Woods BSM72 Box Blade for JD 5203?

[Verticaltrx]

I've got a job coming up that will require a good amount of earth moving and gravel work so I'm looking at a new, larger box blade for my 2wd 5203 Deere. I think I've narrowed it down to the Woods BSM72 with the fixed rear gate. For those who aren't familiar with that model, it's 6' wide, weighs 640lbs, 1/2" end plates with wear bars along the bottom.

While I think a 6' is the right size, I want to make sure the tractor will pull it with some authority. Currently it is unballasted (not even fluid in the tires), but I could add weight as needed. It pulls my little 5' TSC county line box blade like it's not even back there, and would probably break it with continued use. I also tried my fathers 7' Gill box blade on it, and it's too much. It pulls it ok with the scarifiers up, but with them down you can't take much of a bite without it spinning out. I think it holds about 3/4yd, so it's a pretty good sized unit. Normal we pull it with a 2wd 2550 Deere or 4wd M9540 Kubota, both of which will boil dirt over the top.

So what does TBN think? Is a medium-duty 6 footer the right size? Will the woods BSM72 be a good choice for light commercial work? I've been quoted $1350 plus tax and $145 shipping, (about $1500 out the door) sound reasonable?

Thanks in advance. :thumbsup:

 

[EverythingAttachments]

I think you'll be more than fine with a 600+ pound box blade.
We know that Woods blade very well and if you want to get more for your money, take a close look at our Xtreme HD 72" boxblade. I'm pretty sure that the weight you have been given for the woods blade is shipping weight instead of the 559 pound weight that they publish in the owners manual for the BSM72. The dry weight of our blade is 635 pounds without a pallet.
Here are a few differences between the woods blade and the EverythingAttachments blade:
Woods uses 3/16" brackets to hold their shanks on whereas we upgraded ours to 3/8" to improve durability.
Our boxblade also features a solid welded hitch instead of a bolt on hitch. A bolt on hitch is easier to stack and cheaper to ship but it is not as durable as a welded hitch.
We do use 3/8" side plates but we weld on an additional 3/8" plate on the bottom/leading edge of the sides so it is 3/4" where it counts. 1/2" sounds good on paper and adds weight but weight is better added where it matters.
Woods uses chinese made shanks which are not close to the quality of the shanks on our blades which come from India.
We do use US made cutting edges and it is unknown what they use.

Those are just a few of the differences that make our Xtreme HD blade superior. Check out the video below for even more info. Our blade ships free to a business or supporting freight terminal within 1,000 miles of Newton, NC.
I hope this helps.

 

[dusty3030]

5203 has the power to do it, but like you already said you may not be getting that on the ground now. Loaded up with wheel weights it should do the work fine.

 

[Verticaltrx]

Thanks for the replies, I ended up going a different way entirely. I went to a large dealer today that had multiple brand box blades and looked them all over well. While there, I noticed a new-old-stock Tufline TB272 box blade. Not sure how old it was, maybe 15-20yrs old IDK, but it had all the features I wanted and for $675 I couldn't pass it up. I liked that it had a curved moldboard, floating rear gate, and big capacity.

Specs:
72" cut
21 cu. ft. capacity
floating tailgate
7 3-position scarifiers with a wedge lock system
625lbs

I used it today for a couple hours and I definitely need more weight to use it at max capacity. I could fill it about half full with the scarifiers down before I started spinning. Monday I'm going to get the tires fluid filled (extra 1000lbs), then I'll start adding wheel weights if needed. I think I've got enough hp to pull it at a good 2-3mph pace, just not the weight. I'll try to get some pics coming up.

 

[jenkinsph]

I suspect with enough weight it should work fine. Get the tractor to about 6,000 lbs and you should be good to go.