What's the best box blade?

[john_bud]

There is no real single "best" box blade. The soils you work, the contamination (roots, rocks and stuff), the levelness, etc all make it so there are many solutions. And price is a factor !

I have an L3410, same tractor as yours but with a couple more hp. I use a gannon low back industrial box blade with a manual lever to flip down the scar bar. (model H-120) Weight is about 900 pounds. It was made to order and they up'ed the end plates from 3/8 to 1/2. It is a good heavy box that can really grab some dirt.

That is about the max that our tractors can handle.


The roll over's are nice, but not used too much. Most industrial users (construction and landscaping) will opt for the hydr scar bar. But if you don't have hydraulics, the roll over is a good choice. I opted for the H120 for the greater weight and increased theoretical roubustness. (I doubt the L3410 could hurt either roll over or h-120)

Cammond also builds for orders and not for inventory. That's not a bad thing, it's a way to keep costs down. I've seen the cammond box's and they are real close to the Gannon Landscaper line that I have. Just a different tweak here and there. I'd have no reservations getting one of their boxes.

No matter what you get (roll over, manual scar bar or fixed bar) target weight in the 750-900# range if your tractor is 4wd. Down that to 500-750 if it is 2wd. You will also need filled tires (4wd) (and wheel weights if 2wd) for the extra traction to pull a big box. Also, target 5 1/2 ft so you can cover your wheels. 5' is just a tad narrow unless you have ag tires pulled all the way in.
jb

 

[MJPetersen]

I did not have access to dealers here so I made a box blade for my little yanmar. I know that I am very happy with the rollover design. I was working our parking area at church and it was very nice to drop the scarifiers and pull out a rock or two and and chew up a high spot and then drag it off with the scraper part. I had dug a hole for sand for cement and rotated the blade and pushed the hole full. I really am satisfied with it. I do not have hydraulics yet on the back nor a FEL so for me it is great.

Your tractor is much bigger than mine so the offerings of Woods may fit you well. Land pride also has a rollover.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/99596-rollover-scraper-minimum.html

Mike in Warsaw

 

[JRP]

Kbota,
The best is Gannon which is a woods product now. The second best is the Land Pride model that looks like a Gannon. They both are made with hydraulic or hand lever scarrrifiers. I know these are the best because I asked several box bladers that do landscape work and checked out their tractor. They all use the same setup. It addition to the Gannon box, they have top n tilt. Most use a Case or New Holland tractor because the connection between the lift arms and axle is very strong, much stronger than Kubota or most others. The tractor dealers in Houston that sell to landscapers said the same thing.

I have a Gannon and hydraulic top-link, but no tilt on an an M6800. It works great and is heavy enogh to work. Scarrifiers can rip asphalt. Someday I'll add the hydraulic tilt.

Now we have to get realistic, as most TBN readers can not spend $2500 on a scraper before the TnT. A used Gannon from ebay would be better than a new something else for the same price. If you want to spend less, one major specification is weight. More is better. You could also add some steel pins to the top and stack railroad rail on them. One cheap box I occasionally use has a concrete parking lot stop across the top. The heavy box also makes a good counterweight for FEL work.

The hydraulic top link is very useful. If you don't have one already, add that to your budget as it helps with all attachments.

Hope this helps.
.

 

[Chris2]

If it were me I would buy two, a rollover and one with hydraulic teeth, keep the rollover at home and leave the hydro at oh maybe your sons house for safe keeping that way if you damage the rollover you have a back-up.

 

[N80]

kbota, what type of jobs will you be doing with your tractor? I think that and budget should be the deciding factors. I have a 45hp tractor and fairly heavy duty needs in terms of a BB. Got lots of rocks, roots, hard and sometimes sticky clay, etc. But I did not have a heavy duty budget. I was ready to get a King Kutter or something along those lines but was not impressed with the build. I felt like I needed something a little tougher, but I was just guessing at the time.

In any case I found a new Bush Hog SBX 720 that had been sitting out on the lot of a local dealer for a long time. Never been used but well weathered. He gave it to me for a good price. It is Bush Hog's 'standard duty' 6' BB. It is comparable in build and specs to the Woods and Land Pride standard and light duty boxes. It is a good bit beefier than the KK or Howse.

I've had it for over a year now and have done some serious heavy duty work and have not damaged it in any way. It has performed well in a variety of tasks. The only thing I'd do different is to get a hydraulic top link...which I still intend to do. It would significantly (totally) decrease off-tractor time adjusting a manual top link.

All that is just to say, get an idea what you need and shop around for bargains.

 

[kbota]

If it were me I would buy two, a rollover and one with hydraulic teeth, keep the rollover at home and leave the hydro at oh maybe your sons house for safe keeping that way if you damage the rollover you have a back-up.

Keep dreaming kiddo ! IF I get the rollover, I'll consider letting you draw up a set of plans from it, and you can build one after you get jealous and want one of your own.

heh heh......Chris2 is my favorite Son ya'll. Although you should see his big four wheeler. I still think we should do DNA. It's hard for me to believe that my offspring would pay $7000 for a toy, and then go run it off in the first big mudhole he finds........oiy vey !