Hello Everyone, I've been a lurker for a while, and I appreciate the feedback everyone gives, so I thought I would give it a shot. I just bought a used PC-50MR2, it's in surprisingly great shape for having 6K on the clock. Auction find...what can I say? I run a Bobcat 334D daily, and thought this would give me some more flexibility on home sites and septic work that I do. In any case, this came with a 4-way blade originally, but appears to have been damaged at some point and a solid bar put in its place. The hydraulic lines are still there, but there appears to be major warpage of the plate that pins the blade to the dozer (see pics). My question is - can this be repaired by your typical machinery shop or do I need find a replacement dozer blade assembly? It looks like the pin is mangled in there and when its up, there is SEVERE play, obviously. I know my local hydraulic shop can build a cylinder for it, so it's just a matter of seeing if this thing is reparable or not. Thanks for the support - I appreciate these forums and the help you all provide!
Almost anything is rebuildable, if you have enough time and money. It really amounts to what it will cost to rebuild vs replace. Find a good local welding shop and see what they think. Can they do it, how much will it cost? Call Komatsu and find out what a replacement assembly will cost, or try to find one in a junkyard. If it will cost you $8,000 to replace the assembly with new or used parts, and a welder will rebuild it for $2,000, there you have your options. Your blade looks pretty rough, it wouldn't be surprising if the rebuild cost is pretty close to replace, at least with used parts.
Welcome aboard! I personally would get the blade square to to the machine and weld it all in place, put a new cutting edge on the blade and if you were really feeling spunky have the face of the blade reskinned. You’ll end up saving lots of money doing it that way I believe. I have a very strong opinion that the angle blade is merely a gimmick that just adds more greaseable wear points and doesn’t really benefit the operator that much. I would always purchase a machine without one and put the money towards a bucket or a thumb.
Thanks guys for the advice! Well - one of the selling points for this older machine was it aleady had a thumb, quick coupler, and 3 buckets included. The enclosed cab was a plus too. The idea of putting the blade square and welding it in place may end up being the way I go...there aren't much in the way of used parts for these, so depending on the quote I get back from the dealership, it may be going that way... Thanks again! I appreciate it!