Grading Front Blade Experiences

cerescobra · Mar 24, 2008

I've been lurking here for the last few weeks. I'm about to buy a new tractor and am currently trying to decide between a 2320 and a 2520. With either, I plan to install a front blade in the winter to move snow (W. Michigan location). Can any of you give me your opinions of the functionality of the front blade? I would also like to use it for some minor grading of a short dirt road behind my house and for some landscaping. My rationale for the front blade vs. rear 3pt mounted blade is for snow removal, I think I'd get a kink in my neck if turned around to watch the blade path. Also, thought it would be better to not have to drive over the snow, packing it down, before scraping it to the side of the driveway. I've been told the blade (with hydraulic control) has limited angle abililty and limited height range. Is this really a problem? Before making this investment, I would appreciate advice from those that have experience with a front blade installation.

If I'm totally off base, please advise rationale for a different approach.

Thanks!

Chuck

kennyd · Mar 24, 2008

Welcome to TBN Chuck

The front blade is a great snow-mover, and they are well suited for these tractors. Most will agree the only problem with them is that they are to narrow! JD seems to not want to make a 60" blade for the compacts even though they clearly have the power to use them...There are a few who have made "wings" to extend the blade with great success, and JD used to make x-tensions and may still...
The stock blade is 54", but when it's angled the 30*, it's only about 48" wide-just barley wider that the tractor depending with tires you get.

Runner · Mar 24, 2008

Upfront Disclaimer: While I have a 2520 and a front blade, I haven't actually had it on the machine yet (not much snow this winter).

However, from what I've seen of it, it doesn't look hefty enough to do much grading with. If I were going to grade for a road, I would invest in a box blade, or at least a rear blade. I believe the three-point hitch is better suited to this type of work.

kennyd · Mar 24, 2008

Good call Runner, I did forget to address this in my reply...And I agree 100%. The front blades are not designed to be dozers, you may be able to spread loose/light material like mulch, but leave the dirt grading to a rear mounted blade or box blade.

dirtworksequip · Mar 24, 2008

cerescobra, I think the front blade is one of the best attachments you can get for your tractor. You can move a lot of material with the front blade if it is loose. They really don't cut original ground all that well, although they will cut a couple of inches at a time. When used in conjunction with a roto tiller you can move quite a bit of dirt.
The front blades work well at the tasks you mentioned. Lanscaping, light road grading and snow removal. One thing to keep in mind is that the front blade mounts are not compatible with the loader mounts without modification. One advantage the front blade has over a 3pt implement is you can get down pressure to cut some dirt or scrape packed snow off a paved surface. The blade I have on my 3520 has plenty of angle capability and I've not felt that it didn't angle enough. I modified my loader mounts so that I can switch back and forth between my loader and blade in about 5 minutes.

Sincerely, Dirt

kennyd · Mar 24, 2008

Just a note DWE, The front quick hitch that the 54" blade mounts on (on the 2305,2320, and 2520) does not go back to the mid frame like yours, and is really not recomended for dirt, I don't even think you can lock the trip springs out on the 54" blade...

dirtworksequip · Mar 24, 2008

kennyd, thanks for the update. If the blade can not locked solid it would be almost totally worthless for moving material. Thanks for setting me straight.

Sincerely, Dirt

etcallhome · Mar 24, 2008

dirtworkeqpt you should research some before telling someone the 54" does not lock in place ! This makes my 3rd tractor 425,2210 and no 2305 all with front blade They all have locked and as the others have said with down pressure and either the use of a tiller or box blade to loosen the dirt you can do a lot of ground work.
In appx 5 hrs one weekend I pushed 2-25 ton loads of top soil about 50-75 ' in my daughters back yard and the rest of the day with the help of a rear mounted tiller dug up an area to put in a deck and sidewalk of 40'x 25' and down appx 1in to as much as 15 on the deepest side the 40' length.
and with the 2305 I have added 6" sides increase the plowing with.

Yes very happy with what you can do with the front blade
With the extra width when blade is angled it will drag so far not enough to make me take the extra sides off

dirtworksequip · Mar 24, 2008

etcallhome. errrrrrrrrrr............if you back up a little. You will see it was not me that said the blades do not lock in place. I said, "IF the blade can not lock solid it would be almost totally worthless."

Dirt

etcallhome · Mar 24, 2008

sorry!!

kennyd · Mar 24, 2008

etcallhome said:
sorry!!

You should be yelling at me!

Nuru · Mar 24, 2008

dirtworksequip said:
cerescobra, I think the front blade is one of the best attachments you can get for your tractor. You can move a lot of material with the front blade if it is loose. They really don't cut original ground all that well, although they will cut a couple of inches at a time. When used in conjunction with a roto tiller you can move quite a bit of dirt.
The front blades work well at the tasks you mentioned. Lanscaping, light road grading and snow removal. One thing to keep in mind is that the front blade mounts are not compatible with the loader mounts without modification. One advantage the front blade has over a 3pt implement is you can get down pressure to cut some dirt or scrape packed snow off a paved surface. The blade I have on my 3520 has plenty of angle capability and I've not felt that it didn't angle enough. I modified my loader mounts so that I can switch back and forth between my loader and blade in about 5 minutes.

