Grading with a subcompact to take out a slope

[madmax12]

What is BB2048L's total weight? What is its weight per foot? What is its width, relative to outside width of your tires?

These are the three critical factors.

Minor factors: Rippers and arrangement, Hinged back or not, price.

Answers to Important questions are a Google away:

frontier bb2048l - Google Search

 

[Buggs67]

Tractor and Box Blade need to be complementary. Have you made a tractor decision?

Should you maybe step up a little to a compact? I don't know a lot but if you are going to be doing a lot of excavating/grading and 3 point hitch work, and you will have a lot of grass to cut, maybe a CUT will be better. Just throwing it out there.

[EDIT] looking at the JD1025R on the web it looks pretty good for a S-CUT.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I have a BB but find it cumbersome to use as it does not hold much and you still have to dump and pick up with the FEL. I made a heavy duty tooth bar for the FEL. It now digs like a champ, even scoops up sod where the smooth edge just rides over it. Haven't used the BB since except to rip. The tooth bar makes easy work out of moving rocks also.



Ron

 

[jeff9366]

Iffy???

With only 69 pounds weight per foot of width I am concerned that the BB2048L is too light to be effective.

The pictures are lovely but nothing substitutes for implement weight with a Box Blade, or other 3-Pt mounted, ground engaging implements.

So I am going to make a new recommendation:

Get a single shank Subsoiler to open the ground and a Piranha Tooth Bar bucket attachment to scoop up the loosened dirt, then move the spoil in the bucket. This was your original concept.

CountyLine® Subsoiler - Tractor Supply Co. I expect Deere has a Frontier Subsoiler.

BXpanded Piranha Tooth Bar


The Subsoiler will be useful for planting trees, running pipe and conduit, and for bringing up rocks in Pennsylvania. You will never bend it with a JD 1025r. (Check to be sure Cat '1' Subsoiler will fit your Category 1/limited 3-Pt. Hitch.)

The Piranha is the best SCUT attachment for digging with an FEL bucket. It is also useful for clearing brush.

Unfortunately the Subsoiler, at 95 pounds, will not provide much counterbalance to the FEL and bucket load.

 

[tractorshopper]

+2 on the Tooth Bar. Have dug so much with it (including a pond) that I hardly use the box blade, except as a counter weight. I'm with Seabee on this one (and I used to be a Seabee as well).

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Iffy???

Get a single shank Subsoiler to open the ground and a Piranha Tooth Bar bucket attachment to scoop up the loosened dirt, then move the spoil in the bucket. This was your original concept.

The Subsoiler will be useful for planting trees, running pipe and conduit, and for bringing up rocks in Pennsylvania. You will never bend it with a JD 1025r. (Check to be sure Cat '1' Subsoiler will fit your Category 0/1 3-Pt. Hitch.)

The Piranha is the best SCUT attachment for digging with an FEL bucket. It is also useful for clearing brush.

Unfortunately the Subsoiler, at 95 pounds, will not provide much counterbalance to the FEL and bucket load.

I have a sub-soiler and am wondering how it works to plant trees? It does not get the dirt out of the hole. I use the BH for that. FEL makes too big a hole. I made my own tooth bar as all the attachments I see on the web look to flimsy for what I do. My teeth are replaceable, they just pin on with a hollow pin.

Ron

 

[jeff9366]

Just a few up-and-downs with the Subsoiler to loosen the ground, in lieu of a pick.

 

[jeff9366]

I should be taking delivery of my JD 1025r with loader and 60" deck on friday; which I got for some land I purchased and will be building on. I ordered with turf tires as I plan on most of its life being used for mowing.
.

Let us look at the JD 1025r tractor:

LINK:

1025R Sub-Compact Utility Tractor Sub-Compact Utility Tractors Tractors JohnDeere.com

 

[Buggs67]

I made a heavy duty tooth bar for the FEL. It now digs like a champ, even scoops up sod where the smooth edge just rides over it. Haven't used the BB since except to rip. The tooth bar makes easy work out of moving rocks also.

View attachment 375130

Ron

That is a nice tooth bar. I like the replaceable teeth.

 

[Egon]

That's a really nice tooth bar.:thumbsup:

Any reason why the teeth are not turned around?

 

[HEC]

If not already I would suggest getting your rear tires loaded for traction and counterbalance for front end loader work and be very careful on slopes especially . I too would suggest the r4 tires . I also like the idea of a subsoiler if tires are loaded and the tooth bar on the bucket . .

 

[dmbtree82]

I'd like to get a tooth bar and plan on it. I think the box blade will be the first tool I get for it either way since I can use it as ballast for the loader as well. I can get a Mahindra blade at a good price locally, but was having trouble finding specs on it. I did manage to find out it weighs 300lbs for the 4' blade and has 3 scrapers. Anyone know how the Mahindra compares to the frontier in quality?

