Box blade or grader blade

[keegs]

Hi All.

Looking for some tips on maintaining my driveway.

The driveway material is mostly a gravel mixed with fines that've been covered over by grass. The second image is older than the first which shows how the grass has covered over much of the base material. Springtime in northern Maine is referred to as mud season. This driveway surface gets a little soft but the ruts don't get too bad.

The extent of my grooming has been to drive over the high sides of the ruts as they develop during mud season.

I'm thinking of picking up a used box blade or grader blade but I'm not sure which to get. Price matters and the grader blades are typically more available and cheaper. I have no background on this but I'm thinking I can scrape or bring up some of the gravel thereby firming up and leveling the driveway surface. Am I on the right track so far? If so can you comment on why or why not? And also what length attachment can I go with?

The box blades appear to have some additional function with regard to moving and leveling material. This is an old potato farm and there are a few places in the fields where potatoes were buried leaving depressions. I'm leaning in the direction of the bb but the grader will probably do 90% of what I want to do here as well.

I have a bare bones Kubota M5640 4x4 diesel tractor with no remote hydraulics.

Thanks to you all in advance.

Chris K.

 

[jeff9366]

If you do not need the center crown, consider a Land Plane/Grading Scraper.

LPGS "recovers" gravel as it levels.

LPGS will level your potato field if it is bare dirt during some period of the year.

VIDEO: tractor land plane grading scraper - YouTube


If removing snow with your tractor is a consideration then a rear/angle blade will offer more versatility.

 

[oosik]

Well - those two pictures show that your driveway is, actually, in pretty good shape. Its stable - relatively smooth - the grass adds to the driveway stability. If it were me - I'd be leaving it the way it is.

The rear blade (grader blade) will clean snow off the driveway, pull material out of the roadside ditches and crown the driveway. It can move material from here to there but is no way as efficient as a box blade at doing this. It has a long learning curve but is the most universal of the three mentioned.

The box blade is very poor at clearing snow in the winter, is good at moving material from here to there, can be used to crown the driveway. It also has a long learning curve.

The LPGS will smooth the driveway, of little value at moving any material horizontally, piss poor in the snow, not good at crowning the driveway. This implement has, basically, a zero learning curve. Hook it up and drive forward. Oh, another point, if your driveway has a crown - proper use of the LPGS will not remove the crown.


I would recommend a rear blade in your case. More uses in and around your property.

snow removal
pulling material back up and onto the driving surface
crown the driveway
move material from here to there - somewhat
can be used to smooth/level the fields

 

[Oldoak]

I agree with oosik. A rear blade will be the most versatile to meet most all your needs.

 

[keegs]

Thanks Jeff, First I've seen one of these. The video was impressive...almost no learning curve... A little pricey and maybe not as versatile as the other implements but a home run for freshening up my driveway. ��

 

[keegs]

Well - those two pictures show that your driveway is, actually, in pretty good shape. Its stable - relatively smooth - the grass adds to the driveway stability. If it were me - I'd be leaving it the way it is.

The rear blade (grader blade) will clean snow off the driveway, pull material out of the roadside ditches and crown the driveway. It can move material from here to there but is no way as efficient as a box blade at doing this. It has a long learning curve but is the most universal of the three mentioned.

The box blade is very poor at clearing snow in the winter, is good at moving material from here to there, can be used to crown the driveway. It also has a long learning curve.

The LPGS will smooth the driveway, of little value at moving any material horizontally, piss poor in the snow, not good at crowning the driveway. This implement has, basically, a zero learning curve. Hook it up and drive forward. Oh, another point, if your driveway has a crown - proper use of the LPGS will not remove the crown.


I would recommend a rear blade in your case. More uses in and around your property.

snow removal
pulling material back up and onto the driving surface
crown the driveway
move material from here to there - somewhat
can be used to smooth/level the fields

Thanks Oosik. I didn't mention this in the original post but some of why I'm considering grading is for cosmetic purposes and to avoid having to mow the driveway (....assuming grading won't be done as often). The grading plane seems to restore /re-establish the gravel surface and looks great. Will the grader blade do this as well? Is there a downside to grading (and disturbing what's there now)?

Used blades are available and prices are affordable. I saw they have combo blades and rakes which might be something to look into. I have a 6' snowblower attachment for snow removal.

 

[jaxs]

After reading what others said,look's like I'm in the minority of one on maintaining a drive. I've lived on acreage with rock and gravel drives for over 50 years. The 2 or 3 tines I've attempted reshaping,it didn't turn out well. I read about people routinely rakeing their drive. If I regularly raked,it would take far more new material than if new material is added as needed without disturbing old material. Stated another way,after it set's up, I never disturb it again. I don't have to contend with snow but if I did I would use a straight blade. I've used straight and box blades a lot and prefer box 2 to 1 over straight. Unless your 3 point apply's down pressure,a straight blade will not cut clay dirt,much less a packed driveway for reshaping. If you need to move packed dirt or rock,dropping the rippers on a box will do it. I'll leave you with some thoughts. See if you can borrow one of each to test before buying. For every contractor you see using straight blade,you will see 25 using box. Ground up asphalt removed before state repave's roads is the best topping you can find.

