Box Scraper Is this box blade messed up / save-able?

[davx]

Hello,

I looked at a used box blade today, I think it was a frontier BB1172. It seems that it was a rental unit based on some decals that were on it. The blade edges are in good condition and it has a flip gate back edge which is nice and straight. The one odd thing I'm noticing is a slight overall curve to the inside blade flexing backward along the width of the box. I always thought the edge should be straight. So do you think they got caught up on something, bent the back edge, and simply bolted on a new blade? Does this even matter? If so, is it fixable? Maybe jacking an I beam up from the back side using the ripper tube for support would work? It could be a good enough deal for the trouble.

Here are a couple of pics of the underside of the box blade.

[Ed of all trades]

If it ts straight along the cutting edge, not bowed up or down, weld some bracing on it and keep on keeping on. If it is bowed then fix the bow and brace, looks like it should be fixable without to much trouble.

[rankrank1]

Definitely bent.

Fixable yes, but will not be easy and may or may not be the worth the effort.

If the price is dirt cheap (and all the rippers are there?), then I would try using it "as is" as it may work good enough. The bend may not be bad enough to cause any excessive dirt funneling flow issues when leveling. You might even get by with simple straightening the cutting edge and shimming the cutting edge to the bent subframe appropriately if leveling ends up being an issue. Shimming is not a perfect fix but if the price is right then shimming a straightened cut edge to the bent sub-frame might be good enough to make it perform as new. Shimming is probably how I would fix it. Remove the cut edge and straighten the cut edge only. Weld some flat bar stock into the valley of the bent areas, feather and seal appropriately with weld and a grinder, re-install straightened cut edged. Even a cheapo welder could handle this task with ease since weld quality does not need to be great to hold the shimming in place.

If the price is not dirt cheap then I would pass and look for a better one. I do not think jacking alone will fix it as the bent metal is now stretched making it longer than before. Probably need to cut out some metal, straighten it some, cut off a little length then reweld back together. The way the sub-frame is multi-gusseted could make it a bear to straighten with primitive tools with everything in place. If you like to cut and weld then go for it if you have all proper tools but it will take some time and effort with very good quality welds required for re-assembly.

[davx]

It seems that the blade sits quite flat on a level surface, not bowed in the up/down direction. I planned on using it on some pretty rough terrain so maybe at $350 it will suit my needs. All the rippers w/teeth are with it and in good condition. It has the flip gate which I was happy about as it's been hard to find a used one with this feature. If it creates any minor flaws in the finish grading and I need some more perfection the shim idea is good. My primary use will be for cleaning up two track roads a couple times a year getting farm equipment ruts filled in.

[Gary Fowler]

$350 seems a bit high for a bent and well used BB. NO scarifier shown in the photos, does it have all of them? If you have to buy them then add 60-100 bucks to the cost any you are getting close to new price for one without a flip gate. I have never used a flip gate one so cant speak to any advantages of it.

[john_bud]

Cheap boxblades are very hard to find. That looks to be good one. I'd buy it for 350.

[jenkinsph]

If it were me i would probably use it as is to clean up the trails this time. When you have time get a piece of angle maybe a little thicker and a size larger if it will fit and make a new blade mounting. you should be able to cut this one off with a torch and weld a new one in easily. If i had to take this work to someonw elst i would pass on this.

[DKCDKC]

Just went though selling and buying a box blade... Went from 6 foot to a 5 foot for a smaller tractor. I found auctions around here offer up box blades a few times a year. They are so heavy that many folks don't seem to bid high. I've seen some in almost new condition go in the $300 range... For a 6 footer.

[davx]

Thank everyone. All the ripper shanks are with this blade (not pictured). They all have good teeth and looked to have been used only a few times. All mounting hardware is intact. They are 16" two slot shanks. Perhaps they replaced them at one point or didn't do much ripping.

Interesting points were brought up about the market for box blades. I've found that for some reason here in my area of Michigan it's hard to find a good flip tail 6' box blade for under $500. Much of what I've seen is the TSC KK blades lightly used at 5' and people want a little under retail for them. This seller has 18 rental properties that he maintains and had a bunch of equipment he was selling after depreciating it and upgrading to new stuff. For some reason I have a feeling that if I don't act on it someone else will pick it up. Since it's not important that it is in perfect shape maybe I can put a little work into it this summer and see where I get.

Some other things that are drawing me to this blade are the weight (as was mentioned) and the reinforcement material in some key areas.