Grading Front Blade Experiences

[cerescobra]

I'm considering a B7800, B3030 or B2920 tractor. 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. I want a quick attach function and will accept either a frame mount or FEL boom mount setup. Any experience with either? What brand blades are you using and what widths? My dealer is recommending a Curtis 60" boom mount, but I want to consider any other options that might be more desirable. My research confirms that the Deere frame mount blades are much less costly than any options I've found for the Kubotas. This has a major impact on the total cost of the Kubota vs. Deere packages.

Thanks,

Chuck

 

[cschlaps]

I second Chuck's question, and look forward to reading the responses that are posted. This winter was my first experience with a rear blade and FEL for snow removal, and I was pleasantly surprised by the results. For a $250 used rear 7' blade, I effectively plowed my 300' driveway and the 1/2 mile private road that we live on. Pulling the blade forward was not a problem, even on ice (although tire chains will help even further).

At this point, I'm still considering a front blade. The FEL mount style intrigue me, but I've heard mixed results about those. The factory Kubota setup is very expensive, so I've considered fabricating my own front blade. Either way, I'm not yet sure if I can justify the cost and effort when my current (and cheap!) combination works well.

Thanks in advance!
Chris

 

[dvan1966]

I have a B6200 with a FEL that I have been using for snow removal for a couple of years. I bought a 5' RB this winter and it makes clearing snow much easier using both FEL and RB.

 

[bandit67]

I considered going with an FEL mounted snow blade this time around, until I decided I couldn't justify the $2000-$2500 cost. I like the idea of being able to lift the blade 6' in the air to build piles, and like front mounted blades as they are easier to use in general (I used an ATV plow this past winter since I was tractorless). I decided to stick with the rear blade setup because it worked well on my last machine and is significantly less expensive, and I decided that if I end up with enough paying snow removal jobs to justify an FEL mounted blade, I can do it at a later time. I can also use the rear blade for occasional grading work, as I did with the last machine.

There are times when you wish you had a front blade when using the rear blade for hours in a big snowstorm, but in general, the rear blade does a great job clearing snow, in both light fluffy and wet heavy snow. I didn't have skid shoes - didn't want them for the paved surfaces, and just turned the blade around on the gravel surfaces so as not to dig it up too badly. I have a 59 year old friend who thought I was crazy for even considering the expensive front plow, when his rear blade setup works fine.

I would not, however, use the FEL mounted blade for anything other than snow removal, especially not as a dozer blade in the dirt on these smaller machines. If that is a significant task, then you should go with the frame mount blade setup, but again, the rear blade works for that too. A 60" FEL mounted blade, when fully angled, is going to be too small for snow removal on either of the two 30hp machines you're considering, and the 6' Curtis blade is too big for the B2920.

 

[amigauser]

I have the kubota quick hitch (which mounts to the tractor frame) and 6' front blade that I use for winter snow removal on my B3030. It works extremely well on both my paved main driveway and my side gravel driveway. It goes on an off in about 10 minutes. The only bad thing is the quick hitch will not co-exist with the FEL so you can't leave the quick hitch on an still mount the loader. The only mod that I am planning to add is a rubber snow deflector so that snow does not come over the top of the blade when plowing. The limited (about 6 inch or so) lift height has not been an issue for me.

I would not use the front blade for plowing anything other than snow. It has trip springs and it would not be good for moving dirt. For dirt moving I would use either a rear blade or box blade.

 

[rpoage]

I have has a full winter with the Kubota 60" hydraulic blade this year and it was perfect for my needs. Very fast for light snows and reasonable for heavy snows. No problem with the angle. For heaver shows I used higher angles with good results. I found the installation easy and the quick hitch is a easy fast one person job.
If I had a lot of snow I can easy see the snow blower as the only issue with plow is the packing of plowed snow next to the edge of the road. When that stuff freezes it just like concrete. For my purposes it was perfect. I have to keep a 400 foot drive clean for deliveries and I am in a wind tunnel so the easy of the plow allows me a 5 minute clean up every couple hours during a storm. I'm still a little undecided on the squeege edge but I ended up pulling the skids up all the way and using the complete weight of the plow on the squeegee for best results. No major squeege wear so far. As for using the BX and the plow for landscaping there will be to issue with traction if pushing any major soil.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Send a note to either Bialecki, or Killer_b. They both have experience with both kinds of blades, and have made some interesting choices. I respect the judgement of both.

 

[gotcha]

I have a B26 and had my fabricator make me a quick attach plate that fits my quick attach FEL. He built my plow attaching locations to it plus he made a receiver for my trailer hitch and a set of forks all on the one quick attach plate. The unit works great for the snow plowing and the bucket is right at the end of the drive and can be changed in a matter of minutes. The cost of the pre-made plate was $240 and his additional labor and materials less the forks, but does have the connecting locations for the forks installed all for $200 for a grand total of $440. Whoops,guess I kinda got off topic. I love the plow and haven't had any problems without chains as yet nor have I had a problem of the front end pushing off to the side. I have done up to 10 to 12" of wet snow and more with fluffy stuff. This response is with only 1 winter season with the B26 as we just got it the first of June.
The Gotcha Man

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

I have a 60" power angle blade on a 22 HP Honda, with Turf's and no chains. Depending on the weight of the snow it is good for most local storms. The last major storm left 20" - 24" in my drive. There was not enough power to push through for the first run. Given enough time and patience I probably could have shoved it off to the side bit by bit, but chose to use the FEL on the JD instead. Most normal storms are handled very easily.

Eventually pushing back the edges can become a problem due to sheer weight and the other thing with the front QA type mount is when lifted up to push back a high bank the blade, mount and front axle can ride up on the snow and it's quite easy to get stuck and have to dig the snow out from under the blade / mount / axle to get out. This can be sepecially annoying if it's blowing and snowing at the same time. I'd highly recomment the power angle feature.

 

[SeymourBota]

I have a 6.5 ft Curtis power angle for our 2410. Mounting it in place of the bucket is not much of an issue, UNLESS the blade in on uneven ground!!

The total weight of the blade is a bit much for the 2410 but probably well within the range of the models you are considering.

It's a quality product and very handy for piling snow up and away- essential if you don't have a blower.

Too bad you're not closer- I would sell you mine- barely used- for a good price.