Box Scraper Box blade help

[greg_g]

Thank you for the replys and suggestions. I am going to rent a box blade this weekend and try it out. If it works and I decide to go that way, any suggestions on what brand to buy or NOT to buy? I am not going to use it everyday, so i probably dont need the best, but I also dont want to waste my $ and wish I had bought something more durable/better either. Suggestions?

Renting might not give you the results we describe, as your current toplink might be too long. This technique only works if you can insert meaningful forward tilt to the boxblade angle of attack

How wide a swath do you need to rip up? Four footers limit your choice, but the field opens up significantly in the five and six foot selection. Remember you want to pick one that completely covers your tire tracks.

//greg//

 

[Huckster]

Greg, on my track the riding lanes are about 10ft wide. Making 2 passes is not a problem and again, I do not care about looks or smoothness. My main concern is being able to actually dig below the hard layer and turning the dirt over now and then so it isnt like riding on concrete. By renting it will give me an idea of the depth and ability to dig into the dirt, although the soil will be wet so it might not be a great test.

The price for the Landpride scarifier was quoted at $816+tax so rounded up its pretty close to $900 otd. It seemed kind of high since you can get a box blade cheaper and like has been stated, a scarifier is the same without the box.

 

[greg_g]

That's not my point. To get the effect that 3RRL and I are describing, you might need a toplink shorter than the one that's currently on your tractor. A very common Cat 1 toplink has a 16" body that can't be adjusted to less than a 19" operating length. I found that to be a bit long to get the desired angle on a hay spear I used last winter, so just purchased a special Cat 1 toplink that has a 13" body. Depending upon the length of your lower links, you might have to go to a short toplink like that to get the proper angle of attack out of that rental boxblade

And I agree - given the price of boxblades, that seems like a helluva lotta money for just a scarifier bar.

//greg//

 

[N80]

The toplink that came on my Kubota L4400 is plenty short enough. In fact, I've never had to screw it all the way in to get the tilt I needed. Regardless, if it is too longTSC has toplinks for $26.

 

[greg_g]

The toplink that came on my Kubota L4400 is plenty short enough. In fact, I've never had to screw it all the way in to get the tilt I needed. Regardless, if it is too longTSC has toplinks for $26.

I understand. Kubota Cat 1 toplinks have a 14-1/2" body, as opposed to the 16" body on the standard TSC Cat 1. In fact, I've never seen a Cat 1 shorter than that at any TSC I've ever been in. Rural King either.

What I'm talking about is a compact Cat 1 from AgriSupply that I just bought for 11 bucks. Made in India just like all the rest. It's got a 13" body, 17-3/4" eye to eye closed and just right for the attack angle I needed fo that bale spear. Short toplink like that will also pull up a boxblade to let the scarifiers do all the work

//greg//

 

[SCRich]

GREAT thread guys. I just walked in from the property looking to post the same question. Got the tractor yesterday and got a couple of hours in today. My land is NO WAY level!! The BB was a pain, spent about 1 hour+ and just could not get it right but I did make some progress by coming in at other angles. The box would load with dirt before the teeth would dig in and I had the teeth 1 hole from all the way down. After I got some of it cut and SOMEWHAT leveled it became a bit better and the teeth did dig a bit but still some dips and such and the blade would start loading up way too much.

I'll drop the teeth to the last hole and try the top link. It's a L3400 and a Linebech 556HD. Races are are tomorow so I'll have to be back early but I got a lot of work ahead of me, this thread probably just saved me a lot of time and some money.

What does everyone think of a rake also ? Too soft to break up the soil ? I got a lot of roots, rocks and small branches broken up and dug in the soil and that I think the BB will not do any good with.

 

[SCDolphin]

This looks handy

 

[3RRL]

Hey Greg,
I reviewed this thread and was looking at those links you posted at the beginning. I was wondering if you knew whether some of those "plow shaped" scarifiers on one of those could be changed over to fit the box blade scarifiers. I was thinking of doing that if they fit. Now that my plots are ripped, plowing them (not too deep) with a set of those would really work. Maybe only use 3 or 4 instead of 7 (on mine). What do you think?

 

[greg_g]

What do you think?

You're talking about cultivator heads I think. If you can find a way to strengthen the shanks, I don't see why it wouldn't work. Because if/when you find them available individually, I'm wondering if they'll actually fit in the scarifier slots on your BB crossbar. I think I'd prefer to modify the shanks rather than the BB

In the end, it might be simpler just to buy a field cultivator.

//greg//

 

[3RRL]

I think modifying the shanks is a good suggestion.
The shanks are cheap at Agri-Supply so I could buy a few spares and mount a cultivator head on them. Do you know if those heads are available separately? I would like to try it.