I wonder if I can return it ... and exchange it for something better.

[mcmxi]

I bought an MX6000 recently and mentioned to the sales rep that I was thinking of using the Land Pride RB1572 rear blade that I bought five years ago when I purchased a BX25DLB from that same dealer. That blade is rated for 17hp-40hp and I was told that the MX would destroy it and that I'd be much better served with a bigger/stronger Land Pride RB3796 rear blade so I bought one. After watching a bunch of YouTube videos and reading numerous posts on forums, I'm thinking that I should have bought a grading scraper/land plane instead.

My neighbors and I share a 200 yard gravel driveway, the maintenance of which is left to me to take care of. In addition, I plan to put in a second driveway up to my barn/shop/garage/house this spring which will be about 250 yards long in addition to a large gravel area for a 30'x65' barn, trailer parking and possibly an RV pad (to rent out in the summer). Since I have a 72" rear blade and 48" box blade (BB1248) for the BX I think I would have been better served with a scraper/land plane for the MX, both for maintaining the common driveway, building the new driveway, and ultimately maintaining the new driveway.

I'm going to call the dealer tomorrow to ask if they'd consider taking the rear blade back and selling me a Land Pride grading scraper, either the GS2584 or GS2596 which will probably cost more. Am I missing something here? It seems to me that a scraper with top-n-tilt would be ideal for what I need.

By the way, I was quoted about $28K for all of this gravel work by a local company who did a great job installing 9,000 sq.ft of asphalt on my property a couple of years ago. The idea of doing the work myself was one of the reasons for me to invest in an MX but I realize that I'm not able to do as good a job as a professional road construction company, but I think it'll be more than good enough.

 

[NHSleddog]

If you haven't used the implement yet, a good dealer will discuss any deal.

Primarily, the land plane is used for maintenance. A box blade would be used for building as well as maintenance.

A plane wants to just sit flat on the ground and be dragged around, no need for top and tilt. A boxblade benefits a lot from t&t.

A boxblade can do the one thing the plane can do. The plane can't do all the rest of the things a box can do.

A plane is super simple to use, just drop it and drag it around. A boxblade can be "just dragged around" however to use one well it takes some talent.

 

[RCW]

I have to agree with Sleddog - - my box blade is my favorite implement.

For building that drive and pad, I think your better off with the box, especially if tractor is already equipped with T&T.

This is a common debate, and many have their preferences.

 

[ctfjr]

I thought I did a pretty good job salvaging my driveway in the fall with my box blade without a TNT. There is no question I could have done better (and faster) with one. In another month or so I should have mine from Fitrite
I need to finish grading this spring and will need at least 120 tons of 3/4 process. Compared to the prices I got to do the job it will more than pay for both the box blade and TNT -
More important I get to think I really accomplished something

 

[swpflipper]

Building a road. 72" box blade is the tool. Maintenance either one

 

[SDT]

I bought an MX6000 recently and mentioned to the sales rep that I was thinking of using the Land Pride RB1572 rear blade that I bought five years ago when I purchased a BX25DLB from that same dealer. That blade is rated for 17hp-40hp and I was told that the MX would destroy it and that I'd be much better served with a bigger/stronger Land Pride RB3796 rear blade so I bought one. After watching a bunch of YouTube videos and reading numerous posts on forums, I'm thinking that I should have bought a grading scraper/land plane instead.

My neighbors and I share a 200 yard gravel driveway, the maintenance of which is left to me to take care of. In addition, I plan to put in a second driveway up to my barn/shop/garage/house this spring which will be about 250 yards long in addition to a large gravel area for a 30'x65' barn, trailer parking and possibly an RV pad (to rent out in the summer). Since I have a 72" rear blade and 48" box blade (BB1248) for the BX I think I would have been better served with a scraper/land plane for the MX, both for maintaining the common driveway, building the new driveway, and ultimately maintaining the new driveway.

I'm going to call the dealer tomorrow to ask if they'd consider taking the rear blade back and selling me a Land Pride grading scraper, either the GS2584 or GS2596 which will probably cost more. Am I missing something here? It seems to me that a scraper with top-n-tilt would be ideal for what I need.

By the way, I was quoted about $28K for all of this gravel work by a local company who did a great job installing 9,000 sq.ft of asphalt on my property a couple of years ago. The idea of doing the work myself was one of the reasons for me to invest in an MX but I realize that I'm not able to do as good a job as a professional road construction company, but I think it'll be more than good enough.

