Front-End Loader Box Blade VS. rear angle blade VS. FEL for dirt driveway

[Charlesaf3]

Hey, I've found this really informative. Prices would be nice, cause I'm lazy, but I can look those up (though the road boss guy still hasn't responded to my email).

Expensive though, I think I see a roll over box blade and a road boss or some such in my future..

This is really an expensive website to read. You people keep on coming up with things I've never heard of which seem like necessities as soon as I hear of them!

 

[Slippy]

I had the 6' Gannon roll over box blade shipped to me from Cal to Ohio with a cost of about 2k. Blades are easy, check TSC or other places, they are a dime a dozen. Can't say about the grader, never priced one either.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I had the 6' Gannon roll over box blade shipped to me from Cal to Ohio with a cost of about 2k. Blades are easy, check TSC or other places, they are a dime a dozen. Can't say about the grader, never priced one either.

A good heavy rear blade with 3 hydraulics is well over $3000. I have not brought this up before because this type of blade is not for a small tractor. The dime a dozen are intended for the smaller light weight tractors. I have seen some knock-off grader blades that would work for the smaller tractors for around $500. I will try to find that info.

 

[srjones]

For my 1000'+ driveway my #1 tool is a 5' Woods boxblade with gauge wheels (for leveling and shaping). #2 tool is a 6' KK landscape rake for for touchups after heavy rains and to blend in the leaves and fir needles. Last on my list (tool #3) is a 5' woods Cat0 RearBlade that has one use: Clearing snow.

I'm not sure about how much snow you get, but a RB would be better for snow, and certainly better than a FEL for the driveway. You can even add a gauge wheel (or wheels) for a better grading effect.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Back blade with gauge wheels. The gauge wheels are almost a necessity for a really proper job.

I have a conventional angle blade without gauge wheels - it is not very useful on my driveway, I often make things worse. It would work fine if the driveway was perfectly flat to start with, but what would you be doing if it were perfectly flat? If you go with the blade, spend the extra $$ to get gauge wheels.

From all I read a landscape rake works great. I don't have one, but it's high on my shopping list.

While I don't own a box blade, a local crew did run one on my driveway last year after we gave them 120 yds of free rocks. It was moderately useful, removed potholes and leveled it off, but didn't leave any real crown. I would imagine you need to run it every 1-2 months at least if that's your approach. I would prefer something that leaves a crown. (of course a BB with top n'tilt could do that - just more $$$ to spend.)

 

[srjones]

If you go with the blade, spend the extra $$ to get gauge wheels.

Or make build your own and save $$$

(of course a BB with top n'tilt could do that - just more $$$ to spend.)

Don't forget you can manually adjust the tilt on your 3PH so that one arm is higher (or lower) than the other. Just remember to stay on the correct side of the road when grading.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

The better it works and the easier it works, the more money it costs. I have never seen anybody that bought a $350 implement and have it work like a high dollar one. You usually get what you pay for when it comes to attachments and implements. Yes I know that you don't need the high $$$$ things for the smaller tractors, but you also don't have all the conveniences that the bigger tractors have available either. that's not to say that the smaller machines can't have all the goodies, just not from the factory.

 

[srjones]

Don't get me wrong. I'd love to have a hydraulic TNT (and someday I will) But for now, it's the manual type for me

 

[schmism]

for those of you in the box blade camp.

Does the county road dept maintain there roads with a earth moving scraper?

or with a (angle) road grader?


when it came to road/driveway maintance, you couldnt give me a box blade to use over my RB3572 rear blade. Makeing crown, pulling loose material from the edge back to the center, cutting ditches.

Shure some of that can be down with a box blade, but youll have a h3ll of a time pulling loose material from the edge back to the center with a box.

In the winter its much more effective at moving snow than a box blade is.

The grade master blades my be great for smoothing a road. but suffers all the same draw backs that a box blade do.

 

[PILOON]

Hi all!
I've been grading 3 1000 ft drives for quite a few years now using a plain simple back 6ft blade on a 20 hp tractor.

I crown by adjusting the 3 pt arms and pulling the gravel from the sides towards the center, sure I need to play with the 3 pt a bit but find that by adjusting the heigth with the upper screw so limit the digging I can do a fairly decent leveling job.

Then to do a real nice finishing job I reverse the blade and drive a bit faster thereby kinda 'skimming' the surface for a real finish.

The only thing I have been planning for some time is to add a pair of guage wheels so that I can save a couple of runs and numerous 3-point up and down adjustements.

When the drive is real rutty (after spring thaw) I find that reversing the blade and backing up makes for a terrific leveling job--mainly because in reverse the wheels are running on a flat surface thus preventing the blade from digging and making 'woopie doos'
In fact I have spread 16 ton loads of gravel over a long distance to a thickness of about 3-4", crowned and as smoothe as if paved with a mere el cheepo back blade.

Generally I average about 1 hour's seat time per truck load.
Once done I then pray for rain to finish the compaction before cars churn it up.