Contemplating a box blade

[Vigo327]

I'd respectfully disagree with that. The back can be handy for pushing dirt back into a swale from a pile you create with the box. I also use the back to move snow so I am working while backing up to take my next pass in a large area like a cul-de-sac.

As others have said, it's limited to loose material because you can bend stuff trying to break ground going backwards, or snagging on something. You definitely CAN push stuff backwards with it, but even though it's the same type of blade you can't do the same types of things with the rear blade going backward as with the front blade going forward.

1. Your tractor is 25 hp. Maximum width of box blade is likely 48". Check your owner's manual to confirm my suggestion. My tractor is 32 hp, and many times, I can only pull 60" when in 4WD.

My personal opinion is that the 48" blade recommendation is more about a tractor being 2wd than it is about a tractor being small. I use a 60" TSC box blade behind a Kubota b6100 which is a 1000lb tractor with all of 14hp. Mine has a loader so probably more like 1400lb. The thing is, it's 4wd AND has a diff lock. Can i work the box blade in 2wd? Not really. Can i work it in 3wd (4wd with diff lock)? Oh yeah, no problem. I can scarify with 5 rippers, pull up huge rocks, fill the 60" box with dirt and pull it, etc.

True utility/capability of a box blade only happens if you can easily adjust the top link on the fly. On a smaller tractor you may be able to reach it from the seat, but it will still be tedious. On a bigger tractor, you'll need a hydraulic top link. If you don't have the ability to easily adjust the top link on the fly, then you have a very limited range of capability. Many people never discover the power of the box blade because of that.

I agree, it makes it much easier. I recently added a powered top link to my little b6100 and one of the things that i find useful about it that i have not seen anyone else mention is when you can change the angle so much, you can leave the rippers at the height where they don't engage when the box is level, but still engage when the box is tilted forward. So you can have rippers alone, front blade doing its normal job when the box is level and the rippers only breaking up high spots, or just rear blade spreading/smoothing. So a power top link also mostly removes the need to get off the tractor and change ripper settings which is even more annoying than a manual top link!

One thing i haven't done yet is if you want to push a pile backwards with it, tilt the box forward a little to lift the rear blade edge. You won't scrape all the way down to the ground, but you also wont snag anything and bend your 3pt stuff, and you'll still move 95% of the material.

 

[Williy]

I will be getting a land plane or land
grader what ever you what ever you
want to call it. Just drag it behind you
easy to use vs a box blade and you
can get scarifiers if needed I did not
order any of those as I will only be
leveling the driveway so its flat no
ridge needed in the center. With the
box blade you have a big pile of dirt
and I don't want that as no need to
move piles of dirt go on youtube and
watch the videos of both so you get
a better idea of which one will work
the best for your needs. on here this
guy love's his box blade and this guy
love's his land grader/plan both units
are great you just need to know the
units that's best for you so watch the
videos on youtube to help your decision
and if you get a chance try both of them

willy

 

[Username Taken]

I was going to order some gravel from the local ready mix place for my two driveways until I bought my Box Blade. I put the scarifiers down, dug it up some, leveled the hump in the middle that likes to grow grass, filled in a hole here and there, adjusted the drain a bit without much problem. After a few rains, it looks pretty darn good. Much better than it did before.

It's really handy to have a Box Blade. It's one of the more useful tools you'll have. Plus, it balances your FEL a bit. I can uproot a small tree here and there and put more in my bucket. It's 400lbs worth of ballast, no charge

 

[sweettractors]

Thanks. 4 footer is only $825 vs. $999 for TSC's.

What is a five ft cost and weigh

TITAN 3105 weighs 323 and priced at $925 with free 1000 mile business shipping. Ken Sweet

 

[SpaceGhost]

My box blade just sits after purchasing a landplane. Haven't used it in 4 years. Most of my leveling is road maintenance so the landplane is the go to piece of equipment.

Same here

 

[mark48]

I bought a 5' bushhog brand more than 40 years ago for my 8n. I put in driveway (1000') did all the finish grading around my house (probably an acre), built a small pond, using my M4000 with FEL...I don't use it much anymore as I have other options........

 

[joea99]

Many think EA (everything attachments) makes good stuff. I wanted one of theirs, but ended up buying a Woods BSS60 as it was available immediately an hours drive from me. EA had and apparently still has a 3-4 month backlog.

The 60 inch model is just about perfectly even with rear wheel outer edge. At just over 500 pounds it does the job.

I pull it easily with a Kubota B21 (21 hp, claimed).

Only think I don't like is, besides the price of around $1100, is that big beefy top link bracket makes it impossible to "park" the scarifiers "upside down" on the unit to keep them completely out of the picture when dragging, as the "shallowest" setting is not high enough to not dig at all. So I have to store them somewhere, no doubt to get shy next time I want to dance.

Some of the less expensive brands seem a bit flimsy to me, for anything other than loose dirt or gravel and might not like hitting hidden roots, rocks and other buried treasure.

 

[TrueAmericanVeteran]

I'm thinking about getting a box blade to level out soil.

Anyone have/used the TSC ones?

Otherwise, what's good?

I have a JD 1025R and I bought a TSC box blade and for what I have needed to do leveling and removing washboard bumps on my 500 ft gravel driveway, it has worked fine. Several hundred dollars cheaper than JD and when I called my JD dealer, I was told it would likely be 3 or 4 months until they would have one in stock. I needed it sooner so I went with the TSC one.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

I'm thinking about getting a box blade to level out soil.

Anyone have/used the TSC ones?

Otherwise, what's good?

If leveling out your soil just involves smoothing with out moving, a land plane might be the answer. If you have high spots in one area and low spots in another that requires moving dirt any distance, then the box blade is the better tool.

A hydraulic top link would be a good addition, but there are work arounds. When I leveled my driveway I set the top link to scrape the high spots, fill and drag, then I would lift the box about 3/4s of an inch to empty and spread in the low area. I set a stop so I could lift the box just enough. When it was empty, go back drop the box and do it again. However, the length of your top link is the critical element in successful operation.

 

[FERLING]

True that. Before I had my driveway paved I seriously considered adding a hydraulic side link as well so I could tip the box to one side to get the proper grade.

Best investment (Hydraulic mid-link) for any tractor that has three-point hitch. Makes hooking up equipment so easy and box blades become so much more useful. Complete your hitch with “Pats” brand quick hitch. 3 point hitch that can’t be beat. “Pats” quick hitch is the only thing that is tough enough to handle a 8 ft. box blade when pushing backwards.

https://www.ruralking.com/pats-easy-change-cat-1-w-bar?rkgfblink=no&gclid=Cj0KCQiA8ICOBhDmARIsAEGI6o00gQK_Oi_WEWmTsiY4svsuGhpmA_2sAlY2FgAhZ-Zlexx9o1NLO-0aAlmEEALw_wcB