How to use Box Blade on a side slope?

[plowhog]

I want to create a level RV parking pad. The area has a slight side slope from right to left, and a slight upslope as you pull forward. I need to level both of those. I have a 40hp tractor, 6 foot box blade, landscape rake, and top n tilt.

I started by tipping the right side of the box down, then lowering the box and slowly moving forward. It cut into the side slope as expected. But it is not moving the dirt from right to left as much as expected-- either that are I am too impatient? Also, I only worked in one direction, back to forth, which I think might be a mistake.

Questions-
1. If I can get the box blade to equally tilt in either direction, should I be working this pad in both directions?
2. Should I cut the high side all the way down to grade level first, or instead alternate working the "high side to the middle" and then the "middle to the low side."

Any help would be appreciated. I've never done this before. Scraping only a small amount of dirt, I've already exposed many football sized rocks (a surprise for my area,) dredged up the base of a broken glass bottle that could have punctured a tire, and torn into a submerged old 1" galvanized pipe. (I think that was the original water supply for the residence which has been abandoned.)

 

[Ortimber]

What are your thoughts on moving a good portion of the dirt on the high side with your backhoe? I think you could get to grade pretty easily doing it that way. Otherwise, I'd just keep at it with your box blade.

 

[plowhog]

I never even considered that-- thanks! That's my little Massey SCUT in the picture and it does have a backhoe.

I'll try gently digging out the high side tomorrow with the backhoe, then bring the box blade into use. I think that will work well ... at least hoping so!

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

I have been doing the exact same task, in small bites, for a few weeks, to level my garden which is set into a slope.

I tried all the methods. (1) Tilting the BB does cut into the high side, but you end up with a big pile of dirt at the end. A second pass means you have to stop short of your front wheels hitting your pile of dirt from the first pass, or the tractor will rise up and the BB will dig in. So you'd have to extend the working area quite a bit beyond what you need to avoid that, and I just didn't want to rip up that much extra sod beyond where I wanted the garden. (2) with the tractor oriented facing to the lower side, drop the BB on the high point and drag forward, feathering it as you move forward slowing to deposit the dirt on the low side (downside: takes a lot of repositioning and many passes). (3) Same orientation but with front of tractor facing the high side, use the FEL (you need a PTB for this) scoop out the high part, then back up, depositing the dirt on the low side (same downsides).

I hope some genius comes along with a BETTER way as I found this *surprisingly difficult* and time-consuming.

 

[4570Man]

).

I hope some genius comes along with a BETTER way as I found this *surprisingly difficult* and time-consuming.

Probably a dozer with a 6 way blade but I don’t have one. I’ve always used the dig the high side with a backhoe approach.

 

[Oldoak]

Probably a dozer with a 6 way blade but I don稚 have one. I致e always used the dig the high side with a backhoe approach.

Yep, just the way I will be going to remedy the same situation next Spring. I will be hiring a contractor with a small dozer to do the job. That way he can push the top soil aside, cut the high side and one high end down, and redistribute the top soil.

This is in preparation of a wildlife food plot area. I could see where it would not be cost effective for a small garden plot or pad.

 

[plowhog]

The side slope is gentle but (in person) looks a little steeper than how the picture appears.

After I am done, if I add some stacking stones on the high side to hold the hillside back is it OK just to stack the stones, or should I also provide for drainage behind it?

I saw a larger wall once where perforated pipe was wrapped in fabric, then put in some gravel behind the stones. That let any settling water get out to daylight without coming through the wall?

 

[RTBee]

I'm not familiar with a 'top n tilt' the op has, but for what you're doing I'd think a 6 way blade attachment would work much better. What I've done on sloped trails that I want level is angle the blade to cut into the high side and angle it to move the dirt back towards the lower side. It works much better than the box blade I was using before, because like someone said, it drags a lot of dirt with it. Also, a 6 way blade attachment is much cheaper than a dozer.

 

[GLyford]

After I am done, if I add some stacking stones on the high side to hold the hillside back is it OK just to stack the stones, or should I also provide for drainage behind it?

