Box Scraper Does a TR3 replace my box blade?

[byrd]

So I just took the plunge and purchased a 7.5ft TR3 Rake. The primary purpose for the rake is going to be for dragging our hunter/jumper riding ring. ABI was quite willing to work on the pricing, and I think I got a pretty good deal. However, since these rakes are still so expensive, I'm trying to determine just how much I can do with the it.

My first thought was that the TR3 might replace my box blade. I haven't received my rake yet, so I don't have any first had experience with it at this point. Any one else out there with a TR3 able to verify if it will turn my box blade into a redundant implement? If so, I'll probably try to sell the blade and ease a bit of the expense of the TR3.

Also, I've read a bit about the TR3 in these forums, but most of the posts are about 2 years old. Anyone out there use the aerator attachment for the TR3? I'm thinking that this would be a great use for the TR3. If aerator isn't worth it, I'm still thinking that I can remove the scarifier teeth, lock up the leveling blade, tilt the finish rake back and use it to at least rough up the ground before and after seeding (I don't typically do full pasture renovations).

Any other thoughts on the TR3 that anyone can share?? The more ideas that are out there to do with the implement, the more worth while I think the purchase will be.

Thanks everyone!!!

 

[Johndeere3720]

I have looked at and even once used a TR3 on a EuroTrac 18hp tractor. It worked okay but since i only used the rake itself, i have no idea how well the scarfier teeth work. From my view, i look at the preformance and versatility of the implement. For replacing a boxblade, I havent found or got an implement yet that would make me even think about selling my boxblade. Now yes the sizes are different, i used a 4 foot TR3 but when i was adjusting the scarfier teeth, they really arent that long. Yeah, horse riding arenas only need to be dug down 3-4 inches but what if you really wanted to dig up an area for excavation? It is just my opinion on the rake and i felt it preformed just as well as my grandpa's rotary harrow and my rusty harrow. just IMHO. People with more experience with this rake may have the same or a totally different opinion on it.

 

[IslandTractor]

I'd think the TR3 and boxblade have a lot of overlap but neither than do everything the other does well. I know the TR3 company likes to claim that you don't need a box blade anymore and that is probably true with regard to arena management but I'd hate to try to move yards of soil with one of those.

 

[byrd]

Now yes the sizes are different, i used a 4 foot TR3 but when i was adjusting the scarfier teeth, they really arent that long.

They don't make 4ft TR3s anymore. The shortest version is 5.5ft. The standard scarifier teeth are 9" and can go to a depth of 6". They sell extended scarifier teeth that are 12" long and can go 9" deep. I can't imagine needing anything more than that on my farm.

Yeah, horse riding arenas only need to be dug down 3-4 inches but what if you really wanted to dig up an area for excavation? It is just my opinion on the rake and i felt it preformed just as well as my grandpa's rotary harrow and my rusty harrow.

I looked at rotary harrows, but came to the conclusion that I didn't want one. Our sand footing is about 3 inches deep. The rotary harrows all had teeth that were too loong. They would dig into our base material (rolled stone dust). The TR3 seems to have more adjustability and can hopefully be better controlled to keep from destroying the base.

I know the TR3 company likes to claim that you don't need a box blade anymore and that is probably true with regard to arena management but I'd hate to try to move yards of soil with one of those.

I don't think I'd move yards of soil wit my box blade either. If I had a large quantity of material to move, I'd probably just use my FEL. Then spread with the box or TR3.


I thought there might have been a couple folks still in the forum who are be using a TR3 on their farm. Sounds like I'll just need to see how it goes once the rake arrives.

 

[JohninCT]

I've watched the videos on the TR3 rake and looked at them at the equine show. It really seems like a heck of a tool, but is pretty pricey. Seeing that guy in the video ripping up the area for a food plot and raking the debris and smoothing the area all with one tool sure is impressive.

If you use your box blade for the typical uses of ripping and leveling, spreading dirt piles, dragging gravel roads, it looks like the TR3 does all those things and would make your box blade redundant and probably your landscape rake too. But in the case of the landscape rake I don't know because the TR3 rake doesn't appear to angle but that might be an acceptable compromise.

Please do post your experience with the TR3 when you get it. And don't forget pictures and/or video are always greatly appreciated.

 

[byrd]

It's been a while since my purchase, but someone just PM'd me regarding my TR3 purchase, so I thought I'd come back here and post my thoughts in case it might be helpful to someone else in the future.

As previously mentioned, we primarily use it to maintain our ring. We have a clay sub base, a packed stone dust base, and sand on top. The adjustability of the TR3 does a good job at preventing it from cutting into the base. That was the main selling point for us. It's almost magic after heavy rains or frost when things get really packed down.

We have a 43horse Kubota L4400 which has a 6ft wheel base. Having a rake that is wide enough to cover tire tracks around turns is important. We purchased a 7.5ft wide TR3. It's quite good, but is just a tad narrow to cover my front tire tracks if I make very tight turns. I felt that the 8.5ft model was too wide for a something I leave attached 90% of the time and it's almost 200lbs heavier.

I do use TR3 for my driveway and it is outstanding. I have now sold my box blade because I like the TR3 better. I find that it does a better job and that the time between grading is considerably longer because pot holes seem to take much longer to return. I don't have much tilt capability on my tractor so I can't get much of a crown on the driveway, but that's no fault of the TR3.

