A few questions....

[Trev]

I had the dealer pick up my JD4300 the other day for routine maint.. it had about 300 hours, but most of those were from running the generator during the ice storm.

I had done routine maint, but wanted a pro to check it over and make sure I wasn't missing something critical.

When it comes back, float mode of the front blade no longer works. Dealer says maybe needs breaking in. I try it a few more hours.. no joy. I also notice that the valve next to the diff lock, for selecting recirc mode for FEL, is now GONE. Completely missing. Now they say they'll have to pick it up again and see what's wrong with the spool valve and if the mechanic simply forgot to replace the lever for the recirc function. Reasonable mistake?

I also had them return the tractor with a box blade on it.. lots of land leveling to do. I found this isn't as easy as it would appear! What I started with was a garden in the back with a small depression in it.. which caused water build-up and a mess in the Spring.

What I think I've managed to create now is a much bigger lake! I dragged dirt in from the sides to fill the depression... resluting in, basically, a much larger depression (not to mention my OWN depression.) /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I think I need dirt brought in. And I don't know what the heck I'm doing with the box blade.. I end up with mounds of dirt where I dump it.. and low spots where I scrape it. I've tried dumping slowly, leaving the box up part way, and so on. Is this why contractors make money.. because they actually know what they're doing?? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I had my fun.. now it's probably time to bring in a pro to fix the mess I made. Okay, it isn't really a mess... but now I have what will probably be a large lake rather than a small one. Spring will tell. I tried all angles of top link adjustment, depth of teeth, and so on. My last try will be to get my wife out there to help.. she can watch from the side and signal me to raise or lower the blade. Humiliating, I know... but you do what you have to do!

On the bright side, the JD dealer says he'll make his mistake right for me.. including free rental, delivery, etc., of the box blade in exchange for their mess-up on the SCV thing.

Hey, I dunno what I'm doing, but I'm (mostly!) having fun! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Best...............Bob

 

[OkeeDon]

The first thing I've learned about moving firt around with a box blade is you have to have enough dirt. You probably will have to have a load brought in if you don't have a high spot somewhere else where you can scoop some.

The other thing I've learned is that it is impossible to get a good job going only in one direction. When you get that little pile at the end, the easiest thing to do is lower the blade and back into it, spreading it flat. I don't care what anyone else says about not using the blade in reverse, it has a double-sided blade for that purpose, and I've never seen a pro leveling a yard without going both directions. There's a new house or two going up on every block in the city where I currently live, and I often stop to watch the pros leving the lots prior to sodding.

The other thing I've learned from watching them is to take little cuts, and go back and forth on it, seemingly forever! It eventually all equals out. But, you can't take a box full of dirt and expect it to fall out where you need it - when I get to the end of a pull, half the dirt is still in there, unless I raise the box too high, then it all falls out at once. That's why they take small cuts.

I've also discovered you can't do squat if the dirt is wet. If you move it around enough, it eventually dries out and granulates enough to start filling in the low spots, but it's probably easier to wait until it dries out a little.

I love my box blade, but it takes patience and a light touch.

 

[R_squared]

Trev,

Try these suggestions:

1) Wait till the soil mostly dries out after a rain. It might take a day or two. It will crumble in your hands.

2) Fill in the deepest spots by dumping loads with your FEL and back dragging each dumped load out completely before dumping another load. Back dragging will level the work area and break up the clumps of dirt.

3) Determine if you will have enough dirt to at least rough level the work area. If not, get a load or two delivered and do the filling and back dragging some more.

4) Raise the scarifiers all the way up. Level the box blade in both directions and lower it till it hits the dirt. Try to establish a straight path that you can lengthen. If the blade digs out too much dirt, then lengthen your top link and raise it up a little. If you make a mistake fill and back drag the hollowed out area.

5) Once the work area looks reasonable to you, drag the box blade in other directions to further level the work area. Try not to go too deep and try using the blade driving backwards.

Be patient, your FEL is the best tool to get you in the ball park before using the box blade. Work small areas until you get the hang of it.

 

[BB_TX]

Don & Rob speak from the voice of experience. Go forward to move the dirt around. Then go backward for the first pass at leveling it out. Going forward, everytime the wheels go over a bump or dip, the box goes up and down making it almost impossible to get a smooth surface. Going backward, the wheels are traveling over the leveled surface letting the box ride along smoothly. After you get it fairly level, then you can go back and forth, forward and backward, little at a time just scraping the surface to get the final grading.

 

[WVBill]

Trev:
I've been in your situation with my box blade when I first got it. Here's what I've found: I use the rear blade (mine can be movable or fixed - in this case I lock it down) kind of as a "guage wheel". I extend the top link so that when I lower the 3PH the rear blade hits the ground and holds the front blade is an inch or two off the ground. This lets the contents of the box flow out under the front blade and get spread by the rear blade. The rear blade resting on the ground compensates for the "whoop-de-doos" as the tractor's tires go over uneven ground.

 

[snowman]

Trev;

When the dealer/driver comes back out, ask him if he has experience with the boxblade. Chances are that they do and they may be able to show you first hand (using your equipment and on your land) some techniques/tips that may help you out.


I know in my case it's easier for me to understand something if I watch someone actually do it.

 

[Boondox]

Right on, Snowman! I was a total clutz with the backhoe until I spent a few hours watching the town highway dept using their excavator. Best couple of hours I ever spent!

Pete

 

[MLB]

at the same time it's not like there's some "secret" and once someone tells you you've got it. Takes lots of PRACTICE, to do it well. Nothing but seat time.

 

[slowrev]

Boy everyone seems to be avoiding your service problem like the plague /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Just an observation. Personally I am not impressed with what your dealer did, and would find another one for future work if feasable.

Sorry cannot offer much help on the box blade, just learning to use one myself. However it is a lot better than the old back blade I have for almost everything.

 

[snowman]

You're right in that it takes practice, but in the beginning, if someone can show you something in five minutes that would take you two hours to figure out (and even then you may still think "am I doing this right"), it's much more beneficial.