Box blade repair and brands ??

[Walker1]

I got this box blade when I bought my tractor. It is very near a Gannon, but some of the parts don't quite match. It has a round front tube, and the linkage is quite different. There is lettering on the sides B---R. The on lat word I can come up with is Bexar, as in Bexar Texas. Could make sense, but I get no hits on it. I would like to see another one to see how the linkage was supposed to be as mine has been a bit cobbled. Not hugely important though.

The important part is that I just got new blades for it. The front blade had been worn down into the bolt holes, some holes more than half way. The sides were worn down to match. After I bolted on the new blade, so I could figure out how much steel to add back in, I found the blades protrude several inches past the bottom of the box. I looked at the Gannon parts schematic and it looks like the sides come down to the point where the bevel starts on a new box. I clamped a pieces of flat bar across the bottom along the line of the top of the bevel. This puts the bottom of the box nearly parallel with the top. Does this look right? If so I will just cut a piece of plate and weld it on.
On the blade mounting plate, which is a bent piece of 3/8 plate, I need to add in the missing section. It looks like it should have about another 1 1/2". I may remove the stock piece, as it is not that much cutting/welding, in order to make it easier to repair. This will also allow me to be able to cut it off square. At that point I can weld a piece to the mold board as well. The only reason I am considering the moldboard repair is that if I don't, then the blade may be able to rock, not having a flat spot to sit on. Anybody see any problems with this approach?

Thanks,

 

[jenkinsph]

While the side plates are worn down I don't think I would add as much as you are showing. These are usually tapered up slightly on the leading edge. With the rippers down you need to be able clear the sides for good contact and depth. Just a guess but I suspect the front may have worn down about half as much as you are showing.

On the blade mounting make sure you have enough strength in your repairs to prevent peeling and twisting. Most box blades with the fixed mounting use a piece of heavy angle iron and often have small gusset plates added to gain strength.

I will add some pictures of new or like new side profiles to aid in guessing how much your box blade is worn down.

 

[Walker1]

It is difficult to tell exactly how much it is worn. I was trying to discover how much the blades stuck out, and their angle compared at the bottom. It appears as though, on most of the box blades, that the relationship between the 3PT connection points and the bottom of the blade is roughly perpendicular. I did find a fairly generic Gannon parts diagram that shows how much the blades stick out, but the diagram is pretty basic, and is the same one for all their models.
That Frontier model blades look like they stick out quite a bit though. The models that are more wedge shape seem to have the 3pt bar mounted a little lower, and the top is angled down from the moldboard to the crossmember in front.
I snapped a shot of it with the blades touching the ground fairly evenly, and the three point is roughly straight up and down.

 

[Xfaxman]

Here are some pictures of mine that might help. I bought it used, but the side plates are not worn much.

The last one shows the three point is angled back some at the top.

 

[jenkinsph]

In my second picture above the Frontier (rebadged Gannon) BB1284 is new. Played with it a couple of hours. I can measure the height at the front, middle and rear for you if that would help. Let me know cause it is on the tractor right now.

You could change out the blades and then see how much material "leaks out the sides" and add on if needed.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

It is difficult to tell exactly how much it is worn. I was trying to discover how much the blades stuck out, and their angle compared at the bottom. It appears as though, on most of the box blades, that the relationship between the 3PT connection points and the bottom of the blade is roughly perpendicular. I did find a fairly generic Gannon parts diagram that shows how much the blades stick out, but the diagram is pretty basic, and is the same one for all their models.
That Frontier model blades look like they stick out quite a bit though. The models that are more wedge shape seem to have the 3pt bar mounted a little lower, and the top is angled down from the moldboard to the crossmember in front.
I snapped a shot of it with the blades touching the ground fairly evenly, and the three point is roughly straight up and down.

This is what I would do. Based on how your picture is, I would match the radius on the top leading edge, have the metal add on even with the existing metal between the cutting edges and have the front edge 1" above the ground if it did not have the radius on it. Obviously with the radius the very leading edge will be more than 1" above the ground. That 1" gives you plenty of room to tilt forward to get the front cutting edge to cut and still be low enough to keep the majority of the material from spilling out the sides.

Why do you think that it is not a Gannon? My Gannon's has a round front bar with angle welded to it. Maybe get a better picture of your linkage just so that we can see.

Just how my :2cents:

 

[Walker1]

Couple of pics of the linkage.

 

[Walker1]

Just to update this thread, I did manage to get my box blade back into shape. I drew up some cad files to match the profile of the sides, and also a 1 1/2" wide rectangle with 3/4" half holes Long the long side. I beveled both sides and welded them in.
It took about 4 hours total, including drawing, removing rust between the moldboard and mounting plate, and getting it back off the table.
Funny part was that I took it off the table with my forklift and set it in the dirt just outside the shop, which is up a slight incline. It took several tries and a running start to get close enough with the tractor to hook it up.

 

[treeguy01]

Nice fix Walker1. This is what I did to fix the medium-duty, 6 ft. wide Woods box blade I bought new a couple decades ago. I was never satisfied with it's cutting aggressiveness (looking at the offset of the Gannon [Cammond?] blades I can see why! lol), and also had to have the under-designed top angle irons (which quickly bent) "boxed in" by the welding shop that also built the OSHA-approved ROPs and steel canopy for the old mid-60s Ford 4000. Here are a few pics of the fix (if you're wondering what the 5/8" holes are on the back edge they are for an extra scraper holder I had fabricated to use as a "root rake"--which is what resulted in the bent top angles! lol)

When I modify or fix things, I prefer to design everything without welds so the parts can be removed or easily replaced if they wear out. Fortunately, Woods had the insight to design this box blade with reversible blades, so when the sides wore down a few inches I flipped the blades over and decided to "re-square up" the sides by bolting on left/right versions of plow shares, which are made from tempered steel and typically about 1/2" thick. Unfortunately, plow shares are old technology and hard to find--none of the local tractor dealers still carry them, so I got on ebay and found 3 pairs of very reasonably priced Massey-Ferguson ones that would fit perfectly. I bought two of the three left/right pairs (...in case the first set ever wears out! lol), so there is still a pair left on ebay in case someone else needs them (Here's the link to the listing: OI16 4 Share Agco Massey Ferguson Dummy A G M Hesston Spra Coupe Wilmar | eBay). I drilled 1/2" holes and used 1-1/2" long Grade 5 1/2" dia. bolts, Grade 8 nuts and lock washers (Tractor Supply carries only Grade 2 and Grade 8 nuts and lock washers.).

Now my box blade works better than it ever did! (I might decide to grind a slightly more rounded leading edges since the slight inward curves tend to gouge a bit more dirt than I prefer.)

 

[MinnesotaEric]

At some point I'm going to need to either cut in two replacement plates into the Tuff Line commercial box scraper or blow through a carton of welding rods building the leading edges back up.