did I do something dumb??

[RollingsFarms]

Buddy of mine is selling all his farm equipment this weekend(auction), i was over there this morning talking about cutting corn, going over what he was selling, just small talk. noticed a 6' United box blade in the shed and asked him about it. asked me if I wanted it, I said sure how much? he told me just give him $200 and I can take it. this thing is practically brand new(maybe used once or twice). he paid $485 i think he said. i figured heck, i've got nothing to lose, and i've been looking for a good used one anyways. heres the question, will my 56hp tractor demolish this thing? my tractor is MFWD, but i wont ever use it just to do the light box blading i was planning on doing anyways. i've read some threads on here just now but it seems most people are using this size behind 30-40 hp tractors. i think he said this box blade weighs 445lbs. i havent hooked it up to my tractor, it's still under his shed. it was just one of those spur of the moment buys and i didnt put much thought into it. if my tractor is too much overkill for it, i'm not going to ask for my money back because i could easily sell it and get the $200 for it. anyone got any advice? think this would be ok or sell it and get a 7'?

[Ridgewalker]

It is never dumb to add another implement to your collection, especially at that price!

As far as using it I don't see why your concerned unless your rough as heck with your gear. The BB is meant to take abuse and I am sure you will be watching to make sure that you don't over do it. I do understand that a wider unit may make more sense but you can get the job done with what you have.

[RollingsFarms]

It is never dumb to add another implement to your collection, especially at that price!

As far as using it I don't see why your concerned unless your rough as heck with your gear. The BB is meant to take abuse and I am sure you will be watching to make sure that you don't over do it. I do understand that a wider unit may make more sense but you can get the job done with what you have.

well i figured that was my contribution to his auction(the $200) and i got a box blade out of the deal. i have a 6' bush hog, so i figured a 6' box blade would be ok too, until i started reading box blade threads on here and people using the 6' ones behind much smaller tractors. i'm not going to do any landscaping, just use it on a few places on a dirt road that washes out everytime it rains. nothing too tough. 6' would cover my rear tires i think, and i know 7' would stick out further, i just wanted to make sure what i had was going to be ok. it's Cat II and has the clevis style hitch, seems pretty well built. i'm no welding expert but i know cheap welds when i see them and this thing doesnt have any that i can see. i also know that the guy i bought it from doesnt buy junk, so i trust this box blade will be just fine. anothwr thing i have noticed is how imposible it is to find a 7' used box blade. they're all 5-6'.

[john_bud]

I would worry that when (not if) you hit a root or rock the tractor will twist it up into a knot. 445# is pretty much light duty only, especially behind a larger machine. If you just use it to spread gravel, it should be ok. But if you get a wild hair and try to contour ground with the scarifiers down..... you'll be heating, pounding and welding.

[RollingsFarms]

I would worry that when (not if) you hit a root or rock the tractor will twist it up into a knot. 445# is pretty much light duty only, especially behind a larger machine. If you just use it to spread gravel, it should be ok. But if you get a wild hair and try to contour ground with the scarifiers down..... you'll be heating, pounding and welding.

thanks for the tip! mostly all i'll be doing with it is running over a few small spots on a dirt road where it gets washed out some after a rain. nothing major at all, just a few bumps. i doubt i'll ever use the scarifiers, and i know i'll never be using it around any roots or rocks. just dirt roads. funny thing is i looked up the website for the box blade i bought and it says this is their "heavy duty model". i did find an SBX72 Bush Hog box blade, but it was new and cost $850. fair price i'm sure but for the limited time i'll be using a box blade and for the little bit of dirt work i'll use it for i just couldn't see spending that much money for something that might get used twice a month....3 times at most. hopefully the light use i plan on doing with it won't tear it up! thought it'd make a good counter weight for when i got my loader too.

[JDeerekid]

Well you did say it was made for cat II. So it should be made to be pulled behind at least a 45-50 hp tractor to begin with. For what you are doing with it I would not worry. Maybe down the road sell this one and get a bigger heavier one if you are planning on doing some rougher work.

[RollingsFarms]

Well you did say it was made for cat II. So it should be made to be pulled behind at least a 45-50 hp tractor to begin with. For what you are doing with it I would not worry. Maybe down the road sell this one and get a bigger heavier one if you are planning on doing some rougher work.

yeah it has the clevis hitch on it and he has the Cat II bushings on it. maybe oneday i'll pony up $850 and go buy me an SBX72 Bush Hog

[Wombat125]

Well you did say it was made for cat II.

This is what I keyed on as well. Cat 2, by definition, starts at about 50 hp.

If you are still concerned, only run her in 2WD with the blade.

[RollingsFarms]

This is what I keyed on as well. Cat 2, by definition, starts at about 50 hp.

If you are still concerned, only run her in 2WD with the blade.

not to hijak my own thread but is your KK disk Cat I or II? i noticed you have a Cat I i-match on your 5303. how does that disk pull behind that tractor? did you buy it from Tractor Supply? i'm thinking of getting a 6' Leinbach dealer has for sale in the next month or so. i'd be pulling it behind a 5203 MFWD.

[Wombat125]

not to hijak my own thread but is your KK disk Cat I or II? i noticed you have a Cat I i-match on your 5303. how does that disk pull behind that tractor? did you buy it from Tractor Supply? i'm thinking of getting a 6' Leinbach dealer has for sale in the next month or so. i'd be pulling it behind a 5203 MFWD.

My KK disc is a Cat 1 unit I got from Craigslist for $600. Even though my 3 pt is Cat 2, I went with the Cat 1 iMatch because there are gazillions of 20-40 hp tractors in this area and the smaller implements are more common.

Frankly, my disc is a bit undersized. I got it from some folks with a 40hp NH, and even that tractor just played with the disc. I think that if you're buying new for your 5203, you should probably go a little bigger.