3-Point Hitch Box blade vs rear blade

[David Devuono]

I read your first note and considering the hard and rock soil I don't think you will be happy with a blade. You need the Box Blade which come with Scarifiers to loosen the soil. I have never put my rear blade on since I got my box blade. Don't know if snow is an issue in New Mexico but even a rear blade is not designed for snow. There is no trip hinge, shoes or springs to protect your tractor. You need a bit of speed to clear snow and if you catch a clump of dirt or a rock, it can brake the blade pivot assembly or your tractor. You can ditch and crown a road with a box blade same as a rear blade as you pivot both with your lift arm adjustment. Sure you can buy a fancy HD blade with a hydraulic offset but typical economy box blade is about 120 dollars a foot, so $600 for a 5 footer

 

[xring100]

Each Definetly have there strengths. As LD1 mentioned if the surface has grass or is hard packed the shanks on the box blade are awesome. The blade edge floats on grass but the shanks tear it up nicely. With shanks down is the only time my tractor works. They take a lot of power to pull through grass and clay 6" deep.

Ron, to start with, if you are looking new and you want something that is going to be good, actually work and last for you, plan on spending some money. Not to say that you are wrong in your cost assumptions, but if you look at some good implements, a rear blade will be as much or more than a box blade of equal quality.

Not that you are looking at these, but just as an example a top of the line box blade will run $3500-$4000 where as the same quality rear blade will run $5000-$6000. This is only an example for 6' and larger implements.

Brian what you say is definitely true about the rear blades and box scrappers but heavy duty rear blades are easy to find used at descent prices. Used heavy duty box scrappers are far a few between all the ones I found came attached to skip loaders. I looked on and off for two years to find a used one. Ended up buying a new gannon

I wouldnt say a box blade can do more than a rear blade. What they can do is pretty equal, but different.

A rear blade can angle, and sometimes offset. This is nice for rolling snow, crowning driveways, cutting out swales or ditch-ways, or working to feather out slopes.

A box blade can transport material and fill low spots better. It also has rippers to loosen the soil.

If playing in the dirt, a good heavy rear blade is a must. At least 100 lbs per ft. So those 350# 6' blades dont do well.

As mentioned, if doing snow, weight isnt as important. I have hard dry ground. And have no issues cutting into the dirt with a 700# 7' blade. It will move alot of material quickly.

And a mold board is steel. Not some molded plastic. Rather molded STEEL.

Agreed I have the box scrapper and need to buy a rear blade now.

 

[ron45]

Thanks Threepoint, I seen some of the one's with a rear wheel. That brings up a question I've been thinking about. Is it necessary to have a cement pad where the backhoe waits while I'm using a blade? Are there reliable alternatives to a pad? I've not yet disconnected the backhoe mostly because of this issue. I'm sure that thing is near half a ton. As I understand it, the hoe rests on three points. Bucket and the stabilizers. What keeps the stabilizers in place? With no pressure in it's lines I don't know why it would stay in place. I suppose I could lay out and some individual pads for the thing the the previous question bothers me. Same for some of the other attachments. I looked at a very beefy looking one from Everything Attachments, but they are much too far away. Shipping would be nearly a third of the price of the blade. There is a Woods dealer in Roswell which is only about 80 miles east of here. That's a better bet for me. It's been pointed out that most 60 inch blades are not really heavy enough to be of much use in rocky soil. That one in your link is probably the price of a box blade. But it's sure a beauty. Do you happen to know what they cost?

Being a new operator I'm concerned about a 6 or 7 foot blade, even tho I realize most of the time the blade is at an angle to be of much use. Can a 30 horse tractor make use of a blade that large? Seven could be a little much for 30 horses. The extra length would sure add some weight tho?.

Thanks for your help.

Ron

 

[bcp]

Look for both. Buy the first good one available. Buy the other one when a good buy shows up.

Use them both. If you find you use one most of the time, paint the other one and sell it for more than you paid.

Bruce

 

[LD1]

For doing shallow ditches, and pulling gravel from the shoulder back to the road, you definataly want a rear blade.

But for hardpacked gravel and road base, you want something with 100lbs + per foot. A 6' blade....600lb minimum. and the heavier the better.

It dont have offset capability, but if you could find a used KK HD 6' blade I think you would be impressed with how well it will cut up a gravel base. I have the 7' version of that blade.

HP has nothing to do with it either. its all about traction, and you have way more HP than traction. But cutting up a drive isnt as hard as scraping up dirt/clay though. I think you would be fine with a 6'.

And just out of curiosity, where is N.M. ? New Mexico?? No Mans land????????????

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Brian what you say is definitely true about the rear blades and box scrappers but heavy duty rear blades are easy to find used at descent prices. Used heavy duty box scrappers are far a few between all the ones I found came attached to skip loaders. I looked on and off for two years to find a used one. Ended up buying a new gannon.

