Rear Blade Rear Blade Comparisons

[HobbleCreek]

Do any of you have experience with the various different rear blade manufacturers and can offer your thoughts? Local dealers have General Implement, Rhino, Landpride. I expect my Deere dealer would also have Frontier.

Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.

-- Grant

 

[scott_vt]

Mornin Grant,
I have a 6ft King Kutter that I mainly use behind my MF 1040 to grade my 800 ft driveway. I think I payed some where between $300 and $350. It is a lighter duty blade but does everything I expect from it. I dont think I would want to try any real heavy work with it. It has a reversible cutting edge and I believe it has three tilt positions to the left and right. I have had a pretty good load of dirt behind it and it had no problems /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

scotty

 

[Bob_Skurka]

<font color="blue">( Do any of you have experience with the various different rear blade manufacturers and can offer your thoughts? Local dealers have General Implement, Rhino, Landpride. I expect my Deere dealer would also have Frontier.

Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.

-- Grant )</font>


I've actually thought about doing a photo comparision of various brands of back blades, but it is still just a 'to do' list item for me as I've not made progress taking the photos.

What I would suggest is that you look at the various features you think you might want.

Swivel Blades do just that, they only swivel, usually have 3 angle positions to each direction but nothing more than that

Tilt Swivel Blades add the ability to tilt the blade so you can use the corner of the blade to dig. Tilt blades also swivel.

Offset Tilt Swivel Blades allow the blade to be moved to either the right or the left. This is a useful feature for grooming off the edge of something that you don't want to drive the tractor off of, or to push snow/gravel/etc past the edge.

When looking at the adjustments, make sure the pins and locks are large enough for you to manipulate without taking your gloves off! Also make sure you can do 'tool free' adjustments of the features so you are not out in the field with a wrench trying to tighten nuts/bolts. Also make sure that whatever method used to adjust the blade uses 'standard' parts because you don't want to lose an odd shaped proprietary part that cannot be easily replaced, especially if you lose it in the snow/mud. My blade uses standard pins and clips and if I were to lose one, it could be easily & inexpensively replaced.

On a personal note, after using an offset blade, I will never go back to a standard swivel blade. My blade is a '22' series Tilt/Offset/Swivel from Midwest Equipment. I think they make excellent rear blades. Many dealers sell them, including some of the internet dealers who advertise on TBN.

 

[Baucom]

I fully agree with your assessment of Midwest blades. I've looked over some of their rear blades and box blades at our local Deere dealer, and they are very impressive, especially when taking price into consideration.

We have a York 6' blade that has proven to be a very good piece of equipment. I don't believe it is still made. However, you mentioned your local dealer sells Rhino, and our York blade looks exactly like the Rhino 500 series rear blades (just painted orange instead of red). We use this blade on the back of our L3710, mainly as ballast, but it also comes in handy for cleaning out ditches. This model is a offset, tilt, swivel blade, and all adjustments are made by pulling just 1 pin. It's a fairly heavy for its size, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this series of blade (Rhino 500). I just don't know what the current pricing is like on this blade because we got our York in a package with a JD 520 several years ago.

We also have a lightweight 5' blade--I have no idea what brand--that we use on the back of a JD 430S. This makes a nice compact package for working in the woods. This blade only swivels and is comparable to the cheapest lightest KK blades. I would only consider this type of blade if you have a) a small tractor like a SCUT or b) very light blade work to be done. Even a relatively small (but comaratively heavy) tractor like our 430 could make short work of tearing this blade up in any kind of heavy work conditions.

I'm assuming this is for the 4720--so a good heavy blade is in order. I'd recommend a 7' or possibly even an 8' on this size tractor. 6' is almost too narrow for our Kubota L3710 if it is angled.

 

[Cliff_Johns]

Bob,
That's a great, consise summary of features to look for. Thanks for taking the time to explain these capabilities.

Cliff

 

[HobbleCreek]

Thanks guys. Those are very helpful comments, especially those about getting the heavier duty blade. It is for use behind the 4720 and I've wondered what the consequences would be of going with the cheaper/lighter blades.

I'm going to use the blade mostly for snow removal and road grading, but it might also be used for helping to cut a path down the ravine for my utility line. That would be fairly heavy work. I think I'm going to be better off going with the heavier implement -- even thought the cost is quite a bit more ($1250 for the heavy one as opposed to $550 for the lighter one). Do those prices sound in line with what you guys see?

-- Grant

 

[bam747]

As already stated by Bob_Skurka, definitely get a "3-way" blade. I've always called the movements on this type of blade tilt, angle, and offset. Also make sure you can swivel the blade 180 degrees while on the tractor and that even in the reversed position you can set various left/right angles and adjust the offset.

