Boxblade & TNT

   / Boxblade & TNT #1  

IndianaPaul

Silver Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2001
Messages
179
Location
Southwest Indiana north of Evansville
Tractor
NH TC45D
Have read through the posts on Boxblades and TNT and find myself still looking for advice/thoughts on the matter. I run a NH TC45D, no TNT. Find myself looking for a good boxblade, preferably 6-7' scarifers/blades. Will be used for driveway maintenance and levelling out about 14 acres of former livestock pasture (lots and lots of low spots, fairly level to begin with though) and any other projects which may arise.

My questions:

1) Am I right in thinking more weight is good when it comes to boxblades? I've looked at Wallace (at least I think that is who makes them for Rural King) and they seem a bit on the light side, also have looked at KingKutter at TSC and they seem a bit light of weight as well, though heavier than the ones at Rural Kings. Will also be looking at BH and LandPride in next couple of weeks. Am I missing any others I should consider?

Any other suggestions? Good or bad experiences with the brands?

2) I did not get TNT when I purchased my NH, am leaning towards having it installed next time I take unit in (probably this fall). If I don't go with TNT, does make it much harder to use the boxblade effectively?

3) Is a 7' boxblade too much for the TC45? Width with tires dished in is a smidge over 61", so a 6' blade would work as well.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

IndianaPaul
 
   / Boxblade & TNT #2  
At risk of sounding stupid: What is TNT (other than an explosive)?
 
   / Boxblade & TNT #3  
Here's a thread that will explain what TnT is and how it works.<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=custom&Number=65491&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1>Why is Hydraulic Tilt Useful?</A> It basically lets you not only move the implement up and down on the 3 pt, but also tip it forward or back or put an angle on it so one side digs in more than the other.
 
   / Boxblade & TNT #4  
Paul, you're right that those blades are a bit lightweight. They'll do the job fairly well, but a heavier one (Monroe Tufline being my personal favorite) will do better. And you can certainly use it without TNT, as has been done by most of us for years, but if you ever get the TNT, you'll never be without it again./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Sure does speed up the job and cut down on the physical work.
 
   / Boxblade & TNT #5  
I use a Gannon HD-315LR which I have owned for many years. It is 76" wide x 24" tall back. Hydraulic teeth. This is a fairly heavy blade which I like. Works real well if your tractor has draft control. With draft control, you can regulate your weight of the blade on the ground.
Have not had experience with others, so can't compare. I also use this blade for counter balance when running fel on tractors which don't have water in tires.
 
   / Boxblade & TNT #6  
Yup, get a heavy one. How heavy? Well that is a good question. Here's my experience: I have the little JD 4100 20 hp 1600 lbs tractor. It is 4 feet wide. When adding a loader (another 800 pounds) JD recommends about 750 pounds of ballast on back. I thought "no I dont want 800 pounds of useless ballast, I will add a heavy blade instead." But since it is used as ballast and almost always on there, and my tractor is only 20 hp, I bought a 48" box blade from Tractor supply (king kutter). It weighed 350. I added another 350 in the form of a big slab of scrap steel from the salvage yard (40 bucks). It performs the ballast job perfectly. If i can lift something, the rear end stays down. As far as a box blade, it has NO TROUBLE sinking directly into the ground and begins digging-in real quick, then must be carried slightly to keep from stopping the tractor. Carrying it a little adds some of the weight back to the rear wheels so it all works out great. This past two weeks I grubbed out four Spruce tree roots, and scraped up about 40 yards of dirt from a new pole shed site. I do have a hyd top link, very handy for fine control, and especially good for leveraging out the tree roots. Wish I could add tilt but there's not enuf room for it. Good luck.
 
   / Boxblade & TNT
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Thanks for the information and the link (Golfgar4). Am leaning pretty seriously towards having the hydraulic toplink installed during next dealer service. Luckily, have found a guy that has both hydra toplink and sidelinks that has offered to let me play on his a bit to see what I think.

Will be going with one of the heavier brand of boxblades, just need to narrow down to which one I want.

Any thoughts on me going with a 7' versus 6'? Am leaning towards 7 as there may be times I want to get close to something and seems the extra width would make it easier (though 6') clears rears as well, just tougher to see. Anyone think the 7' would be too much for my TC45D?

