Box Scraper Beginners guide to using a box blade

[bcp]

The advantage of a swinging blade would be that you CAN cut in the situation where a rigid rear blade would prevent cutting.

Bruce

 

[jenkinsph]

I removed the bolts from my rear blade on the Gannon many years ago. Made it much easier to get a good cut when needed. Never bolted the rear blade down since then.

 

[tibadoe]

Just read through this entire thread. Good information. Getting a box blade for my tractor soon.

 

[JTMachineDesign]

The advantage of a swinging blade would be that you CAN cut in the situation where a rigid rear blade would prevent cutting.

Bruce

ya, that's all I could think of.. I just wondered if there was some other reason.. I'll be leaving it rigid for now I think.
I spent a few days removing a forest of overgrown creosote bushes and leveling an area prepping for a new building...
this is the area (I was letting my 10 year old grandson drive the tractor around...)

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

On my box blade, the rear blade pivots.
1) I can get a full cut with the front blade without the rear blade "lifting" it, as others have said.
2) when you use the box blade to "push" material, the blade gets locked against the box, preventing it from just riding up onto the material.
3) if you angle / tilt the box blade way back (using the top link making it longer), you use the rear blade to smooth the material which you are spreading. The blade will smooth any ridges or tracks. Essentially floating the blade, allowing it to smooth any high spots.

After spreading 16 tons of gravel yesterday using the loader and box blade, the final touch was running the "floating blade" back and forth over the area that was just done. It looked like it was hand raked, not a ridge, line, tire mark, or high spot noticed.

On my driveway/ parking area (60' x 300'), 100 tons, after spreading, I literally drove around in circles starting at the outside and working in towards the center. The rear floating blade made it smooth as can be.

I wouldn't own a box blade WITHOUT a pivoting blade! It just takes it to the next level.

I forgot to mention that I have a hydraulic top link..... that makes angling / tilting the box blade backwards super easy!

 

[jenkinsph]

On my box blade, the rear blade pivots.
1) I can get a full cut with the front blade without the rear blade "lifting" it, as others have said.
2) when you use the box blade to "push" material, the blade gets locked against the box, preventing it from just riding up onto the material.
3) if you angle / tilt the box blade way back (using the top link making it longer), you use the rear blade to smooth the material which you are spreading. The blade will smooth any ridges or tracks. Essentially floating the blade, allowing it to smooth any high spots.

After spreading 16 tons of gravel yesterday using the loader and box blade, the final touch was running the "floating blade" back and forth over the area that was just done. It looked like it was hand raked, not a ridge, line, tire mark, or high spot noticed.

On my driveway/ parking area (60' x 300'), 100 tons, after spreading, I literally drove around in circles starting at the outside and working in towards the center. The rear floating blade made it smooth as can be.

I wouldn't own a box blade WITHOUT a pivoting blade! It just takes it to the next level.

I forgot to mention that I have a hydraulic top link..... that makes angling / tilting the box blade backwards super easy!

[/QUOTE]

My niece lives in Edgewood and I visit often. I live in Ruidoso and retired now. About the only work I still do is laser leveling for small farms and ranches locally.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

My niece lives in Edgewood and I visit often. I live in Ruidoso and retired now. About the only work I still do is laser leveling for small farms and ranches locally.[/QUOTE]

Cool! Small world for sure! Ruidoso is nice. We thought about moving there at one point, decided against packing everything up again and going through all the hassles.....

 

[JTMachineDesign]

On my box blade, the rear blade pivots.

I don't do gravel My place is all DG/sand. it packs great and water doesn't collect, it just disappears. When I want to smooth things out I just drag a chain harrow behind my golf cart.

I need something to pickup the odd leaves/sticks/stones/pine cones/dog piles that appear.. was working on a beach-cleaning type machine but decided i didn't want to cut the top layer, just pickup the debris. I'm thinking about a stout rotary leaf rake now but I dunno...

 

[MACflyer]

Just read all 25 pages, thanks to all for some great information. I'm hoping to get a box blade soon to attempt to regrade some poor drainage in my yard. I don't have a tiller or discs, but was thinking the scarifiers would be enough to loosen everything up? Or will the grass be too much for them?

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

The scarifiers will work. You may have to make a few passes depending on how thick the grass is, but it will get easier each pass. Since there is only a limited number of scarifiers, spaced wider apart, try and line up consecutive passes "in between" the previous pass. There will be a quick learning curve, but you'll get it!

 

[Fallon]

The scarifiers will work. You may have to make a few passes depending on how thick the grass is, but it will get easier each pass. Since there is only a limited number of scarifiers, spaced wider apart, try and line up consecutive passes "in between" the previous pass. There will be a quick learning curve, but you'll get it!

Ya, they will work. You'll have big chunks of sod that won't spread, but it will tear them up so you can move material underneath.

 

[SylvainG]

Thanks to this thread, I think I did a pretty good job with my private road It's more dirt than gravel and I whish I had a picture of it before. Took out many boulders that was making the road 'bouncy'. Before I use it again, I'm going to go buy a hydraulic top link. I got out of the tractor too many times to adjust the angle of attack. I already have the remote and fittings, just need the cylinder

BTW, my 'remote' is actually a log splitter valve that my dealer installed to control the snow blower chute. I was thinking of adding a four feet pole to the side of the box blade to give me a relative idea of its angle of incline when I'm the cabin. Any other ideas?

 

[Fallon]

Thanks to this thread, I think I did a pretty good job with my private road It's more dirt than gravel and I whish I had a picture of it before. Took out many boulders that was making the road 'bouncy'. Before I use it again, I'm going to go buy a hydraulic top link. I got out of the tractor too many times to adjust the angle of attack. I already have the remote and fittings, just need the cylinder

BTW, my 'remote' is actually a log splitter valve that my dealer installed to control the snow blower chute. I was thinking of adding a four feet pole to the side of the box blade to give me a relative idea of its angle of incline when I'm the cabin. Any other ideas?

I see occasional ideas of using one of the big RV U shaped levels. I've thought of it myself a fair bit. But have come to the determination that experience & going slow yield better results. Takes time & failures to get the experience, but it's worth it. I'm a gadget nerd, but find gadgets aren't always that helpful.

Level? In relation to what? Gravity? The tractor? The hill or incline you are on? The incline your front tires but not yet your rear tires or the box? A level only tells you gravity, which while useful is only part of the equation most of the time.

 

[SylvainG]

More like with time, I would know that that part of the road needs this incline and that part needs that incline. I guess by just looking at how far the cylinder rod is extended could be a as useful indicator as a pole or U shaped level is...