Grading Box Blade Question

[FRIZ]

Box Blade Question:

Hello everybody:

I know nothing about Box Blades. And I have approximately 800 yards of gravel road to maintain. I am planning to buy a John Deere 3720.

Now I have the following questions:


48in or 60in wide?
BB 1048 (BB1060) or BB2048 (BB2060)?
What is the difference between BB10xx and BB20xx?
What is a Land Planes (LP1048/LP1060)?

PLEASE explain and share your experiences.

Thank you.
Regards,
FRIZ

 

[jenkinsph]

FRIZ, from your other post I gathered you need to look at a larger tractor. These questions you have here are the perfect example as to why you should.

With the 4520 I have the 8' landplane works well, larger implements will do a much better job of smoothing and leveling the driveway. I built a landplane similar to an 1196 but with 5' runners on it. For a boxblade I have a 7 ft hd unit bb1284 which is more than you will need. I think a good 6 or 7' blade would work well for you.

Starting from scratch with a clean sheet the 6' implements are a better way to go.



Steve

 

[Cidertom]

I used to maintain about 2 miles of private road with my 4300. About 20 homes, mix of full time and summer complaints. The method I finalized on as being the best for the traffic and use: (your milage may vary, weekend operator on closed road) Road about 12' wide.

Pass 1 each way: Rear blade offset and angled to bring the kick-out back to centerline. Digging just enough to bring up fines, and remove the edges of any potholes.

Pass 2 : Using a "landscape rake " with leveling wheels. Straight down the center to establish "level".

Pass 3 each way: Using the landscape rake with wheels, smooth the center to each edge leaving a slight crown for drainage.

Using this method I did the road once in Spring before the road dried out and once in Fall after it got wet again.

Used about 10 yards of 3/4"- per year for the entire road, to make adjustments.

I tried the box blade, but the results were not as good. If I had stayed there, I would have moved the box blades wheels back about 5-6 feet. I think that would have made a good tool.

 

[ddivinia]

Box Blade Question:

Hello everybody:

I know nothing about Box Blades. And I have approximately 800 yards of gravel road to maintain. I am planning to buy a John Deere 3720.

Now I have the following questions:


48in or 60in wide?
BB 1048 (BB1060) or BB2048 (BB2060)?
What is the difference between BB10xx and BB20xx?
What is a Land Planes (LP1048/LP1060)?

PLEASE explain and share your experiences.

Thank you.
Regards,
FRIZ

A couple things about boxblades as a minimum.

They need to be wide enough to cover the tire prints of your tractor. Is a 48" wide enough for a 3720? I don't think so.

Get a welded top, not a bolt together.

I went cheap(er) on my first box blade. It was a frontier 72" bolted top - will need to go get the model numder. I think it is a 2072. I just bought a 84' with welded top, hinged back tailgate, and easier to adjust sacrificers.

Frontier keeps changing their model numbers - I can't keep up.

You should consider both a box blade and a landscape rake.

D.

 

[Barely Smokin']

For sure, I'd agree with the folks here that you'll need more than one implement for road grading/ditching.

I've got a 48" Frontier blade that takes an amazing amount of abuse. I've moved a lot of dirt with it, including using it with the scarifiers fully down and with the blade tilted fully forward in hard calcitic clay. It rips it right up. Occassionally I'll just put one tooth down to rip through roots, which works great, too. No issues with the bolt-together aspect of it, yet. I guess I can always weld it back.

I find it too aggressive for driveways, at least for final grading. If a road is badly potted or rutted, I'll shape it first with the box, but be sure you have gravel on hand, b/c it can generate more dirt than you'd expect. I like the box better for ditching, especially for new ditches. I'll tilt it fully one way and drop the "low" tooth, keeping the other teeth up. I find that my rear scraper blade isn't strong/heavy enough to initiate a good ditch (fine for shaping one, though) and, once it's tilted and angled, a rear scraper blade doesn't extend out any further (on my tractor) than the box blade.

As mentioned, though, you'll want to finish with a rear blade or rake. As far as ballast, a box is one of the best things out there, IMO.

Good luck!

 

[ScottK]

48in or 60in wide?
BB 1048 (BB1060) or BB2048 (BB2060)?
What is the difference between BB10xx and BB20xx?
What is a Land Planes (LP1048/LP1060)?

Go for the 2060. I have the 2048 but I only have a 2320. You will want the 2060 because it is wider than your tracks. The BB10xx series are light duty - they weigh less - you don't want them. The BB20xx series are medium duty and twice as heavy as the light series. There is a heavy duty series as well so if money is no object, get one.

I don't know about Land Planes. I use my 2048 to maintain a road that is made of recycled asphalt and road binder (i.e. much harder than gravel). I hang 4 suitcase weights on it to add more weight to be able to dig in to remove potholes. Heavier is definitely better on box blades.

 

[jcmseven]

I have used box blades, land planes and landscape rakes to maintain my long gravel drive. Of the three, specifically for the driveway, the LR works best. A heavy duty LR, especially one with wheels, really smooths gravel well, unless it is really packed down. I can almost get my driveway looking like pavement with the LR. The box blade is a great multipurpose attachment, but not good for driveways unless they are really packed down or on a hill where gravel tends to run to the bottom and needs to be drug back up again. They are good for leveling and have other purposes that make them a great tractor implement. The land planes theoretically would offer the best of both worlds, but my use of them on driveways has been mixed. I could not tell that they do any better than a box blade which does not do as well as a landscape rake. With a 3720 a 2048 BB is way too small. They are heavy, about 425 pounds (not much lighter than a 2060) but are too narrow. A 3720 will handle a 2060 in all cases and even a 72" if the ground is flat, though a 72" BB is a stretch for any mid-size JD compact. The main differences between the 10 series and the 20 series BB's is the mounting frame and the fixed v. hinged "gate". I like the 20 series because they seem a bit more heavy duty. As for the LR's one can generally one one foot wider than in the BB, because they are lighter and not meant for deep engagement. A 72" LR is a nice choice for a 3720, though it will handle an 84". My experience is that in most cases an 84" LR will not be much more efficient than a 72" and is also more cumbersome behind the tractor and more challenging to store when not in use. That, of course, applies to its use with a 3000 series tractor.

John M

 

[FRIZ]

Thank you all for the education. Please keep it coming.

Regards,
FRIZ