A good land plane is the cat's meow for maintaining a crushed stone road.

Box blade would be second choice, followed by rear blade.

SDT

 

[jimh406]

From what I’ve seen on youtube, box blades and grader/scrapers will do similar job on a driveway, but grader/scrapers are easy to use since they automatically deposit material. I think you still need the rear blade to do snow/create ditches for the drive. I suggest keeping the blade and buying a grader/scraper.

 

[mcmxi]

Thanks for the replies and advice. So if I'm understanding this right, if I were only to pick one tool for building and maintaining a driveway it'd be a box blade. Does a rear blade have any utility other than moving snow? I've used the rear blade and box blade with the BX over the past five years to improve the gravel driveway somewhat, but neither have enough weight to do much to the hard base. The RB3796 was $1,735 so it might make more sense putting it towards a better implement, particularly if it's not going to get used.

 

[mcmxi]

From what I’ve seen on youtube, box blades and grader/scrapers will do similar job on a driveway, but grader/scrapers are easy to use since they automatically deposit material. I think you still need the rear blade to do snow/create ditches for the drive. I suggest keeping the blade and buying a grader/scraper.

Jim, I have a Land Pride 96" hydraulic angle snow blade for the MX so I don't think I need a rear blade for snow. I have the smaller rear blade for the BX and could run that on the back of the MX for ballast and snow clean up if necessary.

I agree with you about grader/scrapers and the way they move material to the center. They seem to be the best solution for maintenance but I've never used one, just watched EA videos, and others.

I was hesitant to start this thread but I think it's guided me towards a box blade so thanks to all. I left a message with the dealer and will discuss switching out the rear blade for a box blade. Maybe at a later date I can buy a grader/scraper.

 

[RCW]

I agree with you about grader/scrapers and the way they move material to the center. They seem to be the best solution for maintenance but I've never used one, just watched EA videos, and others.

I left a message with the dealer and will discuss switching out the rear blade for a box blade. Maybe at a later date I can buy a grader/scraper.

Same here - - had never used a land plane/grader, but the folks that have them really like them.

The trick with a box is top link length. Short TL digs, long TL smooths, and there's countless combinations in between with forward/reverse travel.

I can spread a 20-ton load of stone on the driveway in no time, most by dragging it around in the box. Quicker than driving it around with the loader bucket.

 

[mcmxi]

One last question.

I have t-n-t with two rear remotes and notice that Land Pride offers the HR2572 with hydraulic pivot to raise and lower the shanks. Does anyone have any experience with this feature? The ability to easily raise and lower the shanks seems like a no-brainer, and hydraulic sounds like a nice addition. Is that fluff or fantastic? The box blade for the BX has annoying clips that have to be removed in order to adjust shank depth for each of the shanks. It's kind of a pain to be honest.

The dealer called me back and is getting prices on various box blades that would be appropriate for the MX. I mentioned returning the rear blade and I don't think it'd be a problem. I'm small potatoes compared to many of their very wealthy clients, but I get along well with the folks there. I've asked them to get a fancy coffee machine and some comfy chairs so that I can hang out there for hours surrounded by zero turn mowers, BXs, generators, accessories and such ... my kind of heaven! If they'd offer high speed internet I could work from there!

 

[NHSleddog]

I just added a hydraulic control feature to my box. It is a pain adjusting the 5 rippers and I could not do it on the fly. I have never seen a hydraulic 60" they have always started at 72".

I posted about it here,

Hydraulic Ripper / Scarifier on Box Blade

Has anyone done this? Having 5 individual tines on mine, adjusting up/down is a pain. Not being able to do it on the fly is a draw back as well. I Have the HD EA model and it looks like it would be easy enough to fab it up using a small piston. Any of you guys tackle this yet?

www.orangetractortalks.com

 

[mcmxi]

I just added a hydraulic control feature to my box. It is a pain adjusting the 5 rippers and I could not do it on the fly. I have never seen a hydraulic 60" they have always started at 72".

I posted about it here,

Hydraulic Ripper / Scarifier on Box Blade

Has anyone done this? Having 5 individual tines on mine, adjusting up/down is a pain. Not being able to do it on the fly is a draw back as well. I Have the HD EA model and it looks like it would be easy enough to fab it up using a small piston. Any of you guys tackle this yet?

www.orangetractortalks.com

That's a well-executed upgrade. How much did all of the materials cost you i.e. hydraulic cylinder, hoses, steel etc?

