I just talked to a guy who told me he unloaded a Hitachi 50U because it didn't have a blade float on it. My backhoe has a blade float, but my excavator 20 years newer doesn't. But.. I'd never considered actually needing one. That doesn't quite make sense to me, but a feature like that would be a selling point I guess. So... are blade float options common or not on minis?
It is model by model. The JD's don't have it, the Cat 303.5 did. I don't need it and it annoys me when I think I have set the blade for some heavy digging and it floats up as I get with it.
Bobcat has a button on the lever for float. I don't use it much, blade is too light to do much good anyway. A decent dozer operator isn't supposed to back-drag anyway.....
okay, makes sense as to why both the Hitachi and JD didn't have it. thanks!
My Cat 305c has float, but as Shimmy said, it's basically useless.
The current generation Yanmars have float, my understanding is the previous didn't. My Kubota excavators for the last 12 years have had it. My Yanmar SV100-7 has blade float, which I use on occasion. Regardless of the float function, the blade is still stout enough to hold the weight of the machine without collapsing. My Kubotas would work relief/the blade would collapse under heavy loads.
interesting about the Kubota doing that. My Dad has a 8k kubota - I don't recall it's number, no float on the blade, but it has zero problem doing what you are showing. Dad chains to a tree with a couple slip yokes and lift is up on the blade so he can get under there for whatever reason. my JD, I've never tried it, but then, to work on the underside, I just lift up one end with the blade, the other end with the boom and I can free spin the tracks, unbolt the underside panel easier, etc. I typically block everything unless I'm just washing it.