Boxblade Scarifiers--Design and Operation Issues

   / Boxblade Scarifiers--Design and Operation Issues #1  

glennmac

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2000
Messages
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Location
Western Connecticut
Tractor
2003 Kubota L3430
We have had a lot of good information on boxblade blades in the recent thread entitled "Yet Another Boxblade Question". There are also a lot of issues that I think it would be useful to discuss regarding the scarifiers.

As I understand it, there are three types of scarifier set-ups. The common one is scarifiers that are fastened by pins and that must be individually lowered. On more expensive regular boxblades and on rollover boxblades, there is a lever that lowers all the scarifiers at once. At the high end, there are hydraulically operated scarifiers.

Not having many actual boxblades to look at in this part of the country, I think it would be informative to get info on the following questions:

1. On the individual scarifier models, how many pin "depth" placements are there on your models?

2. Re individual scarifiers, some people have complained about their type of pin fasteners being hard to remove and insert. What are the "easy" and "difficult" fastener implementations that we should seek out or avoid?

3. For regular or rollover boxes with lever actuated scarifiers, how do you adjust the digging depth of the scarifiers? Only by 3ph position control? Or can the height of the individual scarifiers be adjusted up and down on the scarifier bar?

4. For hydraulic scarifiers, must all the scarifiers always extend and retract at the same time, or can you extend just some?

5. Re hydraulic scarifiers, if the hydraulics malfunction (hose leak, broken cylinder, etc.) is there a backup method to manually extend and retract the scarifiers? If not, does that mean the opportunity to resell a hydraulic scarifier box is limited to people with remote hydraulics?

6. Is draft control at all useful when using scarifiers, manual or hydraulic?

7. Regular boxblades seem to have the scarifiers positioned on the end of the box closest to the tractor, so the scrape blades are all behind the scarifiers. Rollover boxes seem to have the scarifiers on the end of the box furthest away from the tractor, so the blade and box are all in front of the scarifiers. Is having the scarifiers at the front or at the back of the box better, or worse, or it depends? In what situations?
 
   / Boxblade Scarifiers--Design and Operation Issues #2  
Glenn

I have a Landpride Model. Nothing fancy, just a basic model with fixed blades. There are 4 teeth. My model, 1554, has 4 adjustment holes. The number of teeth is a function of size. Larger models have more. For a K2910 four is probably best in rocky or hardpan soils. My only experience with Rollover Box blades, limited, allowed adustment to depth but you could not easily lower selected teeth. I suppose it would be possible but you would have to disassemble the rippers and take the unwanted teeth out.

With tilt control, you can limit teeth depth by selecting the angle of attack.

I find it easy and quick to manually lower the teeth on my basic boxblade. The pins are easily manipulated.

As to the rest of your questions, I will defer to those more experienced in the advanced blades use.
'
Rick

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by RAllen on 08/01/01 03:57 PM (server time).</FONT></P>
 
   / Boxblade Scarifiers--Design and Operation Issues
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Rick, what kind of pins do you have? Can you describe them. I distinctly remember more than one person complaining about a particular kind of pin apparatus.
 
   / Boxblade Scarifiers--Design and Operation Issues #4  
Glen
The pins are basic drop down through the top leading edge. Pins secure them through holes. I have never had one jammed or otherwise difficult to remove or adjust. Been using it for about a year of fairly hard use. You might get your hands dirty and you have to get off your tractor but its not a big deal.

Rick
 
   / Boxblade Scarifiers--Design and Operation Issues #5  
Glenn,

Landpride BB1554

1. On the individual scarifier models, how many pin "depth" placements are there on your models?

<font color=blue>Four scarifiers, Four holes spaced 2 inches apart for three cutting depths of 2", 4" & 6". Bottom hole provides no cutting action</font color=blue>

2. Re individual scarifiers, some people have complained about their type of pin fasteners being hard to remove and insert. What are the "easy" and "difficult" fastener implementations that we should seek out or avoid?

