I am considering ordering one for my CASE TR320. Skid Steer Solutions says that they make the electronics match up. I want the moldboard adjustments to be made with the switches on control handles. I would like to hear what the thoughts are on this attachment as far as how effective it is. http://www.bobcat.com/attachments/grader
There was a used one in the local dealers yard the other day. I asked the salesman about it and he said the guy purchased it to do site prep in a large industrial warehouse. He said the customer paid for it in that one use on saving of gravel vs concrete. He then put it up for sale after the job. Would have liked to talk with the customer. He did put it up for sale without the laser and recievers. Makes me wonder if he found he could use the lasers on one of his existing implements so he put the grader up for sale. I would like to see if the automatic adjusting laser would work with my Bobcat dozer blade. That would be awesome.
I have had one since they came up with the second generation. I use it without the laser controls to grade long gravel driveways. Works great and is fairly rugged. I have been using a Cat 268B to push it, but Monday Milton Cat will deliver a new 289D CTL. This should have better traction when pushing fresh gravel after I tailgate spread it in 14 yard loads with my 10 wheeler. There is a little hydraulic flex at the bucket curl cylinder, but with what I am doing, it is not a problem.
The new graders do look a lot better than the old one's by a long mile more sturdy. I looked at all the graders on the market before setting my grader up and didn't like what I seen in the old models I also worked out quick smart that the cost of the grader was nothing to the cost of the receivers and the controller but than also wiring in to control it off your hand piece is not cheap ive had my hydrapower ga2100 now for 6 or 7 years and is on its 3rd ctl. The first was a new holland l170 that was a waste of time and money putting it on that. Than I put it on a asv pt70 it went well. But when I put it on my deere 329D than I had something that was capable of fine work as you can see in ctl pics. When I set it up on all loaders I had it on manual as well as auto with manual able to over rider auto or have one side on auto and the other on manual with blade lift and slide on hand piece with circle on dash.
If there are any attachment OEM's out there let me offer a suggestion. No one in NA that I can find builds a high quality grader attachment that can plug and play into any skid steer or CTL. Site Pro builds a decent looking grader but they want to put a control box in the machine. I want all the control activity to come from the joysticks. I spoke with them and they are not interested in any kind of machine interface. Bobcat is the only OEM that builds a high quality grader attachment that controls off of the joysticks. The challenge is being able to work around the electronics to allow the grader to work off my CASE CTL. I am hoping that Skid Steer Solutions can solve that problem for me. Still no word on that. It would seem to me that since BC sells about a 1/3rd of all skid steers sold, that still leaves 66% that are not BC. That would seem to be a pretty big opportunity for someone to exploit.
Ok here's how I have my grader set up it's plug and play you might say and no matter what grader you get your doing some rewiring g it is how it is. My grader as all ctl graders made are electric over hyd yes even bobcat I had the hand peice switches changed as they did other things ran some more wires to the front of machine using a bigger deutsch plug to take the wires to the grader solenoids hey presto it works. Then to run on auto you need a controler on the grader (as the receivers need to go some where) not in the ctl but you need to use diodes to hook it up so you over ride the auto and my grader is after market and and interfaces extremely well to the point where the tolerance im get is 5mm ever side of 0
If you need to I can draw up a wiring diagram
I have been in contact with Skid Steer Solutions tonight. I think we got solved. I just need to confirm something with my CASE service manager and I think I am in business. As to the auto grade control, I have a box blade set using Apache Plus 5 receivers and an Apache control box. I think I could easily adapt this BC to use the same set up if I chose to auto control this attachment.
Has anyone tried the grader from QuickAttach ? Last time I talked to them they had harnesses to fit the major SSL's, but didn't have an Auto control just yet. They did say one was running in Auto out west - but didn't know who's controls though.
The grader from Quick Attach in my opinion just looks lame. I have several attachments from them, and I like them but the grader attachment is not going to be one of them.
Haven't seen it in person. What don't you like about it compared to their other tools ?
