which rear blade to buy?

[GaryS]

Anyone have recommendations on a rear blade? I have a cheap noname blade and the snows from last winter caused it to break. Instead of fixing it and having it break again, I want to buy one that will last.

I looked at the Woods RB72 but there have been some negative threads about it. I have had great experiences with Woods finish & brushbull mowers and I think it's all made in the USA which is a huge plus.

What recommendations do folks have?

 

[duckhunter27]

get a good one and atleast a foot wider then your tractor so when you angle it you still cover tracks

 

[wade simpson]

I got a woods rbe5 and its way too light weight for my use. I thought it looked flimsy when I bought it but had no experience and I went cheap. I've pretty much bent it straight now. I'm going to use it for snow in the winter but will buy a heavier blade for road work. I think the problem is my tractor (Kioti ck20s) is relatively heavy for its HP and the blade I got is from the Kubota dealer, which have a lighter tractor in that HP rating.

 

[RoyJackson]

If you don't mind driving a few hours to the York, PA area (south central), I have a very old, but very heavy rear blade I'm selling. It's not pretty, but it's right heavy duty.
Don't ask for pics though...

 

[TripleR]

We have had really good service from Land Pride and Woods equipment, but I don't know about their blades. We have a 7' King Kutter that has held up to some pretty rough use.

 

[peterc38]

I have the Woods 5 ft RB60. I have moved a lot of snow with that sucker.

I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.

 

[bullbreaker]

Great advice all ready given above.Here's names of companys I would consider.Befco-Rhino-Woods/Frontier-Landpride-Bison-BushHog.Sounds like you did TBN search already for info.
Not saying it's the best,but here are a couple pics of my 1958 SERVIS(RHINO)manual controlled rear blade.
Boone

 

[PA hayseed]

I have a woods 6' one that has done what it needed to, but now sits in my backyard rusting. Ever since I bought my boxblade, I almost never use the rear blade. Don't know if I ever will.

Be careful when buying a "named" brand. Woods and others make several grades of blades like econo or home user, medium, and commercial/industrial. They of course vary in price according to the heavier duty quality. So, a 6' brand "x" may be $100 less than a 6' brand "y", but they may not be of the same strength/durability.

 

[PA hayseed]

Don't forget to check craigslist in your area. The pittsburgh listings are loaded with stuff in there. I scan the Pittsburgh pages every once in awhile when headed to mercer.

 

[gregsons]

Good advice, I second what Duckhunter said. get at least 1 foot wider then tractor. I also found that painting the balde with snow plow paint ( bought mine @ TSC) makes the snow slide off it much better there for pushing heavy show is alot easier on the tractor. Plows may come with this type of paint new but since i dont by anything new i dont know. The blade i have is heavy duty dont know the make but it was built in Cal. one of the only good things to come from that state if you ask me.

 

[mojoinco]

Bullbreaker stole my thunder. I have the same old Servis blade. $200~250 a couple of years ago. Mine is 8'. I had to do a little bit of work (remade the blade pivot pin -- I see I missed a detail in Bullbreaker's pic).

That dual swing arm is very nice in keeping you tractor off the fence, out of the ditch, and away from the edge of asphalt drives.

I saw a couple of similar ones on Craigslist recently for reasonable prices.

 

[bigdad]

My Woods RB72 has worked out well. Pretty tough.

 

[arrow]

Length is always a consideration but do not forget about height of the moldboard. The Woods RB72 is 14" high and many times I wish I had the next model up as a result of snow coming over the top of the blade. For snow work, the higher the moldboard the better (17"-18" is preferable in my mind)

 

[bullbreaker]

Bullbreaker stole my thunder. I have the same old Servis blade. $200~250 a couple of years ago. Mine is 8'. I had to do a little bit of work (remade the blade pivot pin -- I see I missed a detail in Bullbreaker's pic).

That dual swing arm is very nice in keeping you tractor off the fence, out of the ditch, and away from the edge of asphalt drives.

I saw a couple of similar ones on Craigslist recently for reasonable prices.

Yes I got mine for $200. Like you(Mojoinco) stated along with PA Hayseed found it on craigslist.
Boone

 

[radman1]

I have 4 rear blades. Light duty to HD. Bought all used. There are lots of very good used blades for sale that are not bent and have very good cutting edges. Brand name does not matter as much, but instead look for how heavy and well built they are. Heavier king pins, reinforcement in the back of the blade, heavier in overall weight, higher moldboard height ect. Most companies build cheapies, medium and HD models. You should be able to buy a basic, used medium duty, 6-7' blade for under $450 in very good to excellent condition. Light duty ones can be found for around $150. Light duty models are easier to control and good for snow, smoothing out gravel, dirt ect. Medium and HD models can move material better and have some cutting ability but don't cut near as well as a box blade with rippers.

Rear blades are simple devices. It is not rocket science or brain surgery.

 

[Gordon Gould]

I don't know how many hp you have which should be considered. But I have a Land Pride RBT1572 I use on my 30 HP L3010 (6' wide, 360 degree horizontal roration. and vertical rotation ). It is plenty tough enough for my needs which is road maintenence. I use it a lot and I would recomend it.

 

[RalphVa]

I bought a Frontier 5' one for my 4010 from the dealer for $250. It's fine, not real heavy duty, but I haven't bent or damaged it yet. Got lots of action last winter. Use it both push and pull.

Ralph

 

[Jimmy Joe]

I have Bush Hog 7 footer, it has an off set feature I really like.

 

[c23380]

I bought a linebach so 6. Tilts both ways and can be offset beside the tractor to move material well outside the tire tracks

 

[NOTV8]

King Kutter have a heavy duty also but you'll need over $1000 for it. Have a lot of welded bracing supports on the back. I think I saw it on Everything Attachment. Check it out.