost effective But I think if there were more hydra choices in implements at lower price points than the big name ones (woods, LP, etc) more folks would be getting onto the rear remotes bandwagon.

But what do I know.

One thing that I DO KNOW, no one, and I do mean NO ONE in this world is getting any younger. Other than that, all bets are off.

 

[DutchHenryBrown]

If your going to be using your BB a lot then your going to really like having the Hydraulic set up. Brian hit the nail on the head the getting on and off to adjust the blade gets REAL old real fast. I purchased the BB without the hydraulic set up and took mine to the local welder with one of Brian's units and they welded me up a nice set up.:thumbsup:

 

[Piston]

As far as the hydraulics being "worth it" on all the implements, it just depends on how often you would use them. I use my box blade all the time, and would absolutely not want to be without the hydraulics now that I have them.

If I were to use the blade fairly often, I would want hydraulics on that as well. However I can't say I have too much use for a blade yet, I will down the road, but not yet. Most likely I will go with a hydraulic blade because when the time comes that I will need it, I'll get a lot of use out of the hydraulics. For now though, I wouldn't be able to justify the cost.

As for a landscape rake, I would like to have a hydraulic angle on the rake. I don't use it too much, but again, I will be in the future, so for now I don't miss the hydraulics at all.

In my order of priority for hydraulics, the box blade would be at the top. Then for me personally, I would add a hydraulic angle to the rake, then lastly, the blade. Even when I do need a blade, I will seriously think about how often I'll use it, and go from there.

The value of the hydraulics is directly proportional to the amount of use you have for them. I use the scarifiers all the time, and I always keep my box blade on the tractor, so I find a LOT of uses for it.

If I can at all afford the hydraulics on any of the implements, then it's a no brainer for me.