Box Blade Build Questions

[Taylortractornut]

I say go for it. I build most of my attachments for the Skidsteer excavator and tractors. I have a good supply of steel at the scrap yard for 20 cents a pound, Im about to build dad a 4 foot box blade for his Pasquali articulated tractor. He wants one that will dig goos when grading. We looked at a 4 foot or two lately and the 1/4 inch sides and blade mount looked weak. I fell better spending 170 to 200 for a home built blade than 400 for an economy rig that wont grade the drive way. The teeth on mine are like the ones on the older Atlas and United blades that has a straight shank with the tooth shank welded on at an angle.

 

[2manyrocks]

If you've got the steel, the time to cut it and weld it, the welding equipment and a specific purpose, then DIY may be okay, but for most folks a generic used box blade is probably most cost effective.

I would like to see pictures of the Pasquali. I've only seen one picture in a farm equipment book from the late 1970's.

 

[RKAISER49]

Currently building an 8' BB. First try at anything like this - glad a friend is lending occasional assistance. It will be nice to have, and in the end money will be saved. A new one would run about twice what we'll spend. However, there is a caveat to that in that we are able to scavenge axles, etc. from used/old equipment and that saves a ton of money. rk

 

[petes]

I built mine 6 years ago for my Kubota B7100 and have no regrets. It's 4ft wide. I used 1/4" plate for the end caps, 4x4x1/4" angle set like this ^ to support the cutting edges. I made my own cutting edges out of some wear resistant plate by plasma cutting at an angle (that step didn't work great, but OK) and tacked them onto the angle so I can grind the welds to replace them if/when they wear out. 2x2x1/4 square tube for the framework and 1" square tube "gussets" to the rear crossmember to triangulate the toplink point. I welded up boxes out of 1/4x2 to the front of the front crossmember to guide the rippers. I think I got the ripppers from TSC ($15-ish each) It's probably around 250 lbs which is too light, so I have a lead block set in a tray on top to help it dig in. I used thin (14ga) plate for the back of the box because that's what I had kicking around, but 1/4" oor thicker would have been nice for the weight. Other than the rippers I make it entirely out of steel I had around, even including the pins. I use it quite a lot and coudn't be happier with it for $60 and a day of fabrication.

 

[woodchipper]

Scotty,
Follow your intuition on this... If there is that little voice wispering something at the back of your ears, then listen to it, and act accordingly
Building a BB is a big project. You know when you start, but don't know when you will finish.
Steel is expensive, and if you don't have a good used source for it, then it may turn the project into a money pit...
The best way to get started is with a sheet of paper, a sharp pencil, a good eraser, a ruller, and a calculator! Draw something to your liking, then figure out material cost, and go from there. There is nothing as satisfying as bringing to life a simple thought/idea! We all are creators.
Good luck with it!