Well, someone said that their advice may be late, I may be done by now. Not to worry! I'm not even close. At least one large area is too wet to get the tractor into. And it will continue to be too wet until either I get a long dry spell, or until I get some drainage cut with the tractor. It's a chicken and egg problem for now. I've put in probably 200 feet of drainage so far. But the last 100 ft left will required alot of dirt to be moved, in tight quarters near the house, and whole grade needs to come down more than a foot.
I have used the tilted box blade and FEL so do the work so far. I'll rough it out with the FEL, the smooth with the box. Using the box for the whole thing would be REAL slow going. If I take a deep cut, the box fills up after a 10 foot pull, then I have to pull off to the side to empty. If I'm in wet clay, I have to pull off and the clay often won't drop out, I have to get off and use a shovel to knock it out
For my soil, the FEL moves quanities of soil much faster than the box.
And keeping a good drop the whole length of the swale is the subject of a whole 'nother thread.
I have to believe Fred, that with a heavy back blade it would go faster, but the cost per pound of a new, heavy blade is pretty high. I'm watching for a used one.
I keep thinking that a properly tilted, and angled back blade (in dry soil) will be "self-emptying" as the dirt slides back the angle, and off the end of the blade. Where the box, I have to empty it on each pass.
If I end up buying or borrowing a rear blade, I'll have to report back after I give it a try.
Mike