Sincerely, Dirt

good job on the loader bracket mods. if i somehow go back to a frame mounted blade, i would like to do that same thing as you on it. I got the boom mounted blade and I am still learning how to not gouge the driveway with it. My dealer says I can put it in float but I am not so sure it is working.

exiled · Mar 24, 2008

Chuck, I dont know if this is even a consideration for you, but what I'm doing is buying a 7' 3pt scrapper blade. I'm going to mount pins on the back so I can detach it from the 3pt hitch and mount it to my FEL arms. I had 6 acres of hardwoods logged and I have a mess to clean up. Its hard to see around my bucket so I'm going to use the scrapper blade like a dozer blade just to push lose logs and limbs up into a pile. Then when I get done I can mount it back on the 3pt hitch and drag some dirt around. Its my plan it might not be for you. For $177 I think it'll work just fine.

LBrown59 · Mar 25, 2008

kennyd said:
Welcome to TBN Chuck

The front blade is a great snow-mover, and they are well suited for these tractors. Most will agree the only problem with them is that they are to narrow! JD seems to not want to make a 60" blade for the compacts even though they clearly have the power to use them...There are a few who have made "wings" to extend the blade with great success, and JD used to make x-tensions and may still...
The stock blade is 54", but when it's angled the 30*, it's only about 48" wide-just barley wider that the tractor depending with tires you get.

This seems odd out of them I have a 60'' front blade on my Kubota BX1500 and it handles that blade just fine.

LBrown59 · Mar 25, 2008

Runner said:
Upfront Disclaimer: While I have a 2520 and a front blade, I haven't actually had it on the machine yet (not much snow this winter).

However, from what I've seen of it, it doesn't look hefty enough to do much grading with. If I were going to grade for a road, I would invest in a box blade, or at least a rear blade. I believe the three-point hitch is better suited to this type of work.

I would think it would still be able to push a lot of s
dirt and other stuff around though.

LBrown59 · Mar 25, 2008

dirtworksequip said:
cerescobra, I think the front blade is one of the best attachments you can get for your tractor. You can move a lot of material with the front blade if it is loose. They really don't cut original ground all that well, although they will cut a couple of inches at a time.
When used in conjunction with a roto tiller you can move quite a bit of dirt.
The front blades work well at the tasks you mentioned. Lanscaping, light road grading and snow removal. One thing to keep in mind is that the front blade mounts are not compatible with the loader mounts without modification. One advantage the front blade has over a 3pt implement is you can get down pressure to cut some dirt or scrape packed snow off a paved surface. The blade I have on my 3520 has plenty of angle capability and I've not felt that it didn't angle enough.
I modified my loader mounts so that
I can switch back and forth between my loader and blade in about 5 minutes.

I have a BX1500 with a 60 inch front blade and a 48'' rear tiller.
This kind of set up will move a lot of dirt.
To help it out I also have a BX 23 with a FEL on the front and a BH on the back.
I can go back and forth between loader and blade work in about 5 seconds just by switching tractors.

Nuru · Mar 30, 2008

LBrown59 said:
I would think it would still be able to push a lot of s
dirt and other stuff around though.

It should be at least as strong as the 54" blade I had on my 4100 and so your assumptions should be correct.

Gizmo2 · Jun 9, 2008

dirtworksequip said:
cerescobra, I think the front blade is one of the best attachments you can get for your tractor. You can move a lot of material with the front blade if it is loose. They really don't cut original ground all that well, although they will cut a couple of inches at a time. When used in conjunction with a roto tiller you can move quite a bit of dirt.
The front blades work well at the tasks you mentioned. Lanscaping, light road grading and snow removal. One thing to keep in mind is that the front blade mounts are not compatible with the loader mounts without modification. One advantage the front blade has over a 3pt implement is you can get down pressure to cut some dirt or scrape packed snow off a paved surface. The blade I have on my 3520 has plenty of angle capability and I've not felt that it didn't angle enough. I modified my loader mounts so that I can switch back and forth between my loader and blade in about 5 minutes.

Sincerely, Dirt

Dirt, or anyone else.
It seems your blade has a belly piece the mounts behind the front axle and in front of the front axle.
Is this correct? The belly piece I made for my 650 mounted in the back to the draw bar mounting and was held up with mounting to the front of the tractor, somehow I need to convert this to the 2320. I am sure I cannot go all the way back to the back of the tractor but someplace behind the front axle would be fine. I am just not sold on the mounting of a blade to just the front of the tractor, I would rather be pushing from the midpoint vs the front. The steel in the front of the 2320 does not appear to be all that supportive of a heavy duty blade. Thinking about tying into the BH hanger brackets????

kennyd · Jun 9, 2008

Giz,
When I modified the #380 blade to fit my 4110-I used the brackets that the MMM hang on. The original mounting used brackets that replaced the loader supports.

3RRL · Jun 10, 2008

Gizmo2 said:
Dirt, or anyone else.
It seems your blade has a belly piece the mounts behind the front axle and in front of the front axle.
Is this correct? The belly piece I made for my 650 mounted in the back to the draw bar mounting and was held up with mounting to the front of the tractor, somehow I need to convert this to the 2320. I am sure I cannot go all the way back to the back of the tractor but someplace behind the front axle would be fine. I am just not sold on the mounting of a blade to just the front of the tractor, I would rather be pushing from the midpoint vs the front. The steel in the front of the 2320 does not appear to be all that supportive of a heavy duty blade. Thinking about tying into the BH hanger brackets????

Gizmo,
Are you talking about something like this?
This is an attachment made for my Kama that I was thinking about getting. Where they have the attachment points, it looks sturdy enough to do some dirt work with?
I don't know if it has side tilt or not though.