# Boss LDR 16 vs Avalanche LDAT 500



## greggara (Nov 22, 2007)

Haven't seen either in person. Just sold Protech IST due to issues cleaning uneven parking lot. Looking for floating hitch and shoes while not breaking the bank. Any insight would be appreciated.


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## greggara (Nov 22, 2007)

I just realized the BOSS LDR 16 model is new for this year. Am I at least comparing apples to apples here?


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## Masssnowfighter (Sep 22, 2012)

I don't have any experience with the avalanche, but I do have a couple of boss bx12's and several Arctic LD"s and HD's. In my opinion for performance with scraping and doing minimal damage to objects in the lot the arctic can not be beat. But for cost and durability the boss is the winner there. I have 3 seasons on mine and the skid shoes and cutting edges still look brand new, the only maintenance I ever had to do was pump a little grease into the slip hitch to keep it moving smoothly. The Arctic's on the other hand I feel like I am constantly replacing blocks on them.


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## greggara (Nov 22, 2007)

Thanks for the reply. Thinking I might give the Boss a shot.


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## PALS Landscapin (Dec 3, 2011)

I also just called about the Boss 16. I have a 12 ft boss and love it and it dont hurt the bank. Greggara what are you going to push yours with.


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## Neige (Jan 29, 2008)

Chappell Tractor has the new Metal Pless LiveBoxx in stock. May be worthwhile to check them out.


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## PALS Landscapin (Dec 3, 2011)

Whats the price of the Metal Pless I know there expensive.


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## Neige (Jan 29, 2008)

PALS Landscapin;1860249 said:


> Whats the price of the Metal Pless I know there expensive.


A 16 foot LiveBoxx at Chappell Tractor sells for $13,200.00. The OP said he just sold his IST because it does clean uneven pavement well enough.
The Boss LDR model will improve slightly the issues that he had with the IST because the wings will float and follow the surface. With the Metal Pless LiveBoxx with its wings that have self levelling skid shoes, then add the lateral floating of the blade and slip hitch along with the individual 2 foot cutting edges that float up and down and you have solved the OP's issue.
Yes the Metal Pless is way more expensive, but you are getting the best clean in one pass. Saving you time and saving you salt, now whats that worth.


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## PALS Landscapin (Dec 3, 2011)

Whats that worth that pusher is double of a Boss. My 12ft works great and for double the price I will stick with a boss. I seen video's of the Liveboxx and correct me if im wrong but they don't scrap to bare blacktop either. To me its worth saving $8000 and doing and extra scrap but thats my opinion.


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## Neige (Jan 29, 2008)

PALS Landscapin;1861030 said:


> Whats that worth that pusher is double of a Boss. My 12ft works great and for double the price I will stick with a boss. I seen video's of the Liveboxx and correct me if im wrong but they don't scrap to bare blacktop either. To me its worth saving $8000 and doing and extra scrap but thats my opinion.


Thats fine, the Boss and LiveBoxx are two very different plows. As for getting it down to bare pavement, hands down you will come away a winner with the LiveBoxx everytime. I will post two videos, and tell you dont see bare pavement most of the time.


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## PALS Landscapin (Dec 3, 2011)

Ok im not gonna start a pissing match with you. What happened in the video of the Liveboxx stacking snow. I assume that lot was plowed with the same box. Just saying I have no problem spending money on equipment but when the price range is that much more I do. I love the Kage box pushers to but after last year I seen them first hand and wasn't impressed at all. I have to say my small 244j with a Blizzard 8611pp plow made that Kage look pretty bad. But like I said I like the MetalPless but just dont think they are worth the money.


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## Neige (Jan 29, 2008)

PALS Landscapin;1861070 said:


> Ok im not gonna start a pissing match with you. What happened in the video of the Liveboxx stacking snow. I assume that lot was plowed with the same box. Just saying I have no problem spending money on equipment but when the price range is that much more I do. I love the Kage box pushers to but after last year I seen them first hand and wasn't impressed at all. I have to say my small 244j with a Blizzard 8611pp plow made that Kage look pretty bad. But like I said I like the MetalPless but just dont think they are worth the money.


I appreciate your comments, and I hope maybe sometime to be able to get you a Liveboxx to demo for a few storms no strings attached. I think this is the video you are referring to and yes the lot was plowed with the LiveBoxx, keep in mind its a gravel lot.


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## John_DeereGreen (Jan 2, 2011)

Neige;1861108 said:


> I appreciate your comments, and I hope maybe sometime to be able to get you a Liveboxx to demo for a few storms no strings attached.


Paul, you have a PM incoming.


