Grading BX24 - Land Pride Rear Blade - R0560 vs R1560

[PJL]

I'm attempting to buy a 5' rear blade for my Kubota BX24. I plan to use the blade for snow removal in winter and general landscaping and leveling in warmer weather. I called the 2 closest Kubota dealers in my area who both recommend/carry Land Pride rear blades. However, they give me conflicting information, so I'm hoping somebody out there has real world experience and can set me straight.

Dealer 1, which tends to sell more subcompact tractors, says he will only sell me the Land Pride R05 series rear blade due to the limited Cat 1 hitch on the BX24. He says real world experience shows the lift of the BX hitch is not sufficent for the RB15 series blade, and the R05 series was specifically made for these sub-compact machines.

Dealer 2, which tends to do more business from industrial machines - but also sells BX tractors, says the BX24 will have no problem with the RB15 series rear blades.

My preference was the R15 series, but don't want to buy it if the BX24 would not a a good fit (I could live with the R05 series if necessary).

So anyway - I decided somebody out there may have first hand experience they can share with me before I pluck down $400+ for a rear blade.

Here are some of the spec differences per the Land Pride web site, with RB05 numbers quoted first, RB15 numbers are second. Both are 60" blades:

Weight: 143lbs vs 248lbs
Horsepower rating: 17-25 vs 17-40
Hitch Type: Cat 0 w/ Cat 1 pins vs. Cat 1
Blade Height: 13.5" vs 14.0"
Cutting edge: 3/8" x 3" Flat, single bevel vs. 1/2" x 6" Reversible, double bevel.

Also - if anybody wants to comment on the best way to use the blade for snow removal, I would appreciate it. The dealers also have conflicting opinions. I have approximately 350' of asphalt and concrete drive, with snowfalls in my area of Colorado ranging from a typical 3-6", but with occassional 12-15". One dealer says to simply run the metal blade along the asphalt with the 3pt hitch in float, the other suggestsbuying a piece of rubber to mount under the Cutting edge (protruding an inch or two) and run that flat against the driveway surface, or buy the optional skid shoes (available on the R15 series only), and it seems like somewhen in the Implements section of this forum I've read talk about buying a 3" PVC pipe, running it down a table saw to cut a slit in the pipe, and then slide the slit over the metal cutting surface of the blade on run the blade with the PVC in contact with the driveway.

Sorry for being long-winded. All insight/help is appreciated.

 

[Toolguy]

I have a B3030 with a Landpride RB1572. I use it for snow and it works very well on my 300' concrete driveway. I would recommend skid shoes rather than a pipe on the cutting edge. The reason is because the pipe will not scrape the snow down to the concrete and will leave just enough snow to pack into a sheet of ice. The pipe is better for gravel drives where you want a packed snow surface. I have my skid shoes adjusted so that the cutting edge is held just off of the surface of the concrete. This keeps the cutting edge from wearing out quickly, which it will do if it just drags on the surface, and also does a good job of scraping the snow off.

I really don't know which blade will work best for you. It all depends how high your BX24 can lift it. You can adjust the height of the lift somewhat with the top link. That is OK if you only use it in the straight position. However, if you angle it with the top link shortened the blade will dig in on the leading edge. The best way to adjust the top link is with the blade angled all the way. That will take away some from the lift height so depending on your tractor it may or may not work out. I tend to think that a sub-cut blade will be best for you. It is still 60" and only a .5" shorter.

Here is a pic of what my setup will do in 8" of wet snow. Good luck.

 

[dieseltoys]

I have a Landpride 0560 on my BX2200 but if I had make the choice again I would go with the 1560. The trouble I had was that with the cat '0' hitch the top link geometry was off in such a way that when pulling forward with the blade down the top link would drop too low and sort of go over center and create down pressure to the blade making it hard to control and skim the surface of my gravel drive for snow removal and hopeless when trying to do a decent grade job in loose material. To resolve this I had to extend the mast of the three point frame higher on the and added a couple more holes for the top link. The change in geometry actually helped raise the blade higher too. I also had to beef up the side pin mounts as they were beginning to twist from pushing in reverse and hitting solid obsructions.
The 1560 should fit just fine and not have the issues I had to deal with plus I think it has more angle position adjustments for the blade as well. One more modification you may or may not have to make depending on how long the boom is and how far out the blade is on the 1560 is to cut a small triangle shape piece off one top corner of the blade to facilitate rotating the blade 180 degrees for pushing in reverse. I had to do this on mine too and with the blade just off the ground and the top link fully retracted it just barely clears the side links to swing around.