 

[keegs]

After reading what others said,look's like I'm in the minority of one on maintaining a drive. I've lived on acreage with rock and gravel drives for over 50 years. The 2 or 3 tines I've attempted reshaping,it didn't turn out well. I read about people routinely rakeing their drive. If I regularly raked,it would take far more new material than if new material is added as needed without disturbing old material. Stated another way,after it set's up, I never disturb it again. I don't have to contend with snow but if I did I would use a straight blade. I've used straight and box blades a lot and prefer box 2 to 1 over straight. Unless your 3 point apply's down pressure,a straight blade will not cut clay dirt,much less a packed driveway for reshaping. If you need to move packed dirt or rock,dropping the rippers on a box will do it. I'll leave you with some thoughts. See if you can borrow one of each to test before buying. For every contractor you see using straight blade,you will see 25 using box. Ground up asphalt removed before state repave's roads is the best topping you can find.

Thanks Jaxs. A rental option would be ideal. Haven't done too much checking on the availability of recovered asphalt but material options are somewhat limited here. There's a small gravel pit a mile down the road from me. The material is mostly screened bank run mixed with fines.. it's cheap and transport costs are low. This is primarily what folks here are using on their driveways .. in some instances they even use it as a base to build on. The frost line here is 6'.

 

[jaxs]

Thanks Jaxs. A rental option would be ideal. Haven't done too much checking on the availability of recovered asphalt but material options are somewhat limited here. There's a small gravel pit a mile down the road from me. The material is mostly screened bank run mixed with fines.. it's cheap and transport costs are low. This is primarily what folks here are using on their driveways .. in some instances they even use it as a base to build on. The frost line here is 6'.

Base can be as important as topping. An often overlooked base material is concrete plant wash out. BTW,frost line in Tx is somewhere around 8,000 to 10,000 feet,,,,,,altitude . :airplane:

 

[Jstpssng]

A grader blade is good at leveling loose material, but not so much for what you want to do. I brought a blade home for that same purpose, but it wouldn't even scratch the surface of the sod. I agree that your driveway looks pretty good but can understand why you don't want the grass.

 

[keegs]

... BTW,frost line in Tx is somewhere around 8,000 to 10,000 feet,,,,,,altitude . :airplane:

Ha!!!

 

[keegs]

A grader blade is good at leveling loose material, but not so much for what you want to do. I brought a blade home for that same purpose, but it wouldn't even scratch the surface of the sod. I agree that your driveway looks pretty good but can understand why you don't want the grass.

Thanks Jstpssng... it's a lot to cut and I do it with a walk behind. The BB seems more versatile. I can use it to move/spread new material if needed. And the garage is filling up with attachments so versatility is big. I'm in no hurry so I'll keep an eye out on FB Marketplace, Uncle Henry's and CL. Should be able to come up with something at a reasonable price. Been looking at a video that points out what to look for in a good box blade.

 

[jeff9366]

The BB seems more versatile. I can use it to move/spread new material if needed. And the garage is filling up with attachments so versatility is big. Been looking at a video that points out what to look for in a good box blade.

In order for a Box Blade to cut well it requires at least 100 pounds of implement weight per foot of width. M5640 can manage a Box Blade with 175 pounds per foot of width. Weight is your friend in Box Blades.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

The first thing I bought after I picked up my tractor was a used 6ft Ford blade, I painted it back to the original Ford blue color. I gave $125 for it I think.

I used it on my gravel driveway to shave down the hump like what you have, I put 100lbs of chicken feed on top of the blade so it would dig better.

I rutted my pasture over the first winter when it was stupid muddy outside, in the spring I tried to grade it a bit with weight on the blade and it didn’t really do well, the dirt was too compacted, it was better than before but far from smooth.

Every winter so far I have been able to get away with just the rear grader blade. I wouldn’t sell my blade, it’s worth having it vs what I would get out of it.

Almost two years after buying my tractor I had some money, I got it in me that I wanted a box blade so I searched CL, I was shocked how much people wanted for them used, most were in the $500-600 range, so I started shopping for a new blade, hand wrote out basically an excel file with 28 different brands of BB’s I believe. For the money it was down to Woods, EA and King Kutter pro line.



I chose the Everything Attachments XTreme 78in and had them paint it green. 100% made in USA, I had to wait a little over 5 weeks to get it, but it’s a very well made blade. Gave over $900 for it, can’t remember exactly, was under $1000.

I would suggest getting both the BB and rear blade, each does better at different jobs.

