Box scraper questions

[Phils]

I know I need one, and will probably bite my well-chewed bullet and get the one from PT. But I have questions, having never owned a box scraper before. Also the shipping from Virgina would add significantly to the cost.

With PT's, I guess you pull it while driving backwards. The ones that hook to a CUT's 3pt hitch also get pulled, although the CUT is driving forward. In both cases, the tractor is operating on pre-leveled ground.

Do you leave it in "float" or try and make the box do its leveling by constant adjustment of the angle/lift?

What is the reason it can't be pushed instead of pulled? Seems if the tractor was on "already leveled" ground, the results would be smoother and more level, although there'd be tire tracks in the finished work.

Have any of you built your own? Has anyone built a "pusher" box? What problems does anybody see with that arrangement? Why wouldn't grabbing a box scraper from TSC and welding on a PT attachment plate work?

Phil

[J_J]

You should be able to weld an adapter to a box blade and accomplish what you are trying to do. I was thinking of doing the same thing

[Clarke]

The box blade doesn't work going forward there is no blade on the back of the box. Going forward you can use the box to push there is a little blade up front for this purpose. I use the box blade a lot more then I thought I would when I purchased it. Some of the tasks I use it for.

Level stone in driveway
Back filling
contouring and changing grades
Smoothing and leveling

I use the blade at different angles in and out of float depending which works the best. I hope this helps.

sg

[J_J]

PT's box blade has a blade in the push mode, but it is not practical. You can push stuff like sand, stone, etc, but if you dig in, the box blade will try and buckle. Same with my 3PH.

[sneaky_pete]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Do you leave it in "float" or try and make the box do its leveling by constant adjustment of the angle/lift?)</font>

When leveling a gravel drive (for example), you typically have low areas like ruts and high areas in the middle and on the sides where gravel has piled up. I pick an amount of lift on the 3ph that is half-way in between the two, then set the check chains (no position control on mine) to hold it at that same level every time I make a scraping pass. That way, you knock off the highs and fill the box, then deposit the contents of the box in the low spots. If it is deeply rutted, it may take more than one pass to get it level and smooth, but I always use the same 3ph height until it won't scrape any more before lowering it more than that. Hope this makes some sense -

Pete

[dbetts]

I find the box blade very handy for lots of things. It is true that it is not very good at smoothing when traveling forward, but for filling a deep trench when the fill is heavy clay you can put the blade down and tilt it all the way forward raising the front wheels and keeping some forward pressure with the rear wheels pushing forward. then by rocking the blade back and forth ( joy stick left to right) you can move quite a bit of dirt at a time. The front position of the blade is certainly less desirable for smoothing large flat lawns than a 3ph one is, but in small areas it is much more versatile. I have also found that if there is an embedded rock that is too big to move with the loose dirt I can tilt the blade up and slide the side of the box next to the rock and by then turning the wheel pop that rock right out of the surrounding packed dirt and then push it off by itself. It does work quite well for smoothing loose top soil on a flat lawn. This is one implement I have found overall to work better than expected.

[Clarke]

Depends on what your pushing. I use it to fill trenches dug with the trencher you can pull the material into the trench or push it works quicker and better then a bucket..

sg

[Phils]

Thanks for all the replies [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I'll take a look at TSC's box blades and see if there might be a good fit for a PT. I'll also plan on the conventional mount (pull it instead of pushing it) due to the good reasons mentioned here, especially how it would try and buckle. I wouldn't need that.

Phil

[KentT]

Phil -- or anyone else...

Did you end up adapting a 3-pt boxblade for use with your PT? How did it work for you? Did you angle the quick attach plate -- if so, how much?

I have a King Cutter XB 48" (see link) one that I bought for my Kubota that I'm considering adapting -- since I have a spare adapter plate. With no real experience, I like the "real scarifiers" on the King Kutter better than the look of the "teeth" on the PT boxblade. Also, I know I'll never get my money back out of the King Cutter, even though it's only been used a couple of hours... so I may as well use it.

King Cutter XB 48" Box Blade

[Sedgewood]

<font color="red"> Did you end up adapting a 3-pt boxblade for use with your PT? How did it work for you? Did you angle the quick attach plate -- if so, how much?
</font>

Yeah, I had an adapter plate welded on a Bush Hog SBX720 for my 1845. Here's a pic that shows how the quick attach plate fit perfectly between the 3pt hitch arms and the angle. Your fit may differ [img]/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

I like real rippers too,
Sedgewood