The skid shoes might be nice but sometimes you may want to be able to scrape the pavement to keep too much snow from building up and forming ice. The cutting edges are pretty tough and will take quite a while to wear down. After 5 winters mine has maybe worn off a 1/4 inch.

Stephen

 

[lpp]

I have a BX2230 and am looking for a rear blade.

I emailed the Land Pride folk for recommendations. I'm looking at the RBT15 60" - they say no problem?

Is this to big? Its 14 inch tall blade.

 

[Toolguy]

Knowing what I know now I would get the RBT model. The tilt feature would be nice to have when plowing snow on uneven ground. It will allow the blade to follow the contour of the ground better. As it is, I have a couple of spots where the grade changes quickly from a slight sidehill to more level ground. The blade wants to dig in on one end or the other as it transitions. If it was able to twist freely it would be better and it would also put less strain on the 3PTH.

 

[proudestmonkey]

I'll be wondering if Dealer 1 or Dealer 2 is correct myself, if we ever get any snow up here in Minnesota. There is no question that a full-sized rear blade on a BX is a mixed blessing. I like the heavier weight of mine (250 lb. King Kutter standard 60") and even like the reach it has for pulling stuff in front of the blade so it doesn't catch up to the tires like it might with a smaller blade, but I can see already that precisely because of its long reach, it won't be perfect for pushing snow, especially at an angle--it will dig in on one side, which is exascerbated by shortening the top link to get more height (and avoid scraping the ground unintentionally when traversing uneven ground). Shortening the top link has the effect of causing one side of the blade to be lower than the other when the blade is angled, the more angled, the more uneven it becomes. I will follow the suggestion of someone else in another thread, who suggested I adjust one of the lower arms up a little so that the blade is uneven in the air when angled, but even when touching the ground. A simple procedure, but a hassle in the cold of winter. In other words, it'll work, but isn't ideal, to be sure.

All in all, though, I think I am still glad I have the larger blade. I've used it several times now for grading the driveway and some landscaping work. The BX version would have been better for snow removal, I think, but would have been just about useless for the other stuff I need it for. Like I said, no easy solution, either one is a mixed bag.

 

[kwolfe]

PGL,
I would go with the RB 15. The lower linkage on the new BXs is higher that on the old models. Your machine should have no problem at all handling it. You will like the additionl weight as well.

On the top link note, I would suggest that most if not all BX owners should invest in a new shorter top link. The ones that bota supplys are simply too long. I bought a Tiso model that is about 13" when fully retracted and can go to about 20" when fully extended. This mod only cost me about $25 and has been very valuable when it comes adjusting my RB or BB. Many more options now.

 

[plf5]

PGL,
I would go with the RB 15. The lower linkage on the new BXs is higher that on the old models. Your machine should have no problem at all handling it. You will like the additionl weight as well.

On the top link note, I would suggest that most if not all BX owners should invest in a new shorter top link. The ones that bota supplys are simply too long. I bought a Tiso model that is about 13" when fully retracted and can go to about 20" when fully extended. This mod only cost me about $25 and has been very valuable when it comes adjusting my RB or BB. Many more options now.

Does anyone know the model number of the tisco shorter top link for BX tractors?

 

[Jimbrown]

Ask and thou shall receive here are three pics of my BX22 with a RB1560 on it.

 

[JUBILEE1953]

Can you tell me if in these photos your are using a stock Kubota top link. Also can you give me the length of the top link pictured here.
I just purchased a BX25 and a RB1560.

Thank's

Ask and thou shall receive here are three pics of my BX22 with a RB1560 on it.