Box Blading in reverse

[Dyer retired]

Spudland_Dave,

My first impression, before the link bent, was that if the blade hadn't been meant to push in reverse, it wouldn't have had 5 pin placement holes. I had a 6 foot blade at the time, which was probably a little big for my BX1800....I've gone to a 5 foot Woods blade now. I think with skids or shoes on the bottom, I'll really limit the potential for damage, but might try the spring theory too. I don't know how to calculate what size springs I need and may have to play with it a bit.

Well, it gets more interesting all the time! I was born and raised in Caribou....moved down to Belgrade in 1996 as part of the job, so now I'll ask what part of the County are you from. John

 

[Spudland_Dave]

I'm From St. Agatha....came down for college and the money kept me down here I still love it up home...still take a week off every fall to go home and work harvest.

I hear ya...Same applies to the cutting edge on the BACK of my GB65! I figured it was there, so I might as well use it, LOL..

 

[3RRL]

Rob,

Well, I finally got my bent lower link straightened and my neighbor welded a 3/8" by 2" length of square stock steel to the bottoms of both links in the form of an upside down "T", as you did with yours. They are now painted and back on the BX1800. I sold my neighbor my 6 foot blade and bought a 5 foot Woods blade to replace it. I think my tractor will handle the smaller blade a little better. I followed your thread on the roads you put in with the box blade (pushing the box in reverse) that initially bent your lower links and am looking for any update on problems you have, or haven't, experienced since the reinforcement was made? The attached picture probably doesn't clearly show both the inside and outside views of the links, but the square stock is positioned equally on the link and a weld bead run down the full length of each side. Dyer, retired

John,
That is a magnificent job or reinforcing your drag links. Heck, I'm jealous now because they look way better than mine ever did! They should work for every kind of bulldozing you'll be doing in reverse without any problems. I really don't think they will bend ever again.
Great job!

You asked how mine were doing.
I've used them over and over again since that reinforcement, which was almost 2 years ago, and still have had no failure. None with the drag links or where they're attached to the tractor. Also since that repair, I started all the ground prep for our log home construction (which is done now). So I'll bet I got about another 150 to 200 hours on the boxblade making the pads and trails I built since then.
I'm taking the liberty of posting a few more pics of bull dozing in reverse, and a couple short videos too... you can see how much pressure there must be on those links with all 4 wheels spinning like that, trying to contour that trail.

 

[Dyer retired]

I'm From St. Agatha....came down for college and the money kept me down here I still love it up home...still take a week off every fall to go home and work harvest.

I hear ya...Same applies to the cutting edge on the BACK of my GB65! I figured it was there, so I might as well use it, LOL..

Of course I know where St. Agatha is, ha! I spent many summers at Martin's Store in Sinclair with friends all around Long Lake. We had a camp at Madawaska Lake beside Stan's Store and spent all summer there each year. Small world. I guess we are all moving South, but like you, some relatives still live in Caribou, so I get up there once in awhile. I try my hardest to stay away during harvest....bad potato picking memories, ha! John

 

[Dyer retired]

Rob,

Thanks for the pictures and, especially, the video. That box blade is pushing some serious earth and if you haven't had problems in two years using it in that manner, then I'm not going to worry about my links and the work I use them for. The video's were awesome and certainly confirm that the links are strong enough to hold against four wheels spinning and also demonstrates what you had talked about in previous threads regarding the tractor housing being able to withstand those same forces. I'm comfortable now....thanks. By the way, very nice dual set of grapples on the bucket! I also noticed that your Box Blade was manufactured by some company named
"3RRL"...must be a coincidence, ha! John

 

[deputyrpa]

I have pulled and pushed a KK 6' box blade with my Jinma 284, with brutality, for 6 years. I've overworked the blade (and Jinma) on a 400-acre farm grading and ditching clay farm roads mixed with a splattering of course gravel, grading and ditching logging trails in woods full of rock outcroppings, dislodging and pushing 1-ton plus rocks from pastures and fields, collecting and piling tons of horse manure/hay mix from the horse pens and plowing snow including smashing snow piles back to make room for more. I've twisted the frame like a pretzel many times, snapped the sprung steel top link framing, snapped the 1/2" box arm twice, and destroyed many hitch pins. I had not bent or broken any tractor part - top link, lift arms or housing pins. Here are some pics of the bruised and then beefed up box blade (now mounted on my Kioti DK 45):







Now that it's all gussied up, I went out and snapped my Jinma lift arm while trying to dislodge a buried boulder in reverse. Yes, the lift arms are under load in pushing backwards - not the top link.

Although I was abusive, the box blade is intented to be used both ways, but one should be careful with the aggressiveness of the tilt....and it's not a backhoe!

 

[Spudland_Dave]

.....I've twisted the frame like a pretzel many times, snapped the sprung steel top link framing, snapped the 1/2" box arm twice, and destroyed many hitch pins. I had not bent or broken any tractor part - top link, lift arms or housing pins..........Now that it's all gussied up, I went out and snapped my Jinma lift arm while trying to dislodge a buried boulder in reverse. Yes, the lift arms are under load in pushing backwards - not the top link.

Precisely my point...SOMETHING's gotta give...before all the bracing the BB itself was the weak link. My GB65 is built like a tank...which is why the Lift Arm bent like a taco. I figure if I braced up the lift arms and used the BB too agressively in Reverse something expensive would break.

 

[Dyer retired]

deputyrpa,

Sorry to hear about the snapped lift arm....how much will that be for a repair (or do you have to replace it) cost? I'm feeling better about this all the time....if you and 3RRL aren't seeing significant issues with the use you both are getting from much larger implement use with much more power behind it than I will ever use, then I think I will never see issues with how I use my blade. Your box blade reinforcements look like they will hold now? Thanks! Dyer, retired

 

[RobJ]

John,
I really don't think they will bend ever again.
Great job!

Now I think I have mentioned this before, but still watch the ramming speed when going in reverse. The lift arms may not bend but that force will be transfered to something else. I think we have all seen the top links that were pulled off the rear of the tractor breaking the cast. It would really be a bad day to bust off a lower link connection from my tractor and see 7 gallons of tractor oil running on the ground.

I think pushing does the damage because in most cases we can't get enought traction so we use go to ramming the stuff. I was pushing some stuff the other day and had to catch myself. When I pulled the stuff it just seems to work better.

 

[3RRL]

lol ... Ramming excluded, of course!
Even just pushing one encounters resistance (greater than just pushing) in the form of a bump or an immovable object. Using an appropriate speed helps to lessen the "ramming" scenario. But excess forces are still there and pop up unexpectedly at the most inconvenient times. IMHO, the ideal scenario would be to have all the components involved, including the implement to linkages/connections to the tractor itself, where they could all stand enough force to not bend or break before loss of traction occurs.

Where is that point and how do you determine that?
It has a lot to do with the power and size of your tractor. I'm kind of dumb so I use the old fashion way ... push till it pops and fix it. Pretty soon I'll run out of power and traction before stuff bends or breaks. I'm sure you've seen some of my threads where (to my chagrin) I've reluctantly shared my "dumbness" with you on several occasions. It's not my recommendation of course, but in my case I'm resolved to deal with it.