If you are talking a foot and half high or less, I think you will be fine, as long as you keep one thing in mind:

When stacking stones for a dry stone wall, don't try to stack them like bricks with the longest side facing out. They aren't very stable that way (unless you have very flat rocks like shale or bluestone).

Instead, stack them like firewood with the ENDS facing out. The length will then extend back into the wall, giving the whole wall more support and the stones will be much easier to stack. For walls taller than a foot or so, you will probably have to start off two stones deep on your first course, use your longest stones on the next course (every so often if you don't have many) and then your last course or two can be a single row deep of whatever size (or two rows deep if all you have left by then is small).

If you have really big rocks where you can't swap them out easily for a better fit, it can help to have a brick chisel to knock off the occasional high spot that keeps a stone in the next row from fitting nicely into a space. Most of the walls I have made have been bowling ball sized and smaller rocks, or as you say, football sized. Sounds like those should work well if you have enough to stack.

If you are not using any kind of mortar, then water can pass through freely and not build up behind and push it over. I can't tell if your soil is sandy or more clay. If it is sandy, it should be fine against the wall. If it is clay, then a layer of coarse stone behind the wall may help.

 

[deanocraft]

I did something very similar as my fist tractor project. I used my box blade with the teeth down and started on the high corner and cut the hill with the box tilted to the high side. I moved a lot of dirt and put it as far as I could from where I was cutting. I would periodically have to move or spread the piles with the loader. The base just kept getting wider until I had it leveled out. Then the wife and I stacked stones against the bank I had cut. No drainage behind the wall, but our soil is nice topsoil with some rocks already mixed in. We could still use a few more rocks... I expect they will show up eventually!

 

[EddieWalker]

The best way to get anything done with a box blade is to disconnect it from your tractor and put it somewhere where it can be useful storing real tools.

Use your front bucket to build the pad. After dumping the dirt, back drag it to get it flat and level.

If you can't find somebody to buy the box blade from you, trade it for something that's useful. Or just give it away!!!

 

[tractorshopper]

I've found my best results for this to come from the side with my loader/perpendicular approach with the tractor and loader at first (I have a tooth bar and it helps). I cut the path to the level I want from the side approach until I have that level for a long enough spot that my tractor can then come at it from the parallel direction. Coming then straight on, I can maintain that same level or slight slope that I fabricated from the side and since my wheels are all on that trajectory, the loader then bites into the hillside maintaining that same angle the entire length I am trying to go. I move the dirt I pull off the high side to the down hill side and dump it and smooth it on the low side as I go so I continue on the exact same slope with my wheels from the original path I wanted to take.

Once all the roughing in that I call that is done, I then use the box blade for final touch up and smoothing out of the grade. Then only small adjustments need to be made.

If doing like you're starting out, I'd drop the rippers so you actually loosen up more right from the start, then as you get closer to the desired grade, I'd raise the rippers and make the minor adjustments.

I just find that by doing it the way I stated first, I am looking forward most of the time in developing the slope I'm attempting and I can move a little sideways here and there and back drag with the loader as I go to keep the rough slope I'm after without wearing out my neck. Then the box blade puts the final perfecting finishes after all is packed out where I need it.

 

[Rock Crawler]

The best way to get anything done with a box blade is to disconnect it from your tractor and put it somewhere where it can be useful storing real tools.

Use your front bucket to build the pad. After dumping the dirt, back drag it to get it flat and level.

If you can't find somebody to buy the box blade from you, trade it for something that's useful. Or just give it away!!!

When I bought my tractor I bought a rear 72" grader blade used for $100 and bought a new Titan 60" box blade. I had read on here about the box blade really being a great tool. I have used it a few times to rip up and fill in rain grooves on my logging roads, but that it about all I found it really useful for. The rear blade is a lot more versatile and useful. The box blade is by far the least touched attachment that I have, I really should have bought a rusty old used on instead of dropping $600 on a new one to leave it set in the tree line to rust. Or I should have not bought it at all. If I have a person stand on the rear blade it will dig just as hard as the box blade.

To the OP, I would start out with the loader and get yourself started, you'll spend less time that way.

 

[plowhog]

I have a flip down blade on my York landscape rake. Have not used it yet either, but I see I'm going to need to try it out.

