Box blade

[Bandit2026]

I purchased a box blade, 5 footer used, and I find its not heavy enough. I'm looking for ways to add some weight but not change the operation. Any Ideas??

 

[oosik]

Before you get all excited and do something that may damage the box blade or even worse - components on the 3-point, consider this. There actually is a learning curve on the correct use of a box blade. I would suggest first - shorten the top link on the 3-point. This will make the angle of the cutting edge on the box blade more aggressive and added weight might not be necessary. If you have scarifiers - use them to loosen the soil first.
Remember the components of the box blade and your tractor are designed to handle a designed amount of force. If you make mods that create forces beyond the design limits - something is likely to break.

Check out the videos on EverythingAttachments.com - they are good for learning how to use your new implement.

 

[sweettractors]

I purchased a box blade, 5 footer used, and I find its not heavy enough. I'm looking for ways to add some weight but not change the operation. Any Ideas??

I use a 5 ft box scrapper to maintain our road going to the sandbar at the river. I found tractor suitcase weights easily hang from the cross members of my box blade 3 point. Using about 300 lbs for extra ballast. Ken Sweet

 

[teg]

I store two tool bars on top of my box blade. Each one is about a hundred pounds (solid 2x2" bar, 7' long). On my scraper blade I've hung 4 tractor weights on that. For my disks, I've put my Yard Pulverize on top of it.... I've seen people hang cement blocks off of it...

 

[crazyal]

Before I got my grading scraper I borrowed a box blade. My friend added a fuel tank from a dump truck (the kind that has a step built into it) and would add water to get it to weigh what he wanted. The problem was he always wanted more weight and eventually filled the 50 gallon tank. That was too much weight for the BB's construction so he was always repairing it. Add weight if needed but be careful as they usually are designed to work with how much they weigh.

 

[oosik]

Bandit - I have a Bush Hog 72" roll over box blade that weighs 710 pounds. My rear tires are 80" wide so it does not cover their full width. I could pull a heavier unit if I wanted but its not necessary. I adjust the top link and thereby adjusting the angle of cut of the blade. I can quite easily make it too aggressive and bring the entire operation down to just all four tires spinning/digging and I'm going nowhere. You will find that most times the angle on the blade is what will make the unit cut.

If you have scarifiers use them to break the surface.

 

[xring100]

You can always lift every other scarfier shank one notch and double your point load. My 88" gannon hsd is industrial grade weighs 1300lbs and wont pierce a clay road bed with all the shanks down

 

[Plantation Paul]

I have used front ballast weights before, that said set up angle has a lot to do with it.

 

[oosik]

Dave - its hard to tell whats bigger - your box blade or the pickup. That is one massive unit. I know what you mean about a road bed when it dries out and becomes concrete. I've got one section of driveway where wind blown volcanic ash has combined with the road material and its a real bugger later in the summer.

 

[kthompson]

If your box blade has both forward and rear blades, if the third arm is long enough the weight is on the rear blade rather than the front blade it will have a hard time cutting when driving forward. One thing I dislike about box blade with forward and rear blades on them.

 

[xring100]

Dave - its hard to tell whats bigger - your box blade or the pickup. That is one massive unit. I know what you mean about a road bed when it dries out and becomes concrete. I've got one section of driveway where wind blown volcanic ash has combined with the road material and its a real bugger later in the summer.

The box blade is definitely large in my truck but looks at home on the back of the tractor. I looked for a used one for quite a while but could only find them attached to skip loaders.

If your box blade has both forward and rear blades, if the third arm is long enough the weight is on the rear blade rather than the front blade it will have a hard time cutting when driving forward. One thing I dislike about box blade with forward and rear blades on them.

Ive never had a problem with the fixed rear blade i have a hydraulic top link and can easily adjust for direction of travel. I love back dragging the rear edge on a final pass. It Works much better than my grading scraper if the surface has enough moisture to cause clumps

 

[Rich B1]

I purchased a box blade, 5 footer used, and I find its not heavy enough. I'm looking for ways to add some weight but not change the operation. Any Ideas??