Some other things to look for on a blade would be a reversible cutting edge for long life, removable skid shoes, removable end plates for pseudo box blade capabilities, a hydraulically adjustable gauge wheel option, the option to have all hydraulic adjustments for tilt, angle, and offset, and finally, weight. Lots and lots of weight! Another thing you need to consider for a rear blade is its width. You want to make sure it is wide enough to cover your rear wheels even when set at a reasonable (30 degree) angle.

Finally, all rear blades have some kind of "maximum horse power" rating. Be sure to find out if that specification is for gross engine HP or PTO HP. Also note that most manufactures will de-rate that HP rating for 4WD or MFWD tractors since they generally have a lot more traction do a lot more pulling than a 2WD tractor.

I've been using an 8' Servis "Little Rhino" blade for 33 years on my current 2WD JD 1020 tractor. It has been a very good blade The equivalent blade today is known as the Rhino 500. The one possible issue with Rhino blades is that they use proprietary bent pins to index all their movements. The only pin that has ever been an issue for me is the pin that sets the blade tilt. It has been prone to falling out, but it was also the only pin that was tethered to the blade frame with a short piece of very small chain from the factory. This prevented the pin from being lost.

I know you just got your JD 4720, which is also one of the tractors I've been considering to replace my current JD 1020. The rear blade I've been coveting lately for a 4720 is the Rhino 950. Why? It is the heaviest blade I've found that still has CAT 1 hookups (actually it has hookups for both CAT 1 and 2). It is also available with the aforementioned optional skid shoes, quick attach end plates, full three way hydraulic adjustments for tilt, angle, and offset, as well as the ability to add a hydraulic gauge wheel.

Here's and image (linked off the Rhino website) of the Rhino 950 with hydraulic adjustments for tilt, angle, and offset as well as the optional skid shoes:

Here's and image (also linked off the Rhino website) for the optional end plates as shown on a Rhino 800 blade (same as the 950):

And finally, here's an image for Rhino's hydraulic dual gauge wheel as shone on their 1540 blade (step up from the 950). I don't know if the gauge wheel on the 950 is a single or dual wheel setup:

I know that in one of my posts to either one of your other threads or a thread you were participating in that was discussing the number of hydraulic services to have on a tractor, I had thrown out my "rediculous" requirement for a total of 8 services (3 for FEL and attachment, 2 for Top & Tilt, and 3 rear). As you can see, my ideal Rhino 950 setup requires 4 of them! However, I had planned to use the manual tilt adjustment on the blade for gross tilt adjustments and use the Tilt on the Top & Tilt to make subtle tilt adjustments to the blade. The gross tilt adjustments on a blade are too course for crowning work which must be done by adjusting the draft links on the 3PH.

Any way, could you "get by" with all manual adjustments on a rear blade? Sure. I've done it for 33 years. Is it a pain? Absolutely! To the point that you tend not to make the subtle adjustments you really need to for a top notch job. I absolutely long for the day when I'll be able to make all the adjustments on a rear blade (or even a box blade with the Top & Tilt) from the tractor seat on the run. Now that's some fine living! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

By the way, that hydraulic gauge wheel option is something I learned of only recently. Although I've seen manual versions of this, the hydraulic option actually makes it look useful and it looks like just the ticket for creating smooth roads or removing "whoop-de-doos" from existing roads. The gauge wheel option, at least as Rhino implemented it, turns a rear blade into "float" implement. In combination with the side plates, it should work wonders in smoothing out fields or roads or pad sights or whatever.

Next to the FEL, a fully optioned out Rhino 950 rear blade would be my second most used implement. Building and maintaining roads, ditching, smoothing, leveling, snow removal. Not to mention some serious counter weight ballast for the FEL!

And no, the Rhino 950 outfitted with all the options is not going to be a "cheap" solution. Especially when you add in the costs of getting all the hydraulic SCVs on the tractor needed to control it. But then again, this is one of those "you get what you pay for" solutions. Hey, we only go around once, right? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[HuskerInVA]

I'm running a Midwest RB40-84 behind my 3720. Probably overkill for the tractor, but I didn't want to mangle a cheep blade on a rock. It's a Cat1/2 blade with manual angle, tilt, offset with a very aggressive cutting edge. It's built like a tank around 550 lbs.

 

[HobbleCreek]

Wow! What a generous post. Thanks for taking the time to give such a comprehensive answer. I really appreciate it. That really did help me understand your need for SCVs, too!

I'd like to save a bit on the blade, obviously, but you make a compelling argument to get the better blade.

