FEL vs box blade for spreading dirt

[s219]

Need to know what you plan to do.

My short answer is that both are required for some tasks such as grading and driveway maintenance. In other cases, only one may be necessary.

The FEL's primary purpose is to help you distribute loose material from a stockpile. The box blade's primary purpose is to grade material already on the ground, whether new or old material. The purpose/design of the box blade is to be able to move material and it has the ability to redistribute material from high spots to low spots. There are subtle differences in the FEL versus box blade and in the type of material operation. That will dictate which is the tool of choice.

When regrading land as I did last week, both were required. When improving a driveway, as I will be doing next week, both are required. For periodic driveway maintenance where no new material is involved, I can do it all with just the box blade (or land plane i many cases).

I know some folks who swear that backdragging with the front bucket is all they need, but I have tried that and it's not even close to the sophistication I can get with a box blade. It's good to get you within 70% of your target in many cases, but that's about it.

As shown in the movie and graphics up above, angle of attack is key to box blade use. Having a hydraulic top link (or an easily accessible/adjustable turnbuckle top link) will give you very precise control over how the box performs. I have a hydraulic top link and I am adjusting it hundreds of times a day when doing grading work. I can fine tune what I want the box to do and I can fine tune the behavior for forward operation or reverse operation, on the fly. It significantly improves the productivity of the box blade.

 

[ericm979]

Careful with back dragging with the loader bucket. People have bent loader cylinders that way. When I do it I keep the bucket bottom at a shallow angle vs the ground and don't try to move much material with it. Using float is even safer. The box blade is a lot better for spreading dirt. I think it's better for moving packed down dirt too, like for levelling an area. The loader bucket doesn't dig very well even with a tooth bar, especially with the number and size of rocks we have (obviously this will depend on your soil). The box blade can pull them out and move the material. The loader's more for picking up and carrying already loosened dirt.

 

[oosik]

I have a few of the "basic" 3-point implements used to move dirt. HD rear blade, roll-over-box-blade & land plane grading scraper. The ROBB & LPGS both have scarifiers. Each has a "best" use.

For my mile long gravel driveway - LPGS with scarifiers down will correct potholes and other rough areas.

The rear blade is for snow removal and cleaning out the driveway ditches.

The ROBB is very seldom used on the driveway. I will use it to create new trails around the property. With scarifiers down and aggressively tilted it makes quick work of virgin areas. I then finish off the trail with the LPGS.

I use the FEL and bucket to move piles of dirt or gravel. I do not dig or back drag with the FEL. It's just too easy to damage something.

 

[rademamj1]

I have a few of the "basic" 3-point implements used to move dirt. HD rear blade, roll-over-box-blade & land plane grading scraper. The ROBB & LPGS both have scarifiers. Each has a "best" use.

For my mile long gravel driveway - LPGS with scarifiers down will correct potholes and other rough areas.

Oosik, that's incredible. A mile long gravel driveway has got to keep you busy from time to time. I also don't back drag with my FEL on float due to damage risk.

 

[oosik]

Yes - unfortunately there is a 120 foot section on the driveway that can take up about 95% of my driveway time. There is a spring area along side the driveway. Usually the water just runs off. However - there are those times when the water will "combine" with the driveway material. It becomes soft, mushy and rutty. In the end - when this section hits just the right point - the LPGS will "trowel" it, it dries out completely and it ends up smooth as a pool table.

There are reasons that my driveway does not need lots of attention. It was built correctly in the beginning. It gets VERY LITTLE traffic - average two vehicles per week - most usually me. The top layer is a combination of gravel, sand, silt & volcanic ash. After spring rains it will harden up to a surface very much like concrete.

 

[beowulf]

I do not dig or back drag with the FEL. It's just too easy to damage something.

oosik, I have used the FEL to back drag but not frequently. I totally agree that you can damage something doing that - personal experience. When I do back drag it is at a shallow angle and only with very lose material - and not very much of it.

 

[workinonit]

Are you back dragging in float? I'm missing the damage from back dragging. I do it all the time but I do use float.

 

[Piston]

For the OP.... It is certainly possible to damage your tractor doing any number of tasks. Back dragging and digging with the FEL are no exceptions.

However, If you use some logic and understand the forces applied, and how they transfer to the structural attachment points, you can alleviate virtually all of that risk. These tractors can do a lot more than many people believe. Obviously things can break, but that goes without saying. I've put many hours on my tractor while moving dirt and doing jobs that it wasn't necessarily meant for, and I have not broken or bent a thing. I don't attribute that to luck.

On the other hand, you can very easily bend or break something when applying forces at an angle, or using speed to move solid objects, or digging with a corner of the bucket, or back dragging with the bucket at full dump position, or not understanding float, or (the list goes on and on.)

Use your head, think ahead, work slowly, and think about how you could damage something before trying it out. Just because something works for me, or anyone else, doesn't mean it will, or won't, work for you.

 

[Diggin It]

OP hasn't come back or added any information, so we don't know if he already has a BB or what kind of material is to be worked. If we're talking material already down and packed, then a BB might be the answer if he can afford one.

For newly laid loose material, even a simple rear blade or landscape rake will be better than the FEL and cost much less than a BB.

 

[Cougsfan]

Shame on me. I was unaware one could damage a cylinder by back dragging with an FEL. I do it frequently and with the bucket at all angles and not using float. I often curl the bucket enough to lift the front wheels off the ground when doing it. After 1000 plus hours I have yet to damage anything. You guys are probably right, it is not proper tractor etiquette and it may damage your cylinders and I am just plain lucky. But it sure the heck works well at times!