I've had my boxblade for a few weeks and everything that has been said so far is true and useful. But even as a BB newbie it is a tremendously useful implement with so many applications.
The main parameters you have (I'm sure there are more) are 1) height of the boxblade as set by moving the lower links up and down 2) angle of the whole unit and 3) ripper teeth (scarifier) height.
My general understanding of these is this:
1) Height: pretty obvious, controls what height the unit engages the ground at. I find myself using mine primarily in the float position. Will occasionally raise it a little if I just want to knock the top off of a mound or high spot.
2) Angle: this is adjusted via the top link. This can change the 'bite' of the blade and the height of the blade vs. the height of the rippers. So, it can be used for fine tuning of the height and engagement of the blade, but as mentioned, you can also roll the rear of the box upwards so the only the rippers engage. This can bust the soil up more deeply, and in my case, doubles as a poor man's plow.
3) Ripper depth: if you Bush Hog BB is like mine it has 3 holes for setting ripper depth. Top hole sets them just below the blade when level, middle hole at the same height as blade and lower hole sets teeth higher than blade. The rippers break the soil up ahead of the blade. The lower you set them, the more soil the blade will engage and move.
There is another parameter and that is weight. Obviously a heavier box engages the ground better. Some people have added weight to their blades for that purpose.
The complexity comes when you take into conisderation all of these parameters to fit them to a specific job. When I want to plow I set the teeth at their lowest, tighten the top link so the blade is up in the air with the teeth down low and raise the whole unit a tiny bit above float. For aggressive leveling I set the teeth below the blades, set the angle at level and set the overall height to float. For less aggressive leveling I set the teeth level. For spreading loose soil over a fairly level area, remove of raise teeth above blade level.
As mentioned, the rear part of the blade makes for a great dozer when in reverse. Much better than the FEL.
I've heard that some people adjust the adjustable bottom link height to set the blade at an angle for specific tasks as well.
Well, thats my newbie perspective on box blades. Putting it all together is best done by just trying different things to see what works best.
As mentioned, go slow and get used to looking over your shoulder.
I suspect draft control would be very nice for accurate leveling but I also suspect relatively few of us have that feature.
I'm am hoping to add a hydraulic top link for quicker angle adjustments.
I'm not sure how a top-'n-tilt affects BB use. More parameters and more possibilities I'd guess!