Piston,
For now I still haven't decided which rear blade but still think I probably want at least hyd angle and ETA doesn't offer that yet.
I'm also really interested in seeing if they add hydraulic options to their blades, it seems like its certainly getting more and more popular and I'd think it would be an easy addition/option. I'm not in too much of a hurry to purchase a rear blade but as winter gets closer I'm looking more and more. I've been watching for used ones and although a good blade rarely comes up for sale (usually cheap, lightweight ones in my area) I did find one that I'm going to look at this weekend.
The reason I am asking about the ETA blade is that they are going to custom build me an ETA landscape rake with the offset portion taken from a ETA xtreme blade because the bigger ETA landscape rake doesn't have offset yet.
That's great they are working with you like that. I currently have a 6' rake and would love the ability to offset it, especially hydraulically.
So ordered a landscape rake and wicked grapple to get that under control as soon as possible.
Ill be interested to see how often you use the landscape rake once you get used to the grapple, I find that I rarely need to put the rake on as the tines of the grapple do quite a nice job raking up debris, I rarely use my rake now although I do still find a need for it on occasion. Another helpful way to use the grapple when land clearing is to back blade with it like you would a bucket. You can get a surprisingly nice finish with the open bottom grapple and a little finesse.
My top candidate so far is still the LP. If money was no object and I would use it more than I will, the big rhino looks pretty cool. But after I get the property and roads all under control in a couple years, I won't be able to justify the expense of something like the big rhino.
Landpride is my top choice as well. If I remember correctly, it had more adjustability in it than other comparable blades, however it's been a while since I've compared. Something to keep in mind which I find odd, considering the look just about identical, is that you can get a hydraulic gauge wheel option with the LP RBT35 series, but they don't offer it as an option on the 40 series blades. I can't see why since they are very similar but they don't.
It is really hard to justify the additional cost of full hydraulics, but if I cant find a used one ill probably just bite the bullet and buy one. I got a recent quote for an RBT3596 with all 3 hydraulic cylinders, PLUS a hydraulic gauge wheel, for a whopping $4,129. Keep in mind this is from a dealer that is typically high anyways, but still it's a lot of coin, although it would last a lifetime.
It seems the only difference between the 35 and 40 series blades is a heavier frame, the blade thickness is the same although the support on the back of the blade to give it stiffness is a bit thicker. Either way both these blades are PLENTY strong enough for our size tractors, and the 40 series is a bit overkill.
Which Rhino blade were you referring to?
My hydra BB will get a ton of use for the next few years so I feel it was money well spent.
You'll never regret that purchase!
Again a plug for the FS RR, I understand now why so many people like it. I was raking out piles brush and saplings like crazy with it within minutes of putting it on the bucket.
Do you mean the ratchet rake? If so, this is another thing that I'd be interested to hear how much you use it after you get the grapple. Again, I bought one of these during the sale they had and I tried it out a few times on my tractor, but I find that it's not worth the hassle to change out the grapple for the bucket so I can use the RR when the grapple does such a good job on its own. I truly is the "Jack of all trades" implement!
Sorry for the long winded post!
