Grading Anybody make any type of weight box to mount on box blade?

[CADplans]

Besides building my DIY landplane out of 1/2" X 12" steel bar,,,
when I really need the landplane to be heavy, I drop on a few tractor front end weights,, that adds close to 300 pounds,,

Do you have any front end weights for sale in the local Craigs List?

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Besides building my DIY landplane out of 1/2" X 12" steel bar,,,
when I really need the landplane to be heavy, I drop on a few tractor front end weights,, that adds close to 300 pounds,,

Do you have any front end weights for sale in the local Craigs List?

Nope... been checking for the past few months looking for anything tractor related. Not much out here within a 100 mile radius. What does show up is usually almost the cost of new but beat up and abused. Once I go out further (250 miles) things start showing at decent prices, but factor in the cost of the trip, then not worth it at all!

My neighbor had to buy a whole tractor in order to get 2 implements he wanted (rear blade and brush cutter). The tractor (a 70s Mitsubishi) had 2 flats, bad seals, bad hydraulic hoses, was beat up for sure. By the time he spent $$ to get it to run and somewhat fixed, he couldn’t sell it for what he had in it! The blade and mower ended up costing him more than buying new, not including any of his time spent....

People joke about how New Mexico is a different country..... there are times that I can believe that statement. I have never seen so much real crap / trash that is for sale out here! Worst part is people actually buy it and think they are getting a deal!

 

[FTG-05]

I needed to add weight to my 6' LMC HD box blade since it wouldn't cut parts of my one mile gravel road. I made a lead, steel and concrete weight block and attached it to the back of the BB; total weight of the weight block is 410 lbs. I then added my 110 lb Ratchet Rake to the back of the weight block; for a total weight of both items of 520 lbs. Along with the 675 lbs of BB, total weight for all of it is ~1195 lbs.

Pics below. Note that I have since removed all but the center section of those railroad rails. I don't have any more problems with the BB not digging in and it now makes for a very stable 3ph counterweight.

 

[MF RED in MT]

I was grading an area today with the box blade and found there were some spots that the box blade would barely scrape. I even went over those areas with just the scarifiers, they dug in, but just left deep grooves. Even going across again at an angle, just left more grooves. At most, the blade would take off maybe a half inch. It is a 60 inch, heavy box blade at 480 #.

Just wondering if any more weight would help, if so, wondering how you guys added some.

Last summer I added 1/4" plates to the top of my Frontier 48" Box Blade.

I have been thinking about adding a few accessories to the BB for a while: 1st, wanted to add a receiver hitch; 2nd, needed more weight on top of BB for leveling out road mix; 3rd, needed somewhere to carry my chains, straps, etc...; 4th, needed somewhere to haul my chainsaw, fuel, oil, chaps, etc...

I purchased an aluminum ATV box and some 1/4" thick A36 material, and ended up with what's shown in the pictures below:

Spreading/leveling out 4 full dump truck loads of road mix for a neighbor was so easy with this added weight.

I also added in my "poor man's grapple", JAWS to drag logs.

KC

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Both those set ups gave me some ideas.... now I just have to source some materials. I was at a quarry yesterday that also sells RR ties. When the get the ties in, some still have plates and pins on them. There was a pile of the 9x12 rail plates and a couple of 9 x 48 switch plates.

I asked the guy if I could “ take them off their hands “ ..... he said he did not know what the boss did with them... he thinks they take it all to scrap. I have to call them on Monday and see if I can get some of them.

 

[WranglerX]

Couple of five gallon buckets filled with concrete would add about 200 pounds (each bucket being about 100 pounds ).... How you mount them is wide open...

Dale

 

[farmalldx33]

I just hang IH suitcase weights from the angle iron bracing in the center. I have a Woods box blade.

 

[Howling]

One a small scale I added a shelf for sand buckets to my blade for this winter.

 

[MF RED in MT]

Both those set ups gave me some ideas.... now I just have to source some materials. I was at a quarry yesterday that also sells RR ties. When the get the ties in, some still have plates and pins on them. There was a pile of the 9x12 rail plates and a couple of 9 x 48 switch plates.