Your link reminded me that I'd need to add a third rear remote if I wanted top, tilt and up/down for the shanks.

 

[mcmxi]

Well crap! The dealer just informed me that the rear blade was included in the 0% financing of the MX so since they can't sell it as new to someone else they wouldn't be able to give me what I paid for it. They quoted me $3,855 for the HR2572 and $802 to install a third rear remote. They also quoted me $2,003 for a BB2584 box scraper.

I've decided to have the dealer install the third rear remote now and will have to think about the best way forward re the box blade. I know I want a hydraulic shank model whether I buy one or build one myself. EA has two very heavy hydraulic box blades but at 1,500lb + they're probably too much for the MX.

I'm thinking either the HR2572 for a plug and play option, or either the BB3584, BB2584 or the 84" EA Cat I/II Severe XTreme Duty model with the idea to add the hydraulic shank feature. The EA model would be around $2K delivered to a local FedEx. The $1,800 difference between the hydraulic unit and the standard models leaves a lot of wiggle room.

I guess I'm keeping the rear blade! Oh well, not a bad implement to have.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

re: Well crap! The dealer just informed me that the rear blade was included in the 0% financing of the MX so since they can't sell it as new to someone else they wouldn't be able to give me what I paid for it.

gee...that's kinda 'splitting hairs' assuming you've never,ever used it.....
ask what they'll give you for it....then post an ad on CL or FBMP, for a tad more than their 'offer' but less than retail( member about taxes)

as for what can you do with a rear blade, besides moving snow....
I've made driveways, swayles, berms, cleaned out dirches, levelled plowed fields,turned compost rows,cleaned fence rows. Since my tractor has 'traction boost', I can set the height and just go....loooking back at smooooth behind me.

 

[mcmxi]

After spending way too much time getting prices on Land Pride box blades, looking at EA box blades, pouring over NHSleddog's hydraulic mod, looking closely at as many images and videos I could find, and comparing the specs on numerous models, I've decided to order the EA Severe XTreme Duty Box Blade Category I & II V2.0 with the intention to design and fabricate a hydraulic lift system for the shanks. The EA appears to offer the most blade for the money in addition to a better build quality in terms of material used, the amount of welding, and the design. The EA includes some good design features not included in the Land Pride blades.

I'm waiting on a grapple from EA so will have to wait on this too.

Thanks for all the help ... it's much appreciated.

 

[NHSleddog]

I bought the cylinder for 90.00 a 22' piece of 3"x3"x3/8" for 105.00 and the hardware was under 25.00.

 

[smackdab]

I didn't read all the responses. Forgive me if this has been mentioned already though.

I haven't got pictures at the moment, but hope to when I get more time.

I knew I wanted a back blade for jobs I had coming up. I bought a Kubota RBT blade for my 3560. Has a hydraulic controlled tail wheel, I can get a pretty flat grade after a little practice. I did what we've done on other rear blades in that I built removable end plates out of metal that effectively make it a box blade. I've never had a official box blade, but I think this works close to one anyway.

Also have a grading scraper I use for maintenance. I have a number of drives that are gravel on some commercial real estate I own. The grading scraper is really nice for maintenance and upkeep after the drive way is built. Its by far my favorite way to maintain gravel drives.

So: I use the back blade (or if I had one, a box blade) to construct a driveway. I use the grading scraper to maintain it once built.

I can post pics of the blade later if anyone's interested.

 

[mcmxi]

smackdab, photos would be very helpful.

I ordered the ETA-CATI-II-XDBBV2-84 box blade from EverythingAttachments.com this morning. I opted for a black finish at no charge mostly because it's easier to match gloss black paint rather than yellow, and to be honest I don't really care for EA's mustard looking finish. Lead time will be at least 12 weeks, but just like the grapple I think I'm getting a quality implement that will last a lifetime.

The box blade has a shipping weight of 780lb and costs $320 to ship to Montana. So the total is only $98 more than ordering the Land Pride BB2584 from my local dealer, and that box blade is about 130lb lighter.

 

[Crash277]

I have a rear blade, used it once. probably going to sell it in the spring. I ended up buying a landpride box blade for my BX it does an amazing job, I do not regret getting the box blade when I bought my machine. I had actually purchased the rear blade used before I even got my tractor. However with the implement deal we decided to order the box blade as the multi-implement discount made the mechanical thumb on my BH free.