Box blade and chains on the 3pt

RayCo · May 28, 2008

I'm thinking about replacing the lift arms on my 3pt hitch with chains in order to help keep my box blade from being affected by the tilting and rocking of my tractor as I drove over my less-than-ideal terrain that I'm working in. I'm trying to change the contour of the ground that I'm digging out, but it doesn't really seem possible to do with the rigid connection, since as the tractor follows the contour, so does the blade. Short of the top-n-tilt solution, are chains something that can help? I have a 4 ft blade that weighs about 250 pounds, I believe. I was thinking of doing chains and also adding 150 pounds of weight to the box blade. Should I expect this to be effective?

Thanks

638 · May 28, 2008

I don't know if that would work or not. Why don't you try it and let us know how it does.

ron

RayCo · May 28, 2008

638 said:
I don't know if that would work or not. Why don't you try it and let us know how it does.

That'll probably be what happens.

StrangeRanger · May 29, 2008

Have you considered gauge wheels?
j

RayCo · May 29, 2008

Don't guage wheels just lock in place and just prevent the implement from going lower than you want? It seems that the angling with the tractor would still exist since the wheels have a rigid connection to the implement. Or is this not how they work?

N80 · May 29, 2008

I understand the idea, but doubt that it will work. Truth be told, a box blade really isn't very effective in passively contouring. It will smooth and fill, but if you have swales, hills, ridges, etc it is pretty much just going to follow them if all you do is pull it behind you.

It will work better if you use it actively. In other words consider a raised area that you want level with everything else. You can't just run back and forth over it. You need to make passes along it (not across it) mostly with the teeth to break it up. Then catch the broken up soil with the blade at an agressive angle and move the dirt where it needs to be...not just where is slips out from under the BB.

I've done this and its quite a pain but can be done. You just can't expect to drive back and forth with the BB and have a flat smooth surface. Judicious use of the loader also helps such as knocking down high spots and back dragging.

Soundguy · May 29, 2008

Ditto what N80 said. You can also do things like disc or drag harrow an area ( depending on how bad it is ). Some people tow and old i-beam or railroad track section.. or telephone pole section behind their tractor to help level things out too..

soundguy

Texas Dodge · May 29, 2008

If I understand you correctly, you are complaining that when the back wheels go over a high spot the BB lifts up as well and doesn't knock the high spot down? Are you setting your BB for a certain height and leaving it there? If so then yes that is going to happen. What you will have to do is when you go over the high spot you will need to lower your BB more to knock down the high spot. When I am using my BB, my right hand is always on the 3pt lift lever adjusting as I go.

N80 · May 29, 2008

Texas Dodge said:
When I am using my BB, my right hand is always on the 3pt lift lever adjusting as I go.

Right, and that's part of what i mean by using it actively.

I have also found what Soundguy said to be true, a disk can be a great leveling and contouring implement. I had no idea this would be true but a disk is really great for leveling a large area.