Rear Blade Rear Mounted Blade Size?

benelli · Feb 27, 2009

Guys,
need help with size decision...

I currently have a Kubota 3130 4x4 which is 32 hp. I am wanting to get a blade heavy enough so when i upgrade to a 50hp 4x4 I will not have to find another blade. I was thinking of getting the bush hog 90 series which weighs in at 740pds. Will I be ok with the front end loaded with weight until I can upgrade to the 50 hp tractor? I am looking for a good cutting blade. I am not grading driveways.

Thanks

MarkV · Feb 28, 2009

I think you will be fine with the weight. Weight is good for a blade. Many blades are able to swing around 180 degrees for back blading. You will want to be sure you can clear your tires if you rotate the blade.

MarkV

PS. Welcome to the forum.

Oldmax · Feb 28, 2009

Anything over 6' and you have to unhook to turn around. have a friend that has a 7' he has to unhook to turn it around "it hits tires". He uses my 6' mwst of time.

MtnViewRanch · Feb 28, 2009

Oldmax said:
Anything over 6' and you have to unhook to turn around. have a friend that has a 7' he has to unhook to turn it around "it hits tires". He uses my 6' mwst of time.

This may be be true with light duty blades, but on my 96" medium duty and my 108" heavy duty rear blades, the blades can be turned while on the tractor. The booms are longer to accommodate this. Now on my 96" light duty landscape rake, it has to be turned off of the tractor. Sort of hard to tell from the pics, but you can easily see that there is no way that the rake will turn 180 with that short boom. I need to change that.

radman1 · Feb 28, 2009

MtnViewRanch said:
This may be be true with light duty blades, but on my 96" medium duty and my 108" heavy duty rear blades, the blades can be turned while on the tractor. The booms are longer to accommodate this. Now on my 96" light duty landscape rake, it has to be turned off of the tractor. Sort of hard to tell from the pics, but you can easily see that there is no way that the rake will turn 180 with that short boom. I need to change that.

I agree, rear blades, regardless of width, should be able to be turned around without unhooking from tractor. I wouldn't own one that didn't. I have 6', 7', 8' and 10' blades and they all will pivot completely around.

Benelli:
A 790# blade on the Kub 3130 is going to be on the heavy side to keep the front end down. A lot of that weight is hanging very far back. I have a 7' Landpride blade which is about that weight. If you have a FEL, you will probably be ok. If you are going to just add front end weights, you may have problems. Most CUTs of that size may have a weight bracket that is limited in weight capacity. With my previous Kubota 3710, I could add 425 lbs - 5, 85lb weights. My prior Case-IH DX29 could only add 150 lbs- 2, 75lb weights. How much weight can you add to a 3130?
A 790# blade would be great for 50 hp tractor. You maybe better off buying a used blade now for the smaller Kubota 3130. There are lots of used lighter weight blades for smaller CUTs at reasonable prices. The medium duty blades are not as common.

benelli · Feb 28, 2009

Radman,
I do have a front end loader. I can always scoop up some extra weight.

Is the 790 blade the same as the 90 series blade you are refering to. The bush hog website list the 90 series blade a 740 pounder at 8 ft wide. Will I be able to pick it up high enough without have clerance issues?

radman1 · Mar 1, 2009

benelli said:
Radman,
I do have a front end loader. I can always scoop up some extra weight. Is the 790 blade the same as the 90 series blade you are refering to. The bush hog website list the 90 series blade a 740 pounder at 8 ft wide. Will I be able to pick it up high enough without have clerance issues?

With the FEL, you should have enough front end weight. That blade is still big for that size of tractor. The 8' width will push your tractor around if you use the blade at an angle. My 7' Landpride, which is similar is weight, will push my JD 3720 with FEL around when just pushing snow. I own 5 different rear blades. Never bought a new one and all were in very good condition when I bought them. You could buy 2 used blades in good condition cheaper then just one, new medium duty rear blade. My Landpride 7' has hydraulic angle with cylinder but also has the ability for hydraulic offset and tilt. I paid $1400 for it 2 years ago and was like new. The guy I bought it from is a friend and keeps wanting to buy it back! He paid $2400 for it.

Your right to consider if your tractor can pick it up high enough. That maybe a real problem with a 3130. My Jd 3720 was marginal but with hydraulic top link, I could shorten the link and get enough height when I needed it. My Toolcat 5610 lifts higher and not as much as an issue. Make sure the blade is both Cat I and Cat II compatible.

Overall, I think you are not going to like that big of a blade on your Kubota. Your tractor can lift it but the weight that far back and width of blade may make it perform poorly. If I were you, I would buy a used, light weight 6' blade for $150-300. Then sell it if you get a bigger tractor.

benelli · Mar 1, 2009

My plans were to get a 50hp at the end of the year. I am just trying to get by until then. There is a few auctions coming up.... I was planing on buying a used one as well but they are hard to find in my area in good shape.

Thanks

radman1 · Mar 1, 2009

benelli said:
My plans were to get a 50hp at the end of the year. I am just trying to get by until then. There is a few auctions coming up.... I was planing on buying a used one as well but they are hard to find in my area in good shape.

Thanks

If you buying a bigger tractor by the end of the year, then I would go with the bigger blade now. Good luck in your search. Medium duty blades in that 700-850 lb size are not as common as the smaller blades and large blades but they can be found.