Just bought a BX2370, blade or landscape rake?

[racerjohnbf]

Hey guys, this is my first post! I just bought a used BX2370 with a loader, 60" mid mount mower and tiller. The first implement I want to buy is gonna be either a rear blade or landscape rake to maintain my gravel drive and my small RC oval track.

I'm looking and the Land Pride LR1660 landscape rake with flip down blade and gauge wheels or the RB1560 rear blade. I'm leaning toward the landscape rake for versatility, but I'm wondering if it will work ok on the BX2370 and if the flip down blade would be and good for plowing snow. Not that we get enough snow to plow very often lol.

Also I'm planning to sell or trade in the mid mount mower to finance either the rake or the blade. Roughly how much should I expect to get for the deck? It is the drive over version.

 

[85Hokie]

John

Welcome to the forum - where are you in VA? coast? I'm guessing southside?

With any piece of equipment - there are pros and cons when comparing.

I will say this about both - the rear blade will move more material than the rake - this can be a good thing or a bad thing. On your machine - you do NOT have position control, you have 1/4" valve control. If you are not familiar with either. The position control allows you to precisely set the down distance on the 3 point. Whereas the 1/4" is a hit and miss!!!!

A blade will cut and scrape = good for snow, not so perfect for gravel! It is hard to control with the 1/4" control.

A rake will not gather as much material - thus more passes may be needed - but it will leave a better surface. It the track a gravel track or ????

I would say that your MMM should get anywhere from $1200 - $1800 depending on who wants it bad enough.

A dealer may trade you to a point depending on the condition of the MMM.

 

[racerjohnbf]

John

Welcome to the forum - where are you in VA? coast? I'm guessing southside?

Thanks for the quick reply! I'm near a little town called West Point. We might get enough snow to plow every few years so that's not top of my priority list right now.

I'm more used to position control like on the bigger tractors so that's why I figure the gauge wheels should help with keeping a nice smooth surface.

My little track is packed dirt, I hope to add some clay to it in a couple years. Mainly need to smooth it a keep the dirt pushed up the banking every so often.

My driveway is probably about 300' and stays in pretty good condition as its flat. I just need to groom it every so often to bring the gravel back up about the silt.

 

[85Hokie]

West point! I just had a man travel FROM west point to my house to buy a 42" box blade!!!

I think for what you are looking to do - the flexible fingers will work better than a stiff blade - just my 2 cents!

 

[racerjohnbf]

West point! I just had a man travel FROM west point to my house to buy a 42" box blade!!!

I think for what you are looking to do - the flexible fingers will work better than a stiff blade - just my 2 cents!

Small world huh!

Thanks for the advice, I'm leaning heavily to the rake now.

Now I just need to get the deck sold. Looking at the classifieds on here it looks like they don't sell all that easily.

 

[PaulL]

Have you also looked at box blades and land planes? They're more commonly used for a driveway (if you don't need to do snow). Not so sure on the RC track, you may want a more packed finish there, so I presume you're mostly just trying to get leaves/sticks off it? Or does it get chewed up a bit? If mostly leaves/sticks, perhaps a leaf blower is a better tool?

 

[jimh406]

I use a Grader/Scraper primarily for my gravel driveway. However, I also have a rear blade. The big advantage of the rear blade is that it can also make a ditch, or clean out a ditch. The rake can clean out a ditch to some extent and also lightly refresh the gravel surface.

You also can buy a Land Pride rear blade and buy a landscape rake attachment for it. That might be the best option. Also, make sure you get it wide enough. When you angle the blade, you lose width.

 

[racerjohnbf]

Have you also looked at box blades and land planes? They're more commonly used for a driveway (if you don't need to do snow). Not so sure on the RC track, you may want a more packed finish there, so I presume you're mostly just trying to get leaves/sticks off it? Or does it get chewed up a bit? If mostly leaves/sticks, perhaps a leaf blower is a better tool?

I use a Grader/Scraper primarily for my gravel driveway. However, I also have a rear blade. The big advan
tage of the rear blade is that it can also make a ditch, or clean out a ditch. The rake can clean out a ditch to some extent and also lightly refresh the gravel surface.

You also can buy a Land Pride rear blade and buy a landscape rake attachment for it. That might be the best option. Also, make sure you get it wide enough. When you angle the blade, you lose width.

I had been looking at a land plane, but will only have enough money to buy one implement for now, so I would like to get something that can do most anything even if it's not the best at it. That is why I like the looks of the Land Pride rake with the drop down blade.

As far as the RC track is concerned, when we get heavy rains the silt tends go come to the top and then washes down the banking.

Will a rake move dirt at all like and angled blade? Or will the flip down blade accessory be necessity for that?

Also does anyone have any experience using the flip down blade on snow?