Box Blade vs 6'rear blade?

   / Box Blade vs 6'rear blade? #1  

andy33

Bronze Member
Joined
May 10, 2012
Messages
68
Location
Mo
Tractor
Ferguson30 Kubota L 3800
I have used my 6' regular drag blade (for lack of a better description) for years and just use it for my gravel drive, pulling gravel back on the crown of the road. It is a cheap swivel/ angle type but more than serves the purpose. I just got the new tractor with FEL and was thinking of getting a box blade for the added rear weight for loader work but not really sure of all the advantages of a box blade over the rear blade for my use. Or should i just build a concrete ballast box for weight and forget the Box Blade. Andy
 
   / Box Blade vs 6'rear blade? #2  
I have a 6 ft HD box blade and it will do many things that my rear blade does and a whole lot more that the rear blade can't. If I could only have one it would absolutely definitely be the box blade. I use it for ballast for the FEL too. I have TNT and that makes the box blade fantastically versatile. It helps with the rear blade too but I use the box many hours for every hour of use of the rear blade. FEL in front and box in rear is a potent combo.

Pat
 
   / Box Blade vs 6'rear blade? #3  
Like patrick_g, we have both and I don't remember the last time I used anything other than the box blade. I will get it out some day I am sure, but it doesn't get much use; lots of differing opinions on this.
 
   / Box Blade vs 6'rear blade? #4  
I have both but my HD rear blade out weighs my inexpensive box blade by 200lbs. plus it hangs off the back of the tractor another 3' so it "adds" even more weight that way.

BB are nice for cutting and moveing material, (what they were designed for) but they arnt nearly as usefull for maintaining gravel area's as a rear blade is.

You could get a BB for rear weight, but keep in mind how much it weighs compaired to the rear blade you currently have. (ie youll likely have to get an HD BB or add weight to a light duty one like i did)
 
   / Box Blade vs 6'rear blade? #5  
If you need to angle a blade for any reason (say to migrate material from edge to center on a road) then the rear blade has a key advantage. I think a box blade is more versatile overall though. That is what I use, and it has been great so far. If I have to do something in the future where a rear blade makse sense, I will buy one.
 
   / Box Blade vs 6'rear blade? #6  
Now if I had this...
 
   / Box Blade vs 6'rear blade? #7  
I have a 6' back blade...Rhino I think, but I'm on the look out for a box blade with those ripping teeth. They can revitalize a gravel driveway and remove potholes among other useful applications a plain blade can't do.

This observation is not a knock on the very useful back-blade that's useful for snow removal and grading loose material.
 
   / Box Blade vs 6'rear blade?
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Thinking about it, I rarely use my blade straight, its always angled to some degree for pulling rock back on the driveway and the lift arm is cranked down for that downward horizontal angle to dig a little if needed. The more i look at them(box blade) I assume there is no (angling) adjustment like the rear blade, other than the teeth depth or top link angle. Maybe I'll build a weight box and invest in a post hole digger instead!
 
   / Box Blade vs 6'rear blade? #9  
Thinking about it, I rarely use my blade straight, its always angled to some degree for pulling rock back on the driveway and the lift arm is cranked down for that downward horizontal angle to dig a little if needed. The more i look at them(box blade) I assume there is no (angling) adjustment like the rear blade, other than the teeth depth or top link angle. Maybe I'll build a weight box and invest in a post hole digger instead!

You can adjust for an angle with your 3PH, one of our grader blades doesn't have the ability to swivel and the other does.

I just got TnT on my new tractor to keep from getting on and off to adjust, but adjust you can.

Nothing wrong with a weight/ballast box no matter what you have.
 
   / Box Blade vs 6'rear blade? #10  
Now if I had this...

TripleR has my tastes... I like that rear blade he had pictured. I just sold the tractor (with duals) that is pictured, but would still like to have that rear blade. I have a boxblade sitting unused because I have a dual blade grader that does all the road maintenance I used to use the boxblade for and a rear blade that offsets and angles like the one pictured would bring the road materials that wash into the ditches back to the center of the road and keep the ditches clean. My 3pt setup doesn't angle quite enough for the grader to do that.
David from jax
 
 
 
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