Rear Blade Rear blade weight

[oosik]

I currently have a Land Pride RB3596 @ 566# on the 3-point of my M6040. It does great for plowing snow but will do little to nothing on my concrete hard driveway in the summer. Even with the hydraulic top link extended - i.e. max cutting angle for the rear blade - it just, more or less, bounces along.

My thought - I NEED MORE WEIGHT. Sooo.... what's your suggestion for the max weight I can add to this blade without causing damage to its structure/attachment points.

I'm also considering a new - and much heavier - rear blade. Rhino 950, 8 foot, at around 1000#, after the manual kits are installed.

The reason for this query is obvious - I can add XX amount of weight to my existing blade for almost nothing - the new Rhino blade will set me back around $3500.

Your suggestions and experiences will be greatly appreciated. Oosik

 

[oldballs]

I'm a newbie, but wonder if it would help to scarify the surface first with a box blade or some ripper and then use the rear blade to grade it.

 

[FTG-05]

Pics of your current blade?

 

[ovrszd]

Pics of your current blade?

Yep. Without pics it's hard for anyone to recommend adding weight.

In most cases the frame of a blade is built to withstand the forces the weight of the blade will create. Add weight, adds forces exerted = bent blade.

 

[oosik]

OB - YES, it very definitely helps. I have a land plane grading scraper w/scarifiers that I use and its the only way to break the surface and then regrade successfully.

However - since I was not very succinct in the original post - I will elaborate.

After 35 years of use, the mile long gravel driveway has an awful lot of the "surface material" relocated to the ditches. One of the primary uses of a heavier rear blade would be to bring this material back out of the ditches - and onto the driving surface. There I could redistribute it with the rear blade and LPGS.

I'm just concerned - that if I add enough weight to my existing rear blade to make it anyway effective - it will cause considerable damage to the structure and attachment points.

Right now I'm leaning towards selling the existing blade and purchasing the heavier Rhino. However, I'm open to suggestions and thank you for your input.

 

[RNeumann]

I'm a newbie, but wonder if it would help to scarify the surface first with a box blade or some ripper and then use the rear blade to grade it.

Wise beyond your newb self title! That's the answer. Rippers or a serrated blade.

 

[oosik]

View attachment 499761View attachment 499758

Well, sorry - this is the best I can do at the moment. Its still too dark out in the carport stall to get a close-up pic. I tried.

However - it just the standard Land Pride RB3596.

 

[ovrszd]

No worries.

After more thought, I think you would be better served longterm by purchasing a heavier blade. It's a tool that you would likely keep the rest of your life. Unless you step up in tractor size.

If you add weight to this blade and bend it you won't have much to sell.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I agree with Richard, sell it while it's in good shape and get a heavier built blade. I highly recommend that you get skid shoes and at a minimum of hydraulic blade angle. Set your top link and then switch over to the blade angle.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[oosik]

Thanks to all..... Man, its darn cold outside. Right now at 8am its 14F. I slipped out with my little camera - hoping to get a closeup and all I got was a black rectangle. And here I thought I had pics on file of every conceivable implement, situation etc,etc.

I will definitely get pics of the new blade when it get here. Again thanks...........

 

[Deere Dude]

My last driveway was super hard in the summer also. One time I had a Caterpillar out doing some grading and he even had a rough time scraping it. I would wait until it softens up and scarify and regrade, and hopefully it will be nice through the summer.

 

[Ford850]

The new heavier blade will help a lot. I have a similar older blade I have used on my hard packed drive for years, but I bought a new heavier blade last year. For me, I get better cutting by waiting for some moisture. I've gotten in the habit of grading the day after a rain even if the drive is in pretty good shape. That makes a big difference, but sometimes you can't wait for rain. I also found that angling the blade and driving slow in my lowest gear (think crawler) really helps too.

 

[oosik]

Well - patience is no virtue for me. I just got back from purchasing the Rhino 950 rear blade. I'll have it in two - three weeks.

I've learned from long & bitter experience that any corrective measure of a serious magnitude best be done in the spring or fall when the " 'ol concrete strip" is at least a little damp. The new blade should be able to drag a lot of that material back up, out of the ditches and onto the main roadbed. Any area where I do this will still need to be scarified so the material coming out of the ditches will bond. This is an activity that I should have been doing - all along - but as we all know - procrastination is usually paramount.


Actually - I must confess, I've been diligently checking rear blade web sites for the last two-three months. So... I guess today's purchase isn't such an impulse thing.

 

[ovrszd]

Congrats on the new blade!!!!

Make sure you come back here and show us pics of the blade and the work you do with it!!!

 

[oosik]

Yes - for sure. Today's early morning tip-toe out to get a pic will be a stark reminder. I'll be getting pics PIOR to backing the tractor & rear blade back into the black hole I call a carport stall. What a joke - all that work, getting the camera ready, bundling up like a eskimo, walking across my frozen yard & snow, snapped three pics, came back & uploaded three perfect jet black rectangles.

 

[ovrszd]

Yes - for sure. Today's early morning tip-toe out to get a pic will be a stark reminder. I'll be getting pics PIOR to backing the tractor & rear blade back into the black hole I call a carport stall. What a joke - all that work, getting the camera ready, bundling up like a eskimo, walking across my frozen yard & snow, snapped three pics, came back & uploaded three perfect jet black rectangles.

I feel your pain and appreciate your effort!!!! I have a very humorous vision of the activity though. Especially when you saw the result.

 

[Piston]

Congrats, you made the right choice!

 

[RalphVa]

I'm with oddball.

If your back blade is like the Frontier 48" one I have on the JD 2025R, I don't think it'll take much weight on it and much digging into hard stuff to damage it. It's very light weight.

Ralph

 

[oosik]

What's the saying - "better late than never".

My 96" Rhino 950 rear blade.

 

[RustyA]

Now that's a nice looking road grader. I have attachment envy.