The grader attachment from QA is made to be used as a dozer blade alone or as a grader attachment with the wheels out front, that is a neat idea I guess. However the build quality is very light duty. http://www.quickattach.com/attachments/bladegraderleveler/
I bought the 96" BC grader after demoing it today. I am awaiting the kit to convert it to be used on my CASE. I was really impressed with the attachment during the demo.
I hope the grader is every thing you ask for in a grader attachment shane
I appreciate it, I hope it is as well.
Pictures??? Video?? lets see it at work.
Ask and ye shall receive: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kaiser-Skid-Steer-Services/151279458255392 These photos and videos were taken during the demo of the attachment.
The link just brought up my home page. :beatsme Tried searching for your company, but doesn't show your page. Thanks for trying.
Try scrolling down and looking....
Yea the link seems to work fine.
You have to be logged into Facebook before his page will be displayed.
Wonder if it is because I am from Canada. Doesn't seem to work. I went to your website and tried to follow the Facebook link there as well and it did the same thing. Brings me to my home page. I also noticed a number of your video's on your website were blacked out. Oh well, thanks for trying. I could see the pics on your website. Looks good.
Same thing exactly Happened to Me KSSS ….. I thought it was another internet server thing ….but its not …. It's really too bad to, because I had been following you on this to see the outcome ….. I used an older version of the grader you bought, but being that I have a Bcat there were no issues with plug'n play as you are working thru …… but the grader was awesome to use ….. for where i'm located (and our local economy) I couldn't justify the grader purchase at that time, but it is on the Back-Burner to get one …. Cheers and have fun !!!
It worked fine for me.
Not for me.
Lick on the link - login to your acct - then come back and click the link again. Should get you there. What joystick control(s) do you use for the grader functions ?
When I click on the link it automatically pulls up my facebook and I am already logged in. Still nada. Leave it to the wonderful world of facebook.
The attachment requires 4 aux switches to run. You need to control the moldboard side shift, mold board angle and the moldboard raise and lower. The raise and lower is independent to each side and so the 4 switches. Bobcat puts the right side height adjustments on the right control handle and same on the left hand control handle. I want to duplicate this setup as it is very intuitive. The issue is I have 3 aux switches that are open plus the roller switch that controls the flow and locks on. This will need to be engaged to keep flow to the attachment. There is another attachment on/off switch that I don't use for anything that I will replace with another aux. switch. So I think at this point I can make this work as intended. I am fortunate that I have as many aux. switches on my control handle as I do, although one more open switch would have been ideal, but I think I can still get where I want to be. It appears that our neighbors to the North must have some kind of FB block that prevents you guys from accessing FB in the States. As soon as I get this converted to run on my CASE CTL, I will post video to my website or to here directly. I am really looking forward to getting this up and running. I would have never guessed that the attachment could cut as well as it does. The 3K pounds of attachment and the weight of the CTL make a powerful grading tool.
I did not want to pay as much as they were asking for this attachment. The 13.5 with the end caps is steep in my view. I have been trying to find a compact motor grader and was unable to find what I wanted for what I was willing to pay. I have been subbing out a lot of parking lot work that we should be doing ourselves, but I could not be competitive without a blade. So I started researching these attachments, while expensive, they are a 15-20% the cost of a decent used compact motor grader. Hopefully they are at least 80% as productive, I think it will be at least close to that. Hands down, no one does attachment intergration like Bobcat does. The blade worked slick as ice on the T870. I just ordered some additional counter-weight for my TR320. After searching the market for an alternative, there is also no doubt that this latest version of this grader attachment is the best available, you just have to pay for it. I did find an 84" on CL in the Twin Cities for almost half the price of this one, near new condition. However the 84" only has a manual side shift, and is 1500 pounds lighter and 10" shorter. I considered it but decided that the heft and features of this one were worth the additional investment.