<font color=blue> Mine are easy to adjust pull the clip, pull the pin. This may change with wear, but now it is quite easy and simple.</font color=blue>

3. N/A

4. N/A

5. N/A

6. Is draft control at all useful when using scarifiers, manual or hydraulic?

<font color=blue>not sure what your looking for here Glenn</font color=blue>

7. Regular boxblades seem to have the scarifiers positioned on the end of the box closest to the tractor, so the scrape blades are all behind the scarifiers. Rollover boxes seem to have the scarifiers on the end of the box furthest away from the tractor, so the blade and box are all in front of the scarifiers. Is having the scarifiers at the front or at the back of the box better, or worse, or it depends? In what situations?
<font color=blue>My sacrifiers are at the front of the box and work just fine. They could be rotated to face the back, but I have never done this and don't see a situation where it would be useful.</font color=blue>

Did I pass? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Al
 
   / Boxblade Scarifiers--Design and Operation Issues
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Al, seems we have established that the Landpride 1554, and probably all Landprides, have easy to use pins. Maybe it was the Howse that had the harder to use pins.

Draft control is an option on larger compacts. It is a sensing mechanism that keeps a dirt engaging implement like a plow at a constant depth below the soil. Prevents the implement from digging too deep or too shallow as it is pulled along. Just wondering whether this tractor option is helpful with boxblades.

The front/rear issue is not related to the direction the scarifiers point, but where they are mounted on the box. Picture the scarifiers being attached at the very back end of your box (pointed as they are now). That's where they are on a rollover box. (Wish I knew how to capture and post pictures.) My question relates to whether there are advantages or disadvantages to having them mounted in the front (reg box) or in the back (rollover box).
 
   / Boxblade Scarifiers--Design and Operation Issues #7  
Glenn -

I am certainly one who complained bitterly about how difficult it was to insert/remove the ripper pins. It was so difficult, in fact, that I rarely used the rippers unless I had a really good reason to do so. Ironically, it turns out that through usage, the ripper slots have loosened up to where the pins drop in and out quite easily now. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Of the 5 scarifiers on my Howse box blade there is still one that gives me trouble. This, however, I regard as a manufacturing defect, in that the ripper slot is positioned so close to one of the frame brackets that the shank binds against that piece of steel, frequently requiring a small sledge hammer to work it free. I could probably improve that situation with a file or grinder and a bit of elbow grease.

The attached picture is the best I could come up with to show the problem ripper and the L-shaped round pins. The rippers are obviously in the "not in use" position, but each shank has enough notches to allow two digging depths and can be mounted to face the rear if I ever think of a reason to do so.

HarvSig.gif
 

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   / Boxblade Scarifiers--Design and Operation Issues
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Harv, again being at the ridiculous disadvantage of not being able to see a real boxblade, I didnt expect the pin mechanism to look like that. As I interpret the picture, you drop the ripper until the notch lines up with the edge, and then you jam the pin in the other side. I can see how that could jam. I guess I pictured a pin going through the scarifier and into the box housing somehow.
 
   / Boxblade Scarifiers--Design and Operation Issues #9  
Glen and Harv
The Landpride Rippers are NOT attached the same way. At the top of the box the are loops or brackets. A pin slides through the loop, through the ripper tooth, through another loop and is secured by a clevis pin. Simple and easy to adjust.

I think the Landpride Website has photos. Sorry I don't have a link you might try Carvers.

Rick
 
   / Boxblade Scarifiers--Design and Operation Issues #10  
On a roll-over scraper, the scraping blades are in the air when the rippers are engaged.

When pulling/scraping forward, the rippers face toward the back

When pushing backwards, or smoothing, the rippers point forward.

There is a pivot on the roll over scraper. It can be place in three positions, 33 degrees apart.

I do not have a digital camera, nor do I have the graphics skills of Harv /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. But, see the attachment; hopefully it will clear things a little.

When the rippers are used, the only control for depth is the 3pt control



RobertN in Shingle Springs Calif
 

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