What does a box blade actually do?

[The Famous Grouse]

This is probably a silly question, but I have to ask.

What does a box blade actually do? What's the sweet-spot in terms of what it's really good for?

I see people talking about them all the time and I see them for sale, but I honestly have no idea what they are supposed to do. I don't know anyone on a farm that uses one and I've never seen one in use.

Please clear up the mystery for me.

Grouse

 

[deezler]

Box blades are best for scarifying and then moving hard compacted dirt or gravel. Those ripper shanks hanging down can really bite into the ground - then the dirt they break up can be scooped/retained with the back blade and held in the box to be dragged somewhere else.

The shanks are adjustable vertically so that you can choose how deep you want to rip. And you can adjust your 3-pt arms to put angle on the box blade to make a ditch or crown, etc.

Box blades are very strong, so you can use the full tractive power of your machine to rip up the ground.

But I do understand your question, because if you have loose dirt or stone, you might as well just use a straight blade to move it around. Or a loader bucket to scoop and move it.

 

[deezler]

To add - if you want to make a new trail in the forest or brush across un-even ground, the box blade set to an angle is perhaps the best way to re-shape the trail bed, bench cut into a hillside, create proper drainage ditches, etc.

Like this road I cut into a steep hillside - only a box blade is going to quickly, effectively and safely accomplish this:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-...I/AAAAAAAAKhk/byUoRNnGDbo/w995-h746-no/13+-+2

 

[EverythingAttachments]

Here is a video of one in action.

 

[EverythingAttachments]

And another.

 

[bigbull338]

the boxblades are used to level ground.as well as spread dirt an gravel.an you can knock down high spots an fill in low spots.

 

[joshuabardwell]

A box blade is a lot like a grader blade except that the box blade has sides, so it carries the dirt along vs. letting it spill out to the side. It's great for leveling ground and spreading loose material like dirt and rocks. Also great for side-grading trails by setting it at an angle. Can be used like a push-blade if you use it in reverse.

 

[nybirdman]

I would advise against pushing backwards....something is going to break if you are not real careful.
Box blade is a great tool with a little learning curve.Best on dry material.

 

[The Famous Grouse]

Many thanks for the info.

So it looks like the principle use is to loosen up ground, and then re-distriubte it and re-grade it.

Follow on question. If you set the forks deep, could you also use a box blade as a sort of chisle plow? I'm talking for small 1 acre or less food plots here, not for 800 acres of corn.

Grouse

 

[PhysAssist]

I would advise against pushing backwards....something is going to break if you are not real careful.
Box blade is a great tool with a little learning curve.Best on dry material.

We agree completely. After having excavted our pond bank to a more gradual angle, we had a very uneven surface, and piles of spoils all over and our box blade was great to level the surfaces to an even grade, and then loosen the spoils piles so we could more easily pick the upan move them.

However, the spreading, moving, and grading large pilesof dirt (or stones) across or along a large area is where they shine. That said, we also use it to rip up brush, carry our trash cans down to the road, pull our trailer and roller with the trailer hitch box we have attached. Spreading new gravel was the other big thing we bought it for, and it is awesome for that.

Thomas

PS: I forgot, we used it to make a new drainage ditch or creek across the back edeg of our pond area where the excavators had destroyed it.

 

[PhysAssist]

Many thanks for the info.

So it looks like the principle use is to loosen up ground, and then re-distriubte it and re-grade it.

Follow on question. If you set the forks deep, could you also use a box blade as a sort of chisle plow? I'm talking for small 1 acre or less food plots here, not for 800 acres of corn.

Grouse

Hi grouse and welcome!

There are no "forks" , instead there ar anywhere from 4 to 10 scarifiers or teeth with hardened edges to break up and cut through rocks, roots, and other debris.

I think it could be good for what you suggest. Next spring, we will lightly drag the scarifiers (in conjunction with our Piranha Tooth Bar) to dig out the brush and weeds in the new food plot, then deeply drag to pull up any rocks or deep roots, and then lightly drag the backedge to smooth over the soils and regrade it.

 

[joshuabardwell]

I would advise against pushing backwards....something is going to break if you are not real careful.

It's true. I am always really careful when doing it that way. It is just too convenient when grading to angle the blade way forward, then cut a path going forward, and spread it back out going backwards. No need to adjust the top link between the steps.

 

[schmism]

A box blade is a lot like a grader blade except that the box blade has sides

I disagree.

There are SIGNIFICANT differences that a grader blade posses that a box blade can not replicate. Perhaps the most significant of those is the ability to rotate the blade and windrow material. in addition the grader blade can raise and lower the edges or side to side tilt. third a grader blade can change its angle of attack with the ground make it easier to cut hard materials or more vertical to grade and mix materials.

as stated a box blade is built primary built for cutting high spots and dragging material and filling in low spots or stock pilling the material.

