Box Blade 8 Acres??

[yelbike]

That is true. Can you tell I'm anxious to get out there!! With the cold weather coming in, I'll probably have to put this project off till the spring anyway...

Nope, research and build your land plane during the winter.

[El Wood]

Nope, research and build your land plane during the winter.

That sounds like a great idea. I've always wanted to learn to weld. Maybe now is the time. Is welding something that can be researched and self taught?

[john_bud]

Ha! I did find a picture of my I-beam land leveler in action. I had lots of high spots and used it in conjunction with the box blade to quickly knock down the high spots then move the dirt around
.

[yelbike]

That sounds like a great idea. I've always wanted to learn to weld. Maybe now is the time. Is welding something that can be researched and self taught?

I think so. I picked up the Haynes welding book which showed me a few things, like tips and techniques. I'm sure there are better books out there though. Practice, at first i wont be pretty, but that's OK, its not a piece of art. When it breaks, you get more practice. I really only had one thing break several times till i got it right. I'm by not mean an expert or even a good welder.

At the very least you can acquire all the required steel, fit it together, assemble and weld it together. If your welds really don't hold out (which I'm sure they will) just bring it to a local welder, they'll reweld it and you'll still have saved money. For design ideas, there's a ton on here. Good luck.

[jenkinsph]

That sounds like a great idea. I've always wanted to learn to weld. Maybe now is the time. Is welding something that can be researched and self taught?

I started out by reading a couple of welding books before using a crackerbox welder. I made it stick together and had a pro welder go over it later. Learned alot from him and we are still friends today, thirty + years later. Whie I am no pro welder I don't seem to have much of anything break so far.

[Camdigger]

Ha! I did find a picture of my I-beam land leveler in action. I had lots of high spots and used it in conjunction with the box blade to quickly knock down the high spots then move the dirt around
.

My Dad got a couple of 60#/yd rails he made a similar float from. I made one from some rail salvaged from a railway maintenance foreman's yard. Works well, but if the rails roll the connecting chain under, the chain wears through. BTDT.

[Chilly807]

Ha! I did find a picture of my I-beam land leveler in action. I had lots of high spots and used it in conjunction with the box blade to quickly knock down the high spots then move the dirt around
.

We built a similar drag for our riding ring, using 6 cross pieces and a lot lighter material, I think it was 1.5 x 3 x 1/8 C-channel. It's amazing how well it actually works on a sandy surface. ATV pulls it like it isn't even there. I tried using it to level up a piece of land we plowed and disced, but it's not heavy enough to do a really good job, and needs to be stiffer besides as in a solid frame.

That's the problem with a lot of the old style drag discs too. Without a solid frame to hold them level, they walk up and down over humps without really digging and leveling the land. I converted a drag-style disc to 3 point mount, and while it's a lot better than it was, it still doesn't have the stiffness it needs.

Sean