Last spring, I used the TR3 to spread composted manure in my pastures and it worked quite well. I locked the leveling blade all the way up, flipped the scarifiers upside down, and lowered the rake to about 1" above the ground. I dropped compost out of my front end loader and dragged it out with the TR3. I had a few clumps that I came back and spread by hand, but overall I was pleased.

Also, we have a small farm so we keep a couple sacrifice areas where we put horses when the ground is very wet so pastures don't get destroyed. We keep round bale feeders there that can get pretty built up with old hay. After picking up the bulk of old hay with my loader, I use the TR3 to regrade the dirt and clean things up. It's great for that purpose.

I recently found an area in some woods on my property where truckloads of fill dirt had been dumped years ago and have long since been grown over by saplings, vines, etc. Between my loader and the TR3 I was able to make quick work of leveling the whole area out.

Lastly, it's a great ballast. It's almost 1000lbs. I have air filed tires, so I keep it attached almost all the time. The TR3 is fantastic when moving round bales. Of course a huge hunk of concrete is much cheaper, but the other benefits offset that.

My few criticisms... We have pine trees around our riding ring. Pine needles tend to get caught up in the rake and can create large grooves in the sand if you don't pay attention. Now we typically try to do a little raking by hand to remove the pine needles before dragging the ring. A few needles aren't a big deal.

We purchased the rail/edge blade option. If you don't have base boards to ride against around your ring (we don't), it can be a bit of a pain. It's helpful, but doesn't do as good of a job as I had hoped.

We did not purchase the hydraulic top link but I think that it would be quite helpful. I've seen them elsewhere for much less money than ABI wants for theirs. I'll probably purchase one before too much longer.

As mentioned before, the TR3s are quite pricey. It's a LOT to spend on a single attachment, and most folks seem to think it's crazy. I tend to agree that the TR3 is probably over priced, but it definitely does what ABI Equine claims. It's an attachment that I'll keep for years, probably decades. Now that the pain of the initial purchase is over, I think it will be a valuable tool on the farm for years to come. I definitely do not regret the purchase.

 

[tr3landscape]

Sounds to me you have the tr3 figured out. I have owned a 8.5' tr3 for about 8 yrs. also I own a gravel rascal, and attachments for both.
Box scraper - I'd keep it for deeper ripping "etc" However with my MF 265 and the 18'' wide rear tires, I can remove the wheel on the tr3, pin up the blade, turn the ripper over and pull a lot of soil, also rip deeper. I do have another scraper for the heavy dirt moving, and another way for deep ripping.

I,m a semi retired landscape contractor, spent years landscape grading & developing.
I would loved to had that tr3 & gravel rascal 50 yrs. ago. You can install laser on this equipment an do some amazing work!!

 

[tr3landscape]

So I just took the plunge and purchased a 7.5ft TR3 Rake. The primary purpose for the rake is going to be for dragging our hunter/jumper riding ring. ABI was quite willing to work on the pricing, and I think I got a pretty good deal. However, since these rakes are still so expensive, I'm trying to determine just how much I can do with the it.

My first thought was that the TR3 might replace my box blade. I haven't received my rake yet, so I don't have any first had experience with it at this point. Any one else out there with a TR3 able to verify if it will turn my box blade into a redundant implement? If so, I'll probably try to sell the blade and ease a bit of the expense of the TR3.

Also, I've read a bit about the TR3 in these forums, but most of the posts are about 2 years old. Anyone out there use the aerator attachment for the TR3? I'm thinking that this would be a great use for the TR3. If aerator isn't worth it, I'm still thinking that I can remove the scarifier teeth, lock up the leveling blade, tilt the finish rake back and use it to at least rough up the ground before and after seeding (I don't typically do full pasture renovations).

Any other thoughts on the TR3 that anyone can share?? The more ideas that are out there to do with the implement, the more worth while I think the purchase will be.

Thanks everyone!!!

Aerator teeth -- my uses for it:
On the gravel rascal it does a perfect job aerating lawns, you can aerate very cost effective, make cash, I do. The spikes leave a loosented hole, core machines leave a compacted edge to the hole, if you feel the edge of the holes it will explain all the difference. I like the aerator teeth for seed bed making, especially when working in rocky seed beds -- rippers dig up rocks the tines work around them.
The aerator wheels fit the tr3 as well, and I use it the same as for the gravel rascal.The tr3 has the weight to push the wheels into the un even soil.and works perfect for pasture aerating.
A few words about the tr3, I once thought it was very expensive, to me it's like billing a customer for the job, some think it is an expensive job, they could have contracted it for less. But they soon forget that bill, the job; they will live with for years to come. When they need more work, and want to refer their friends: know who they call ?? Depends on what you want or need. I forgot all about how expensive abi equipment is,, tips are worth a lot to me, and customers do tip, when they recieve a fine job. I use the profile blade, makes a beautiful seed bed with every square inch of soil worked with out glazing, use the rail kit for many different jobs like crowning a road. I realize I have a few years under my belt a hours of trial and error, and still learning, do not become diccouraged with that tr3 will do a whole lot more work than you can imagine.
Box scraper!! yea I probely keep it, I have a simular to a box scraper haven't used it in several years. Tr3 will move a lot of dirt I remove the wheels, pin down the dragbar and go to work. I do have a hyd.center and also hyd. side links it really helps a lot, for, a small amount of work the manual links will do the job. I'd like to talk to you landscape, paving and road grading contractors, now that I'm semi retired and not concerned that you may do a better job than I, (P.S). I have had Inspectors, engineers watch that tr3, Of course I do know how to make the job look easy, especially when they are watching!!