grader blade size?

[wendlingknives]

I have a 55hp TYM t574, about 65" wide. We have probably a couple of miles of dirt roads on our property in east texas, red clay soil. With heavy rains the roads get a lot of runoff washouts. Ive been smoothing them with a box blade, but think a grader blade that i could cut a runoff ditch on the sides and try to keep crowned a bit would be a better option. Should i look at a 7' with offset ability or an 8'? Or would a regular 7' be wide enough when angled?

 

[Tinhack]

I have nearly identical conditions at my place. I have a Ford 782A blade I use all the time behind my 3910. I think it's a 7-foot blade. Adding side wings and a hydraulic cylinder for angling left and right has been on my "To Do" list for a while. What really helps is a 3PH top cylinder that lets me adjust the blade attack angle. It will dig deep or not depending on the angle.

I looked but couldn't find a picture of mine but the one below (from an auction) is identical to mine. I've added a drop-down stand post on mine to help connect it with my quick hitch.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I have a 55hp TYM t574, about 65" wide. We have probably a couple of miles of dirt roads on our property in east texas, red clay soil. With heavy rains the roads get a lot of runoff washouts. Ive been smoothing them with a box blade, but think a grader blade that i could cut a runoff ditch on the sides and try to keep crowned a bit would be a better option. Should i look at a 7' with offset ability or an 8'? Or would a regular 7' be wide enough when angled?

8' for sure. As heavy as you can afford, nothing under 700lbs, offset, skid shoes, and be sure that the blade can swivel the full 360* when mounted on the 3pt hitch.

Something like this would be ideal IMO.

 

[rScotty]

I have a 55hp TYM t574, about 65" wide. We have probably a couple of miles of dirt roads on our property in east texas, red clay soil. With heavy rains the roads get a lot of runoff washouts. Ive been smoothing them with a box blade, but think a grader blade that i could cut a runoff ditch on the sides and try to keep crowned a bit would be a better option. Should i look at a 7' with offset ability or an 8'? Or would a regular 7' be wide enough when angled?

I've found that the more adjustments the grader blade has the better work it can do. A 7 foot seems to be OK to handle, but an 8 footer is too much for our 60 hp Kubota. It tries to steer it in our dirt. .

Like everyone, we started with an old blade that would only angle and added a box blade.
Then much later we got this one that had swinging offset, adjustable tilt, as well as angle & were amazed at how much more work it could do. But it sure did cost more, too. I was lucky & found a used one online. Adding a set of side wings made it better at crowning and allowed it to pretty much replace the box blade for finishing. Fits Cat 1 or 2. About 600 lbs.

Ours is an older Land Pride & I don't find the same model today....but looking at their catalogue a 7 footer manual adjust would be similar to their RB3784 today. Ours is basically a RBT35 series but without the hydraulic cylingers. It could be made into hydraulic, because the attachments points for cylinders are there, but ours is manual and uses pins like the RB3784.

It's hard to figure the right width for someone else. You can use a shorter blade when it has swinging offset and tilt like these do, we are just doing one roadside at a time when crowning anyway. For crowning I run ours with a single side plate sometimes. and for that a six footer with offset would do the same job.
rScotty

 

[nyone]

For a machine of

that size your going to want a cat 1/2 capable rear blade. Alot of these rear blades have nearly no rear support and can bend really really easy.

 

[rScotty]

For a machine ofView attachment 3877676 that size your going to want a cat 1/2 capable rear blade. Alot of these rear blades have nearly no rear support and can bend really really easy.

That's right, and I'm glad you brought that up. I was just looking at our older LandPride and even older Big Rhino brand back blades. Both have manual angle, tilt, and offset like the one you show in the photo..
But our older ones are obviously built of heavier gauge metal.
If I was buying a back blade today, I'd probably try to find a good used one. Some of the new ones look light duty to me.

 

[nyone]

That's right, and I'm glad you brought that up. I was just looking at our older LandPride and even older Big Rhino brand back blades. Both have manual angle, tilt, and offset like the one you show in the photo..
But our older ones are obviously built of heavier gauge metal.
If I was buying a back blade today, I'd probably try to find a good used one. Some of the new ones look light duty to me.

I'm talking more about the huge piece of C channel that's supporting the back of the blade. Tilt and angle dont mean anything if the blade is bent in half.

I paid $400 for that one in 2022 as you see it. Hardly used it but to cheap to pass it up.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I doubt that you will find a cat 1-2 rear blade that is set up for hydraulics that is light duty.
I'm not saying that it has hydraulics, but the adjustment mounts are set up for them.

Again, look for something at a minimum of 700lbs. Any blade that weighs 700 or more pounds will not be light or even medium duty.

The yellow blade pictured is what I would call a good medium duty blade. Put it in front of an 7-8000lb machine and things will start bending. Maybe not the blade itself, but other parts.

 

[rScotty]

I'm talking more about the huge piece of C channel that's supporting the back of the blade. Tilt and angle dont mean anything if the blade is bent in half.

I paid $400 for that one in 2022 as you see it. Hardly used it but to cheap to pass it up.

I realize that. Here's a picture of our 8 foot Big Rhino blade by Servis. It has similar reinforcement, and was rated at 90 hp. Very heavy construction...

Servis was the predecessor to a lot of ther 3-way adjustable blades sold more recently by Woods, Monroe, LandPride, and Bushhog.

One advertisement I have from years ago called this blade design a "Gill Design" after the engineer who orginally designed that style of 3-way adjustment.

