Blades on a box blade

[RNeumann]

On the typical jobsite you would establish grade and then go from there. Depending on soil type etc you would continue to check grade as you went- this could go on indefinitely. From my experience motor graders don't get involved until you are over a few acre project.
As far as fine control- we do most of that with a hydraulic top link. It would take someone with more skill to get that type of precision with just the tractor 3pt height control.

 

[kthompson]

I worked for years in quality control for a world leader in it's product line of a certain type heavy machine. Our products were bought and used by large private companies in the USA and many foreign countries and by at least the USA Air Force and the US Marines. There is tolerances in anything man made, period! Do not care the industry or products. There is tolerance even in medical test run by the best of testing methods and machines and the best hospitals and labs. We know there are tolerances in the air and water to be called safe whether you agree with them or not. Man has never been able to make perfect anything on any production level to be reasonable in price. Some tolerances are industry standards while some or what that manufacture determines to be acceptable. Have no idea there is any industry wide standards that apply to a box blade but doubt it so would say it is per the manufacturer to determine what is acceptable depending on the use of what is being made. That is one big reason the brand is so important, it speaks to how well they control the product they build.

I never had any business nor personal relationship with EA or Travis nor a product of theirs.

 

[Catman8]

I like these pics. It gives me a good opportunity to point out some structural differences.
The first thing that catches my eye is no bracing on the piece of angle iron. Yes, after looking, angle iron is the second thing.

The front cutting edge and what it's bolted to is the highest stress point of all on the box blade. Rather than welding a piece of angle iron to the bottom of a flat piece of steel which is the moldboard on the yellow box blade, our front moldboard is one solid, formed piece. The moldboard, tabs and holes are cut with the laser and formed in our press brake.

Here is the 60" EA 30-70 Box Blade(catman's) front moldboard:
View attachment 497415

Now that the front is taken care of and extremely strong and rigid, the rear piece of flat steel is added and triangular braces are welded in between, which creates the durable attachment point for the back cutting edge. Not a single one bent to date.

Catman and I exchanged PMs yesterday and it seems as if he is satisfied with the outcome after hearing multiple opinions of the situation. We are on good terms and neither believes the other was(or is) out to get the other!

I was thinking of something else, and i'll think it out loud for a moment. The bottom of the box blade looks totally flat here on the pallet:
View attachment 497416

Is it the location of the straight edge that makes it look worse. Is the angle of the straight edge totally relevant to the position of the piece when it is lying flat on the ground?
It is hard to imagine without actually being hands on with one minus cutting edges.

View attachment 497417

I'm not entirely excusing the minor bow, but I do think it is well within tolerance. There's way more to our box blades than meets the eye. I've only covered the moldboard so far!
Travis

Travis, when you say the edge that's sitting on the pallet looks straight, that edge is irrelevant. What matters is the flat area where the blade mounts, if that surface is not flat across the intire length it will bow the blade resulting in a cutting edge that's not flat. I will agree with you that EA design is nice, and the reinforcing shows that, the steel you use is top notch and the welds are beautiful.

I think the question we all want to know is there a way to weld your box blade together to alleviate the area that the blade affixes too from warping when you weld it. I think that area is critical to keeping the blade flat. If EA thinks this area being bowed is within tolerance and it's bending the blade where you no longer have a straight edge, that can't possibly be within tolerance. If you went into a hardware store and bought a framing square you would expect it to be square. We are all humans and we do make mistakes and we all heard the saying you must of got that one build on a Friday at 5:00pm :drink: Travis, is it possible to keep that area flat or is there just to many welds to keep that from warping.

 

[EverythingAttachments]

Travis, when you say the edge that's sitting on the pallet looks straight, that edge is irrelevant. What matters is the flat area where the blade mounts, if that surface is not flat across the intire length it will bow the blade resulting in a cutting edge that's not flat. I will agree with you that EA design is nice, and the reinforcing shows that, the steel you use is top notch and the welds are beautiful.

I think the question we all want to know is there a way to weld your box blade together to alleviate the area that the blade affixes too from warping when you weld it. I think that area is critical to keeping the blade flat. If EA thinks this area being bowed is within tolerance and it's bending the blade where you no longer have a straight edge, that can't possibly be within tolerance. If you went into a hardware store and bought a framing square you would expect it to be square. We are all humans and we do make mistakes and we all heard the saying you must of got that one build on a Friday at 5:00pm :drink: Travis, is it possible to keep that area flat or is there just to many welds to keep that from warping.

I am curious to see the box, cutting edges installed, sitting on a level surface just as everyone see one on a dealers lot, showroom floor, aerospace museum and/or tractor show.

Travis

 

[Deere Dude]

If I was the OP I would just forget it and move on. After such a nice paint job anything that would be done now will just mess the paint up. I don't know if the blade will ever see dirt, but after a couple runs through a dirt pile he will never notice the difference.

I bought a Frontier medium duty box blade and never checked the straightness of the blade before I used it and after hitting a few rocks and a sub-surface tree stump it doesn't matter anymore. But it still works just fine.

 

[Catman8]

I just want to see it on a flat surface. I am tired of splitting hairs.

I will gladly have the box blade picked up and returned to NC from CA.
Thousands of EA box blades across the US. Years worth & this is the best story yet.

Travis, OUT.

Travis, I just asked you some technical questions about fabrication and this is the response you gave me, come on man. Of course I'm not going to send this box blade back to NC after I had it powder coated. This forum is about learning and no one is trashing your product. You are a small company and all small companies go through growing pains, always developing, always improving. Making your product straighter and improving features is a sign of a developing successful company, you don't think woods or any other company dident go through the same growing pains. So don't take things personal, I'm sure I will buy other attachments from you in the future. It's all good :thumbsup: oh by the way I'm still interested if you can answer those questions I asked earlier. I will try to mount the blades but finding a flat surface ain't going to happen, a good level is about as straight as your going to find.

 

[Ford850]

Holy moly, 78 posts arguing over how straight a box blade edge should be, and we still haven't seen a picture of the blade on the ground. Catman8, to be fair to any equipment manufacturer, you can't compare the tolerances of a builders square to a box blade. Unless you plan to frame structures with that box blade.
Put the blade on it and see how close to 'flat' the blade sits on the ground. Then go move some dirt and enjoy it. :thumbsup:

 

[RNeumann]

The be fair to the OP (who has sent us about 10 photos) we also haven't seen others photos of their NEW BBs that have a crooked top brace and the cutting edge brace welded 1/4" out of square. You could be the first though!

 

[Catman8]

The be fair to the OP (who has sent us about 10 photos) we also haven't seen others photos of their NEW BBs that have a crooked top brace and the cutting edge brace welded 1/4" out of square. You could be the first though!

 

[ovrszd]

Ouch, that left a mark.