If you have the funds, a land leveler is a good choice for grading and leveling driveways but a box blade is a bit more versatile than a land leveler.

If I only were to get one it would prob be the rear blade because they are cheap, they grade ok, move dirt ok, but do a pretty good job moving snow.

 

[keegs]

In order for a Box Blade to cut well it requires at least 100 pounds of implement weight per foot of width. M5640 can manage a Box Blade with 175 pounds per foot of width. Weight is your friend in Box Blades.

The 6' BBs seem to be coming in around 500 lbs. I'll keep this in mind. By cut well I assume you mean depth... can I use the top link to adjust the box blade cut depth?

 

[keegs]

View attachment 559888

The first thing I bought after I picked up my tractor was a used 6ft Ford blade, I painted it back to the original Ford blue color. I gave $125 for it I think.

I used it on my gravel driveway to shave down the hump like what you have, I put 100lbs of chicken feed on top of the blade so it would dig better.

I rutted my pasture over the first winter when it was stupid muddy outside, in the spring I tried to grade it a bit with weight on the blade and it didn’t really do well, the dirt was too compacted, it was better than before but far from smooth.

Every winter so far I have been able to get away with just the rear grader blade. I wouldn’t sell my blade, it’s worth having it vs what I would get out of it.

Almost two years after buying my tractor I had some money, I got it in me that I wanted a box blade so I searched CL, I was shocked how much people wanted for them used, most were in the $500-600 range, so I started shopping for a new blade, hand wrote out basically an excel file with 28 different brands of BB’s I believe. For the money it was down to Woods, EA and King Kutter pro line.

View attachment 559889View attachment 559890

I chose the Everything Attachments XTreme 78in and had them paint it green. 100% made in USA, I had to wait a little over 5 weeks to get it, but it’s a very well made blade. Gave over $900 for it, can’t remember exactly, was under $1000.

I would suggest getting both the BB and rear blade, each does better at different jobs.

If you have the funds, a land leveler is a good choice for grading and leveling driveways but a box blade is a bit more versatile than a land leveler.

If I only were to get one it would prob be the rear blade because they are cheap, they grade ok, move dirt ok, but do a pretty good job moving snow.

Thanks BFJ. I have to justify these purchases to the Mrs. Both may not be an option That looks like a solid attachment.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

Thanks BFJ. I have to justify these purchases to the Mrs. Both may not be an option That looks like a solid attachment.

Used rear blade and some bags of sand and you will do most of what you need ok, that won’t be as good as the job a BB or land leveler will do on some jobs, but over all a grader blade is more versatile. EA has fancy ones that offset and tilt, would be great for ditches.

I think they make one that has wings that fold in to move material like a BB, haven’t looked into them much yet.

Another trick to grader blades is they smooth better by being drug backwards, they don’t dig that way, they don’t pick material up but just smooths the surface. You can get rear blades all day long for $100-$150 used in good shape, the old Ford blades are solid little suckers, I was gonna paint JD decals on my blade and paint it green, it’s worth more as a Ford blade so it was painted blue lol.

 

[keegs]

Used rear blade and some bags of sand and you will do most of what you need ok, that won’t be as good as the job a BB or land leveler will do on some jobs, but over all a grader blade is more versatile. EA has fancy ones that offset and tilt, would be great for ditches.

I think they make one that has wings that fold in to move material like a BB, haven’t looked into them much yet.

Another trick to grader blades is they smooth better by being drug backwards, they don’t dig that way, they don’t pick material up but just smooths the surface. You can get rear blades all day long for $100-$150 used in good shape, the old Ford blades are solid little suckers, I was gonna paint JD decals on my blade and paint it green, it’s worth more as a Ford blade so it was painted blue lol.

I saw some combo rake/blades as well. I definitely could put one to use. And they're all over FB and CL ...usually in the 200-300 range for a 6'r as I recall.

 

[MitchellB]

I got this light duty 6ft blade new from Tractor Supply about 18 years or so ago when we first got our 49 8N tractor. I wore the adjusting pin hole out a after about 10 years. When I repaired it, I made a little frame to hold some concrete blocks to add a little more weight to it. I never owned a box blade until about 4 years ago as the rear grader blade was able to do most of the chores I needed to do, but the box blade is much stouter and does things the grader blade can't, and visa versa.

 

[keegs]

View attachment 560012
I got this light duty 6ft blade new from Tractor Supply about 18 years or so ago when we first got our 49 8N tractor. I wore the adjusting pin hole out a after about 10 years. When I repaired it, I made a little frame to hold some concrete blocks to add a little more weight to it. I never owned a box blade until about 4 years ago as the rear grader blade was able to do most of the chores I needed to do, but the box blade is much stouter and does things the grader blade can't, and visa versa.

Thanks MitchellB. I found an outfit that gets $61/day for a 6' box blade. I'm going for later this week.