 

[nyone]

I realize that. Here's a picture of our 8 foot Big Rhino blade by Servis. It has similar reinforcement, and was rated at 90 hp. Very heavy construction...

Servis was the predecessor to a lot of ther 3-way adjustable blades sold more recently by Woods, Monroe, LandPride, and Bushhog.

One advertisement I have from years ago called this blade design a "Gill Design" after the engineer who orginally designed that style of 3-way adjustment.

View attachment 3880103View attachment 3880103View attachment 3880104View attachment 3880104

I like that side spillage diverter. Does it act like a box blade or does it still move dirt across the blade and just pile up there?

 

[rScotty]

I like that side spillage diverter. Does it act like a box blade or does it still move dirt across the blade and just pile up there?

It all depends on the angle of the blade and the dirt. With the blade not angled and with both end caps mounted I think it would work just like a larger box blade. I have used it that way, but it fills up fast enough to stall my tractor. .

So even though it has an end cap for each end, I often just pull it with one cap mounted and give the blade a slight angle. That way the dirt moves along the blade and spills out the far end. Useful for widening a road.

With a little tilt, a little angle, and a cap on the "digging end" - and a heavy enough tractor - it works fairly well for cleaning shallow ditches along a dirt road and creating a crown. I don't know of anything other than a road grader that does that job well, but this does sort of OK. The problem is whenever it hits a rock or root the blade tries steer the tractor so it's not perfect.

I've only seen end caps for sale as options on the 3 way blades, but they would be worth having on any sturdy blade.

good luck beats good planning,
rScotty

 

[TMGT]

I use a 7ft Land Pride RBT4084 behind my 70in wide L3240. For dirt work I like the 7ft, if I was mainly using it for snow or lose materials, then an 8ft might be better when angled.
The 7ft covers my track as long as I'm not fully angled.

Weight is also your friend, my blade is over 800lbs with the hyd cylinders. I still need to upgrade the tail wheel as thats not the correct for that model.

I do want to make some wings for it also one day.

 

[turkish]

I doubt that you will find a cat 1-2 rear blade that is set up for hydraulics that is light duty.
I'm not saying that it has hydraulics, but the adjustment mounts are set up for them.

Again, look for something at a minimum of 700lbs. Any blade that weighs 700 or more pounds will not be light or even medium duty.

The yellow blade pictured is what I would call a good medium duty blade. Put it in front of an 7-8000lb machine and things will start bending. Maybe not the blade itself, but other parts.

I have an MX5800 HST with loader. Is an 1100lb Frontier RB2308 going to be a problem for me? I know it’s on the large side for my tractor, but my budget is limited and I found a great deal on one. This will be for crude shaping of trails in the woods, drainage turnouts and water bars. All dirt.

 

[Gregster613]

I doubt that you will find a cat 1-2 rear blade that is set up for hydraulics that is light duty.
I'm not saying that it has hydraulics, but the adjustment mounts are set up for them.

Again, look for something at a minimum of 700lbs. Any blade that weighs 700 or more pounds will not be light or even medium duty.

The yellow blade pictured is what I would call a good medium duty blade. Put it in front of an 7-8000lb machine and things will start bending. Maybe not the blade itself, but other parts.

Brian, I've got to ask if you are talking about the hugh yellow blade that neone pictured or the one rscotty shows? I find it hard to think of the blade with that hugh c-channel on its back bending? You are most certainly right that weight is needed here but that one on the trailer looks heavy!

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I had that same model on the trailer 20 years ago, built by Midwest Implements. Strapped to the pallet, it weighed 680lbs. Put it behind a 10,000lb machine and it bent the very first time I used it. I bought it on the recommendation of the dealer.
As I had mentioned earlier, it may not be the blade that bends, but the turntable and guide as well as the main pivot pin are on the weak side. I used that blade for 2 years before getting my LandPride RBT45108.

 

[jyoutz]

I have a 55hp TYM t574, about 65" wide. We have probably a couple of miles of dirt roads on our property in east texas, red clay soil. With heavy rains the roads get a lot of runoff washouts. Ive been smoothing them with a box blade, but think a grader blade that i could cut a runoff ditch on the sides and try to keep crowned a bit would be a better option. Should i look at a 7' with offset ability or an 8'? Or would a regular 7' be wide enough when angled?

Get the 8’ with offset capability. I have that for my 60hp tractor and sometimes wish it was 9’.

 

[jyoutz]

I have an MX5800 HST with loader. Is an 1100lb Frontier RB2308 going to be a problem for me? I know it’s on the large side workfor my tractor, but my budget is limited and I found a great deal on one. This will be for crude shaping of trails in the woods, drainage turnouts and water bars. All dirt.

I use an 8’ 1025# blade on my MX6000. It works well

 

[turkish]

I use an 8’ 1025# blade on my MX6000. It works well

Thanks for the reassurance. I picked it up yesterday. It’s quite a unit.

 

[jyoutz]

Thanks for the reassurance. I picked it up yesterday. It’s quite a unit.

Yeah but your MX can handle it. I did have to move the pins to the lower holes on the lift arms to get high enough lift.

 

[turkish]

Yeah but your MX can handle it. I did have to move the pins to the lower holes on the lift arms to get high enough lift.

I used it for the first time today, fixing the county road that goes to my farm. I have a lot to learn as far as technique and efficiency goes, but I am really happy with it. 8ft is actually a good size. For what I was doing, I could angle it sharply and not need any offset. For most of my work, it’ll be angled the full extent. Tractor felt plenty heavy enough.