Box Blade

[coolbrze]

Looking to purchase a box blade for my Kubota MX5800. Main duties will be leveling washboard portions of my driveway & moving dirt from some high spots to low spots in my yard. What size BB should I be looking at? Is it recommended to purchase one that completely covers your rear tire width? My MX5800 is 4wd if that makes a difference. I'm liking the EA BBs

 

[rbtjr]

Hi again, Cool. As you know, I have come to favor EA products. I bought an 84" BB from EA for our MX5800. I haven't used it yet but it is very well built, IMO. I bought that width because I have the rear R4 tires/wheels set as wide as possible on our MX. Its rear wheels are a little over 78" wide. I wanted to cover the rear wheels' width with the BB. At the same time I bought the EA 84" heavy duty scrape blade. It is also very well built, IMO. I have used it and find it far superior to its predecessor, which was a 6' version from another manufacturer that I had bought more than 15 years ago.

 

[/pine]

Looking to purchase a box blade for my Kubota MX5800. Main duties will be leveling washboard portions of my driveway & moving dirt from some high spots to low spots in my yard. What size BB should I be looking at? Is it recommended to purchase one that completely covers your rear tire width? My MX5800 is 4wd if that makes a difference. I'm liking the EA BBs

FWIW...Unless you can make passes perpendicular to the ridges a box blade is not the best implement for dealing with washboard conditions...a rear blade (or rake) that can be angled is much more effective and much faster...

generally, and unless money is no object...if you shop around and are patient you can find two or three used implements for about the same or less than a single decent quality new one...box blades (including commercial grade ones) are one of the most common implements I see for sale on CL...
Good Luck...

 

[FTG-05]

Wider than your rear tires. Heavier is better anyway.

I despise having to run into the road side bushes, tree limbs and fence lines while bbing, my one mile gravel road. I made the mistake of reading my L4330 User's Manual "List of Recommended Implements" and then following that advice. Hence, I got a 6' box blade, that does not (now) cover my rear wheels after I widened them to their widest stance. Same with my bush hog.

Don't be afraid to go bigger (and heavier).

When I decided to buy a HD rear grader blade, everyone recommended a 7' rear blade, even EA. Screw that. I went with the EA Extreme Duty 8' Grader Blade. Now, if I want to reach out and touch someone, they're hamburger.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

You simply can not beat a LPGS for removing wash boarding. If this is an ongoing task that will need to be done, a LPGS is the best way to deal with it IMO. :thumbsup:

Also depending on moisture content, but a LPGS can also be used to move dirt from point A to point B.

Just have to keep in mind that there is no single implement that does everything the best.

 

[coolbrze]

So a LPGS is better than a BB & LR for removing the washboarding from my 1/2 mile long driveway? Will it work similar to a BB when trying to level high/low spots or no?

 

[MtnViewRanch]

So a LPGS is better than a BB & LR for removing the washboarding from my 1/2 mile long driveway? Will it work similar to a BB when trying to level high/low spots or no?

By far, not really ANY comparison in my opinion.:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

LPGSs work great for leveling things out. Now if you have a high spot to cut down and you want to fill in a low spot that is very far away, that might not be much fun. Remember that the LPGS is open in the back, so to actually say "I want to move this high mound of dirt to this low area 200 feet away" may not be as easy as it sounds. Now with just the right moisture content, no big deal. Otherwise probably better to use a box blade.

I have flattened out several areas that are fairly large using my LPGS. It will move over 3 times the material that my box blade does, but the dirt has to be just right as far as moisture content for it to be at efficient as possible with what I have and not making any modifications to anything. :thumbsup:

 

[Ritothebull]

Every video where I've seen them using a lpgs their moving dirt or loose material so I'm wondering how they work on gravel that has been packed down in some areas?

 

[TripleR]

"Just have to keep in mind that there is no single implement that does everything the best."

Pretty much my experience as well, my tractor is pretty much the same size as the MX and I prefer a 7' box scraper. My HR3584 with TnT does a pretty good job, but if I could afford it, I would also own an LPGS. I've had good results with a 10' pull type scraper I've owned for years, but it has its limitations.

 

[Bird]

I've had 2 smaller Kubotas, but in my experience I'd want a box blade about 2' longer than the outside width of my rear tires; i.e., a foot wider on each side. Now I've watched some experienced operators smooth things out with a box blade in ways that I couldn't do UNTIL I put the top 'n tilt on my last Kubota. I really did like that heavy box blade then, and could smooth out the rough spots pretty easily.