Rake Box blade and landscape rake... what size?

[orange1]

I left a previous post on what tractors I was considering for 7 acres (TC33DA, Deere 3320, Kubota L3400). Was wondering what size implements should I be looking at for these size tractors. Box blade, landscape rake, and rear finishing mower...

 

[Yalerider]

I bought a Branson 3510i with 35 horsepower. Have a 5' box blade and 5' hog. Could probably go bigger but I want to be able to fit between trees etc. Also blade covers rear tire tracks which is what you want.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Much of this depends on conditions and intended uses but for a rough guideline for a 30 to 35 hp tractor:

~4-to-5 PTO HP for every 12" of Rotary cutter (lower end of the scale for grasses, higher end of the scale for H.D. use)

~3-to-4 PTO HP for every 12" of finish mower

5' box blade is about perfect for H.D. use in hard clay or rocky soil, you can go larger if you are only spreading gravel or loose material or have lighter soil conditions

6' grader blade for H.D. work, 7' for light grading, modest snow removal, etc.

7' landscape rake should be no problem

 

[mississippi mud]

i have a JD 950 27hp. 2 wd. tractor with adjustable ( 72" - 59", outside to outside) wheel widths. am at odds about what size BB would be best. i will be doing mostly driveway maint. (spreading gravel and smoothing) and occaisional dirt moving ( leveling and smoothing of small mounds ) i guess the question would be.. a) a tight wheel spread, and a 5' BB or ..b) wide wheel spread and a 6' BB

 

[JerryG]

Given that your tractor is 2wd, you will need to limit the size of the box to a smaller size than what a 4wd could use effectively. I wouldn't go over a 5' at the most and a 4' would be more effective. I know that I will probably get some flack from this, but 2wd really does limit the amount of power that a compact tractor can get to the ground without using a huge about of weight in the tires and wheel weights. If you put fluid in the wheels and install wheel weights, then you would be alright going with a 5' box. I know some older members on TBN will probably be shocked with me suggesting fluid in the tires. I have always pushed wheel weights, but when a person is using a 2wd tractor, they really need more weight than what wheel weights alone will supply. When I worked at a dealership, I put fluid in many, many tractor wheels.

i have a JD 950 27hp. 2 wd. tractor with adjustable ( 72" - 59", outside to outside) wheel widths. am at odds about what size BB would be best. i will be doing mostly driveway maint. (spreading gravel and smoothing) and occaisional dirt moving ( leveling and smoothing of small mounds ) i guess the question would be.. a) a tight wheel spread, and a 5' BB or ..b) wide wheel spread and a 6' BB

 

[Bob_Skurka]

i have a JD 950 27hp. 2 wd. tractor with adjustable ( 72" - 59", outside to outside) wheel widths. am at odds about what size BB would be best. i will be doing mostly driveway maint. (spreading gravel and smoothing) and occaisional dirt moving ( leveling and smoothing of small mounds ) i guess the question would be.. a) a tight wheel spread, and a 5' BB or ..b) wide wheel spread and a 6' BB

First, I would question why you are getting a box blade to do driveway work? If the main purpose is driveway work then why not buy a land plane or similar dedicated tool for driveway work, they work better/faster than a box blade.

 

[Glowplug]

If you could ask your dealer if you could look at the owner's manual for the Kubota there is a chart that gives recommendations for the implement size for that tractor based on tractor model/size and whether it is 2WD or 4WD. I imagine there would be something similar for the other manufacturers as well. Personally, I would set the tires as wide as possible and get a box blade that would be wide enough to cover the rear tread width.

 

[mississippi mud]

First, I would question why you are getting a box blade to do driveway work? If the main purpose is driveway work then why not buy a land plane or similar dedicated tool for driveway work, they work better/faster than a box blade.

searched this forum for pics. or discription of a 'land plane', found nothing. can these implements pull from a large pile of material and drag within a given width of driveway without spilling from the sides ? seems like a BB could contain the gravel until desired placement before smoothing ,also done with the BB

 

[Bob_Skurka]

searched this forum for pics. or discription of a 'land plane', found nothing. can these implements pull from a large pile of material and drag within a given width of driveway without spilling from the sides ? seems like a BB could contain the gravel until desired placement before smoothing ,also done with the BB

Land Plane and other similar brands of dual blade grader blades will not move dirt from a pile to another location. A Box Blade can do that, at least to an extent, but it really is not designed to do it and is not very effective at doing it. That is what a front loader is designed to do.

What a land plane does is cut the ruts and bumps out of the driveway, makes it level, dresses the top, and leaves you with a smooth layer. It also moves the gravel from the edge to the middle of the drive giving you a crown. It does so in one pass or two passes in each direction.

Here is a link to one brand and below are photos of another: Landscape LR Series Landscape Rakes - Monroe Tufline


Also, here is a thread I started a while ago, it has some discussion of these devices about 3/4 of the way through the thread, but it also has a lot of information about box blades. Whatever you buy, it would probably be a service to all others here on TBN if you would post photos of it and give a review of your purchase in this thread: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...rision-brands.html?highlight=photo+comparison

 

[mississippi mud]

Land Plane and other similar brands of dual blade grader blades will not move dirt from a pile to another location. A Box Blade can do that, at least to an extent, but it really is not designed to do it and is not very effective at doing it. That is what a front loader is designed to do.

