How effective is a Box Blade for Snow Removal?

[cartod]

Just curious, as I have never used one on snow. Thanks.

 

[Rob-D]

I don't know how good it would be but look at it this way, you can level your driveway and clean the snow all in one operation!

Rob

 

[KennyG]

How about better than nothing? I clear snow with my Loader and all my driveway is concrete. I use the box blade for rear weight and to be able to drag snow away from buildings. Sometimes I push with the loader and drag the BB at the same time to better clean the drive. The box blade usually fills up about the same time as the loader and I have to dump them.

The problem with the box blade, of course is that it won't move the snow out of the way and will just fill up. If this is your only snow tool, you really need a regular back blade you can angle. I plan to add a front plow when I get around to it, and I will still use the box blade with that.

 

[bucktaker]

Better than a shovel

 

[puckgrinder85]

Its all we use at our shop and its faster than with my dad in his pickup can do it. You can fill the box up but if you have enough traction you can keep on moving it. Keep in mind all the plow manufaturers that went to v plows for snow containment, thats where the time savings comes into play. If you have to clean up windrows you're wasting time. I should mention commercial plow guys with big lots (think walmart) all have front end loaders with is basically a box blade mounted on the front. The box blade can also plow in reverse and be used in the summertime as well. Probably the most universal attachment I have.

 

[nybirdman]

I have a box-blade but never tried on snow.Don't think it would be very effective for me.I have a seven ft.rear blade and a eight ft.front blade.

 

[rankrank1]

It will depend on the layout of the area you are cleaning.

In tight quarters I actually prefer a box blade over an angled rear blade on a lightweight tractor that lacks chains. A lightweight tractor often wants to simply get pushed sideways when you try to go slow in tight quarters with an angled blade as you can not go fast enough to let momentum work for yah. A boxblade is heavier which aides traction and blade is always straight so you do not get pushed around as much.

My preferred method for cleaning snow is push when going forward with FEL. Then push snow in reverse with the boxblade when going in reverse. My cleaning pattern is a series of Y-patterns or herringbone patterns to clean the area. I have never went forward to clean snow with boxblade. My method doubles productivity as you are always moving snow whether going forward or backward.

Now if you want to clean a 1/4 long lane or a 1/2 mile long lane then a series a Y-patterns or herring bone patterns would be very inefficient for a long lane. In this case use an angled blade and you can go fast enough to overcome being pushed sideways (usually) since area is more open from obstacles so you can go much faster.

Search the archives here on TBN and see what all one can do with a boxblade with some improvisation. From plowing the garden with the rippers to moving snow. While less than ideal in some cases it can at least do it. A regular rear blade is much more of a 1 trick pony in comparison.

 

[Rob-D]

I have a front blower, works well, costs a small fortune but I don't like looking backwards for my 600+ foot driveway. Last year I didn't use the blower and it's not on yet this year. I may leave the FEL on, take off the BH and put a rear blade on just to see how foolish I was to spend the money on a blower!

 

[amazincaucasian]

We don't get all that much snow here, but usually 2 or 3 times a year I go clear off lots. Usually use a skidsteer but last year I used a tractor and box blade. It worked great on less than 3 inches of snow. Any more than that, I'd rather have a loader. Can't lift it and pile it up like you can with a loader. Or push it into a pile like a snow plow. When you have alot of snow to pile, you just have to make lower, but longer piles and drive over em. At least that's my way. Maybe somebody has a handier way I can try

 

[johnk]

We don't get all that much snow here, but usually 2 or 3 times a year I go clear off lots. Usually use a skidsteer but last year I used a tractor and box blade. It worked great on less than 3 inches of snow. Any more than that, I'd rather have a loader. Can't lift it and pile it up like you can with a loader. Or push it into a pile like a snow plow. When you have alot of snow to pile, you just have to make lower, but longer piles and drive over em. At least that's my way. Maybe somebody has a handier way I can try

I think you are going to use that blower a lot this winter the way all the forcasters are predicting. At least you bought it already as the price is always going up!

 

[Professor Marvel]

I think a box blade will work better than the bushog my city neighbor used a couple years ago but it would not be my choice.

 

[Mousefield]

It doesn't work that well. I tried it a couple of years ago and found the snow packed into the boxblade and I had to use a shovel to loosen it so I could dump it. I use my FEL but used the boxblade to clean up bits of snow left behind and to get a soother finish on the road. To me it was not worth the hassle to use the boxblade. Most of the time I have my backhoe on anyway as it has a lot more weight.

 

[K TWO]

Box blade works great for me. I have a 150 foot drive and a very large turn around area and probably average a foot of fresh a week with little or no wind. It allows me to pull snow cleanly away from around buildings, vehicles, etc. I just pull it away with box, then back though it and stack it with loader. In a perfect world, I'd have a front blower and a box blade but this set up is fine for me. I also like having my bucket to push / pull me out when I get stuck. (Often). If you regularly get more than a foot at a time or your drive is longer than 150 feet, I wouldn't recommend this set up though as it's a lot of back and forth on the big dumps.

 

[smilingreen]

Years ago, I had a landscape company here in middle Tennessee. I had a bunch of property maintenance contracts which included snow removal, in the rare event we got enough snow to matter. Wouldn't you know it, the first winter, we had several snow storms that dumped several inches of snow on us back to back. I had my JD 790 MFWD tractor, FEL and a box blade the first trip out. The box blade didn't work very well. Went back to the shop and put the rear grader blade on and was able to roll the snow in windrows very easily. I did cleanup with the FEL. I froze my butt off.

The second year, I found a used Myers poly plow and mounted it to my Dodge 3500 truck and stayed warm and toasty that year.

 

[jimmysisson]

I use a PA converted truck plow in place of the loader bucket, and a heavy Gannon box on back. Where my drive hits the street it's great to be able to push forward and reverse. Best though is pulling where the box will cut down to the pavement to scrape compacted snow off. Sure, the box fills up and stops cutting, but the plow will glide up over compacted snow and make things worse. It's almost the only time I use my box blade and it works well for me.
Jim

 

[john_bud]

I would stay away from a box blade for snow removal.

If it's too low, you can peel up the drive way (black top / gravel) or catch an edge and pop out a chunk of cement. Or you can go off the drive and find "brown snow" where you peeled up the lawn.

Plus, snow doesn't roll off the blade, so you there is a lot of back and forth to actually get it clean. A back blade that you can angle and adjust the tilt so it is less likely to harm the lawn. Used ones are just a couple hundred bucks.

 

[mfreund]

That and a loader is all I ever use. I do use the hydraulic top link to shake out the snow if it gets trapped in the box. That only happens if the snow is really wet. Is it the best tool?.....idk but it works fine for me

 

[MESSMAKER]

I use one. It works fine in reverse, but is tricky to use going forward because it loads up the snow rather than pushing it to one side. It can be done, but a grader blade is better.

 

[sandyc]

I would think that anything that you can make work should be OK. The trouble up here is that you run out of space to plow the snow. I use a front blade until the ground freezes and then switch to a blower. Saves me from having to push the snow banks back.

 

[pedalstomper78]

Box blade works great for me. I plow mine, and a number of my neighbors driveways in my neighborhood and have always had good luck. The biggest tips are to shorten the top link for hard surfaces such as concrete and asphalt. Lengthen it for gravel. I've found I can scrape a drive and leave about 1/2" of snow on top on gravel so I'm not having to rake the grass where I put the snow piles later in the year.