[KUBOTA B3200] Grader Blade / Box Blade Recommendation for Driveway Maintenance

[rScotty]

You're welcome. Some call them 3-way blades and sometimes 6-way because they obviously move to both sides.

There are a few videos. Here is one:

His blade would work a lot better if he had an end caps on the ends of the blade. Without them he is losing too much material into the field.... and it won't do snow at all without end caps.

Another major difference is that our old RB3572 - and all the old blades - have a taller & thicker blade and are at least twice the weight & more heavily built. Pulling an offset 3pt implement can put a heavy load on the blade. You want something heavy built. When the end in the ground hits a rock or root, it might throw you sideways a moment, and you want it NOT to BEND. In the video, he gets away with a lighter blade in a manicured field. But your driveway looks like tougher going. Weight only helps. 30 hp is plenty.

Blow up the photos on the spreadsheet in message #99 and look at how heavy those little six foot long 3-way blades in that sheet are built and reinforced. That is what you want. Extra heavy built.
My bet is you will find one on the used market & may have to scrounge or fabricate the accessory caps and such. Some of the best 3-way back blades had replaceable bushings.
Luck,
rScotty

 

[deezler]

Seems like it's been a pretty educational thread here, eh @Forest_Man ?

Can we get some more pics of the driveway and property? Maybe even a video of you sloshing your way through it all?

 

[Forest_Man]

Seems like it's been a pretty educational thread here, eh @Forest_Man ?

Can we get some more pics of the driveway and property? Maybe even a video of you sloshing your way through it all?

I am new here so I can't tell if the group is just all around always very helpful or if I was able to get knowledge extracted from guiding the conversation.

Either way, this has been extremely educational and informative. I will keep the thread with updates as I move forward and I hope it can help others as well.

 

[rScotty]

I am new here so I can't tell if the group is just all around always very helpful or if I was able to get knowledge extracted from guiding the conversation.

Either way, this has been extremely educational and informative. I will keep the thread with updates as I move forward and I hope it can help others as well.

Mostly the group is helpful. Differences arise because just like anything else there are dozens of equally good ways to do any dirt-moving job....maybe more. So each of us develops a favorite way based on their own machinery and their own place.

TractorByNet is mostly about machines, but the ground is equally important. Whether it is sloped, flat, clay, loam, sandy, wet/dry, rocky, or full of roots changes everything.

Your posting those photos of your driveway helped a lot. Makes it much easier to tell what has a chance of working.

For example, as I get older, the more I lean toward not doing so much myself. I tend to hire it done and just use my own equipment to do maintenance. That way works too.

rScotty

 

[paulsharvey]

TBN has a pretty helpful and friendly group, But you can and will get bad advice here too; often driven by the fact its a group of people spread cross several continents, with vast differences in experience, knowledge, finances, and all that.

We had a gentlemen from Romania, who is building a 400 acre row crop farm in Tanzania; and the advice, no joke, ranged from a riding mower to a D7 dozer to do his clearing.

Alway, the more specific information, the better the comments. Also, a guy from FLa, or New Zealand will probably have different materials/experience/advice than a guy 3 miles down the road from you; and you kinda got to filter through it, and see what works for your situation.

Except welding; those threads get down right nasty, and devolve into name calling, and hate crimes

 

[Forest_Man]

TBN has a pretty helpful and friendly group

You've been very helpful too, thank you.

Except welding; those threads get down right nasty, and devolve into name calling, and hate crimes

Noted... stay away from welding threads!

 

[Forest_Man]

Today I bought a Woods RB72 Rear Blade. It looks pretty neat and for about $700. I tried locating the documentation for it, but Woods only lists RB72.50, which I suspect it is a newer release. I intend to purchase the blade end cap from Messicks, just need to figure out what's going on with their microfiche, something is wrong with the part numbers:

Thanks everyone for the feedback and recommendations. I am very happy and satisfied with the purchase. And glad that a few users highlighted the importance of getting a fully adjustable blade. Here is my new RB72:

This is my very first time playing with the 3-point hitch and I need to confirm a few things:

1. currently I have NO pins locking the RB to the quick hitch. Is this correct, just locked in place by its 450 lbs?

2. It came with a red metal hook that I can't figure out whether even belongs to the blade. Any idea what this could be or where it goes?

 

[jyoutz]

I'm several days late to this thread, but may I suggest the Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies as a how to resource?

materials estimator tool: https://dirtandgravel.psu.edu/general-resources/dglvr-materials-calculator/

They also have a number of technical bulletins all focused on common issues with building and maintaining gravel roads.

As for the box blade/rear blade question, I have a Yammar 226d 2wd and a Kubota L2501 4wd. The Yanmar will pull a 5.5' box blade, but the Kubota does much better due to the 4wd.

IMO, the box blade is much more useful than a dirt blade for basic road maintenance because you can drag gravel to where it's needed, and it's more user friendly when it comes to getting a smooth finish without digging in.

The dirt blade is better for when you need to cut the grade down or clean a ditch, but I just keep my box blade on the L2501 all the time for maintaining our gravel driveway.

I'd lean more towards 5' rather than 6'. If it's too wide relative to your tractor, you won't be able to use it to its full capacity. It's not just the weight of the implement, it's also the weight of gravel, plus friction, and having to contend with hills if you have them. 5' will cover about half of a normal road bed in one pass.

If your box blade works well for you, great. I would recommend a rear blade over a box, due to the offset and tilt capability. Also the ability to angle the blade to pull material from the ditch or side of road to make a crown.

 

[paulsharvey]

Today I bought a Woods RB72 Rear Blade. It looks pretty neat and for about $700. I tried locating the documentation for it, but Woods only lists RB72.50, which I suspect it is a newer release. I intend to purchase the blade end cap from Messicks, just need to figure out what's going on with their microfiche, something is wrong with the part numbers:

View attachment 873087

Thanks everyone for the feedback and recommendations. I am very happy and satisfied with the purchase. And glad that a few users highlighted the importance of getting a fully adjustable blade. Here is my new RB72:

View attachment 873089

This is my very first time playing with the 3-point hitch and I need to confirm a few things:

1. currently I have NO pins locking the RB to the quick hitch. Is this correct, just locked in place by its 450 lbs?
View attachment 873090
View attachment 873091

2. It came with a red metal hook that I can't figure out whether even belongs to the blade. Any idea what this could be or where it goes?

View attachment 873092

The red hook looks exactly like some pieces I've found on old RR beds, just painted; other than that, no idea.

On the pin topic, get 2 (or 4, you'll set them down and loose them) standard snap pins from any farm supply store for the ends of the pins.

Moldboard end plates; Woods RB72 Rear Blade (Woods) Parts Diagrams

 

[paulsharvey]

Here is your parts diagram, it's grouped with the landscape rake two; but the top two diagrams are your blade