BOX BLADE :: PHOTO comparision of brands
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txdon
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Still another box blade photo.
Howse 5’ Hinged Back Box Blade, 468 lbs., about $550.
There are notches in the back edge of the scarifier shanks that engage the crossbar to set the cutting depth. To hold the scarifiers in place, a pin is dropped in front of the shanks and secured with a clip.
When the scarifiers are not in use they are stored upside down in their same slots - except I had to grind 1/4" out of both square holes in the 'tower' before the shanks would pass down through the tower to reach their slots.
Howse 5’ Hinged Back Box Blade, 468 lbs., about $550.
There are notches in the back edge of the scarifier shanks that engage the crossbar to set the cutting depth. To hold the scarifiers in place, a pin is dropped in front of the shanks and secured with a clip.
When the scarifiers are not in use they are stored upside down in their same slots - except I had to grind 1/4" out of both square holes in the 'tower' before the shanks would pass down through the tower to reach their slots.
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btolle
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I have a Howse 48" box blade like Howse picture except mine has 4 scarifier teeth.
I have not had any problem with bending the pins or the metal where the pins attach.
Where I have had problems in the past with another brand (Modern Implement) was bending the arms that go from the top link down to the box blade. If you look at the Howse picture you will see that they use a triangular shaped piece there instead of the 2 metal arm setup that some brands use. The arms are paticularly vulnerable to bending when using the box blade to push rearward against a heavy load or when backing up and hitting a short stump that catches the bottom of the box blade.
I beat a box blade very hard by using it to pull stumps. I drop the box down over a stump and then rock back and forth until I break the stump loose. At other times I may do the same thing except pushing backwards against a stump. That is how I bent the arms on the other BB I had before this one. I can't imagine a higher stress situation for a box blade but so far the Howse has held up fine.
I know that is abusing the box blade but I do it consciously knowing that I am subject to damaging it. My thought is that if I use it that way for a couple of years and do damage it beyond repair I have gotten my money's worth in labor and time savings and will just buy a new BB.
Bill Tolle
I have not had any problem with bending the pins or the metal where the pins attach.
Where I have had problems in the past with another brand (Modern Implement) was bending the arms that go from the top link down to the box blade. If you look at the Howse picture you will see that they use a triangular shaped piece there instead of the 2 metal arm setup that some brands use. The arms are paticularly vulnerable to bending when using the box blade to push rearward against a heavy load or when backing up and hitting a short stump that catches the bottom of the box blade.
I beat a box blade very hard by using it to pull stumps. I drop the box down over a stump and then rock back and forth until I break the stump loose. At other times I may do the same thing except pushing backwards against a stump. That is how I bent the arms on the other BB I had before this one. I can't imagine a higher stress situation for a box blade but so far the Howse has held up fine.
I know that is abusing the box blade but I do it consciously knowing that I am subject to damaging it. My thought is that if I use it that way for a couple of years and do damage it beyond repair I have gotten my money's worth in labor and time savings and will just buy a new BB.
Bill Tolle
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Bob_Skurka
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Here is a Land Pride Box Blade. For having a quality reputation, I am surprised by the construction of this blade. It must be one of their light duty versions? The lower link pins are not the captured type. The "a" frame assembly is lightly constructed and only has 4 attachment points.
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Bob_Skurka
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Bob_Skurka
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Bob_Skurka
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Here is a photo of a 5' wide "GradeMaster U5" this is a very unusual type of grading/box blade combination. The dealer also had a model U6, which lookes the same, but is 6' wide instead of 5'.
Unlike a traditional box blade, there are no adjustable scarifiers. Also the box is only about 6" tall, instead of roughly 12" tall. The GradeMaster blades are designed for smoothing and grading. I don't know anyone who has one of these, I didn't even know the dealer had them until I saw them on the lot today.
You will notice these have dual blades, and the blades are set on a slight bias to move the dirt from one side to the other. From what I understand, these blades require a little more HP than a traditional box blade of similar size.
Unlike a traditional box blade, there are no adjustable scarifiers. Also the box is only about 6" tall, instead of roughly 12" tall. The GradeMaster blades are designed for smoothing and grading. I don't know anyone who has one of these, I didn't even know the dealer had them until I saw them on the lot today.
You will notice these have dual blades, and the blades are set on a slight bias to move the dirt from one side to the other. From what I understand, these blades require a little more HP than a traditional box blade of similar size.
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em14
Platinum Member
Bob,
We use to make these to be pulled behind a crawler (D-7, D-8) years ago to "level" and remove ruts from roads. This company makes some much larger than the picture you posted, as a matter of fact, I saw one in use on some county roads awhile back. I have over a mile of road into the farm and am considering either building one or buying one of theirs. It really is not what I would consider a box blade since it is some what of a more "grading" role.
Leo
We use to make these to be pulled behind a crawler (D-7, D-8) years ago to "level" and remove ruts from roads. This company makes some much larger than the picture you posted, as a matter of fact, I saw one in use on some county roads awhile back. I have over a mile of road into the farm and am considering either building one or buying one of theirs. It really is not what I would consider a box blade since it is some what of a more "grading" role.
Leo