I will admit I am new to box blades.

I have a driveway that needed some serious work along with some other areas on the property that needed attention. So started doing research on box blades. And watching videos of how to use them.

I have a NH TC21D for a tractor. And I am cheap. After several months of looking, found a CraigsList deal on a KingKutter XB 48" blade that was almost new. Figured likely too light and small, but for $250, it followed me home.

After a half dozen or so uses, I am gonna say, in my opinion, it is more about technique than weight. And going slow. And I believe soil type and moisture content.

I don't have a hydraulic top link (yet), so I have definitely had a lot of practice adjusting the top link. But, you can definitely see the change in the way the blade works by changing the tilt (fore/aft) of the blade.

Tilt forward significantly with the rippers down to break ground. Rippers up and tilt forward to cut//fill the box, tilt rearward to spread/level. And travel slowly! There is definitely a finesse to making a box blade work....IMO.

Now, wish I had bought one years ago, driveway hasn't looked this good in years. And I am not done.

 

[rd_macgregor]

I have a couple of brackets welded to the top, back edge of my BB that hold a 7' length of railroad rail.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I purchased a box blade, 5 footer used, and I find its not heavy enough. I'm looking for ways to add some weight but not change the operation. Any Ideas??

Weld round stock at 45 degree angles coming off the back and run down to a used sports shop and purchase a stack of 25 pound plates and add them on your round stock.

Used this trick on a zero turn lawn mower for better traction once as well.

 

[kebo]

Here's what I did. To be honest, I am not sure what these weights came from, but they were bolted to the rear wheels of a JD 750 that I bought some years ago and then later sold, but I kept the weights. Sorry, this the best pic I have at the moment, but you'll have to take my word there is another weight on the other side of the box blade.

 

[boggen]

summer has not yet hit. so not much complaining yet. of hard dry concrete soil and rock driveways that seem to be like concrete.

wet dirt / driveway are easier to grade, but at same time you make ruts, on dry dirt / rock driveways, no ruts. there is a point of to much wetness and to dry.

if you have not yet gotten them get your "check chains" and sway bar/chains for your 3pt hitch. they help reduce side to side play, and help protect the 3pt hitch.

have seen a few box blades were the top is made to fit a 8x8x16 inch concrete blocks. have seen folks use sand bags, concrete bags, build a wooden box and fill with concrete.

if you look at your manual for tractor it should also detail "counter balance weight" as in how much to add on the front when pulling stuff. this keeps your front wheels down on the ground, and helps with traction.

also check tire pressure.

TNT (top and tilt) = replacing top link with a hydraulic cylinder, and 1 or both side links with a hydraulic cylinder on the 3pt hitch. so you can adjust the 3pt hitch on the fly wheel driving the tractor.

folks tend to get quick hitches (upside down U), to pats easy hitch, to telescopic lower lift arms for the 3pt hitch. some times simply longer lower lift arms and top link. the further the implement is behind tractor, the less weight the 3pt hitch will be able to pickup. i saw this, but some box blades, do not really allow scraficer to bend out of way if it really gets snagged on something, as a result does not really mater what you use. just as long as bolt/pin fills up entire hole and is not too small.

not all box blades have "scraficers" kinda of a J shape teeth that slide down to different holes. and are used to help break up the hard pan. just scrapping the surface really does not do it to break up the hard pan at times, generally if you can get the hook of the scraficers just below the hard pan, so as you drive forward the hard pan lifts up away form ground, you have a better chance of breaking the hard pan and causing it to crumble.

be careful with what types of bolts/pins you use for the scraficers, many times you may hit a nice old big rock, if you use a cheap grade 1 or 2 or like bolt. chances are bolt will bend or sheer apart. vs causing something else to bend and break and cause more expense to fix.