I'm going to order a Kubota U55 soon and was wondering if an angle blade is worth an extra $2500 over a straight blade? The excavator will only be for personal use on my 10 acre lot doing stuff like pulling stumps and maybe making a trail around the perimeter of my heavily wooded property.
What are you going to use the blade for? Putting the trail in around the property? Those blades are usually used for back filling your ditch and to stabilize the excavator while digging. If you are going to use the excavator as a part time bulldozer, you might be buying the wrong piece of equipment. I'd think a small dozer would work better for you.
In my opinion, yes it is. I have a KX057-4 with an angle blade... 5 years from now will you miss the $2500? My thought is you won't if you're buying that machine for personal use. Buy once, cry once.
Right now, the main thing the blade will be used for is to fill in all the holes from digging out stumps but who knows what projects might come up in the future. Yeah, I'll probably regret not getting the angle option. Has anyone used the ripper that Kubota makes for the U55 and KX057? I would think it would be useful for cutting roots for stump removal.
I have a ripper for my KX161, makes stump removal way easier, plus you can get after some larger stumps as well that would take longer with just the bucket....ymmv
I have a straight blade on my Kubota and it works great but I would love to have had an angle blade. Really handy on odd slopes and for easy of backfilling. If I could have got the angle blade I would have.
Here's my ripper. I don't use it all that much, but it's handy!
That's a good video. Thanks for the link. Where did you get that ripper from?
That video is what I have been using my ripper for. A must have. If you are buying a Swiss army knife would you want the dealer to not include the screwdriver or can opener? I have a angle blade and would have purchased the 6-way if it was available on my U-35.
Yeah, it would be nice to get every option but I have to be satisfied with just the angle blade. The 6 way would cost even more. This puts a big enough dent in my checking account. LOL Hey Lumberjack, I've seen several of your nice videos and was wondering how much difference the change was going from a KX121 to a KX057? I think you were using a KX121 before?
Oh, and if the U55 has a diverter valve on hydraulic circuit #1 so you can switch to another hydraulic attachment from the thumb, why would you need the optional 2nd circuit?
Two circuits are handy when using a rotating grab, so you can grip and rotate at the same time. Or if you fit a tilt rotator. Graham
I also have a KX-057 with an angle blade. I wouldn't be as productive without it, no doubt.
It's from Kubota. Do they offer the six way blade on anything other than the KX040? I would love to have the 6 way blade on my 057... I had one on my KX121. The 057 is far more capable than the 121. I bought the 057 instead of the 080 because the 080 couldn't spin the house inside my (former) dump trailer and I needed that ability. Get the second circuit... if not for you, for the resale. Running a grapple or in my case a grapple saw is much nicer with dual remotes.... it's one of those things that if you have it and never need it, that's far better than needing/wanting it and not having it.
Thanks guys for all the great info. It looks like there is no 6 way blade option for the KX057 and U55. Thankfully. LOL I think I'll take your advice and get the second remote. Better to have it just in case. Maybe one of these days, I'll get a grapple. Looks like excavator grapples are pretty handy just like on tractors.