Mid mount hydraulic grader blade

[JDTank]

Does anyone have one of these for the X7xx series?

I am thinking about adding this to my X748SE order, and just wonder how it attaches and how well it works with this machine.

Pictures, pictures, and more pictures if anyone has them.

Thanks!

 

[Cat_Driver]

I getting ready to buy this one. Talk to the guy he really makes a pretty good machine.

Domor Equipment | Skid Steer / Tractor Attachments

It takes the place of the grader blade by having adjustment points. According to them you can actually put a crown in a drive way with this thing.
Take a look at the videos.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72QystIwd3k&list=UUy5-8wZi7mbRLOlTentlxvQ&index=10&feature=plcp[/ame]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fQ7iWmc4oms#!

 

[JDTank]

Definitely not looking for something that heavy duty. The downside to the tow behind is there is no weight pushing down on it. With the John Deere blade, the weight of the tractor itself would force the blade to stay low, unless you hit something that's sturdy enough to lift the entire tractor.

I also am not ordering my X748SE with 3PT, in my opinion putting a 3PT on a machine so small is well, wasteful. So anything 3PT wise is useless to me.

 

[jenkinsph]

Definitely not looking for something that heavy duty. The downside to the tow behind is there is no weight pushing down on it. With the John Deere blade, the weight of the tractor itself would force the blade to stay low, unless you hit something that's sturdy enough to lift the entire tractor.

I also am not ordering my X748SE with 3PT, in my opinion putting a 3PT on a machine so small is well, wasteful. So anything 3PT wise is useless to me.

Gee, mighty opinionated not to have ever used one yet. The 3PT works better than you might think. The 3PT 647 tiller, landscape rake, boxblade, chipper, pinestraw rake and 5' rearblade are more capable than you think. Add to that some tow behind equipment such as the broadcast seeder and drag harrow and you can do quite alot.

People who have used these mowers are not as concerned about the SE seat since it hinders watching the 3PH implements. Just something to think about.

 

[beenthere]

I getting ready to buy this one. ............QUOTE]

That looks like a handy attachment for grading. Great video too.

What are you going to put it on?

 

[JDTank]

Gee, mighty opinionated not to have ever used one yet. The 3PT works better than you might think. The 3PT 647 tiller, landscape rake, boxblade, chipper, pinestraw rake and 5' rearblade are more capable than you think. Add to that some tow behind equipment such as the broadcast seeder and drag harrow and you can do quite alot.

People who have used these mowers are not as concerned about the SE seat since it hinders watching the 3PH implements. Just something to think about.

Opinionated? No, I was just pointing out what I think about it, more like questions then me being uptight about it's design.

To me, I can clearly see how the mid mount blade would do a better job of MY conditions. It has the weight of the tractor above it stopping it from bouncing over high spots. Box blades that are pulled through wavy up and down spots, simply move up and down with the curve of the land. That's why I believe all machines should have down pressure on the 3PT, that way you can carve out high spots with a rear blade, or box blade. The weight of an implement alone is not enough in my opinion.

As far as 3PT and rear PTO, I won't be optioning those on unless I get a good deal, which is highly unlikely. The only thing I would have a use for is the 647 tiller, which is a pricey piece of equipment alone, never mind the 3PT and rear PTO options.

I'm trying to cheap my order as cheap as possible while still being smart about it. For example, I know I want for the SE seat, brush guard, and fenders. To order it with the tractor vs buying those items at a later date, saves me $400, it makes perfect sense to do it all now, and not pay more later. The 7-Iron deck is the same, it features are very important to me, so I am not going to skimp out by $500 and end up purchasing an entire new deck later on down the road, in which case I wasted $1,800 on the yellow deck, and then the yellow deck becomes a lawn ornament.

 

[bigtiller]

Definitely not looking for something that heavy duty. The downside to the tow behind is there is no weight pushing down on it. With the John Deere blade, the weight of the tractor itself would force the blade to stay low, unless you hit something that's sturdy enough to lift the entire tractor.

I also am not ordering my X748SE with 3PT, in my opinion putting a 3PT on a machine so small is well, wasteful. So anything 3PT wise is useless to me.