Does the Bobcat send continuous flow to the grader also? Four switches will be something for me to figure out on my Kubota, if I get one. I have two aux buttons on the left stick, the right has a proportional switch and a continuous flow for each direction.
When I was speaking to Skid Steer Solutions they said that the Kubota guys are forced to use an additional mounted control station due to only have two available switches. The BC requires continues flow as well.
KSSS, I am looking at hooking up a laser to my Bobcat T770. I want to use the integrated control system. Did you end up with a Bobcat grader? If so, how does the laser receivers interface with the machine. Is there control box built into the grader blade? Were do the cables from the receiver plug in, the grader or the machine? No one at my local dealer has ever seen a set up up close or know enough about the lasers to be able to tell me if I can attach poles and receivers to my machine. Maybe you can take some picks of the cable connections on the bobcat grader and how it connects. That would be awesome Thanks in advance for any help. Equip
I have bought the attachment and we are still working on the interface. However since you have a BC it is much easier for you. There are plug ins as I recall on both sides of the grader for laser readers. The rest is pretty much plug and play for you. I am told that with the BC you plug in the 7 pin connector to the machine and the switch to the grader attachment on the display on the machine and you are set. I ran the attachment on a T870 and it was really slick (at the BC dealer). I have the attachment at the CASE dealer right now so I cant take a picture of it right now.
Perhaps someone more familiar with newer BC machines can speak to what your T770 needs to be able to run the grader from in the machine. I am assuming that as long as you have the control screen in the BC (which may be standard, I am not sure) that should be all you need.
I don't have the grader, I have a bobcat dozer blade. I have the control screen, which is standard with a SJC model. I am thinking that if I get a mounting kit for the grader, laser, wiring harness, I would be able to hook it up and use the dozer blade just like the grader. But no one can answer me yet. No one knows how the wiring harness connects from the receivers to the machine. Whether it is through a special connection on the grader or through the 7 pin connector sometime. I am going to see the next time I am at bobcat if they can buy just the wiring harness and see if they have a picture of it on the parts break down. Equip
With the new machines, as with the old, if you have the electrical hookup that's all you need. I have as many functions on my stump grinder as a grader has and the electrical connection and machine software make the bridge to separate out my hydraulic functions since I'm only hooking up 3 hoses and an a electric connection and have the motor and two or three cylinders to power at the same time. My old BC grader worked the same way but it was a 2001 model on a 2001 model 773. Still, the electrical connection is plug and play and the machine will recognize it.
My 6-way dozer has two hyd hoses and one electrical connection. It works just fine when you plug in the electrics. I am just wondering where the wiring from the receivers will connect. Some how they have to connect to the machine. If you plug them into the machine direct, what do you do with the electrical connection of the dozer blade? I am hoping when I go into BC next week to be able to see a picture of the wiring harness to see if there is a connection for the implements electrics built into the wiring harness for the receivers. Just not sure and they don't understand what I am asking at BC. .
I think there will be some challenges with hooking up lasers to that blade beyond the simple electronics. The short footprint of the machine will make it challenging I think to doze effectively with the laser. Certainly not impossible but I would anticipate you will need to go rather slow so the machine can react quick enough to make the changes automatically. I would also guess you will need to spin your laser rather fast as well to keep the input coming in fast enough. The longer wheel base set ups like this grader and box blades like Level Best and Southern Precision, lend themselves much better for this application. There are commercially available setups that use this system like Dual Dozer http://dualdozer.com/ However even with this the wheelbase is longer and has wheels which will help make it more effective than a dozer blade itself. Just my opinion, likely worth half what you paid for it.
