Sharp Grade came and installed their system on my 450B at the end of this last week. I had a flat pad to finish a couple miles from me which worked good for testing it out on and learning how to run it.
It took longer than they said to get it installed, the purchase agreement we both agreed to said installed by June 1. They finished it on the 11th. Wasn't happy with that, giving them 6 months to get here was plenty of time to achieve the install. At any rate, the system works, grade on the pad which was built of 3/4" road base had, after compaction, within .25 accuracy over a pad that was 170' X 40'. Running the system, once you get the hang of it was pretty simple. I had a much more antiquated system for years, so the general idea I was familiar with, but this is much improved over what I had. A lot of thought went into the system, that is clear. Still have a lot to learn about the laser that I got with the system and the system itself.
The construction of the box is very heavy, a lot steel goes into it. Comparing the build quality of this to say Level Best is almost laughable. The box at 7' wide doesn't flex or give even when side loading the box with material. It is evident that this heavy duty version was built for HD use by the latest large frame/high powered CTL's.
The instruction was good, the installer clearly understands the system and nuances of running the machine. The installation itself seemed go alright. He blew a 60 amp fuse on the machine, but paid for a new one. Overall I was happy with the install, just felt it should have been on time.
At this point, I feel I got the right attachment. The system has attachments that can go along with it, string reader for reading string line, rock rake, scarifiers and you can add on extensions to extend the width of the blade. Time will tell, service after the sale is important, and I trust it will be there if I need it. So far though, I am, overall, happy with it.
It took longer than they said to get it installed, the purchase agreement we both agreed to said installed by June 1. They finished it on the 11th. Wasn't happy with that, giving them 6 months to get here was plenty of time to achieve the install. At any rate, the system works, grade on the pad which was built of 3/4" road base had, after compaction, within .25 accuracy over a pad that was 170' X 40'. Running the system, once you get the hang of it was pretty simple. I had a much more antiquated system for years, so the general idea I was familiar with, but this is much improved over what I had. A lot of thought went into the system, that is clear. Still have a lot to learn about the laser that I got with the system and the system itself.
The construction of the box is very heavy, a lot steel goes into it. Comparing the build quality of this to say Level Best is almost laughable. The box at 7' wide doesn't flex or give even when side loading the box with material. It is evident that this heavy duty version was built for HD use by the latest large frame/high powered CTL's.
The instruction was good, the installer clearly understands the system and nuances of running the machine. The installation itself seemed go alright. He blew a 60 amp fuse on the machine, but paid for a new one. Overall I was happy with the install, just felt it should have been on time.
At this point, I feel I got the right attachment. The system has attachments that can go along with it, string reader for reading string line, rock rake, scarifiers and you can add on extensions to extend the width of the blade. Time will tell, service after the sale is important, and I trust it will be there if I need it. So far though, I am, overall, happy with it.
