Grading Box Blade Questions

[Anonymous Poster]

Good Morning all. I'd like to ask some things about box blades. I've got about 2-3 acres of hard, virgin, rocky soil that needs to be broken up and leveled of in prep for grass seed. For the last couple days we have used the tiller to break it up and a back blade to move the dirt around, but it is taking forever. Not to mention the rocks really put a beating on the tiller

I've never used a box blade and wondered if it is the right tool for what I'm needing to do or is there a different attachment meant for this type of work? This is the first time I've had to take hard, bumpy, hilly, ground and try to make it somewhat smooth for what will eventually be the backyard of a new house, and I'm looking for the correct way to do it. Thanks for any ideas.

 

[pennwalk]

DM,
I suspect that unless you hire someone to do it it is just going to take some time. To me it seems like there are alot of different combinationa of tools that sort of overlap but there isn't one perfect setup.One local landscaper I met uses the tiller/FEL combination to smooth and level. It might be that a plow would handle the rocks better than the tiller. A chain harrow looks like a usefull tool for smoothing. There was a picture here on TBN of a tiller with scarifiers for breaking up tough ground. I don't know about you but we have had a ton of rain this spring. The wetness of the soil makes a difference in how easy it is to work. I'm sorry but I don't think there is a magic bullet. Take your time and you will get there.

Chris

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Didn't catch how big your tractor was, but a box blade with teeth in it will use a good bit of HP to move. A 5' model with about 6 teeth would need close to 30hp to be effective. It will take down the big bumps and make them smaller, it will leave some small trails from the teeth that dig below the back of the blade. If it were me, I would use the box blade and cut it up as much as possible dragging the dirt where it was needed. Then I would use a harrow on it. You can tie a chain onto an old gate and throw on some tires or whatever for weight and just drag it around going all different directions. What you want is something flat for surface area, but that has holes/gaps between the parts that contact the soil. This will allow the soil to be moved and dropped as you move from higher to lower ground. Hope this helps

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I understand that my 1500D will pull a 4 foot box, but if not, we have a Ford 601 on the site that will. I realize this will take some time and thats ok. I just wanted to get a general idea about box blades and what they are mainly used for.

The gate is a good idea. I have used an old bed spring before and it works great after you get the soil broke up. Thanks for the info.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Mike,
An excellent question. I have the same potential project as you, and have been wondering if the box blade is the way to go. Maybe a "Box Blade Basics" thread. Since I have never seen one being used, I wonder what the appropriate technique is.

 

[jimstractors]

I have 4ft box blades on a YM 1500 (2wd), an 1401d and a 1510d. They work great. I excavated 25 cubit yards of hard packed dirt/gravel with the 1401d to do a concrete pour. I used the rippers to tear things up. Then pushed dirt back out of the way in reverse. Then when it piled up high enough, I used the loader to move it across the acre to fill in some holes.
Jim

 

[vongiese]

I have a brand new 5' box blade for my 2210D. Going to take the tiller off tomorrow and mount it and go play in the driveway - lots of ruts and potholes. Want to prepare it for fabric then gravel. It's only about 1/3 of a mile. Looking forward to learning a few things /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif....I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Well I rented a 6 footer over the weekend and it really worked nice. It was to big for my 1500D so we had to pull it with a 601 Ford, but tore the hell out of that hard rocky soil. We put the teeth at max. depth to break things up in certain areas, and then raised them in others to scrape and move dirt. At the same time I was using my Dads 6 foot back blade on my 1500D and i was really suprised at how well it pulled a full blade of dirt.

It was a landpride model and it was a big, heavy SOB that was well constructed. On my way home I stopped a TSC and looked at theirs and of course they are not quite as heavy and the welds were not as nice, but for small jobs, I think it would be fine. A dairy farmer once told me the most important piece of equipment you can have if your using farm implements is a welder. So, I may have to add a gusset here or there but for something that I would not use that often, it will fill my needs. I understand the landpride name is rather expensive.

Mike

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Mike-

Let me know how that 5 footer worked on your 2210. I have a 2210 as well with a FEL. I used my 5' box blade but kept spinning the wheels, maybe i just need more weight on the back end.

-Ricky

 

[vongiese]

Well - as things would have it - I've been side tracked from trying out the new box blade. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif Dang job keeps getting in the way!! Guess I've got my priorities mixed up. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I hope to make a go of it this weekend....I'll let you know how she handles the 5 footer.
mike