The mid mount blade has always interested me but I have never had one or even seen one mounted. It looks like it would be fun doing a little light grading.

Is it lifted with the front hydraulics or the rock shaft?

 

[JDTank]

The mid mount blade has always interested me but I have never had one or even seen one mounted. It looks like it would be fun doing a little light grading.

Is it lifted with the front hydraulics or the rock shaft?

I told the salesman I am dealing with to add it to my quote so they have it all ready when I pull the trigger in a few weeks, I think it was $700 or close to that.

According to the attachment brochure on JD's website, it's hydraulically controlled for height and angle.

 

[Gittyup]

I'm very doubtful it will dig. Good for smoothing loose material. But, the tractor isn't heavy enough for that type of blade to be effective digging. And you will still have the porpoising effect, only at the midpoint there'd be less ability to adjust for it.

You'd be much wiser to go 3 ph with a land plane/box blade. At least on the 3 pt, you can angle the blade fore/aft to cause it to dig. A boxblade is a far superior digger to a grader blade. Proper use just requires practice and patience. A hydrulic top link is a huge helper for this type of task. Should give that some thought too. The 3ph is a smart purchase. It lets you use cat0 and many small cat 1 attachments from any manufacturer (i.e. used attachments) and will make resale value of your machine much better too.

Anyway you go about it, it's going to take time to get wavy ground level, especially if you are new to this type of task.

I'm no expert, but I would concentrate on cutting the high spots first. Once those are loose, set up the box blade for "leveling" where it will not dig, but rather drop loose material into the low spots. You will have to go slow and account for porpoising by adjusting the 3ph as you go. Or after cutting the high spots with the box, switch to a grader blade or rake with with gauge wheels. And you can probably pull a pretty wide rake even on a X748.

 

[TimS]

With the John Deere blade, the weight of the tractor itself would force the blade to stay low, unless you hit something that's sturdy enough to lift the entire tractor.

I also am not ordering my X748SE with 3PT, in my opinion putting a 3PT on a machine so small is well, wasteful. So anything 3PT wise is useless to me.

Check this - I think you will find the mid-mount blade lift is off the rockshaft. It does not have downpressure - it's only the weight of the blade keeping it down, not the weight of the tractor.

Regarding the 3 point hitch, I have a Cat 0 on a 455. It's certainly not as versatile as a stronger, Cat 1 hitch on a larger tractor, but I find mine very useful. I have an A-frame with a trailer ball and pallet forks, and it's great for moving heavy items such as my snowblower attachment and mower deck, and dragging trailers around the lot. I can do all that by hand, but the 3 point makes it easy and quick - and I need to remind myself that while I can currently horse around 307 pounds of mower deck, I may not be able to do so as I get older.

Tim

 

[jenkinsph]

JD,
I will be finishing a driveway this morning where the midmount blade could be useful. It would reduce the hand raking and speed up the process. That said it is very light duty and shallow in height and would only be useful for finish grading loose material. No down pressure.

I can relate to keeping the cost down on your order and would strongly suggest an x748 with the 7 iron deck and 3PH kit. Catch your breath and look for good deals on small new/used attachments one at a time.

When purchasing the x749 if I had found the 3PH to be useless or ineffective I would have moved up to a 2520 for the small difference in cost. But it has worked out pretty well and I have the right machine for the slopes I need it for.

 

[bigtiller]

Check this - I think you will find the mid-mount blade lift is off the rockshaft. It does not have downpressure - it's only the weight of the blade keeping it down, not the weight of the tractor.

Regarding the 3 point hitch, I have a Cat 0 on a 455. It's certainly not as versatile as a stronger, Cat 1 hitch on a larger tractor, but I find mine very useful. I have an A-frame with a trailer ball and pallet forks, and it's great for moving heavy items such as my snowblower attachment and mower deck, and dragging trailers around the lot. I can do all that by hand, but the 3 point makes it easy and quick - and I need to remind myself that while I can currently horse around 307 pounds of mower deck, I may not be able to do so as I get older.

Tim

That's what I was thinking but I just don't know too much about them. They still look like fun to me! If they made one for my 2305 I would probably have one.