Dave, my experience which is limited at best is that if you are looking for a used good heavy implement, doesn't matter what type, that they are few and VERY far between. The majority of people that purchase these type of implements simply do not sell them. The few that I have seen people find and get are just about new. Why is that? My guess is that the seller had no idea what he was buying and simply couldn't make use of it with the equipment that he already had. :confused3:

Good luck finding that rear blade that would be best for your tractor.

 

[Threepoint]

Thanks Threepoint, I seen some of the one's with a rear wheel. That brings up a question I've been thinking about. Is it necessary to have a cement pad where the backhoe waits while I'm using a blade? Are there reliable alternatives to a pad? I've not yet disconnected the backhoe mostly because of this issue. I'm sure that thing is near half a ton. As I understand it, the hoe rests on three points. Bucket and the stabilizers. What keeps the stabilizers in place? With no pressure in it's lines I don't know why it would stay in place. I suppose I could lay out and some individual pads for the thing the the previous question bothers me. Same for some of the other attachments. I looked at a very beefy looking one from Everything Attachments, but they are much too far away. Shipping would be nearly a third of the price of the blade. There is a Woods dealer in Roswell which is only about 80 miles east of here. That's a better bet for me. It's been pointed out that most 60 inch blades are not really heavy enough to be of much use in rocky soil. That one in your link is probably the price of a box blade. But it's sure a beauty. Do you happen to know what they cost?

Being a new operator I'm concerned about a 6 or 7 foot blade, even tho I realize most of the time the blade is at an angle to be of much use. Can a 30 horse tractor make use of a blade that large? Seven could be a little much for 30 horses. The extra length would sure add some weight tho?.

Thanks for your help.

Ron

I don't have a backhoe on either of my loader tractors, so I defer to members that do. Unless you have a shed that will keep the ground around it dry, I'd think you'd need some sort of stone pad for the unmounted hoe to be stable. Maybe call a local equipment dealer to get their take. Maybe concrete pavers over compacted stone would suffice in lieu of pouring a small slab.

Regarding blade length for a rear blade, keep in mind that while the overall weight of a 7' blade will be greater than the same blade in 6', that doesn't translate to a directly proportional increase in working weight in the material, i.e., psi at the cutting edge. The additional 12" will be in the steel at each end of the moldboard and cutting edge, not the heavier central mass of the blade. Yet the blade's weight will be spread over a 14% greater surface area. Same principle with respect to the surface area of the moldboard. The longer blade's disproportionately greater tendency to push your rear sideways when it's angled, or bog you down when square to the line of travel, will be a tradeoff for the increase in overall weight.

The Woods HBL72-2 that I linked to goes for about $1250 new around here, without optional accessories. Prices can vary regionally, of course. I have the HBL84-2, and paid about $1400, as I recall.

BTW, did you actually check with Everything Attachments on shipping cost for the blades they have? It's free shipping within 1000 miles, so maybe they'd cover a good portion of the cost as part of their program and ask you to cover the difference.

 

[ron45]

I wondered about the 1000 mile thing. Good suggestion. I'll call them.

AGAIN many very useful pieces of the puzzle I need to solve. I have seen a box blade in the hands of a very good operator and I was very impressed. My road is steep switch backs that are pretty rocky and a bit narrow. The wall of the mesa is on one side and a very steep fall away on the other. Because it so rocky the only way to work on it with by adding new material.

I'm in the process of getting a dump trailer operational, to move dirt. It will hold about three tons. There will be a dump gate on the back. There is a gantry on the front. We are going to try a 12k lb. winch with pulleys to see if it will raise it effectively. The guy with the box blade is a friend who been on my road. I'll ask him what he thinks about a box blade's effectiveness in my situation. It's likely that a box blade is a good bit heavier than a 5 or 6 foot rear blade unless it's a pretty expensive model. So many variables….

Ron

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I wondered about the 1000 mile thing. Good suggestion. I'll call them.

AGAIN many very useful pieces of the puzzle I need to solve. I have seen a box blade in the hands of a very good operator and I was very impressed. My road is steep switch backs that are pretty rocky and a bit narrow. The wall of the mesa is on one side and a very steep fall away on the other. Because it so rocky the only way to work on it with by adding new material.

I'm in the process of getting a dump trailer operational, to move dirt. It will hold about three tons. There will be a dump gate on the back. There is a gantry on the front. We are going to try a 12k lb. winch with pulleys to see if it will raise it effectively. The guy with the box blade is a friend who been on my road. I'll ask him what he thinks about a box blade's effectiveness in my situation. It's likely that a box blade is a good bit heavier than a 5 or 6 foot rear blade unless it's a pretty expensive model. So many variables….

Ron

Ron, think about a hydraulic system for that trailer, you will be much happier. Not really all that much money.

 

[ron45]

Thanks everyone for the great information. I still haven't gotten a blade yet but am looking for a Woods dealer near by but it's Saturday, there's never a Friday around when you need one.

Ron