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

   / Box Blade VS. rear angle blade VS. FEL for dirt driveway #61  
MtnViewRanch said:
Rob, I still have it.:( :) Did you want it painted to match that bumble bee black and yellow, or is the std implement yellow OK?:D Are you planning to make road maintenance Loretta's job?
Well, I wish she COULD grade the road but I'm afraid I'd be fixin it more than I am now.:D At least that HD grader would do a good job of keeping it smooth. I know she wants something like your grader or maybe even a box blade for whatever she's gonna do with it?:)
She's got some garden work and other dirt moving things she wants to do, so maybe the grader might be too specific for her needs? I've still got my eye on that big one, but I know it's big bucks too.
Thanks for sending me the PM with all that information Brian.
 
   / Box Blade VS. rear angle blade VS. FEL for dirt driveway #62  
I added gauge wheels, rippers and end plates for my RB. All add-on's are removable and can be used in various combinations. A pseudo BB that can rip, angle blade and grade at the same time. I posted my build here:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/116235-r-blade-upgrade-x4.html
and was really surprised to not get a single comment from this delightfully opinionated crowd.

Unfortunately my big driveway grading spring project (why I built the contraption in the first) got preempted for a call back to work so it's still freshly painted and untried. I'm semi-off again but now trying to catch up on overdue underground irrigation work...the grading put off till next spring.
 
   / Box Blade VS. rear angle blade VS. FEL for dirt driveway #63  
   / Box Blade VS. rear angle blade VS. FEL for dirt driveway #64  
Me too...I must have completely missed it!
It is a nice project indeed. A very handy all in one implement.
 
   / Box Blade VS. rear angle blade VS. FEL for dirt driveway #65  
Here ya go. Mine is considered a 7 footer. Actual width is 89". 24" sides. 84" long. Two blades extend 1" below sides at about a 20-25 degree angle side-side. Weighs in around 1400-1500lbs. I pull it with my 75 horse 7520 Mahindra that weighs just under 14000lbs with the loader and road scraper. A couple of reasons that it works better than a box blade is that it has 2 blades on an angle, long sides to help keep the blades from moving up and down as much as a 2' box blade will. The angled blades work great for removing wash boarding. This thing is like pulling a 7' square down the road, instead of a 7' x 2' rectangle. Shear size helps smooth better.

I currently have a 5' and 7' for sale.

What is this called? I saw my first one on saturday. My neighbor's kin folk came over and blade my 800 driveway with one of these behind a big Kubota M tractor. Wow this thing was great! Very hard packed gravel I had with big holes, thought I was going to have to get more gravel, but now its smooth. No crown, but then I'ver really never had a crown.

I want one of these but my B2710 wouldn't pull it. I wonder if they make a smaller one for compact tractors?

Oops dog and laptop in lap - hard to type
 
   / Box Blade VS. rear angle blade VS. FEL for dirt driveway #66  
What is this called? I saw my first one on saturday. My neighbor's kin folk came over and blade my 800 driveway with one of these behind a big Kubota M tractor. Wow this thing was great! Very hard packed gravel I had with big holes, thought I was going to have to get more gravel, but now its smooth. No crown, but then I'ver really never had a crown.

I want one of these but my B2710 wouldn't pull it. I wonder if they make a smaller one for compact tractors?

Oops dog and laptop in lap - hard to type

Several names for them, grader blades, road grader blades, land planes.

There are several manufacturers of them, here are a few links that I recommend. I know that you have a smaller tractor, but weight is your friend with these types of graders, so try to get the heaviest that your tractor will handle without getting one that is too big for you.

Road Boss Grader - Road and Landscape Grading, Surfacing and Leveling, and Material Spreading and Reclamation

GradeMaster Grader Blades

Land Pride Grading Scrapers

There are many others also, if you search some you will find more. The price can vary quite a bit, so you might need to watch that also. ;)
 
   / Box Blade VS. rear angle blade VS. FEL for dirt driveway #67  
I have a 6 foot Land Pride grader/scraper that I pull behind my MX5100. Works great! Add A sheet of plywood on top and use it also as a carry-all.
 
   / Box Blade VS. rear angle blade VS. FEL for dirt driveway #68  
I have an 8' Land Pride Grading Scraper (GS2596) for my driveway -- which is 800' long. The scraper is the best! It works so good that I (almost) feel guilty spending the money on it because it only takes one up and one down the drive to make it look nice. I do this every few months or so. I spend as much time getting it out and hooking it up as I do using to fix the driveway.
 
   / Box Blade VS. rear angle blade VS. FEL for dirt driveway #69  
I am sure that a machine that is made just for roads but at what price. A good box blade and a drag of some sort can be had for under $1000. It would do a great job. It might take a little longer, but not that much. It would also be handy for a lot of different things.

As to the earlier statement that you can't put a crown in with a box blade. It's not true. Drop or raise your adjustment on your lower 3 point arm. Run down each side of the drive with the high side in the middle. Your crown will be formed.
 
   / Box Blade VS. rear angle blade VS. FEL for dirt driveway #70  
I am sure that a machine that is made just for roads but at what price. A good box blade and a drag of some sort can be had for under $1000. It would do a great job. It might take a little longer, but not that much. It would also be handy for a lot of different things.

As to the earlier statement that you can't put a crown in with a box blade. It's not true. Drop or raise your adjustment on your lower 3 point arm. Run down each side of the drive with the high side in the middle. Your crown will be formed.
I am in agreement with what you said.
Perhaps some of you may have seen the many threads and photos of my road maintenance, road and trail building over the years. Even using the box blade to cut gutters and make building pads. The box blade is a super versatile implement. It can easily be mastered by investing some hours of use into it, IMHO.
 
 
 
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