 

[JDTank]

Check this - I think you will find the mid-mount blade lift is off the rockshaft. It does not have downpressure - it's only the weight of the blade keeping it down, not the weight of the tractor.

Regarding the 3 point hitch, I have a Cat 0 on a 455. It's certainly not as versatile as a stronger, Cat 1 hitch on a larger tractor, but I find mine very useful. I have an A-frame with a trailer ball and pallet forks, and it's great for moving heavy items such as my snowblower attachment and mower deck, and dragging trailers around the lot. I can do all that by hand, but the 3 point makes it easy and quick - and I need to remind myself that while I can currently horse around 307 pounds of mower deck, I may not be able to do so as I get older.

Tim

Well that's a downer!

Still, I am going to order it anyways.

Given the information you guys have given me, my new plan is

This year:
X748SE
7-Iron
Front 54'' blade
MM grader blade

Next year:
647 tiller
3PT
Rear PTO

I figure I can use the tiller to break up the ground in my high spots, then once the soil is nice and loose, I can move it with my front blade, or the MM grader blade. That will have to wait until next year but, at least I will have a good summer of enjoyable cutting.

 

[slowzuki]

How about one like this? [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZumzDkGFgsM]Grouser Products Belly Blade - YouTube[/ame]
Probably won't fit under a sub cut!

 

[JDTank]

Looks interesting. Would be nice under a 4x20 machine.

 

[psdx]

Looks like a nice piece of equipment for just the right ocassion. The funny thing about that video is that the shots they use almost all have lots of large dirt clods being moved by the mid-mount blade. It seems to me that the real use of this device is after the soil is pulverized. Who cares about a perfect grade when you still have dirt chunks the size of footballs?

 

[bigtiller]

Well that's a downer!

Still, I am going to order it anyways.

Given the information you guys have given me, my new plan is

This year:
X748SE
7-Iron
Front 54'' blade
MM grader blade

Next year:
647 tiller
3PT
Rear PTO

I figure I can use the tiller to break up the ground in my high spots, then once the soil is nice and loose, I can move it with my front blade, or the MM grader blade. That will have to wait until next year but, at least I will have a good summer of enjoyable cutting.

If you are seriously considering a tiller next year, it would be less expensive to but a 2305 or one of the new 10 series tractors. They already have the 3ph and rear PTO which will cost you some big money to put on an X748. It cost me $1150 for an X495 back in 2003. I'd guess it will be somewhere around $1500 next year. Maybe more, I don't have time to look it up now.

 

[JDTank]

Personally, I don't like the new 1 series machines.

The reason I am going with the X748SE is because this machine is specifically being purchased for mowing duties. There is no competition between a X748 and the 1 series, the X748 is a much better mowing machine in my opinion. The operators area is quite a bit more comfortable on the X748SE as well, and no ROPS to deal with, big plus.

If I used the tractor 150 days a year, 140 of those will be mowing, so in this case, there is nothing better for me.

 

[jenkinsph]

JD,
Since you are using this primarily as a mower you might want to check into the mounting of the mid blade. Find out how it hooks up and how long it takes to switch from mower to blade and back. I haven't seen one up close but this would be my biggest concern or question. Obviously you can't drive over the blade and have to slide it under the machine. If it is heavy enough to do any good that can't be easy to slide.

 

[JDTank]

JD,
Since you are using this primarily as a mower you might want to check into the mounting of the mid blade. Find out how it hooks up and how long it takes to switch from mower to blade and back. I haven't seen one up close but this would be my biggest concern or question. Obviously you can't drive over the blade and have to slide it under the machine. If it is heavy enough to do any good that can't be easy to slide.

I was thinking the same thing myself a few days ago, and I am still waiting for my salesman to get back to me on that.

When I asked him how it mounted to the tractor, he didn't have a clue, they don't seem to sell to many of them, I think a lot of people skip right over it in the brochure. A lot of people don't even look at the brochure. Every average joe knows there's basic attachments like snow blades, snow blowers, and mowing decks, I bet hardly anyone who doesn't know would ask "do you have a grader blade for this?"

I wish John Deere had a video for every attachment they sell. I know it would be a lot of up-front work, but it would be nice to see it demonstrated before you drop the dollars.