Rear blade options for BX2350

[planesmith]

Getting ready to pull the trigger on a BX2350 with FEL. I am also considering a rear blade to move snow. Anyone know the price for the 60" 3pt rear blade from Kubota or other third party options?

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[rpoage]

There are a whole lot of rear blades on the market. I would take a trip to the local Tractor Supply Co and look at their offering for starters. IMO snow removal with a rear blade would not be my first choice.

 

[easygo]

I recently checked 60" Woods rear blades in my area and they came in at around $560-590 new, depending on the dealer. I ended up buying a used 6' blade for my B-7510 at half that price. It is much heavier built than the ones I looked at the dealerships. Look for some adds in the local publications or on the internet. A lot of people use the rear blade for snow, but I have no experience with that. Yet.

 

[bialecki]

I recently purchased a Woods RB-72 for my B-7800 to plow snow and to landscape in the coming Spring. I purchased the 6' rear blade with the skid shoes, total was $640 pre-tax. The Woods is by-far the most heavy duty when compared to Sundown, TSC and some others. I feel the skid shoes are necessary due to the lack of position control on the 3 pt hitch of the B-7800. Hopefully I won't make a big mess of my gravel driveway by the Spring time.

 

[easygo]

I would second BIALECKI on the skid shoes on the rear blade. It is a great idea if you are going to plow gravel. Even a very light plow WILL dig in and move a lot of your driveway gravel. I experienced that in previous years with an ATV and those plows are very light compared to tractor implements.
Another thing about the Woods blades. I was told that they make light, medium, and heavy duty blades and they are also priced accordingly.

 

[Northland]

I have a 280 lb, 6 foot TSC King Kutter rear blade on my B7800. It was only $275 and works fine even without shoes.

I have a white stone driveway and have found the secret (my former plow guy told me) is to drive your car all over the driveway after it has snowed to pack down a base layer of snow over the stone/gravel. That way your plow over the base layer and the stone underneath it. Of course this only works effectively if it stays colder then 32F/ 0 C all winter....which it does where I live.

I'd think a 4 foot rear blade would work well with your BX2350. I'd buy the cheap TSC XB orange one.

 

[bigdad]

I agree with Norhtland in buying the lower end blade. Especially if you are just using it around your property to remove snow and a few grading chores. Now if you're planning a second career in landscaping etc get the nice heavy Woods or Landpride.

I have a Woods RB72 and it's a well made piece of equipment, but really more than I needed. I got a good deal on it and also traded in a new, but worthless Kubota ballast box. (Save your $$ on those! Check the "Build it Yourself" threads.)

Good luck.... BD

 

[LBrown59]

There are a whole lot of rear blades on the market. I would take a trip to the local Tractor Supply Co and look at their offering for starters. IMO snow removal with a rear blade would not be my first choice.

i went with a front blade.

 

[crd]

I tried plowing my fairly small driveway last year with a Woods RBC60 backblade on my BX2350. It worked, sort of, but wasn't great. You won't know on your driveway 'til you try it - but consider buying it anyway since having a blade is pretty useful around the landscaping.

The problem I had plowing with the backblade, aside from the crick in my neck from driving backwards in freezing temps, is there is no downforce on the blade. When the snow is wet, the blade tends to ride up and leave a lot of unplowed snow - enough even to get the tractor nearly stuck. There were a few other drawbacks -- the moldboard isn't very tall so you can't push a lot of snow, and it's not practical to adjust the plow angle.

I'm going back to my trusty Toro snowblower this winter, except when the FEL is needed to move the big piles.

 

[Northland]

I tried pushing snow with my rear blade but it didn't work so well for the same reasons crd mentioned. I angle it slightly and pull it forwards with my FEL also in the float position. With my big vbar chains on the back tires thsi works very well. Can't wait to get chains on the front tires

It's -15C (5 F) here this morning

 

[rpoage]

I agreed to have a local guy who needed the work in CT do my driveway with a rear blade. While it did allow him to back right up to the garage door and pull the show away from the door and down the drive, that is the only nice thing I could say about the experience. It took me a whole lot of hours with a wheelbarrow and a shovel in the spring to repair the damage the blade made. Drive was steep and uneven and not blade friendly.

 

[SkunkWerX]

For snow and light grading around the house I'd go with the KK from TSC.
Well built, and the price is right.
Check around local listings too, I have seen used, but in good shape, RGBs go as little as $150.

Also, opinions may differ, but I would also look at a 60" RGB for the BX.

I used an RGB for snow clearing for better than 20 years. They work, and work better once you get accustomed to them. Front blades with power lift and power angle are very nice, and also very pricey.

The RGB is probably the cheapest, by far, method for snow removal.

I say think about a 60" RGB due to my experience using a 72" on my Ford 1210 for 15 years. For smaller snowfalls, the 72" made quick work of the driveway. For heavier snows, deeper and/or wetter, you start to push a lot of weight in front of that 72" blade. At a certain point your tires start spinning then you have to reposition, take a chunk of that mound, and manuever it off to the side.
When I got the BX I decided to fix it, I cut the 72" down to 60".
I would rather have to take another swipe , but be able to push it the entire distance, than take a wider swipe, but risk spinning to a stop.

I think the BX has the power, I just don't think it has the weight going for it.

Once I cut down the blade to 60", I had some ground levelling to do, that is when I noticed the difference in cutting ability in dirt, the smaller blade length took less effort to grade off an inch or two of soil.

Sizing the blade is not an exact art.
The slope of your driveway, the material it's made of (paved or gravel) as well as your region and types of snowfall will dictate what blade is best.

If you get a lot of light and fluffly snow, then maybe the 72" will be fine.
If you get thick wet heavy snows, filled with a lot of moisture, then the 60" may be the better choice.

 

[Northland]

how about one of these?

Belly Blades – Tractor, Dozers, Blades, Grader Blades, RoadGrader Blades, Compact Tractor Grader Blade

 

[automech]

I got a Land Pride 60 compact for my 1500. I like the shorter distance from tractor to blade, it seems to be pretty manuverable and fits better in my garage,where space is at a premium. I did add 80 pounds of weight to it though, to keep it from riding up over heavy snow. It weighs about 180 without my add ons. It works fine for pushing or pulling snow, and has a taller moldboard than other compact blades. I wanted the tallest blade I could get without buying the regular RB, since I am mainly concerned with snow not dirt. I think I paid 250 or so. It was cheaper than the heavy 60 by quite a bit. I have moved some heavy, deep snow with it.