Box Scraper

[Anonymous Poster]

I'm buying a new compact tractor and I see a lot of brochures depicting the tractors with a box scraper. Just what is this implement used for? I'm getting a front loader so would a box scraper still be a usefull tool? Sorry, I grew up in a subdivision and this country life is a new experience.

 

[RobS]

Don't apologize Mark, I still live in a subdivision. Proud to say I'm the only one in our sub with a compact tractor and box scraper.

The box scraper (or box blade) can be pretty useful. It will cut dirt like any blade, but with the box ends it holds a quantity of dirt in the box. Under the right circumstances, and with the right operator this allows the dirt to be cut from high spots and fill in low spots without leaving annoying ridges of dirt along each side of the blade. They also have (usually) scarifiers, or rippers that can be lowered to break up harder soil for working. Most have a rearward facing blade that can be used like a dozer blade when going backwards. And finally, they are heavy yet compact making an ideal counterbalance weight for the loader. There are a lot of tricks to using one effectively and if you do a search you'll find all sorts of wisdom and ramblings on the topic /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Branch]

I wondered about the redundancy of the box scraper and FEL also, but found out their is little overlap with the way their used. For me, the bucket on the FEL is good for loose things on top of the ground, the box scraper is good for things that are from the surface down.

Branch

 

[Bird]

That's a pretty good way of putting it, Branch. I don't even think I know of anyone in my area who owns a tractor that doesn't have a box blade. We play in the dirt; no snow.

Bird

 

[dmccarty]

MarkH,

To imphasis a bit more on what other's have said, its very easy to SMOOTH/GRADE ground with a box blade. I can't do that with a FEL. I have a top link on to run the box blade and I would hate to have to use the implement without the top link.

I'm clearing some ground for pasture right now, I spent all day yesterday cutting up timber slash and downing small trees, the box blade and the 4n1 FEL or great companion tools for what I'm doing. I can move stuff forwards and backwards which makes things a bit more productive. I can use the box blade USUALLY without digging into the ground if all I want is to move wood. Its taken quite a few hours to get the FEL just right to move wood and not dirt and wood.

The box blade and the FEL are complementary tools as far as I'm concerned....

Hope this helps...
Dan McCarty

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I have about 7 hours experience with a 6 ft box blade with hydraulic raise/lower scarifiers (top n tilt also). It is wonderful. You can lower the teeth and raise the scraper a bit to use all your HP for ripping or raise the teeth and lower the blade to use all HP for scraping or if dirt isn't too cement-like do both scarifying and scraping at same time. I like to run with scarifiers down and scraper scraping while making a pass at a definite high spot then as I exit high spot with a full box I rase the teeth and motor over to where I want to put the dirt and either dump it or spread it evenly (getting better with practice). I created about a two acre drainage swale in front of my mom's new house and a recent rain confirmed that I wasn't off by much (couple 100 sq ft puddles that I can easily fix IF the ground dries out a bit). I personally haven't got the knack of scraping dirt with the FEL Y E T but I can box blade it into piles and fill the bucket from the piles to be put where I couldn't get a box blade. Hope this testamonial from a newbie helps show box blades and FEL is the real deal N O T box blade OR FEL.

Patrick