 

[Arc weld]

With the right operator a box blade can do finish landscaping. They are used a lot on big landscaping jobs and golf courses. With some practice you can do some very precision work. They allow you to carry material as well. If you can't afford a skid steer, some seat time with a box blade is the next best thing.

 

[PhysAssist]

I disagree.

There are SIGNIFICANT differences that a grader blade posses that a box blade can not replicate. Perhaps the most significant of those is the ability to rotate the blade and windrow material. in addition the grader blade can raise and lower the edges or side to side tilt. third a grader blade can change its angle of attack with the ground make it easier to cut hard materials or more vertical to grade and mix materials.

as stated a box blade is built primary built for cutting high spots and dragging material and filling in low spots or stock pilling the material.

I obviously have to agree with your first sentence that graders and box blades have different strengths.

But some of what follows is less clearly true.

True, windrowing is NOT done with boxblades, but rotating the blade to adjust the angle of attack to alter/enhance function between digging and smoothing ARE boxblade functions. Side to side tilting is accomplished by the 3-point linkage and we use this with our boxblade for ditching. Not all graders have adjustable blade heights.

My wife is better at grading the driveway than I am, and I would put her finished product using the combination of our FEL w/PTB and Gannon Earthcavator RO Boxblade up against anyone's without regard for implement used, just saying this to makwe the point that boxblades ARE good road/driveway grading tools in the right hands I.E., NOT MINE!

YMMV
Thomas

 

[jeff9366]

If you set the forks deep, could you also use a box blade as a sort of chisle plow? I'm talking for small 1 acre or less food plots here, not for 800 acres of corn.
Grouse

With plenty of tractor power, 4-WD, ideal soil moisture, and minimal rocks you can use a Box Blade to tear out subsurface roots. Not the same result as a Chisel Plow. Box Blade rippers are blunt, not tapered.

If the garden land has been previously broken a Disc Harrow may be the implement you need. I'm in Florida and in The South we tend to harrow rather than plow because of our mild winters.

If the garden land has NOT been previously broken hire someone to plow it with a Turning/Moldboard Plow in the fall. Winter freeze/thaw cylcles will break up resulting clods. Plow will cut subsurface roots 6-7" deep.

A PTO powered tiller would be the ideal implement for preparing not-too-rocky garden soil.

Picture shows my B3300SU, 33-hp, 1,900 pounds, with 630 pound Rollover Box Blade on 3-Pt., dragging out tenacious wild grape vine roots from sandy-loam/ NO ROCKS. (HST/LOW, engine grunting, R4 tires.)

 

[john40981]

With plenty of tractor power, 4-WD, ideal soil moisture, and minimal rocks you can use a Box Blade to tear out subsurface roots. Not the same result as a Chisle Plow. Box Blade rippers are blunt.

If the garden land has been previously broken a Disc Harrow may be the implement you need. I'm in Florida and in The South we tend to harrow rather than plow because of our mild winters.

If the garden land has NOT been previously broken hire someone to plow it with a Turning/Moldboard Plow in the fall. Winter freeze/thaw cylcles will break up resulting clods.

A PTO powered tiller would be the ideal implement for preparing not-too-rocky garden soil.

Picture shows my B3300SU, 33-hp, 1,900 pounds, with 630 pound Rollover Box Blade on 3-Pt., dragging out wild grape vine roots from sandy-loam/ NO ROCKS.

That's one mean looking box blade and nice tractor :thumbsup:

 

[Brimfield]

So what happens when they hit large rocks? Does the 4wd tractor spin tires or does the box scraper get damage? I am thinking of turning up our yard so I could plant grass vs. wild roses, rocks and weeds.

 

[jeff9366]

So what happens when they hit large rocks?
I am thinking of turning up our yard so I could plant grass vs. wild roses, rocks and weeds.

I can't answer your question. I would NOT pull Rollover Box Blade rippers through rocky soil.

You could shallow dig your yard and grub out boulders with your Backhoe, then smooth the area and rake out some rocks and wild rose corms with a Ratchet Rake on your bucket.

If you have a large area to work a Turning Plow, used in the Fall, would be better, then pick up rocks in the Spring.

Pick up Wild Rose corms in the Fall, after plowing, so they do not break up and multiply.

 

[pwright]

So what happens when they hit large rocks? Does the 4wd tractor spin tires or does the box scraper get damage? I am thinking of turning up our yard so I could plant grass vs. wild roses, rocks and weeds.

Depends. If it is too big the tractor comes to a stop. Football sized rocks tend to get pulled up and then, if I'm not paying attention, the box blade will end up bouncing up and over them. Smaller rocks usually just get drug along inside the box blade.