 

[Tractor Seabee]

That's a really nice tooth bar.:thumbsup:

Any reason why the teeth are not turned around?

I presume you mean turned over 180 degrees? I kept the flat side on the bottom and placed so they are the same as the bottom of the FEL bucket. That way I can still use to back blade smoothly w/0 taking the tooth bar off. Surprised you did not ask why the two tabs sticking up. They are for pining on an attachment for a class 3 trailer hitch w/o removing the TB. I have one I made that clamps on the bucket when the TB is off. It has been on since I made it a year ago. The advantage of being a welder and having the equipment.

Ron

 

[dragoneggs]

The Piranha tooth bar has been a god send for me. No need for a BB but of course if money no object. I like having the FEL with PTB and BH on back for serious dirt work. These SCUTS can dig!!! I have been terracing my steep slope with my BX and the only issue is safety. Be careful and go real slow!

 

[ovrszd]

I presume you mean turned over 180 degrees? I kept the flat side on the bottom and placed so they are the same as the bottom of the FEL bucket. That way I can still use to back blade smoothly w/0 taking the tooth bar off.
Ron

Also gives you the ability to cut grade going forward. Bobcat buckets are designed that way and work very well.

 

[dmbtree82]

I was thinking about wheel weights over loading the tires.

 

[BukitCase]

If the area you're gonna level is actually 100' x 100', and you're going to actually level that area without making half of it "cut" and the other half "fill", (IOW, cut down the entire 100 x 100 and push the spoils out of the way) then you will be moving approximately 1,111 cubic YARDS of material.

How much time were you planning to spend on this?

Just for reference, I have an older Case backhoe, and a power down 3 point hitch add-on, with a Gannon 7 foot box scraper with hydraulic rippers - I did a "push-out" that's about 180 feet square about 8 years ago, did the math and I moved roughly 2400 yds of dirt in 4 12-hour days.

Difference is, my BB weighs almost as much as your tractor, and the tractor minus hoe weighs in at roughly 6000 pounds - I would lower the rippers, make a few side-hill passes, then start at the top, drive the bucket in and roll it out, level it and into float mode, then drop the BB and move a full bucket and full BB to the lower side, dump the bucket then pop the BB up as I went over the edge, drive back up to the top and repeat. Between the bucket and the BB, I was moving about 2 yards of material per pass.

I'll repeat the advice to keep your bucket as low as possible - and by the time you're done with this project I guarantee you'll know a LOT more about your gear than you do now.

Not trying to dissuade you, just a bit of perspective - as has already been said, there's no question that you can do this, only a question of how long it'll take... Steve

 

[RDrancher]

If the area you're gonna level is actually 100' x 100', and you're going to actually level that area without making half of it "cut" and the other half "fill", (IOW, cut down the entire 100 x 100 and push the spoils out of the way) then you will be moving approximately 1,111 cubic YARDS of material.

How much time were you planning to spend on this?

Just for reference, I have an older Case backhoe, and a power down 3 point hitch add-on, with a Gannon 7 foot box scraper with hydraulic rippers - I did a "push-out" that's about 180 feet square about 8 years ago, did the math and I moved roughly 2400 yds of dirt in 4 12-hour days.

Difference is, my BB weighs almost as much as your tractor, and the tractor minus hoe weighs in at roughly 6000 pounds - I would lower the rippers, make a few side-hill passes, then start at the top, drive the bucket in and roll it out, level it and into float mode, then drop the BB and move a full bucket and full BB to the lower side, dump the bucket then pop the BB up as I went over the edge, drive back up to the top and repeat. Between the bucket and the BB, I was moving about 2 yards of material per pass.

I'll repeat the advice to keep your bucket as low as possible - and by the time you're done with this project I guarantee you'll know a LOT more about your gear than you do now.

Not trying to dissuade you, just a bit of perspective - as has already been said, there's no question that you can do this, only a question of how long it'll take... Steve

Yes, this is good advice. If you've ever looked at my photo thread or seen any skiploader videos, you'll see the bucket up in the air when running the box blade. It helps to increase fore-aft and side-to-side "feel", but I don't suggest that anyone else do it. It's a learned skill, just like running a box blade. What you won't see is my bucket up high with a bucket load of material....ever.

 

[ericb2400]

Silly question about tires. Most people talk about turf, r1, or r4s. What about the Tera tires
https://www.google.com/search?q=goo...2Fforum%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D963075;400;300
That's what u have on my B2400 and they seem to do well all around.

Sent from my iPhone using TractorByNet

 

[ovrszd]

I was thinking about wheel weights over loading the tires.

I added 1570lbs with loading tires at a cost of $200.

Weights are generally $1 per pound. So same weight would have cost me $1570.

No brainer to me.