Box Blade Weight

[Hdoilcan]

What痴 would be a good weight of a 72 box blade for a 35hp tractor? I read a few years ago that you would want it at least a certain weight to be able to dig into the ground on its own.

 

[oosik]

I have a Bush Hog 720. Its a 72 inch roll over box blade. It weighs 710 pounds. Thats 118 pound per foot of width. I also have a hydraulic top link - almost MANDATORY if you want efficient use of this implement.

I recommend looking at your tractor OP manual and see what the manufacturer recommends. Most everybody - except me - says - - get a box blade or rear blade at least as wide as the outside width of your rear tires. My box blade is 72" - my rear tires are 80" outside to outside. Now my rear blade - Rhino 950 - 96" - 1050 pounds.

As with ALL ground engagement implements - box blade, rear blade, land plane grading scraper, disk harrow etc etc - - weight is your friend.

There will be a limit - you don't want to go so big that you will cause damage to the tractor or 3-point assembly.

With the hydraulic top link - I shorten the top link - the box blade tips down and digs in - I can very rapidly have my 64 hp tractor at a dead stop with all four wheels digging.

I would start looking for a box blade as wide as the outside of your rear tires and around 100 to 120 pounds of weight per foot of box blade width.

 

[YLee Kioti]

When I did my research here back in 2016 I found many recommended at least 100lbs per foot.

I bought the Armstrong Ag medium duty and it comes in about 605lbs. Pulled it with the CK4010HST.

From the other BB I've seen at TSC they seem pretty light and flimsy.

You can read the dimensions here: Armstrong Ag - Earth Moving Equipment

then use them for comparison with other makers.

Regards..

 

[jeff9366]

Look for a box blade as wide as the outside of your rear tires and around 100 to 120 pounds of weight per foot of box blade width.

My tractor is a Kubota L3560/HST/4-WD, 37-horsepower, 3,500 pounds bare tractor weight. Rear tire width 62".

I use a 60" Bush Hog (brand) RO-600 Rollover Box Blade, 630 pounds, regularly = 126 pounds/foot of width.

Good FEL counterbalance for all except max lifts with my 1,700 pound lift capacity LA805.

Perfect match to tractor.

As picture illustrates, I have Florida sandy-loam.


If you enter a location more precise than USA into your T-B-N profile you will receive advice better tailored to your conditions. Your questions here is a good example.

 

[Hdoilcan]

Mine is 530 lbs or 88.33 lbs per foot. I see a few spots I’ll add some weight to get it at least up to 100lbs per foot. For the small homeowner stuff I do it would be fine the way it is but a little extra weight would be good for counter balance.

 

[Sparkeee24]

It's always a balance. I have a heavy machine, filled tires, 4x4, and 1800 lb. 7 ft box blade. I can bury it in as little as 3 feet of travel and anchor my tractor, if I drop it all the way down, aggressive angle of attack and hydraulic rippers down. Kioti Rx7320, power shuttle , cab. Creeper, loader, loaded r4s, and hydraulic box blade made by FFC, Paladin company. Think I'm around 9,000 -10,000 lbs. It's a great combination. Remember, you will almost always run out of traction before you run out of horse power. My dad has a Branson 2910i, and a 5ft box blade, about 100 lbs per foot. It skips the surface a bit on compacted gravel, but cuts fine in dirt.

 

[GrumpyJoe]

My Woods BSS72 551lbs works great with my Mahindra 1533. 63 in. wide so it sticks out a little. Weights does help with a box blade but if your tractor is not heavy enough to get the traction needed. Then you will literally be just spinning your wheels. IMO anywhere from 500-700 lbs would do fine on a 35 hp tractor.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I've got a 6-foot Gannon box blade with hydraulic rippers. It weighs about 1,150 pounds, so almost 200 pounds per foot. Yes, it can stop my 50hp tractor dead in its tracks anytime it wants to.

I've got two 48" box blades I can use on my BX2660. One is a Land Pride that is well built but probably less than 100# per foot. The other is a Gannon rollover box blade that is really heavy and built like a little tank. The difference in performance is substantial. That little ROBB will really dig in.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I've got a 6-foot Gannon box blade with hydraulic rippers. It weighs about 1,150 pounds, so almost 200 pounds per foot. Yes, it can stop my 50hp tractor dead in its tracks anytime it wants to.

I've got two 48" box blades I can use on my BX2660. One is a Land Pride that is well built but probably less than 100# per foot. The other is a Gannon rollover box blade that is really heavy and built like a little tank. The difference in performance is substantial. That little ROBB will really dig in.

I had a 5 foot Woods with a floating tailgate that weighed 540#. My 7 foot Taylor Way has a fixed rear blade and weighs around 640#. I consider both medium duty and adequate for my Workmaster 50. I need to get an 8 foot heavier unit for my T4.75.

 

[FTG-05]

There are two questions relevant to selecting a box blade:

Is it wider than my rear tires?

Can my 3ph lift it?

If the answer to the first question is "No", don't buy it. If the answer to the 2nd question is "Yes", then it's *probably* not heavy enough.

When I get to my PC, I'll post pics of how I took my 6' box blade (not wide enough) from 675 lbs to over 1150 lbs. Mo bettah!

There's a third question, but I'm biased.

 

[Oldoak]

There are two questions relevant to selecting a box blade:

Is it wider than my rear tires?

Can my 3ph lift it?

If the answer to the first question is "No", don't buy it. If the answer to the 2nd question is "Yes", then it's *probably* not heavy enough.
.......................................

Your answer to your second question makes no sense. :confused3:

If the 3PH can't lift it, the box blade is unusable and is definitely not for that tractor.

 

[bdog]

It was a few years ago so I don’t remember the exact details but I permanently added around 800lbs to my blade and it helped a lot. I welded two semi rims on top of it, capped the holes and filled with concrete.

When it comes to blades as long as you are not overloading your tractor or the structural integrity of the blade itself I say the heavier the better.

 

[FTG-05]

Your answer to your second question makes no sense. :confused3:

If the 3PH can't lift it, the box blade is unusable and is definitely not for that tractor.

Sure it does, it's dead dumb simple: Tongue-in-cheek - Wikipedia

 

[DieselBound]

I've bounced my 1,200 lb (84") box blade over some large rocks. Fortunately such is not common for me. Hydraulic top-link and NO rippers (I have hydraulic rippers and engaging them will anchor my tractor in a heart beat!) I can really cut into ground: I've had sod curling up on top of the box blade giving even more weight/bite- pretty awesome; if you can get the back edge biting (the hydraulic top-link is what makes this really possible- if you start to stall just change the angle of the blade) then even a lighter blade will start acting like a heavy one; but, the trick is to get a good bite going on, and with a light blade that might be a bit tougher to initiate. Working with harder ground is where you really need the weight. Heavy blades are great for ballast (loader work).

 

[tman1020]

Most people will say 100 pounds per foot. And that’s probably good advice if money is not an issue. Personally I do not need the heaviest one out there I bought an Economy one for my tractor. I think it weighs like 450 to 500 pounds and 6 foot wide. It will occasionally bring my tractor to a dead stop if I have all the rippers down. I do not use it to try to rip out asphalt or concrete nor do I have a lot of rocks. But for dirt or gravel I have not had any problems whatsoever.