Box Scraper Beginners guide to using a box blade

[MJ1964]

One of the biggest challenges I have is figuring out what size of top link to use. With my disc (two rows of eight blades) I need a long top link so it will not dig in. With the box blade I use a smaller top link but even then it is not short enough for me to adjust so the cutter will dig in to pick up dirt. I use the longer top link with the mud plow since I can't let the plow go too deep or the tractor stops dead. My question: What is the correct length of top link to use? How do you determine the correct length? Thanks!

I bought my box blade mostly for gravel road maintenance. I have a steep driveway and heavy rains create ruts. When I got the blade and set it up fairly neutral it worked, but not great. Shortening the top link dug deeper, but I didn't always want to dig deep. I wasted a lot of time adjusting the top link for simple jobs that should've only taken 15 to 30 minutes. When I saw "Dave knows how" you tube video about the box blade and the "angle of the dangle" I knew I had to get a hydraulic top link. Having the ability to go from digging to smoothing instantly from the drivers seat made me look semi-competent . I love it. I wish I would've had it from the begining

 

[/pine]

I bought my box blade mostly for gravel road maintenance. I have a steep driveway and heavy rains create ruts. When I got the blade and set it up fairly neutral it worked, but not great. Shortening the top link dug deeper, but I didn't always want to dig deep. I wasted a lot of time adjusting the top link for simple jobs that should've only taken 15 to 30 minutes. When I saw "Dave knows how" you tube video about the box blade and the "angle of the dangle" I knew I had to get a hydraulic top link. Having the ability to go from digging to smoothing instantly from the drivers seat made me look semi-competent . I love it. I wish I would've had it from the begining

The way to stop storm water runoff from causing ruts is to stop the water from running DOWN the road...The key is either ditching both sides and creating a crown or by ditching one side and pitching the lane to that side...you want the water to run ACROSS the lane/tracks and not down it...

To accomplish the above you will need to adjust the side link...personally when I am grading the roads I have to deal with I make more adjustments to the (hydraulic) side link than the top link...

 

[shaeff]

The way to stop storm water runoff from causing ruts is to stop the water from running DOWN the road...The key is either ditching both sides and creating a crown or by ditching one side and pitching the lane to that side...you want the water to run ACROSS the lane/tracks and not down it...

To accomplish the above you will need to adjust the side link...personally when I am grading the roads I have to deal with I make more adjustments to the (hydraulic) side link than the top link...

Exactly. Erosion happens when the water is allowed to pick up speed. It won't pick up enough speed to cause much, if any damage if it runs from the center crown to the ditch.

 

[MJ1964]

It's a narrow driveway in northern Wisconsin with giant boulders and rocks just underneath the surface. It's virtually impossible create much of a crown, but it is slightly crowned. The edges are where the errosion is so the water does run along the sides, but it is narrow so those ruts need to be filled in. With ample gravel it isn't much of problem to fix it up quickly. We have had some heavy rainfalls up here the last several years. 3" fell last week in only a few hours time. The ruts were small, but I didn't want let them grow. In the 00's we had drought so I didn't need to do much at all to keep the road smooth.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

I managed to do a reasonable job without a hydraulic top link. Just using the draft control to dig, stop digging and transport, then unloading in a one inch thin spread. There was a definite learning curve and there is no doubt a hydraulic top link would have been better. The main thing that made a difference was my speed. I used low range and first or second gear. Working in the construction industry, I've seen lots of graders operate and the one thing I remember is that when doing a finished or near finished grade, the always went very slow and moved small amounts of material.

 

[Fallon]

I managed to do a reasonable job without a hydraulic top link. Just using the draft control to dig, stop digging and transport, then unloading in a one inch thin spread. There was a definite learning curve and there is no doubt a hydraulic top link would have been better. The main thing that made a difference was my speed. I used low range and first or second gear. Working in the construction industry, I've seen lots of graders operate and the one thing I remember is that when doing a finished or near finished grade, the always went very slow and moved small amounts of material.

Yup, slow is key. Gives you more time to figure out what is going on & to react with minor corrections.

 

[zonedar]

Great thread. Learned lots. Thanks!

 

[JTMachineDesign]

Still a bit of a noob on box blades... been reading through this and other similar threads but still have a question..

I got a super deal on a General-branded BoxBlade for my MT125. Thanks to learning curve it took a few hours to get the hang of it enough to level the area where I'm putting up a new shop.
Mine has a hinged rear-facing blade. I ended up running some bolts through it to make it fixed and that worked great, but I have to wonder what use that blade would be when it's swinging free?

 

[bcp]

A rigid rear blade limits how deep the front blade can cut in a concave location like the bottom of a steep hill.

I can cut with mine coming down a hill, and after being on flat ground, but it won't cut in the transition, even with the top link fully short.

This would also apply at the start of a "trenching" cut.

Bruce

 

[JTMachineDesign]

A rigid rear blade limits how deep the front blade can cut in a concave location like the bottom of a steep hill.

I can cut with mine coming down a hill, and after being on flat ground, but it won't cut in the transition, even with the top link fully short.

This would also apply at the start of a "trenching" cut.

View attachment 683509

Bruce

ya, that I know.. that's why I bolted mine down to it wont swing.. what I'm wondering is what the advantage is when it swings? they made it that way for a reason.. why?

Nice diagram though