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## greggara (Nov 22, 2007)

PALS Landscapin;1860110 said:


> I also just called about the Boss 16. I have a 12 ft boss and love it and it dont hurt the bank. Greggara what are you going to push yours with.


Komatsu 450.


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## John_DeereGreen (Jan 2, 2011)

greggara;1861300 said:


> Komatsu 450.


You sure will have enough machine! I'd be scared to put that box on a machine that big


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## PALS Landscapin (Dec 3, 2011)

Just bought two of the Boss 16ft pushers and a 10 ft Boss. Gonna push the 16ft with a Cat loader and the 10ft with either my 333 deere skid steer or my 244j Deere.


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## greggara (Nov 22, 2007)

John_DeereGreen;1861325 said:


> You sure will have enough machine! I'd be scared to put that box on a machine that big


I felt the same way so I called Boss and they told me to watch the video.They have a CAT 966 pushing the 16 which is approx. the same weight as the Komatsu 450.

I had an Avalanche 18 ldat 500 paid for in full on order but to make a long story short cancelled that and purchased the Boss locally. Should have it delivered next week.

Per Avalanches and Boss's website, the 16 Boss weighs more than the 18 Avalanche. Im fairly confident that the boss will hold up from the reviews online. Only time will tell and I will be sure to report after the first substantial snowfall.


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## greggara (Nov 22, 2007)

PALS Landscapin;1861504 said:


> Just bought two of the Boss 16ft pushers and a 10 ft Boss. Gonna push the 16ft with a Cat loader and the 10ft with either my 333 deere skid steer or my 244j Deere.


What size Cat?


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## PALS Landscapin (Dec 3, 2011)

924k or 544j im pushing the 16's with.


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## dwmaster (Jan 21, 2005)

greggara;1832273 said:


> Haven't seen either in person. Just sold Protech IST due to issues cleaning uneven parking lot. Looking for floating hitch and shoes while not breaking the bank. Any insight would be appreciated.


I assume you have had a chance to use the LDR? What do you think? I have a 14LDR on my 444J and used it today for about 10 hours, I don't think I could be happier. I did have to lock the axles up a few times to make the push but never had to back up. Lol. I would of liked to buy a 12LDR as that is plenty for a 444J pushing this wind blown North Dakota snow but of coarse there isn't one.


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## rob_cook2001 (Nov 15, 2008)

I have a 12ft backhoe box on my case 721c. It is a great box but way too small. Next year I will be putting it on a smaller loader and buying a 14ldr for my 721.


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## Ramairfreak98ss (Aug 17, 2005)

no snow to do a damn thing with this thing yet.... but

our 2013 524K with LDR14 boss push box... the setup is nice, it should be a beast when it snows heavy. It almost seems too big for the site, multiple lots in a 1.1m sq ft site. I'd easily take this to a larger site next season and leave smaller machines for this site and bring it in only in worst of storms or after for loading help.


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## Showmestaterida (Dec 28, 2006)

Seeing u use to use skids , first wheel loader ? Lease or buy?


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## snoworks1 (Jul 11, 2009)

Neige;1861052 said:


> Thats fine, the Boss and LiveBoxx are two very different plows. As for getting it down to bare pavement, hands down you will come away a winner with the LiveBoxx everytime. I will post two videos, and tell you dont see bare pavement most of the time.


Neige,

Cool videos. I would like to see the second lot with about 6" of snow next time!

Thanks,

CGB


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## Ramairfreak98ss (Aug 17, 2005)

Showmestaterida;1917745 said:


> Seeing u use to use skids , first wheel loader ? Lease or buy?


We still use all the skid steers, its a 2yr lease to buy at the end. Comes out to roughly the same as buying it all up front but lightens the payments somewhat. Was really looking more for a 2009-2011 model but seems hard to find without a ton of hours, this thing looked clean and brand new with 700hrs, was leased prior to a company doing a lot of nite time road construction work for about 5 months this past summer and looks it, even the bucket was rarely used. I assume they carried stuff around with it a lot and lots of idling driving and thats it.

I'd like to have the heated mirror option added eventually and undetermined on what LED light bar we'll get for it but looking at another mini whelen to mount on it and hook into the deere control button panel to power it on. Its a nice machine, will be good when there's a big storm that its needed though.


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## dwmaster (Jan 21, 2005)

I have used my 14LDR twice and am very pleased with it on my 444j. Scrapes nice.


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## ShaneysLawnCare (Oct 17, 2011)

Ramairfreak98ss;1917127 said:


> no snow to do a damn thing with this thing yet.... but
> 
> our 2013 524K with LDR14 boss push box... the setup is nice, it should be a beast when it snows heavy. It almost seems too big for the site, multiple lots in a 1.1m sq ft site. I'd easily take this to a larger site next season and leave smaller machines for this site and bring it in only in worst of storms or after for loading help.


