Box blade vs scrape blade

[CMV]

Been borrowing a friend's box blade and have got a lot of use out of it, but need to get my own. It looks to me that the box blade will do everything the rear scrape blade will but has the added benefits of being able to drop teeth, more weight, use in reverse, not let material escape at the sides, etc.

Would there be any reason to choose the scrape blade over a box blade? Does the scrape do things the box won't? Maintaining a long dirt/gravel road, filling in erosion channels, filling/leveling low spots, fixing ruts, and general light grading are what I would use it for.

Also - general use question - when I go over an area that is mostly dirt/pea gravel, the box blade does a great job getting it right in just a pass or two. But if there is more than maybe 25% grass coverage, it just kind of floats on the grass and it takes dozens of passes in forward & reverse. Small amount of grass - like the middle hump of a dirt road - it just cuts. But more grass than that is too much. Do I just need to weight it down or angle a different way?

 

[bcp]

The box blade won't angle to move material sideways efficiently.

Bruce

 

[CincyFlyer]

Adding weight to a box blade is common practice. I toss several 60-lb. sand tubes on top to prevent skating.

 

[/pine]

I have both and use both...I do like to say..." Man with (tractor w/T&T*) box blade is like man who can catch flies with chop sticks...he can do anything"

However there is one thing that an angling rear blade does with a lot less effort and it's dealing with washboards...

*...IMO If you do any type of grading/grooming work with any type of rear attachment...hydraulic top and tilt are the two most profound improvements one can add to a tractor...T&T is the ultimate in making grading implements and their operation as efficient as they get...

personally I would keep watching CL etc...usually you can find both box blades and rear blades used for what a new box blade costs...there are no truer words than heavier is better when it comes to box blades...match attachments to your tractor's capabilities...

 

[nybirdman]

I have and use both;the rear blade is mostly used for snow removal but does have it uses in dirt.

 

[Redlands Okie]

If you have a choice of one of the tools then the box blade is probably the best way to go. Having a GOOD box blade is even better. Good as in being heavy heavy heavy and as well made as you can afford. Rippers or teeth being needed as part of the box blade. If you get a chance to pick up a good deal on a scrapper blade at a later date you can always add it to your attachment list.

As said above a top cylinder and or a side cylinder (depending on your needs) is pretty darn nice to have with either of them and makes using attachments so much easier and precise.

Now this attachment pictured is probably not the cheapest or a normal set up but if you can modify a grader blade or have the resources to modify one then its a really nice tool to have and just about does the job of both with no issues. Rippers on the grader blade. Bolt on and removable wings or end caps on a grader blade. The rippers lets you loosen up the soil or gravel and the wings keep it boxed up to move around to where you need it. If you look closely you will notice the wings are teardrop shaped to allow the material to come out under the ends or keep it all in depending on how the top and tilt or the angle of the blade is set. Or you can just unbolt the wings.
I bought a piece of 4 inch tube with 1/4 inch walls for less than $50 to cut up and make this modification and used the teeth off my box blade. Might be something to do with a grader blade at a later date perhaps.



P.S. one down side is that it is longer than a box blade. On a drive its not a big deal. In a backyard in tight working quarters it can be a issue.
The hydraulics are not required by any means. They just make it easier.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

If you have a choice of one of the tools then the box blade is probably the best way to go. Having a GOOD box blade is even better. Good as in being heavy heavy heavy and as well made as you can afford. Rippers or teeth being needed as part of the box blade. If you get a chance to pick up a good deal on a scrapper blade at a later date you can always add it to your attachment list.

As said above a top cylinder and or a side cylinder (depending on your needs) is pretty darn nice to have with either of them and makes using attachments so much easier and precise.

Now this attachment pictured is probably not the cheapest or a normal set up but if you can modify a grader blade or have the resources to modify one then its a really nice tool to have and just about does the job of both with no issues. Rippers on the grader blade. Bolt on and removable wings or end caps on a grader blade. The rippers lets you loosen up the soil or gravel and the wings keep it boxed up to move around to where you need it. If you look closely you will notice the wings are teardrop shaped to allow the material to come out under the ends or keep it all in depending on how the top and tilt or the angle of the blade is set. Or you can just unbolt the wings.
I bought a piece of 4 inch tube with 1/4 inch walls for less than $50 to cut up and make this modification and used the teeth off my box blade. Might be something to do with a grader blade at a later date perhaps.

View attachment 532035View attachment 532037

P.S. one down side is that it is longer than a box blade. On a drive its not a big deal. In a backyard in tight working quarters it can be a issue.

Very nice. :thumbsup:

 

[Redlands Okie]

Thank you

 

[kthompson]

I have both and use both. Rear blade that rotates both ways can be does a good job with cutting shallow drainage ditch and bedding road. Both have their place but for pure dirt moving the box blade is best. Rear blade will move dirt to the side where box blade only pulls or push it. Think all have given good points.

 

[DieselBound]

Been borrowing a friend's box blade and have got a lot of use out of it, but need to get my own. It looks to me that the box blade will do everything the rear scrape blade will but has the added benefits of being able to drop teeth, more weight, use in reverse, not let material escape at the sides, etc.

Would there be any reason to choose the scrape blade over a box blade? Does the scrape do things the box won't? Maintaining a long dirt/gravel road, filling in erosion channels, filling/leveling low spots, fixing ruts, and general light grading are what I would use it for.

Also - general use question - when I go over an area that is mostly dirt/pea gravel, the box blade does a great job getting it right in just a pass or two. But if there is more than maybe 25% grass coverage, it just kind of floats on the grass and it takes dozens of passes in forward & reverse. Small amount of grass - like the middle hump of a dirt road - it just cuts. But more grass than that is too much. Do I just need to weight it down or angle a different way?

Land planer might be another consideration.

As has been said, WEIGHT is where it's at when talking box blades. I found that with my 84", which is 1,200lbs, and an hydraulic top link I can angle it and peel up sod: I actually get sod rolling up and on to the front of the box blade which only adds to the effectiveness as that increase weight. Have hydraulic scarifiers (rippers), but soon found out that they work better at anchoring the tractor than in tearing up the ground! (raking the box blade to have the rear cutter dig in is more than sufficient in tearing up soil, for me that is). Although it's not real efficient, a box blade can do pretty well at grading, but in reverse!

Grass/sod is just plain tough to deal with! Unless one has a dozer you're not going to be peeling it up quickly.

This past summer I sold a 6' back blade that I'd gotten in a package deal when I was after a box blade for my B7800. I doubt that in the 4 years that I had it I'd only used it a total of maybe 2 hours. On the other hand, my box blade has been used extensively. While I have a bit of a driveway it doesn't get out of shape. A back blade will never bite down as hard as a box blade.

And regarding weight, a box blade tends to provide good weight for ballasting (increase traction, in the elevated position!, and for counterbalancing loader work). Back blades tend to be wider, a good bit wider than the tractor, which means running around with one on the back all the time presents increased risks of snagging stuff.

All said, however, I think it's best to first concentrate more on what tasks you need to do than on which of two implements is better than the other.