Bending my box blade hitch, please help!

[CliffordK]

I really don't mess with those side link bars. A little slop is always good to get the 3 point on and off (using the Heim joints, not a quick hitch).

Watching my flail mower, it will dance around a bit with turning.

My guess is even a slight course correction puts quite a bit of pull on those link bars with the box blade.

A little more slop in the link bars might help, but it likely will still bottom out, so with a right turn, it transfers the force to the left link bar. Now, the 3 pt may also hit the tractor frame before hitting the tires, but that may not be a consistent stop.

I think your best bet is to redesign your hitch pin to squeeze both halves of the hitch, either by using a bolt, or adjusting it so the lynch pin is tight against the bar. The bolt is sounding like a better choice.

Either that or reinforcing the bar.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Maybe I don't have issues because mine is small. But, I turn as tight as I can with a full box all day long and have not had issues. Yet.

 

[AndyMA]

Hard to see with the photos (one is too close and the other too far away). Are they bent to the outside? Did you push or drive backwards?

It's design to be pulled forward only....

My Land Pride Box Blade has 2 flaps, one for forward and one for reverse

 

[old and tired]

My Land Pride Box Blade has 2 flaps, one for forward and one for reverse

Yes, and depending of your top link length, you'll use both going forward. Extended, you use the rear blade to smooth out and drop any dirt in the box. Shorten the top link, you'll use the front blade to cut and fill the box.

Tractors' 3 point hitch is designed to pull, not to push. Yes, you can get away with some pushing but if you hit a stump, your 3 point lower arms, (links) could bend or break where they connect at the bottom...

 

[IndyIan]

Maybe I don't have issues because mine is small. But, I turn as tight as I can with a full box all day long and have not had issues. Yet.

Yeah I don't often turn super sharp but I don't really worry about it either, but I did pop one of the sway control mounting brackets off a lifting arm... My buddy said it wasn't a great weld to start with so and the other side does look better so we left it alone. I've got quite a few hours of heavy work on my box blade and doing some stuff I probably shouldn't, it makes great banked corners for bike trails when its tilted and then you push in reverse while turning sharp, using the most of pushing power of the tractor all on one corner of the box.

 

[chris the wrench]

it makes great banked corners for bike trails when its tilted and then you push in reverse while turning sharp, using the most of pushing power of the tractor all on one corner of the box.

Dang! Im wanting to build a small flow track on our property, i wasnt thinking of using the box to do the corners!

 

[IndyIan]

Dang! Im wanting to build a small flow track on our property, i wasnt thinking of using the box to do the corners!

If your tractor is a hydrostat I find I can do silly things slowly without breaking things. I believe my box blade is an old 7' gannon, so its not not going to break with my tractor on it.

 

[Torvy]

Hard to see with the photos (one is too close and the other too far away). Are they bent to the outside? Did you push or drive backwards?

It's design to be pulled forward only....

Ummm...my box blade (and most I've seen) have a back facing blade specifically for going backwards. Sure, it's not a dozer, but definitely designed to go backward.

 

[sd455dan]

Ummm...my box blade (and most I've seen) have a back facing blade specifically for going backwards. Sure, it's not a dozer, but definitely designed to go backward.

I used my Gannon for at least a decade plowing snow in reverse and the bucket forward before getting an inverted 3 point blower.
I also push dirt in reverse with it and got a bit to physical with the tractor and managed to completely tear a lower 3 point mount off of the modified, by PO box.

When the mount tore off I literally started backing the tractors rear left tire Over the box blade.

Puts the tractor at almost a Roll over condition with high pucker factor as well.
Pic after driving down off of the boxblade.

Left lower 3 point arm is against the rear wheel.


Some 3 points loose side to side clearance as they raise up and it can bend metal and or damage things if there is no clearance at the highest point..
I agree with the poster that said check for side to side free play as you lift the box.

 

[jimglassford]

Box blades are designed to be used in both directions. On some, the rear facing blade is a steel bar that is hinged so it swings up when moving forward and when pushing backwards, it is used for smoothing. On other box blades, the rear blade maybe a replaceable fixed cutting edge just like the front blade. So anyone saying a box blade is not designed to push material, maybe they should inform Land Pride. They show it being used that way in their literature and videos.

As for bending any part of the implement, that just shows it is not built heavy enough for your application. I have a Land Pride 7 foot box blade that weights close to 1000 pounds. I have pushed, pulled and turned with the box blade full of dirt and never bent anything. I have snagged roots with the scarifiers and all it does is stops the tractor.

 

[CliffordK]

Box blades are designed to be used in both directions. On some, the rear facing blade is a steel bar that is hinged so it swings up when moving forward and when pushing backwards, it is used for smoothing. On other box blades, the rear blade maybe a replaceable fixed cutting edge just like the front blade. So anyone saying a box blade is not designed to push material, maybe they should inform Land Pride. They show it being used that way in their literature and videos.

As for bending any part of the implement, that just shows it is not built heavy enough for your application. I have a Land Pride 7 foot box blade that weights close to 1000 pounds. I have pushed, pulled and turned with the box blade full of dirt and never bent anything. I have snagged roots with the scarifiers and all it does is stops the tractor.

Right.

The OP is right at the top end of the power rating for that blade. There are several ways it could have been made stouter. Was Kubota using cheap steel? ?Although, at this point, the easiest solution is to make sure the lateral pulling force gets transferred to as many bars on the hitch as possible. I.E. Likely using the bolt and nut for the hitch, or at least a lynch pin tight against the bar.

Of course, the other question is what will bend next?

 

[DarkBlack]

Box blades are designed to be used in both directions. On some, the rear facing blade is a steel bar that is hinged so it swings up when moving forward and when pushing backwards, it is used for smoothing. On other box blades, the rear blade maybe a replaceable fixed cutting edge just like the front blade. So anyone saying a box blade is not designed to push material, maybe they should inform Land Pride. They show it being used that way in their literature and videos.

You can certainly run a box blade backwards, and a box blade maker can advertise them used that way, but it doesn’t change the fact, that they are more easily damaged in that direction. That’s simply dictated by physics.
Your lower lift arms do the pushing when going rearward, and because of their outward angle towards the implement, they can come under tremendous spreading forces if you hit something like a tree stump. This can easily bend outward, the lower arm attachment points on the box blade.(done it).
Going rearward also forces the box blade downward when an obstacle is hit, putting large stresses on the box blade, and your 3 point hitch assembly. Hitting an obstacle pulling forward, gives opportunity for the box blade to possibly ride up and over it, avoiding damage. Going rearward gives no chance of that.

 

[jmc]

Without rereading the thread, I think there are several comments on the bent frame component being the top link attachment. Original post says it's both side links.

 

[DarkBlack]

Without rereading the thread, I think there are several comments on the bent frame component being the top link attachment. Original post says it's both side links.

Good point. I got the mistaken impression the other day that the top link connection got damaged. Looking again, it’s oblivious the lift arm connection

 

[Tinhack]

Looks to me like the Sway Links are set up incorrectly. And if they aren't on the same axis as your lift arm pivots, you're going to break the rear axles out of that tractor.

 

[chris the wrench]

Original post says it's both side links

Exactly, top is good.

Of course, the other question is what will bend next?

Hopefully this week I’ll get sometime to reinforce the hitch area, and then I will find the next week spot!

 

[chris the wrench]

Welp I straightened out the hitch jiblets(way easier than I thought w/ a 14” crescent wrench), and I put a couple of grade 8 7/8 bolts in place of the pins. I dragged the blade around a bunch(leveling a pad and cleaning up a driveway) and it seems like it’s alot more happier now. Thanks to all for the suggestions and help.