Right size box scraper for 3520?

[thespaugh]

Dumb question but what do you guys consider the right size box scraper for a 3520?

I have the opportunity to buy a 65" or 72" with rippers and assumed the 6ft would be the way to go...but I thought I'd ask the experts first. My FEL has the 61" bucket and the tire width is ~58".

Thanks

[Spudland_Dave]

Not a dumb quuestion...I went thru the exact thing this summer when shopping. I have a 3520 as well.
I was cruising the lots for a 72" unit.....ended up finding a barely used Woods GB65 at a price I couldnt refuse so I brought it home. All in all, I like the 66" BB and am glad that the powers above paired me up with a 66" unit.
As it is, I bent a 3pt lift arm like a taco doing some reverse grading.....a 72" would magnify those forces even more.

I'd have to say at the end of the day, it really depends on what YOU have planned for it. If you're just doing road maintenance & light material moving, get the 72", if you want to "use & abuse it", get the 66"....pulling a fully heaped & loaded BB of dirt here will use every stitch of traction I have (Big R4's).

[radman1]

I have a 65" gannon for my JD 3720. I bought it used at a good price with hydraulic rippers. Personally, I would go for a 72" if everything else was equal. The greater tire clearance is the reason for the wider unit. A 65 or 66" will just clear the tires. More difficult to get next to objects when blading. Both sizes can stop your tractor dead in its tracks when using the rippers.

[SFish]

I have a 72" Gearmore box blade on a 3320 and like it a lot, especially with the top & tilt. Like Radman I like the extra reach beyond the tires for widening roads and cleaning out gutters. I also bent a 3pt arm pretty good backing up, but I had forgotten to put the pin in the anti-sway link on the side that bent. I straigtened the arm out and have had no trouble since.

Steve

[jsboening]

60" Frontier for my 3720. Covers my tracks fine. I've got turfs. When it's full of dirt it's a load.

[jdbower]

Remember that "right size" does not equal "biggest" all the time. Even though my 2520 should be able to manage a 5' easily, I'd stick with a 4' that barely covers the rear wheels because I'd use it on a trail where being compact is a bonus. Using it purely in the open would be another story, but even with a smaller model it just means a few more passes.

[jeffster]

Yeah, it really depends on your application. I have a 3520 with the Frontier BB2060 5' model and it is perfect for my uses. It covers my tracks and frankly with my soil pulling a full box will push the tractor to its limits, so anything larger for me would be pointless.

Good luck!
-Jef

[JD3520Turbo]

I have a 6ft Box Blade on my 3520, and it works fantastic for me. If I knew how to use it effeciently, it would be even better. I can rip up a gravel driveway and fill the entire box, and it won't bog down at all. It just pulls away with no problem. In fact I have dug up a long driveway the gravel was running over the top of the box, and it still pulled fine.

I would not go below 6ft. I like that fact that it sticks out further than the tires. I put a 6Ft cutter on the back and it handles it easily.

[jeffster]

JD3520, gravel and soil are totally different beasts, so again, it goes back to what the OP needs to do with it. A 6' box of the heavy clay here would be half full before you run out of traction with the 3520, but I also agree that they extra size would be great if most of your work involved loose gravel or the like.

[sunnyside360]

I have a 72" box-blade for my 3720 and it works fine most of the time. Type of soil is a big factor along with the amount of "bite" (angle) it is set at and the type of tires. If I were buying new again, I'd still go with the 72". I'm using loaded R4 tires and it would be better with loaded R1's.