First time using a box blade. I'm impressed!

[merrickvilleguy]

I've got a 6' and I've been using it to bust up and level the center hump on my road ... works great, especially when it rips up roots 4" across without even breaking stride ... the annoying part I am seeing is it is lifting some rocks 4-6" across out of the ground ... going to need a rake or labour to sort that out

 

[b2910]

I will be using a box blade for the first time later this week if things go as planned. I bought an inexpensive 5' blade from ASC but I think it is enough for doing the simple jobs I will do. The primary use will be for repairing my dirt driveway which is hard packed Georgia clay with gravel and some larger stones in it. Over the years my car tires have rutted it but there are a few larger stones that are bumps in the ruts. I don't want to tear the larger stones out, been there for years and they are very stable, so I was thinking of only using the ripper teeth on the edge not the center of the blade; that is raise the middle ones so they never engage. Is it OK to not have all the rippers set at the same depth or am I asking for some trouble?

I have some new #57 gravel to help fill in the ruts but since my driveway is about 800' long I need to knock down the high sides into the ruts where possible. I don't want to end up with a huge loose pile of dirt and gravel since there is a significant slope and with hard rains the gravel runs downhill pretty easily at times now, despite being packed in from use. Thanks for any tips.

 

[Marveltone]

After my first experiment with my cousin's 6' BB, I ordered a 5' HD Tarter from my local Fleet Supply store. The local International/New Holland dealer carries Buhler/Farm King, but I don't like how the scarifiers are attached, as the pins seem hard to grab for adjustment. So I went for the Tarter, which seems to be more or less a copy of KK, and it fit my budget better as well. It should be here by the weekend, so I'll be able to give a report on my initial findings.

 

[3RRL]

...I was thinking of only using the ripper teeth on the edge not the center of the blade; that is raise the middle ones so they never engage. Is it OK to not have all the rippers set at the same depth or am I asking for some trouble?

Yes, that's OK to do.
I often use only one or two or whatever the job calls for.
I got a 5-1/2 footer (Grizzly) for my wife's 284 Jinma (28hp). It sticks out past the rear tires even at the widest wheel setting. It's construction is good enough for whatever load that tractor will put on it. With all 6 rippers down in my hard decomposed gravel, even with R1's the tractor tires just slip. It's also a good idea to use them all, but only put them down slightly so there is not so much resistance. Just do a couple of extra "tear-up the ground" passes.
BTW, I'm a boxblade fan. I love hers and my 7 foot boxblade (for my 55hp Kama 554).
Rob-

 

[b2910]

Yes, that's OK to do.
I often use only one or two or whatever the job calls for.
I got a 5-1/2 footer (Grizzly) for my wife's 284 Jinma (28hp). It sticks out past the rear tires even at the widest wheel setting. It's construction is good enough for whatever load that tractor will put on it. With all 6 rippers down in my hard decomposed gravel, even with R1's the tractor tires just slip. It's also a good idea to use them all, but only put them down slightly so there is not so much resistance. Just do a couple of extra "tear-up the ground" passes.
BTW, I'm a boxblade fan. I love hers and my 7 foot boxblade (for my 55hp Kama 554).
Rob-

Thanks, I would like to only tear up the ridges that have been pushed up by my car tires over the years and it sounds like this is feasible. I have never had any luck using a scraper blade, just follows the ups and downs of the tractor and makes matters worse. Once I read some of the comments about the box blade, always wondered what they were, I was half convinced that it was what I needed. I am hoping somebody can explain what the rear facing blade is used for on the box blade, it would appear to be more like a scraper blade.

 

[JDGreenGrass]

Thanks, I would like to only tear up the ridges that have been pushed up by my car tires over the years and it sounds like this is feasible. I have never had any luck using a scraper blade, just follows the ups and downs of the tractor and makes matters worse. Once I read some of the comments about the box blade, always wondered what they were, I was half convinced that it was what I needed. I am hoping somebody can explain what the rear facing blade is used for on the box blade, it would appear to be more like a scraper blade.

The rear faceing blade, I would say, is to lay down the finish....nice and smooth.

Use your top link to adjust the forward faceing blade slightly higher than the rear faceing blade. Go slow and that should give you that nice finished look.

 

[b2910]

The rear faceing blade, I would say, is to lay down the finish....nice and smooth.

Use your top link to adjust the forward faceing blade slightly higher than the rear faceing blade. Go slow and that should give you that nice finished look.

Thanks for the tip, so it actually uses the backside of the rear blade.

Just editing my previous post to leave 3RRL's link post at the bottom. Thanks 3RRL for the great links, just started reading them but already see a lot of good tips. And thanks dcyrilc for getting 3RRL to provide those links.

I did some box blade work today, first time, and I also am impressed despite my poor skill level. I have a vacant lot from a home demolition that I needed to straighten up so my riding mower can handle it in the future. I had tried leveling the high spots backing up with my FEL pushed down but it seemed to temporarily stop working which scared me that I might have messed up the hydraulics so that was incentive enough to buy a box blade. Of course the FEL doesn't float so it is not a great bulldozer blade anyway. I had decent success with the box blade using the scarifiers but the big problem were the large rocks and brick debris left from the demolition. I had to pick those up by hand and put them elsewhere. In the end I got it cleared and leveled enough for my riding mower to handle it, with a few hundred more smaller rocks to gather over time; but at least I could spread some grass seed and feel like I wouldn't destroy it by any future leveling. Then I tried the box blade on my driveway. I dumped fresh gravel on the deepest ruts and raised the scarifiers so only the blades did the work. I did extend the top link some to get that smoothing action and it looks like this will work well for me. I don't really want to tear up the high spots as much as fill in the low spots. I have only done about 5% of the driveway so far - plenty of practice coming up.

Now back to reading those threads 3RRL linked in. Thanks to all of you, this is great information. I hope there is something in there to help with removing the blade from the 3PH, it was a bear getting it off today, not enough room in the garage with it attached, I think I had drag bars too tight against the box blade.

 

[dcyrilc]

Thanks for the tip, so it actually uses the backside of the rear blade.

Check out 3RRL's threads on using his rear blade or drop him a PM. Great guy.:thumbsup: He uses the rear cutting edge a lot. I'm kinda suprised he hasn't spoken up about it's use yet.

 

[3RRL]

Thanks for the plug Cyril!
I do use the rear blade a lot for pushing, instead of pulling the dirt. I didn't want to take up this thread with how I use the boxblade, because I have so many threads and posts about it's use(es) already. I'll provide some links to the threads though. They are comments from myself and many other TBN members and most of them have lots of photos that really shows how to use it.
Here are some links to some of the threads. Some are from other members and some are ones I started...

Beginners guide to using a box blade
Techniques for basic box scraper
Plowing Food Plot with Boxblade
Various Boxblade Uses
Some videos posted in this one Box Blading in Reverse
There are lots more if you do a search.

 

[Scrambler82]

I picked up a 48 BB for my little tractor, 24 HP CCY.
I am a first time user and novice at best in tractors but 24 HP CCY pulled it and cut up the area well enough.
I hoped for results like I got but didn稚 konw and now glad I got it.

The unit is a United HD448 and it is built better than some of the Land Pride 48 Units I have seen. ($400 shipped to the door)