I asked the guy if I could “ take them off their hands “ ..... he said he did not know what the boss did with them... he thinks they take it all to scrap. I have to call them on Monday and see if I can get some of them.

Glad to help you with my modification, and it's great to see others giving you options also.

Look forward to see what you will decide for your added weight.

KC

 

[Threepoint]

Last summer I added 1/4" plates to the top of my Frontier 48" Box Blade.

I have been thinking about adding a few accessories to the BB for a while: 1st, wanted to add a receiver hitch; 2nd, needed more weight on top of BB for leveling out road mix; 3rd, needed somewhere to carry my chains, straps, etc...; 4th, needed somewhere to haul my chainsaw, fuel, oil, chaps, etc...

I purchased an aluminum ATV box and some 1/4" thick A36 material, and ended up with what's shown in the pictures below:

Spreading/leveling out 4 full dump truck loads of road mix for a neighbor was so easy with this added weight.

I also added in my "poor man's grapple", JAWS to drag logs.

KC

View attachment 636620 View attachment 636621 View attachment 636622

KC, now that setup deserves a Rube Goldberg award of the month for ingenuity!! :thumbsup::laughing:

 

[DavidD]

I found a couple of truck brake drums fit nicely between braces on my box blade. Usually have all my chains stored in them. Drums are close to 100 lbs each and spare chains add up quick.

 

[MF RED in MT]

KC, now that setup deserves a Rube Goldberg award of the month for ingenuity!! :thumbsup::laughing:

Thanks for the kind words, but the modification does not have an alarm clock nor a coffee maker, yet...

Another option is, when "JAWS" and the receiver extension is removed, the receiver can be unpinned and lowered to a normal horizontal position.

I tend to find myself somewhat in between Rube Goldberg and Red Green, but unknown if that's a good place to be...

JAWS was developed last summer for bucking up my logging truck full of 18' logs, see the pictures below:

KC

 

[Threepoint]

I found a couple of truck brake drums fit nicely between braces on my box blade. Usually have all my chains stored in them. Drums are close to 100 lbs each and spare chains add up quick.

Nice additional weight, but from the pic it looks like those drums extend well down into the box area. Seems like that would interfere with filling the box fully with material when doing heavy grading. :scratchchin: As I've always understood it, the beauty of a box blade is that it works on the principle of chaos theory. Unless obstructed within the box, the material (e.g. crusher run or river run) randomly churns over and over itself, before being distributed evenly out under the rear cutting edge. I've always marveled at how they do that!

 

[Threepoint]

Thanks for the kind words, but the modification does not have an alarm clock nor a coffee maker, yet...

Another option is, when "JAWS" and the receiver extension is removed, the receiver can be unpinned and lowered to a normal horizontal position.

I tend to find myself somewhat in between Rube Goldberg and Red Green, but unknown if that's a good place to be...

JAWS was developed last summer for bucking up my logging truck full of 18' logs, see the pictures below:

KC

View attachment 636736 View attachment 636737 View attachment 636738

Very impressive! "The Little Tractor That Could" :salute:

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

I tend to find myself somewhat in between Rube Goldberg and Red Green, but unknown if that's a good place to be...
>>>>>>>
This is never a bad place to be, as long as it works for you and is cheaper than other alternatives.

Remember... If the women don't find you handsome, let them find you handy... eh...

 

[DavidD]

Nice additional weight, but from the pic it looks like those drums extend well down into the box area. Seems like that would interfere with filling the box fully with material when doing heavy grading. :scratchchin: As I've always understood it, the beauty of a box blade is that it works on the principle of chaos theory. Unless obstructed within the box, the material (e.g. crusher run or river run) randomly churns over and over itself, before being distributed evenly out under the rear cutting edge. I've always marveled at how they do that!

I did lose some of the capacity of the box but it still seems to work. The only job it does nowadays is driveway gravel

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I found a couple of truck brake drums fit nicely between braces on my box blade. Usually have all my chains stored in them. Drums are close to 100 lbs each and spare chains add up quick.

Now that is thinking “ outside the box”.... well maybe inside the box, round inside the box, that is....

Great idea....those I could find at the junkyard!