Hinged back, or regular back box blade

[MinnesotaEric]

Can somebody explain the virtues of a hinged back and fixed back box blade in so far as working goes?

Thanks everybody!

 

[bcp]

With a hinged back blade locked in place, there is no difference. With it unlocked, you can dig quicker, deeper at the start of each pass. And you can dig in a concave situation, which is sort of what you have right at the start of a pass.

I was sloping a hillside and couldn't dig at the bottom of the slope with a fixed blade box blade--had to switch to the rear blade to get the "corner." As soon as the tractor front wheels hit the flat ground, the front blade stopped cutting as the contact shifted to the rear blade. I wanted the slope to meet the flat at an angle. What I got was a long, gentle curve.

Bruce

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I agree with bcp. I'm no box blade expert, but my experience is just what he said. My box blade will really dig in quickly and move lots of material with the back unhinged.

With it locked in the fixed position, it works better for general grading type work.

One other "virtue" is that most hinged back box blades seem to be heavier built than the typical fixed ones. Most of the light duty box blades don't offer a hinged back. So when you see one with a hinged back the chances are that it's at least a medium duty one.

 

[TripleR]

What they said, we have both kinds and for serious dirt work, we prefer the hinged back. The others work well, hinged back just better for some things.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Insofar as I've understood, the hinged back is better in the sense that it allows the front blade to dig in more aggressively because the hinge allows the rear blade to fold out of the way.

Next question:

Is a Howse CAT2 84" hinged box blade good enough, or should I look into a Woods/Gannon 80LB or is there another brand that I should consider?

 

[C4Ranch]

Hydraulic?
Don't know about hawse but my 78" 4x2 HB Gannon is built like a tank.

 

[C4Ranch]

Hit submitit too soon.

What are the weight differences?

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Hit submitit too soon.

What are the weight differences?

Weight on either isn't an issue for my tractor, but the Howse BEB84 84" hinged back is a medium duty box blade and weighs 620ish pounds.

The unfair comparison is with the Woods/Gannon 80LB which is significantly better built and weighs over 1000 pounds.

I can get the Howse for less than a grand, and I have no idea how much more the Gannon would be.

 

[C4Ranch]

Question wasn't focused at how much you can pull. The heavier the box blade the better it works.. I would vote for the heavier box blade everyday of the week and twice on Sunday...

Brace yourself when pricing the Gannon.... But there's a reason for it. If you're getting hydraulic rippers better be sitting down when u price it.. I was lucky and found mine on Craigslist.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

That Gannon will probably be in the neighborhood of $3,500. I found my old beat up war horse Gannon for $1,100, and spent about $150 getting the cylinder rebuilt and replacing the hoses on it. After using it for most of the last year, I can say it was well worth the cost.