 

[tractorshopper]

I actually find my box blade to be a good tool, but laughed at what Eddie and Rock Crawler had to say.

I use if for the finishing touches and have used it very successfully on smaller dirt jobs where I only had to pull a small amount of grade from high side to low side, but I also use it regularly to maintain our gravel road and it does a tremendous job with that work.

I also leave it on very often for the extra ballast to get the most work out of my loader. I'd rather have it than a ballast box anyday. Way more useful. Also, if the soil isn't too rocky or filled with roots, I can gingerly back up with the box blade and get a really nice initial cut in some areas that may be harder to get to with the loader. It has it's uses for me.

That said, my grapple is my favorite attachment by a long shot.

 

[ustmd]

To address the OP's questions:

Questions-
1. If I can get the box blade to equally tilt in either direction, should I be working this pad in both directions?

Yes--that will help with the dirt pile at the end. I tactic I have used in the past is on the return trip, to work the dirt at an angle to the main direction of grading.

2. Should I cut the high side all the way down to grade level first, or instead alternate working the "high side to the middle" and then the "middle to the low side."

I have generally started at the top and worked my way down leveling across as I go....not quick, but effective.


As Eddie and others mention, you may be better offer doing this with different equipment.

I have done work like with with BB, but it is slow going.

Good luck.

 

[Oldoak]

Also, a 6 way blade attachment is much cheaper than a dozer.

A person does not have to purchase a dozer, or worse yet, rent one if they have never operated a dozer before. Sometimes it is more efficient to hire a job done. Although depending upon the size of the job, the biggest part of the cost is for hauling the machine to and from the site of the project.

Box blade verses rear blade, each has the specialized purpose and can compliment each other. I have never had one or the other just sitting around forever rusting away.

I believe the O.P. has gotten some useful info on how to proceed with both and also using a backhoe and bucket loader to get his job done. Just take it slow and easy to start off. It's not a race to the finish.

 

[4570Man]

A box blade isn’t a dozer and you’re going to be disappointed if that’s what you want. I find my box blade quite useful. It’s much better than the FEL for some jobs. Even if it’s doing nothing it’s still good ballast.

 

[wagne223]

I try to keep in mind what a box blade is best at. Moving material from one location to another and spreading material.

A box blade is difficult to shape with. And it will not move material left or right.

For your project, using only a BB and FEL, I would do as "girl who wants tractor " says.

Rippers down, tilt forward some, tractor facing downhill, drop the blade and drag the material down and drop into the low side.

You can also go across the hill like you are now but once the box has collected all it can, turn downhill and raise the blade dropping your material.
Go to where you turned off and continue across, repeating.

Once you have piles of loose material around, tilt the blade rear ward some and spread it out. Packing and smoothing.

Once the material is loose, you can also use the FEL to move some around, and use the FEL to back drag and smooth.

Keep working it until it is how you want it.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

I actually find my box blade to be a good tool, but laughed at what Eddie and Rock Crawler had to say.

I use if for the finishing touches and have used it very successfully on smaller dirt jobs where I only had to pull a small amount of grade from high side to low side, but I also use it regularly to maintain our gravel road and it does a tremendous job with that work.

I also leave it on very often for the extra ballast to get the most work out of my loader. I'd rather have it than a ballast box anyday. Way more useful. Also, if the soil isn't too rocky or filled with roots, I can gingerly back up with the box blade and get a really nice initial cut in some areas that may be harder to get to with the loader. It has it's uses for me.

That said, my grapple is my favorite attachment by a long shot.

I agree with this. A BB excels at three things: driveway maintenance, trail maintenance, and ballast. By far, IMO the thing it is best at is trail maintenance. Adjusted correctly, you drive along and leave a nice smooth trail behind you and the BB also picks up most of the rocks and sticks. I can't imagine wasting money on mere ballast. At least with the BB, as you're working along and suddenly see something that needs to be smoothed out, you have an actual implement mounted instead of a hunk of concrete. That being said, I also find the front implements (like a grapple, FEL, or pallet forks) to be the most versatile, I think because they are so much easier to control precisely--without hurting your neck by looking behind you.

Yes, a heavy BB can also DIG.