Grading Scraper blade - how wide?

oosik · Dec 17, 2018

My 2009 Kubota M6040 weighs - 10,100 pounds - when the grapple & rear blade are attached. I have 1550 pounds of Rim Guard in the rear tires. My rear tires are 80" - outside to outside. I uses my Rhino 950 - 96" & 1100 pounds - for both winter & summer driveway maintenance.

When offset and angled - this rear blade will still not, completely, cover the width of the tires PLUS a descent offset. This setting is for both snow removal and driveway ditch maintenance. However, it has, over the 4 1/2 years I've had it, proven to do the job. For ditch maintenance I use - offset, angle & tilt.

Offset, angled and tilted, it will clean the driveway ditches and allow the tractor to remain on firm, level ground as I putt down the driveway. Offset and angled the tractor is on firm, level ground and snow is bladed completely off the driving surface.

Get out a pencil, paper, protractor & ruler and do make some graphic drawings to determine your needs. You may be surprised how much "overall working width" is lost when a rear blade is properly angled.

The "overall working width" of my 96" rear blade drops to 75" when set at a 45 degree angle.

bcp · Dec 17, 2018

Multiply the blade width by 0.7 to be very close to the 45 degree width.

Bruce

oosik · Dec 17, 2018

BINGO - right on bcp. Something didn't ring true on my measurements - post # 31. Went back and rechecked. At a 45 degree angle my rear blade will cut a path more like 67" to 69". I know, it's a rude awakening when plowing snow. Sooooo - I would cut it back to the next notch, about 35 degrees. The path widens but unless conditions are ideal - very little joy in plowing much snow. 45 degrees or close to that is ideal in my case.

AGTtactical · Dec 17, 2018

For 30 degree angle, multiply by 0.9, so a 7' blade would be 6.3' wide at 30 degrees.

AGTtactical · Dec 17, 2018

oosik said:
I know, it's a rude awakening when plowing snow. Sooooo - I would cut it back to the next notch, about 35 degrees. The path widens but unless conditions are ideal - very little joy in plowing much snow. 45 degrees or close to that is ideal in my case.

Never used it in snow, but you are seeing a much better improvement in moving snow off to one side at 45 vs. 35? Good to hear...that sure seems to be the case for gravel.

AGTtactical · Dec 17, 2018

Gator6x4 said:
Don't buy a scrape blade you cannot rotate 180 degrees after the blade is mounted on the tractor. People use the back side of the scrape blade to level with. Nothing like owing a tool that you are only able to utilize 50 percent of it capabilities.

What model are you talking about? I don't know of any heavy duty blades with variable tilt, angle, and offset positions that you can also turn it completely backwards without unbolting everything.

oosik · Dec 17, 2018

AGTtactical - Both my Land Pride GS3596, which I sold - too light weight @ 565# and my current Rhino 950 @ 96", reverse easily. Pull one pin and LOOK OUT - here it comes.

I use the Rhino, reversed, for smoothing & leveling dirt and snow plowing. Reverse is the only way to go when the driveway has not frozen up, hard as a rock, yet.

The Rhino is completely manual, 96" & 1100 pounds. First time I pull the pin and reversed the blade - tractor was on a slight side slope. Here comes the blade - swinging all on its own. I was VERY lucky. I had the blade/3-point fully raised. Try as I might - I could not stop the rotation. Before I realize what was going to happen - the blade knocked me down and swished right over the top of me. Any lower and I would have been sliced salami( maybe, chopped pork - ha, ha ). Hey, I'm 230# and no weakling. It simply pushed me across the driveway and knocked me down.

Just another dumb learning experience that I survived. I couldn't figure why it took off so fast - all on its own. Then I figured it out. The manual angle adjustment mechanism is all on one side of the blade. That side happened to be the high side in my first adventure. The fact that the added weight was on the high side, the blade was slightly tilted and everything was on a slight slope - that's all it took. I'm a tiny bit wiser and a WHOLE LOT more careful now.

AGTtactical · Dec 18, 2018

Wow, thanks oosik. You like the 8' length? Your tractor is probably 80"...mine is only 72"...would you still go with an 8 blade'? 8' is only 5.6' at 45, so its still not as wide as my tracks. I mainly plan to use it to pull gravel from the side of the road back into the road where it should be, and to do that well a 45 degree angle really helps. The wider blade would help me reach further out with the offset. Harder to do with a 7'...but a 7' won't dump gravel past center of the road. I have a top-n-tilt on the tractor...maybe I could raise the inboard left side (road center side) of the 8' enough that the left side of the blade edge is lifted off the ground so gravel drops off there instead of the end of the blade.

thekkfan · Dec 18, 2018

AGTtactical said:
What model are you talking about? I don't know of any heavy duty blades with variable tilt, angle, and offset positions that you can also turn it completely backwards without unbolting everything.

My 7 footer goes all the way around (360') as well.

Taylor Pittsburgh Taylor Way 7' 55 Series Medium Duty Rear Blade 55-RMB-84