Mini Ex angle blade

oldafretired · Mar 23, 2017

I'm going to order a U55 soon. Is an angle blade worth an extra $2500 over a regular straight blade for just doing work like digging out stumps on my property?

fried1765 · Mar 23, 2017

oldafretired said:
I'm going to order a U55 soon. Is an angle blade worth an extra $2500 over a regular straight blade for just doing work like digging out stumps on my property?

For the kind of money you will spend on a U55 the answer is .....YES!
If you don't get the the angle feature, you will curse the day you made the decision to not do so.
I assume you will get a thumb also?

Snobdds · Mar 23, 2017

Yes, Yes, Yes....

I use the angle blade on my cat all the time. It's invaluable!

oldafretired · Mar 23, 2017

Sounds like an angle blade is a worthwhile option.
Yup, definitely getting a thumb and quick connect bucket.

How is the ripper attachment that Kubota makes for the U55 and KX057? Has anyone used one?

Is a 24" bucket a good one for general use?

kevin37b · Mar 24, 2017

24 is a good size and 12 " is very handy also .

Snobdds · Mar 24, 2017

It all depends on what type of ground your working in. Hard rockey soil will need a narrow bucket to get the maximum breakout force. If the soil is loamy and not that rocky, the bigger bucket is better.

I need both and use both a lot.

oldafretired · Mar 24, 2017

Thanks guys. I guess I'll get a 24" to start and get a 12" and ripper later.

kevin37b · Mar 25, 2017

Get it now with the machine . Might be a little easier on the wallet ?

oldafretired · Mar 25, 2017

kevin37b said:
Get it now with the machine . Might be a little easier on the wallet ?

I'm already going to spend almost twice what I initially planned so I think I'll wait awhile to get extras. It will also give me something to buy later on.

Oldoak · Mar 25, 2017

oldafretired said:
Thanks guys. I guess I'll get a 24" to start and get a 12" and ripper later.

Good choice. That combination will be handy. If I were to go with only one bucket, I would compromise and get an 18" bucket. But a 24" and a 12" bucket is even better.

oldafretired · Mar 26, 2017

Some places sell rippers with teeth like coarse saw blades. Would they be any better than a regular ripper in breaking roots around a stump? Is there an actual sawing motion pulling the ripper though roots?

kevin37b · Mar 27, 2017

I guess there could be if you wiggle the levers correctly .

topstoy · Mar 27, 2017

When I got my KX121 I wheeled and dealed with them to throw in the 12" bucket, they manipulated the numbers by dropping the price on the excavator to add the discounted bucket to make it all come out to the original price. I would try that at the time of your sale. It is hard to come back and get a good deal later. I switch back and forth between the 24" and the 12" all the time. It is so worth it. I wish I had gotten a clean out bucket at that time. Now it is hard for me to justify a thousand bucks for one.

Deerherd · Mar 28, 2017

I would spend the $2500 on a ripper and ditching/clean out bucket vs the angle blade. I would also measure the width of the thumb to see how narrow a bucket you could use (for me that's 16-18") and get that also. I bet the cost would be pretty close and those items will be much more useful than the angle blade IMHO. (I did just that!)

oldafretired · Mar 28, 2017

Thanks for all the good advice. They're going to give me a price break on the ripper so I'll go ahead and get that. Stump removal is my main objective right now. I think I will look for a 36" bucket later on if I need a bigger bucket. Hopefully I can find a used one.

What is a clean out bucket and what is it for? Thanks.

BukitCase · Mar 28, 2017

A cleanout bucket is just a (usually) toothless bucket, as wide as the particular machine can handle - used for cleaning out ditches -

Do you have any links/pics of the "saw blade" ripper? That's on my list of "tuits" for my 580B, and for just what you intend to use it for - somebody else might have a better way than what I thought of. If so, please post... Steve

oldafretired · Mar 28, 2017

BukitCase said:
A cleanout bucket is just a (usually) toothless bucket, as wide as the particular machine can handle - used for cleaning out ditches -

Do you have any links/pics of the "saw blade" ripper? That's on my list of "tuits" for my 580B, and for just what you intend to use it for - somebody else might have a better way than what I thought of. If so, please post... Steve

Thanks! I guess I won't need one of those buckets.

Here's a couple of links:

SABRE TOOTH STUMP & ROOT RIPPERS

root_ripper

BukitCase · Mar 28, 2017

Thanks, the first link isn't quite what I'm looking for and I had the second one already - that's more what I'm envisioning, except I'll probably do the inside edge of the ripper smooth to avoid stress cracks, then ADD teeth out of AR plate "dominoes" with the cutting edge beveled with plasma for more aggressive teeth than just square cut - the "dominoes" will be overlapped maybe 3/4" so each "tooth" sticks up, teeth about 1/4" wider on EACH SIDE than the body of the ripper.

Otherwise very similar to the second link, but DIY cost should run maybe $200-250.

Thinking when I build my thumb I may make extension "wings" on it for a wider grip when using it with the single ripper, so I can have better control when moving/stacking entire trees with just the ripper and thumb... Steve