Various BoxBlade Uses

   / Various BoxBlade Uses #21  
Boxblades can be useful at ice and driveway maintenance. There was around 1" - 2" of ice on the driveway at the time the pictures were taken earlier this season, now I have to get some sand. I am starting to run out of room as to where I am going to put the snow Jay
 

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   / Various BoxBlade Uses #22  
Seems like brown is your favorite color. Where did all the grass go?

jmf
 
   / Various BoxBlade Uses #23  
I bought my first(6ft) box balde about 2 years ago and would never be without one again,they sure are handy.coobie
 
   / Various BoxBlade Uses #24  
Here is a slightly different use. Works great in tight areas.
 

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   / Various BoxBlade Uses #25  
I find this thread and its posts somewhat humorous. When I first began reading on TBN, I did not even have a tractor. It was posts on TBN that guided me to the tractor that I wanted. I have a YM 1510D. When it came to implements I thought about what I needed to do on the church property and first made a scoop and my 3 point lift. (I had lots of sand to lug around to the back side of the garage from the area that I wanted to make parking.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/98421-dirt-scoop-3-pt-first.html?highlight=rollover

The reason, though, that it is humorous is that after I got the piles cleaned up I need to smooth it all out. I read posts by Rob (3RRL) and decided that is exactly what I needed, Well it was what I needed on the scale of my tractor!! I can just imagine trying to lift Rob's BB--hah!!:eek: And of course I could not have all the "refinements" that Rob put into his piece of art. But I was sure that a box blade was what I needed.

But then I read Brian's (MtViewRanch) posts about all that he was doing with his Gannon rollover box. I had not heard of a rollover so looked it up on the web and decided that that was even better for my purposes than Rob's. The thought of having to get off the tractor to put the scarifiers down and then again to pick them up was not a good idea--to my way of thinking. So I decided that I would get a "rollover" box--like Brian's. Again scaled to my tractor--those Gannons are HUGE!! Some of you will remember that I made an "imitation Gannon" last summer. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/99596-rollover-scraper-minimum.html?highlight=rollover

I have used it like others here have posted--to smooth out the parking lot, to dig holes to get good sand for cement, to fill in holes that I filled with broken cement chunks and to grade my road. However, I have used it for another thing that has saved my back a bit and that is for tearing out an old side walk. A backhoe with thumb would be ideal for this, but you use what you have. By using the scarifiers I can hook the outside verticle standing edge pieces and lift them out of their holes, and then I can rip though the flat pieces. It works for me and saves a lot of time with a big bar and fulcrum and shovel. 'Sides it is fun!:cool:

With the pieces all broken up and pulled out I switch to the scoop and cart the fragments around to a place where I will bury them. One of the uses that have had for the "imitation gannon" is ripping out this sidewalk. I imagine it is somewhat similar to using the BB to lift out a big rock that gets in your way.

Thanks Rob of this interesting thread and am glad that you all inspired me so that I can contribute.

Mike
 

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   / Various BoxBlade Uses #26  
Mike, I have a question for you. Now that you have used your rollover box blade for a while, are there things that you would do differently if you were to build another one? The reason that I am asking is that I am going to build a hydraulic operated rear blade. All the nice ones are just to much money:eek: and I don't like how they are designed 100%. I figure that I can build one for about 1/3 of what these guys want for one.

Anyway, I was just curious.
 
   / Various BoxBlade Uses #27  
Brian,

Overall I am very happy with it. I think that I should have made the arms that reach from the box tube back to the pivot with a bit heavier material--I get some flexing there if I hit something on one corner or when I turn with the blade down.

The second thing that I would do differently is maybe move the pivot point rearward a couple of inches (toward the scarifiers). This would give a bit better balance point--now there is a decidedly positive swing to the scarifier position:rolleyes: and, most importantly, it would give me just a bit more clearance to pick the scarifiers over an obstacle, like a chunk of concrete that I just pulled up out of the ground. I had a couple of situations that I had to release the blade to pivot so that I could get out of the tracks that I dug for myself.

The other thing that I would do differently is that I would make the pivot from bigger pipe than I used--mostly cosmetic, but with the stiffer arms I could then eliminate the bolt that I use as a pivot pin.

AN hydraulic RB would be very nice--I am working on a RB with gauge wheels now. But more in the realm of mechanical and it will not be a "6 way blade." There are some really nice looking blades out there if you have the weight to lift and pull a big blade.

Mike
 
   / Various BoxBlade Uses
  • Thread Starter
#28  
I see some cool uses of the boxblade, especially the ones of the snow removal since I don't really get any out here.
The concrete removal is a great idea!

Speaking of concrete, I had to re contour one turn in my road this weekend. I had to rip through a bunch of hard DG and then move it away. This is where having enough weight to penetrate is handy.



Some of the rocks I popped up were pretty big too. This one was so big the boxblade un-earthed somewhat. But it was too big to fit in the box to get a good bite and drag off. So I had to get it with the fel and grapples. It almost sunk the Kama! I couldn't lift it so I dragged it to a spot and dumped it.

 
   / Various BoxBlade Uses #29  
3RRL, I really enjoy your boxblade threads. I've learnt a lot from them. I'd like to put roads in my property and your experience seems to be very useful.

Box blade question - I'm thinking of getting a new box blade (along with a new tractor - L4740). Any advice on what is useful for road work (putting in new roads) - ie the roll over buckets, retractable scarifiers etc? Or put another way, what is really good, and what is just nice?

On new ways to use implements, I had my steepish driveway covered with snow that melted and refroze this winter. Solid 2 inches of ice, couldn't get the 4wd up. Couldn't even walk up.

I had one of those ideas which was either going to be genius or idiocy. I hooked up the rototiller, and rototilled the ice on the drive. Turned the whole thing into margarita slush which melted off quick without affecting the drive. It was a really great way to break up ice.

Didn't seem to do the rototiller any harm either, though I can't imagine it improved it :p But hey, implements are meant to be used, and sliding my new tundra off the edge of a hill was going to be a lot more expensive.
 
   / Various BoxBlade Uses #30  
Charlesaf3 said:
3RRL, I really enjoy your boxblade threads. I've learnt a lot from them. I'd like to put roads in my property and your experience seems to be very useful.

Box blade question - I'm thinking of getting a new box blade (along with a new tractor - L4740). Any advice on what is useful for road work (putting in new roads) - ie the roll over buckets, retractable scarifiers etc? Or put another way, what is really good, and what is just nice?

quote]
Look at the price tags, usually higher the price the nicer the implement. ;)
 
 
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