Box Scraper Need advice on Toothless Box Blade

   / Need advice on Toothless Box Blade #1  

YardBikeBob

Silver Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2013
Messages
210
Location
Missouri Ozarks, Booger County
Tractor
LS R4041H
New tractor owner: LS R4041H & Woods BSM72 6' Box Blade.

Used the box blade with the scarifiers (shanks, rippers) in the middle position to clean up a rutted, rocky forest trail. Good couple of hours work. When I finished and dropped off the box blade, I noticed I'm now missing 4 (out of 6) teeth on the blade.

BoxBlade Toothless.jpg

Today I went out to find them. Found 3 where I had pulled up a rock about the size of carry-on luggage.

Loose Teeth.jpg

The scenario is that I was chugging along in low and the tractor was stopped by the rock. Pull up blade, back up, drop blade, ease into rock, lift blade. Repeat until. . . Rock turned over and flipped out of its hole. Chug past rock, lower blade, and backed the rock off the trail. That was in the first few hundred feet and I went on with the rest of the trail.

So, obviously, that scenario pulls teeth off this box blade. Is that normal? Just something you don't do with a box blade?

Searched through some posts about putting the teeth back on. I have the dimples in the shank which sounds typical from the posts. However, I don't own a torch or a press and that seems to be the two favored methods of installing teeth and adding the dimple.

Question: But I own a welder. Can I just weld them on? Will that hurt the surface hardening on the shanks and make them brittle?

Question: The teeth are not slipping back on the shanks as they are dimpled, too. Do I just go at it with a hammer to knock them back into position? Will a propane torch have enough heat to ease them back in?

Errata: I live in the Southern Missouri Ozarks so rocks are just a fact of life. Tractor has 20 hours on it. Box blade is new and was used for a few hours to level a building pad without the scarifiers installed. Learned that a level box blade is a timid box blade. Shortened the top link to give the box blade a little chin-down attitude and it is much more aggressive. The trail work was done with the same setting. The middle position on the scarifiers have the teeth an inch or so into the dirt.

This heavy 6' box blade is a good match for this tractor.

Thanks for any advice or tips. The box blade did a wonderful job until I parked it and saw my new maintenance project.

Bob
 
   / Need advice on Toothless Box Blade #2  
The scenario is that I was chugging along in low and the tractor was stopped by the rock. Pull up blade, back up, drop blade, ease into rock, lift blade. Repeat until. . . Rock turned over and flipped out of its hole.

I've probably done that 50+ times, and never lost a tooth. BUT


Chug past rock, lower blade, and backed the rock off the trail. That was in the first few hundred feet and I went on with the rest of the trail.

I didn't do this with the blade low. I raised it about 4-6 inches as I was afraid I would drag a tooth off.

Bruce
 
   / Need advice on Toothless Box Blade
  • Thread Starter
#3  
I didn't do this with the blade low. I raised it about 4-6 inches as I was afraid I would drag a tooth off.

Bruce

Huh. Hadn't thought of that. Don't back up your BB when on the ground. Good thought. Thanks.

Bob
 
   / Need advice on Toothless Box Blade #4  
I'd contact Woods. They should NOT just pull off like that... Even a small standard duty box blade should handle pulling rocks that size out of the ground with ease. A Woods should be of equal quality to others... I'd bet they had a bad batch of scarifiers make it through QC and will likely send you a new set for free that you don't need to mess with (they may even let you keep the old ones you could repair and keep as spares). Have your serial number handy and purchase information handy and call them; or better yet, email them copies of your purchase documentation, some pictures, and a link to this thread...

I purchased the heaviest cheap box blade I could find and have used it to push pull and tear through soil, clay, rocks, roots, and haven't had any issues dragging the teeth off. If I did I would be unhappy. My tips are spot welded onto the tines through holes in the sides.

I generally operate in the "chin down" approach like you describe with my scarifiers set as deep as they can go. I drag an area to pull top soil off in one direction leaving it in a row-pile, once down to the clay or whatever is below the topsoil, I change directions and drag it down to the elevation I want it leaving all the clay, rocks, and debris in another row-pile. I then back into the pile of topsoil and redistribute a layer of topsoil over the area in reverse. After that I'll set the top link longer to make the rear of the blade more aggressive and reverse-push my remaining row of topsoil into a pile, and the same with the row of waste fill. I then transport the waste fill someplace it is needed to fill as needed, then transport the topsoil to cover...
 
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   / Need advice on Toothless Box Blade #5  

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   / Need advice on Toothless Box Blade #6  
I wouldn't be afraid to try putting a small tack weld on left and right side of the tooth to shank joint. A tack wont heat a large area, and if it did it wouldn't be in a wear area. I wouldn't completely weld the tooth on, much easier to remove two rack welds then cut the whole dang thing off.
 
   / Need advice on Toothless Box Blade
  • Thread Starter
#7  
I'd contact Woods. They should NOT just pull off like that... Even a small standard duty box blade should handle pulling rocks that size out of the ground with ease. A Woods should be of equal quality to others... I'd bet they had a bad batch of scarifiers make it through QC and will likely send you a new set for free

Or maybe not! On their online submission, I offered this:

I just bought a Woods BSM72 Box Blade. I used it for the first time to clean up a forest trail. After 2 hours of work I found that I'd lost 4 of 6 teeth off the scarifiers. Is this normal? Is there any warranty expectations when the product fails on first use? Please let me know what remedy is available​

There was a fast response! And in its entirety:

They are crimped on teeth and hooking tree roots will pull them off.

So I guess I know all I need to know about Woods Equipment.

Bob
 
   / Need advice on Toothless Box Blade
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Consider acquiring a Bucket Spade for your FEL. It will dig out boulders in short order.

Versatile tool. Under $400. Not well known.

Thanks for the advice. I've only seen those things online. I do wonder how that would work in Ozark rocks. I like the fourth picture digging a hole for a tree -- not a rock in sight! I've always wondered how you'd dump a spade load efficiently. A lot of back and forth I imagine. Of course, I've got a hydro. . .

Around here, people have been known to hire out back hoes to put in mail box posts.

Bob
 
   / Need advice on Toothless Box Blade #9  
If you have a welder and a drill motor with some bits, I would drill out the dimple from the tooth with repeatedly larger bits till I got about a half inch hole on each side, beat it back on the scarifier shank till it is tight then plug weld the tooth to the shank completely filling the hole while making sure the weld metal tied into the shank side. That should hold it indefinitely. IF you should ever wear out a tooth, you just drill out the weld metal and slip it off.

I would go ahead and do the remaining shanks the same way while I was in the repair mode.
 
   / Need advice on Toothless Box Blade #10  
Replacement rippers from Agri Supply are cheap: $12 - $15 each. Shipping is extra, however.

You will probably need a replacement at some point.
 
 
 
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