Boxblade Usefulness Survey

[Bob_Young]

I've got two of the blamed things. A 65" for the larger tractors and a 48" for the little B7610. They are useful, but not to the degree I expected from reading posts here.

I spent a good part of the summer trying to convert a combination rockpile and thicket to a patch of lawn. The scarifiers were invaluable for tearing out tree roots and bringing up cobblestones and trash. As far as moving dirt around and leveling the ground, I can't say I ever developed the knack. I'd start off with the BB to get it roughed in, but usually end up using the FEL.

When I got to the final grading, I hoped the BB would finally shine. It didn't. Gave up on it after 30 minutes. The FEL did the job using the backdrag method.

The little 48 incher, which I bought used, sees the most use and looks it. It's pretty convenient on the B7610 and gets used for small tasks and tight spots.

The bigger 65 incher still looks almost new. But with the rippers full down and the L4300 pulling, that thing sure brought up mounds of rocks, roots and trash this summer. Don't know of anything else that could've done as well.
Bob

 

[3RRL]

Spiv,
No, I did not miss that brilliant display of photo shop work in your thread. I just did not want to disrupt such a splendid thread with a dumb comment. That blade you got is awesome.
Thank you, it was a SUPER fine compliment indeed!

 

[jimgerken]

Glenn, you have gotten quite good response to your "survey". I will add:
I bought an inexpensive boxblade as soon as I got my tractor. I then added 300 pounds to the back wall of it with a slab of steel from the scrapyard. Now, at about 625 pounds it makes a very efficient counterweight. Also, the extra weight helps the penetrating action into the soil when scraping. I used the BB to landscape a nice flat area for a new pole building a few years ago. I dug into the ground about 2 feet at the back and filled a foot at the front. I started very early in the Spring and actually scarifier-ripped thru about 4 inches of remaining frost. My soil is about 6 inches black, then clay and rock, and the BB worked great. There were four trees, about 8 inches trunck diameter, in the way of the construction, and I used the scarfiers to dig around the roots. If I came to a root that was too big (stopping the tractor motion), with the scarifier tooth hooked under it I extended the toplink cylinder as far as it would go. This pryed the root till it snapped. Roots as big as 3.5 inches diameter were snapped off with this method. then I pushed the tree over with the loader and rolled the root ball around to get the dirt off. In winter, the BB works great to counterweight the front snowblower, and will also work to nicely sheer off the ice ridges that sometimes form on the cement slab in front of the garage. If leveling loose material, backing up with the BB lowered almost to ground level will make it perfect in one pass usually. I used to till the garden with the scarfiers, but now have a little field digger for that job.
I built a couple of stainless "wings" that bolt to the sides of the BB, I use that contraption when we get very deep snow, to form half-pipes for sledding and snowboarding. With the loader bucket full of snow and carried one foot off the ground (leaving one foot of snow), and the boxblade lowered to about six inches off the ground and of course it fills right up, the pipe is formed as I drive along. Overnight it freezes and the next day the pipe is useable. Here's a pic:

 

[Spiveyman]

Now that is cool!! Of course we only get that kind of snow once a decade, but that is awesome. Very creative.

 

[zeuspaul]

My box blade is my most used implement. It's 800 + pounds with top and tilt and hyd scarifiers.

I have used it to cut roads into the sides of step hills....so steep that you couldn't traverse the hill with the tractor in any direction. Cut moving backwards....pry out 1000 pound boulders. A dozer would have been better but I don't have one. Top and tilt is invaluable here. Sometimes you have to adjust constantly as you are grading backward. I don't see how you could make the constant adjustments as you are grading on varying slopes without top and tilt. It's not just helpful it's essential.

Poor man's tiller? Not for me...I have both. I should have listened to the salesman. He told me I may not need the roto tiller if I had the box blade with the scarifiers. He was right. It is usally not worth my time to change out the box for the tiller. The scarifiers are better at removing last years crop...followed by a deeper rip to prepare the soil for the next planting. Maybe it's my soil...very few rocks.

Planting trees. I thought about getting a post hole digger with a 24 in auger. The box blade with the scarifiers is better for me. A twenty four inch hole for a 15 gal tree isn't wide enough. You can get deeper but width is more important. I take out a foot of dirt and then scarify deeper. Then replace the dirt and form a tree well. You end up with good soil in a six foot wide area...great for root development.