Again, thanks!

IndianaPaul
 
   / Boxblade & TNT #8  
<font color=blue>Anyone think the 7' would be too much for my TC45D?</font color=blue>

I use a 6 ft with my TC33D and it's a good match (I have loaded R4 rear tires). I would think a 7 footer would be a good match for your 45D. What kind of tires do you have? Are they loaded or weighted (no rear ballast may be a problem with traction)? Remember, once the box blade is digging in, it's no longer providing rear ballast.

John Mc
 
   / Boxblade & TNT #9  
I think that the 7' is perhaps pushing the limits of the TC45, but it really depends on the type of rock and soil conditions in which you will be using it. It also depends on whether your tractor has 4WD and what tires you have on it. If it is a 4WD with AG tires, I would not hesitate to go for the 7' blade, but otherwise I would be more inclined to go with the 6' blade. BTW I have a Monroe-Tuffline and I have had no problems with it yet.

Just to give you a little 411 on the size issue, I have a 75HP 4WD tractor with 18.4 X 30 ag tires, and I can just about bring my tractor to a dead stop if I dig my 8' box blade into some dry clay. I guess it all depends on what your conditions are like, but I think that when you are pushing the limits of your HP / Traction conditions, you really have to rely on Mother Nature to give you the right amount of moisture before you can use your new toy (or is that tool?/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif)
 
   / Boxblade & TNT #10  
I am on my second Gannon box blade, both with hydraulic scarifier raise lower. First was too lightly constructed and went back (bent up) in favor of one built like a tank. New one is heavy heavy duty and tall too. Drags quite a bit of dirt when full. I think it is 76 inches wide. I pull it with 4wd tractor with HST, 46 net HP, 40 HP to PTO with industrial tires, NO FILL or wheel weights. In tough conditions I can scrape or use the scarifiers, take your pick but not enough power to the ground to do both. In better conditions I can run scarifiers down and maintain an aggressive cutting angle and fill the big box real quick.

The box is not only high but fairly long as well. This gives great capacity but while adjusting the angle of attack for the cutting edge I sometimes sink the leading edges of the vertical sides into the grond a bit. Not a big deal in workable dirt UNTIL you turn then they act a bit like rudders and they mess up an otherwise smooth job. Like everything else in the real world, you pays your money and takes your chances, there are engineering tradeoffs to just about everything, pros and cons.

I was told by a tractor guy that no one ever complains about his tractor being too powerful and getting his work done too fast and easy. Unless your dirt is easy to work under all conditions you anticipate (or dream) ever working it, I'd suggest not going too big with the box blade. When the going gets tough the large blade could be an albatross around your neck. A slightly undersized blade may cost a little time in easy going, compared to the optimum size whatever that is, but probably not much. You will drag it faster which will at least partially compensate for getting less in the box. If the boxblade is over sized it can slow you down so much you will lose a lot of productivity. If you try working hard ground with an oversized box blade you will just skitter across the surface a lot and not get much done.

A friend/neighbor has come over with his land leveler a few times to help me when I had big jobs or jobs needing his expertise and his box blade. My two box blades on my quite short tractor (front to back), this tractor's axles are not too far apart. Great manuverability but when pulling a box blade even with TnT it is tough to level something out. As you run over a bump the blade duplicates the "wave form" you are driving over. My friends land leveler has two car tires with hydraulic height adjustment to carry the weight and hydraulic adjustment of blade angle. It is towed behind the tractor not a 3PH implement. It does not act like a key cuting machine that duplicates the contour of the ground you drive over. He can level ground much better with his equipment than I. Most recently he helped me make a berm countoured in a graceful s shape to divert water from a hillside toward a creek without getting near my mom's house. I thought I was doing a good job till he showed up and showed me what the right equipment in the hands of a good operator could do. It would have taken me days to do what he did in a few hours and it still would not have been as smooth with my box blade. In carpentry it would be a very short plane versus a longer one. Long is smooth but short "manuevers".

So think about what you will do with your box blade before you lay down your "fun tickets" to buy what somebody else thinks is a good idea.

Patrick
 
 
 
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