-- Grant

 

[Woodcab]

Grant, I have a rhino 800 for my TC40, and I'm really glad. It wasn't cheap but it has done every thing that I have asked of it. I use it to grade my gravel driveway, plow snow, and have used it to cut roads where there is not too much rock. It's very handy to pull the ditches along the road.
P.S. I have a box scraper also, but have found that for most things I prefer the rear blade. Hope this helps.

 

[HobbleCreek]

Yes, that's helpful. Thank you.

How much should I expect to pay for the Rhino 800? Any idea how it would compare to the Landpride RB35 (which a local dealer has in stock for $1250)? The 35 is a more heavy duty job than the the RB15 series.

Thanks everyone for your helpful responses.

-- Grant

 

[bam747]

Did some digging in my catalog stash...

Be aware that some of the less expensive blades out there might list offset capabilities, but sometimes this is done by unbolting the moldboard and re-bolting it in a different position. In other words, it is not really an adjustable offset.

The Land Pride RB15 (no tilt), RBT15 (with tilt) fall into this category. Also, the RB15 blades are only rated for 40 engine HP. Your 4720 would probably bend it up like a pretzel. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The RB25 does not list any offset capabilities. It is also rated for a max of 60 engine HP. The 4720 is at the very top of that rating. I'd want a bit more safety margin than that.

The RB35 has adjustable offset capabilities, but it is only listed at 12". The RB35 has optional hydraulic offset, but only manual tilt and angle. It is also listed as having gauge wheel, skid shoe, and side plate options. The RB35 is rated for 80 engine HP.

Another interesting feature of the RB35 is that it is listed as "landscape rake adaptable". I believe this is because it shares the same main frame as the LR35 so Land Pride will sell you just the landscape rake tine frame and you can manually swap it out for the LB35 moldboard frame.

In the Land Pride lineup, the RBT40 comes closest to matching the Rhino 950 (cat I/II, weight, optional hydraulic tilt/angle/offset, 30" offset capability, skid shoes, end plates). Oddly, they do not offer a gauge wheel option on this blade.

The Rhino 800 and 950 adjustable offset capabilities are listed at 30" (more is better IMHO). Sorry, but I don't know a price on either of these blades.

BTW, note that 950 comes with all manual adjustments (tilt, angle, offset). I know you're trying to save money, but at least if you buy the 950 up front, you can add hydraulic adjustments at a later date. A lot better to do that rather than having to buy a whole new blade when you decide you want hydraulic adjustments. And I know you'll eventually come around and "want" them! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Woodcab]

I think that I paid around $1800.00 with skid shoes (which I haven't had to use). That was about a year ago when the steel prices were going crazy, I have no idea about price now.

 

[Winston_Cup]

</font><font color="blueclass=small">( On a personal note, after using an offset blade, I will never go back to a standard swivel blade. My blade is a '22' series Tilt/Offset/Swivel from Midwest Equipment. I think they make excellent rear blades. Many dealers sell them, including some of the internet dealers who advertise on TBN.


)</font>

What's that 22 series blade cost roundabout? I can't find any dealer listing on their website and they have answered my e-mail yet to find one.

 

[Fireman_dcb]

I bought a VERY slightly (the paint wasn't even chipped) used Land Pride RB15 series 6' blade for 350 bucks and it is the best investment I've made. It came with with skids - 5 angles, very heavy and does a fantastic job with snow and when I leveled the stone dust for my wife's horse ring.

 

[pekabu]

Looks like Tarheel tractor is getting $360 for the 5', and $400 for the 6'.

I have a Landpride 1560. that I have been happy with. If I hadn't found a good deal $300 to my door, I would jump all over this. I really like my Midwest box blade.

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

I have a Woods RB 60 for my JD 4115 had have been very happy with it. My only regret is I didn't get the the 7' blade.

 

[HEC]

Just got a price quote of $1600 for the rino 800 and $2200 for the 950 seems high to me but it must be the times.

 

[bam747]

HobbleCreek... Did you ever decide on a blade? If so, which one?

 

[5030tinkerer]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( 6' is almost too narrow for our Kubota L3710 if it is angled. )</font>

I have a Kubota L3830 HST and am moving from 2 acres in a subdivision on pavement to 28 acres in the country on gravel. I will be maintaining an 800' or longer drive and can see having to do some county road work every once and again when the county guys don't have time for my road. I am also going to be prepping the ground for a 50'x90' outbuilding with a 4" slab (at least that's the plan - we'll see what it costs /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif). Should I be looking at a 7' blade? Should I be concerned about my HST?