So this is really old but how do you like your 14' on the 524 we have a 16 on our 524K but in the 14" deep heavy snow its kind of heavy. I'm thinking of getting a 624 and building quick hitches for everything like on our 324 and 12'


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## Ramairfreak98ss (Aug 17, 2005)

ShaneysLawnCare;2090690 said:


> So this is really old but how do you like your 14' on the 524 we have a 16 on our 524K but in the 14" deep heavy snow its kind of heavy. I'm thinking of getting a 624 and building quick hitches for everything like on our 324 and 12'


I do remember your photos of the 324 and skid adapters for your 12' backhoe box you had on it right?

Was a very good idea.

I do dislike "with any loader/box" setup, that the box is so entirely far away from the machine, then again it helps with weight bias since loaders are so back heavy empty, without a bucket on they can easily be 80/20% weight on the rear bias.

If i remember here, the 624k has the 9.0L engine? or the higher hp 6.8L like the 524k/544k, but is only about 4,000lbs heavier in weight, which is probably NOT noticeable with these size machines, i think the 524k with bucket is 28,000-29,000? It does spin when ice slick out pushing a "heavy/wet" load in the 14' box, of course i don't think it couldn't push a 16' box either. When the snow ISNT heavy, i'm sure it could run a 16-18' easily.. like they push in videos online when the snow is REALLY fluffy out west usually. I figure it this way, if you push often, and speed is your goal, go wide and push often, if you push once or twice total per storm, even in 1-2ft storms, then get the narrower width and heaviest weight machine. This all works backwards when its fluffy and really cold out though, you curse the whole time when the machine acts like its pushing nothing and needs a much wider box just to keep enough in, feels like you're wasting time because the box COULD be wider and speed things up.

Like i said, your idea on the 324 machine was great, except losing the weight of the bucket up front too, only maximizes traction loss earlier on the front axle. I don't know what the buckets weigh, but i think the 2.5-3yd buckets on the 524k+ are a solid 2400-2800lbs "guessing". Running a 624k with quick plate "if its custom or not" with NO bucket has the same weight as the 524k with 2.5 yard bucket "or very close", plus having the box closer to the front axle pushes the rear weight bias back to the rear axle again and not the front.

When the box is on the ground this obviously doesn't matter "the box weight" but the bucket is still technically resting/floating on the arms of the loader and adding weight for traction of the front axle.

Post some photos of your setup, i'd like to see what the 16' looks like on the machine.

You could consider, "i know buckets are expensive", running a smaller bucket or factory bucket attached to the box "with chains and binders" and then have a second purchased higher capacity bucket that you can use for loading/moving snow, and just attach/detach each bucket that way.

I stupidly leased a set of forks "GEM brand", assuming it would be easier on site for us to unload bagged calcium off a flat bed truck once or twice per season, and unknowingly, the dealer billed us $450 a month or something, i assumed the $450 was the season long lease rate, but instead, i got another 2nd bill for $450, come to find out, half way through december, no snow yet last year, that its $450 a month! Crazy, they said the forks were $5000 or something nuts. I was shocked. So i paid $900 to rent forks i never used once, and then had to go up to the site, load them up, and transport them 30 miles south to deliver them back to the dealer yard so i could turn them in and stop being billed a lease on them... well the machine is a lease, forks could have been on a rental rate. Sucks. I'll keep looking online for used ones, ive seen them for $1500-2000 easy, but not when i wanted to buy a set


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## Ramairfreak98ss (Aug 17, 2005)

Here are a few pictures from last year. We have had zero snow in NJ so far this season.. i don't mean pushing snow, we have not sent the trucks out to salt or deice or plow 1 time yet.


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## Ramairfreak98ss (Aug 17, 2005)

one more pic.


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## Showmestaterida (Dec 28, 2006)

Looks good . Curious what other pushers you have used in the past on these machines and how would you think the boss compares to them ? We are in the same boat, no salting or plowing here in missouri at all . Hopefully tomorrow .


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## ShaneysLawnCare (Oct 17, 2011)

Ramairfreak98ss;2091071 said:


> I do remember your photos of the 324 and skid adapters for your 12' backhoe box you had on it right?
> 
> Was a very good idea.
> 
> ...


When I get on site tonight I will take some pics and the nice thing about the quick a tach on the 324 it weighs 1203 lbs just for the counterweight reason the original version was too light and all i did was spin. And no photos due to bad accident December 7th that I'm still on the road to recovery from message for everyone please be safe and look both ways the gentleman I T boned at 55mph is OK I broke my sternum and bruised my heart and several other injuries that are just now showing up with side eff ects


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