I bought a Bobcat box scraper at an auction.It had all the circuit board stuff on the back of the box.i put it on a Cat CTL i could have gotten a cable from Bobcat to go from 7 pin to 14 ,but the cost was like $300 dollars then still getting it wired over to the Cat plug was going to be a hassle.So i elimated the circuit board and tied my laser control box right into the electric solinoids of hydraulic on the box scraper.Simplfied things for me. Box scraper was kind of a joke because to contol grade the front wheel raise and lower.So if you are trying to cut more then loose material the wheels raise in the air trying to made the box dig in.The box doesn't like hard material. The only way to make it dig is if you actual could hook into your loader main cylinders arms to force the box down with the weight of the machine and the loader arms doing the grading instead of the wheel on a box scraper.So i just use a dozer to get it on grade and the box scraper to clean up the crumbs.
Thanks for the input. At any rate, I will have to purchase a laser sooner rather than later. I have a sight that I use, but I am often alone and it is pretty much impossible to do with only one person. Just might get a magnetic or clamp on receiver and mount it in the middle to get me close.
For now that sounds like a good plan.It well work better then you think.Anythings better then nothing.Get your laser and get moving.Good luck
Need your Help to Make Laser Kit. We have been plugging away trying to get the Bobcat Laser Grader system to work on all machines. We have a customer with the laser installed on his Caterpillar. It works externally from the machine using the Bobcat control box. Our goal is to integrate it into any machine so it will just work. We need your help as this customer needs his machine back. Does anyone have a set of BLR2 receivers and a dual slope laser that you would be willing to lend us or sell us for cheap? We need this so that we can continue to explore the issues and come up with a bullet proof system that will work. Have a look. It works, but could be better. If anyone can help me out, it will benefit all of us. Give me a call. Rob 360-303-6186
Bump on this thread - had also looked at these attachments this last year as I have a small roadbuilding project upcoming and do driveways as part of the normal routine. Have a Bobcat power rake that normally handles the driveway work, but have been seeing more with switchbacks, compound grades and integrated parking areas, power rake works but doesn't move material like a grader, takes a lot of time. I'd looked at an 84", then a 96" and decided the latter would be a better pick (pushing with my A300). Plan took a parking lot dent yesterday as I got a local call wanting to sell a nearly new 84" with the full laser setup for a very attractive price. I don't really have a ton of use for the laser, but do enough building pads that I suppose it might save some guesswork on material estimating and maybe some time. So I'm considering jumping in on the smaller, less expensive option to get my feet wet, and move to the larger one if needed and keep the towers/receivers. Based on your experience with the 96", would an 84" do to start and see, or should I just hold out for the 96"? Despite 1000 lbs. of weight difference, the 84" appears well built enough to handle smaller driveway and building pad use.
Considering your using it on a wheeled machine, it may be a better fit than would a larger one. I have put mine on my wheeled machine (Case SV300 with 14X17.5 tires) on occasion. It works fine for working in light 3/4 road base. It does not work as well cutting virgin soil, even with the big tires, you just cant keep traction when the blade gets full. Power is not an issue but hooking up is a problem. Ground conditions of course will play a part, but you will be more limited in what your able to do with it having a wheeled machine. Personally, I would not want anything smaller or less capable than the 96". I like having the hyd side shift. I am considering hanging some tractor weights off the front to help keep the front end down. I would not want one that weighed less. It all depends on what you want to do with it. If your moving gravel in light lifts the 84" would work or just know that you will have to take much smaller cuts in virgin soil in slippery or hard ground conditions. If your cutting in driveways, which the attachment is excellent at, having the wider blade and the ability to change the side shift from the cab is also important to me. If you are wanting to help justify adding a CTL, this attachment will help you do that.
Thanks much, this would not be used for cutting in roads or in virgin soil, have other tools for that. I was wondering about how much traction a guy would need, and whether the front end would stay down sufficient to keep a decent grade. Thinking that welding a mount plate for some suitcase weights might be an option, looks like the bigger units make that easier. If I were to be knocking down piles regular, the extra 10" of length on the 96" would be nice. CTL-wise, maybe someday if the right 90+ hp machine appeared on radar, but for now my A300 is sufficient for 80+% of what I do. If the venture for 4-season driveway maintenance flies, a Tier III CTL and 96" or 108" grader would likely be the more efficient duo.