What a land plane does is cut the ruts and bumps out of the driveway, makes it level, dresses the top, and leaves you with a smooth layer. It also moves the gravel from the edge to the middle of the drive giving you a crown. It does so in one pass or two passes in each direction.

thank you for your input. maybe i should explain. i will be adding gravel to different stretches of the drive. ( 2200 ft ) the gravel will be trucked in by dumptruck and dumped in given areas for spreading. no matter how good the dump operator is, there will be sporadic highs and lows requiring dragging and smoothing. a FEL is great to carry for a distance then dumping. however i will be basically dragging and spreading from the original dump location

 

[Bob_Skurka]

i will be basically dragging and spreading from the original dump location

If the drivers are dumping the truckloads of gravel at various points ON your driveway then the boxblade will drag stone along your drive. If the drivers are dumping piles and you are intending to move the stone from the piles to the drive then I fear you will be leaving stone all over the lawn, you will be tearing up the lawn, you will also be dragging bits of lawn into your drive, etc. I think you will be far better off moving the stone with your FEL and then smoothing it with an angled landscape rake, a land plane, etc. I'm presuming you already have the driveway in place but it is in bad shape? If so then make sure you do all your preparation work before the stone is dumped.

 

[mississippi mud]

If the drivers are dumping the truckloads of gravel at various points ON your driveway then the boxblade will drag stone along your drive. If the drivers are dumping piles and you are intending to move the stone from the piles to the drive then I fear you will be leaving stone all over the lawn, you will be tearing up the lawn, you will also be dragging bits of lawn into your drive, etc. I think you will be far better off moving the stone with your FEL and then smoothing it with an angled landscape rake, a land plane, etc. I'm presuming you already have the driveway in place but it is in bad shape? If so then make sure you do all your preparation work before the stone is dumped.

yes they will be dumping on an exsisting driveway. due to wash and settling ,it is an ongoing process of adding gravel (actually crushed limestone) then spreading. my drive has several steep, hilly sections, that, no matter how good the crown is, will wash. also have 2 large culverts in the low spots with a raised road above them. this too will wash and spill over the edge requiring periodic addition of material

so back to the original question...tight wheel spread and a 5' ..or wide and a 6' remember the tractor has 27.5 hp(had to get the .5 in there) also i will be leveling different areas of horse pasture to make it easier for clipping..yea..yea.. i know.. i NEED a dozer , but that discussion is for a dif. forum. namely the 'How to get blood out of a Turnip' forum .LOL

 

[jbrumberg]

I left a previous post on what tractors I was considering for 7 acres (TC33DA, Deere 3320, Kubota L3400). Was wondering what size implements should I be looking at for these size tractors. Box blade, landscape rake, and rear finishing mower...

orange1: I have a NH TC29DA (29/23+PTO HP) and maintain 12+A's (7+A's field) with a 60" rotary cutter, 58" gear driven tiller, and 96" landscape rake. I believe I would have no problems operating a 72" rear finishing mower with my tractor. I am planning to purchase a 60" box blade later in the Spring. There is a "Rule of Thumb" that seems to generally apply for tractor attachments: 1 foot/5 HP.

 

[CDsdad]

I left a previous post on what tractors I was considering for 7 acres (TC33DA, Deere 3320, Kubota L3400). Was wondering what size implements should I be looking at for these size tractors. Box blade, landscape rake, and rear finishing mower...

I have roughly the same size tractor as the ones you are looking at, a Massey Ferguson 1533. I use a 5' Bushhog, a 6' Landpride rear finish mower, borrow a 6' rear blade when I need, and will purchase a 6' box blade next week, and want a 6' rake. I also have a 6' 9" tandem disc I use for my garden and deer patches. 6' covers my tire tracks, 5' is just shy of covering. The 5' Bushhog leaves grass laying over but uncut on either side, which isn't a big deal because I use it in tight spots in the woods. I went 6' on everything else I've gotten/will get. I have used a 6' box blade and had no problems with a full box of dirt. I have loaded rears.

As JerryG said, I believe loaded tires work better than wheel weights. A buddy of mine has wheel weights on a Kubota L2900 2wd and it just doesn't seem to put the HP and torque to the ground as well as my father's L2900 with loaded tires.

 

[RollTideRam]

so back to the original question...tight wheel spread and a 5' ..or wide and a 6' remember the tractor has 27.5 hp(had to get the .5 in there) also i will be leveling different areas of horse pasture to make it easier for clipping..yea..yea.. i know.. i NEED a dozer , but that discussion is for a dif. forum. namely the 'How to get blood out of a Turnip' forum .LOL

Your question was answered. You have a 2wd and will have some problem with a small blade and a bigger problem with a bigger blade. So keep it narrow and get the smaller box blade. When the box is full of gravel, you will spin and make a mess out what your trying to fix. My 2520 is pretty light, and with no added ballast I spin frequently even in 4wd if I get too big a load in my box blade. JC

 

[mississippi mud]

Your question was answered. You have a 2wd and will have some problem with a small blade and a bigger problem with a bigger blade. So keep it narrow and get the smaller box blade. When the box is full of gravel, you will spin and make a mess out what your trying to fix. My 2520 is pretty light, and with no added ballast I spin frequently even in 4wd if I get too big a load in my box blade. JC

thanks..so whats the importance of being able to cover the tire tracks with the BB, which seems to be a forum guideline when purchasing one ?

 

[RollTideRam]

If you are doing finishing work on a yard, you don't want your tracks showing. If you need to get close to a building or fence, you don't want to hit with your tire. JC