I dug a seven ft deep x fifteen ft wide x thirty ft long fish pond into the side of a slope. . Again constaintly varying top is almost essential here. A back hoe would have been better but I don't have one.

Small brush removal/raking. I have a brush mower which is essential for me but the box blade does some of the small projects. I use the tractor several times a week for various hobby farm jobs. Many times it is not worth my time to change an implement.

Grading and maintaining dirt roads. Again top and tilt is invaluable to me. You can't just pull the box with one setting if the road has ups and downs and tilts. You have to constantly change as you go to take out the highs and lows and to change the side slopes....sometimes frontwards and sometimes backwards depending on what you are trying to accomplish.

My wish list for the boxblade.

Interchangeable scarifiers. Sometimes I wish they were closer than twelve inches for raking and rock removal. Sometimes I wish they were longer so I could scarifiy deeper in the vegetable garden.

Zeuspaul

 

[Houndsman]

I share w/ ZeusPaul the multiple uses for my Boxblade (Frontier 2060). I use it year round for :
* Road Maintenance
* Initial seed bed prep for repairing up to 1 acre of mountain prarie/pasture of a 3 acre parcel.
* Plowing snow from drive and road of 800':
** First snow and Spring wet snow: I plow my garage apron backwards, then w/ FEL and B-blade 1" off the gravel, pull snow forward to the road, down the road and off over a lip. The 1" off of my 220' gravel drive fills snow in and packs it in the gravel, leaving a smooth finish for the jeeps to navigate.
** Winter powder Snow (6 mos long): I do the "zeuspaul fel-box swagger" and take the top 2-4 feet off w/ the fel, following w/ the box, going forward.
* I made the 220 ft drive and parking apron w/ repetitive passes of scarifiers then blade only. I have maybe 2-3" topsoil, then followed by hardpack Colorado clay. I have pulled numerous boulders.
* Boulder removal: Ritual performed by all Coloradans after the season's frost heave is over. I use only the mid-3 scarifiers, at max depth, to ease boulders out. I will send follow-on photos.
* I'm now experimenting with using my Box scraper as a Satellite Email dish, in its off-time. Not working out too well though.

I only wish to dispute the claim that Box Scrapers do not do well in rocky terrain. My experience actually proved different.
Great thread for starting in 2000. Does anyone need some Colorado Granite?
v/r mark

 

[Leon Wittner]

I have both box blade and scraper blade with FL and I found that the only way to get the job done with hard rocky Montana mountain soil is with the box blade with rippers and a rock rake to finsh off. Both blade and box will bounce until you drop the scarffers and loosen everything up. The rake really smooths everything out and windrows the rocks for easy cleanup. L2800 Kubota with 6' implements.

 

[GordonR]

here's my story
B7500/fel and kubota BBwith shanks 210 hrs since 01
It took me a while to get the hang of BB'ing and moving dirt and gravel(PIT RUN)
or glacial till. Now maintain drive way and as we grow the area we use on 5acres
it gets easier and faster with more seat time. At first it was frustrating and ugly but practice and more practice are paying off. Have done work for neighbors as well and it is really fun to help and not create more problems due to lack of skill.
Next wkend doing 2 miles of gravel(pot holed) road in the neighborhood,everyone is falling out for a work party. should be a blast. Ego's will surface on this one, you can bet on that.

Don

 

[Houndsman]

Don (Gordon R),
The neighborhood road crew sounds like a great team event, egos notwithstanding. 2 miles of road (I'm assuming country road) will present a lot of seat time.

Will your tractor and boxblade be combined with any other tractors and implements?

I assisted w/ a county and neighbor road-gang, on stretches---- I'll always remember to check my tooth-caps for fit on the scarifiers before starting . My rocky mountain-side soil can occasionally loosen a tooth cap, especially when coaxing boulders out of the ground.
v/r mark

 

[GordonR]

Houndsman;
So far just my B7500 and BB/shanks for equip.
The roads are built up from Glacial deposits of gravel which abound in western Washington state. I have a vein that bisects the corner of my place. The stuff ranges from 6" to sand and compacts like concrete after a couple of years. Put down right up front it is a good surface unfortunatly our roads were cobbled together and now we are paying for it.
The EGO factor is the 6or7 retired Boing aircraft engineers who live in the development. They like to hold a meetiing to dicuss when to hold the next meeting.
It will be interesting to see how they handle the rake and shovel meeting their hands.
But in the main it should be a fun and hopefully productive day
Don