Grader/Scrape Blade Vs Box Blade.

[HoneyBadger1]

For give my ignorance. I am sitting here pondering if I should purchase a 60in Scrape Blade or a middle buster to place small trenches next to my roads and probably a few other places. Or should I use the box blade that I already have. The sales me told me I can do anything the scrape blade can do with the box blade but I would like to know what you think. Thanks in advance-Bill

 

[Oldoak]

Since you already have a box blade, why don't you try to do what you want done and see if it meets your satisfaction?

One thing a scrapper blade can do that you can't do with a box blade is to angle it at a 45 degrees to shift the soil all to one side while digging trenches.

 

[Rich B1]

I would guess the sales guy was trying to sell you a blade. The box blade and scraper blade are 2 different animals.

While there is some overlap in what the 2 do, it is small.

I have both and use both. But I use them for what they do best.

Watch Craigslist......you can find deals on blades there. Unless you have to have new

 

[Katahdin]

I purchased a box blade the same width as my LX and wasn't able to angle it enough to dig ditches. I think the BB need to be a bit wider than the tractor for ditch digging.

 

[oosik]

I pull a rear blade or roll-over-box blade( ROBB ) with my tractor. Both implements are HEAVY Class 2 implements. What Rich B1 says in post #3 is spot on. I will VERY SELDOM use the ROBB for driveway maintenance. It can not clean out my driveway ditches, can't clear snow and I don't have the time/patience to figure out if it can crown the driveway.

I use my rear blade, exclusively, for driveway maintenance - summer & winter. It clears the snow, cleans the ditches, crowns the driveway and to a limited extent will move material from here to there. I use the ROBB to create new trails in & around my property. Also to move material when landscaping, leveling or terracing. The ROBB is the implement for creating a new landfill cell on the property.

 

[fried1765]

For give my ignorance. I am sitting here pondering if I should purchase a 60in Scrape Blade or a middle buster to place small trenches next to my roads and probably a few other places. Or should I use the box blade that I already have. The sales me told me I can do anything the scrape blade can do with the box blade but I would like to know what you think. Thanks in advance-Bill

"The sales told me I can do anything the scrape blade can do with the box blade".
Your sales guy if full of Sxxt.
I have both scrape & box blades.
I NEVER use my box blade.....wish I had never bought it!
Look at the EA "Deluxe Scrape Blade",...it is first class!!!

 

[fried1765]

I purchased a box blade the same width as my LX and wasn't able to angle it enough to dig ditches. I think the BB need to be a bit wider than the tractor for ditch digging.

EXACTLY CORRECT !!!

 

[Overtaxed]

For give my ignorance. I am sitting here pondering if I should purchase a 60in Scrape Blade or a middle buster to place small trenches next to my roads and probably a few other places. Or should I use the box blade that I already have. The sales me told me I can do anything the scrape blade can do with the box blade but I would like to know what you think. Thanks in advance-Bill

I have both, and do exactly what you're asking about, so I feel somewhat qualified to comment. Other's have done this a lot more than me, so don't take it as gospel.

For cutting a ditch, a rear blade is the bees knees. Put a big angle and tilt on it, go slow, and it'll pull a nice (6" to 1' deep for me) in a single pass and deposit the scarf up on your road/trail. A BB is near worthless for this, I can't get enough angle, and, even when I can get it to start digging, it wants to jump out of the ditch the first high point I hit.

Now, if you're following, you've got a trail with a big berm of dirt from where you cut the ditch. Here's where the BB shines. Hook that up and I'll distribute that berm all over the trail nice and even, and put a great surface down to walk on if you tilt it way back to rest it on the rear blade (not cutting, just compacting). For me, it's a 2 step process, use a rear blade to dig the ditch, and the BB to level out the scarf and make the road/trail surface. You could do it all with the rear blade, but it's a lot more work to get a nice level surface (at least without gauge wheels, which I don't have). I use a 84" rear blade and 72" box blade on my tractor, the rear blade being bigger is important so you can cut the ditch without being in the ditch.

 

[crazyal]

It sounds like you are new to owning a tractor. When I first got my tractor I had access to a box blade but found it not at all what I needed. For cleaning out ditches I just used my front loader. On hills that are too steep the ditches usually don't need any work. It's not as fast as a BB but sometimes speed isn't always needed. Of course my ditches don't usually get filled with valuable gravel but leaves and dirt so the loader makes for an easy time moving it without getting it on my driveway. The best thing you can do is ask questions and play around some to get seat time. I ended up with a grading scraper instead of a BB. It can't do ditches but I find that 95% of what I need to do to my driveway is grading it.

 

[HoneyBadger1]

Thank.you all for the input. Let me clarify. Yes, I am completely new to tractors and even owning land. I have an RK24. I have a 5ft BB. I have tried to cut ditches with it and am unsure if it my lack of experience or the tractors lack of adjustment that prohibits me from getting the desired results from the BB. The salesman told me that due to the size of the RK24 I would not be able to run a scrape blade large enough to have a "tilt" capability(I'm sure there's a word for it but that's what I'll go with). He stated that my ability to dip the one side of a scrape blade down would be limited to the adjustment on the 3point hitch itself. I have not seen one in the size range I have been looking. If anyone has any recommendations I would greatly appreciate them. As far as using the FEL.... I can in a few places but the majority I can not. At least not easily.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

A 6 footer would be a good match for your tractor.

Something to keep in mind, because of the size of the equipment that you have and can get to use with your tractor, it is going to take some time, but it can be done with some patience.

Good luck.

 

[fried1765]

Thank.you all for the input. Let me clarify. Yes, I am completely new to tractors and even owning land. I have an RK24. I have a 5ft BB. I have tried to cut ditches with it and am unsure if it my lack of experience or the tractors lack of adjustment that prohibits me from getting the desired results from the BB. The salesman told me that due to the size of the RK24 I would not be able to run a scrape blade large enough to have a "tilt" capability(I'm sure there's a word for it but that's what I'll go with). He stated that my ability to dip the one side of a scrape blade down would be limited to the adjustment on the 3point hitch itself. I have not seen one in the size range I have been looking. If anyone has any recommendations I would greatly appreciate them. As far as using the FEL.... I can in a few places but the majority I can not. At least not easily.

"He stated that my ability to dip the one side of a scrape blade down would be limited to the adjustment on the 3pt. hitch itself".

Your "salesman" is WRONG...... he is absolutely full of BS!

Go to the Everything Attachments website, and look for "Deluxe Scrape Blade".
Watch the EA videos!
This blade is the Cats Axx!
Can be offset, and tilted to your hearts desire.

For your RK24 with the 45.8" wheel spacing, the 6' blade might be best for you. The 5' model would also be OK, but with several inches less outside reach when at angle.

5' model - $845 with free shipping -no tax?
6' model - $869 with free shipping - no tax?

I use a 6' EA Deluxe Scrape Blade on my Ford 1920 (32HP) with wheels at 5' spacing.
It is an absolutely superbly built rear blade, and very simple to adjust (no wrenches required).

I have two other rear blades.....both are for sale!
One is 5' (TSC?), and the other is 7' (King Kutter).
They are both junk, when compared to the Everything Attachments.... Deluxe Scrape Blade.

 

[ededic]

I have two other rear blades.....both are for sale!
One is 5' (TSC?), and the other is 7' (King Kutter).
They are both junk, when compared to the Everything Attachments.... Deluxe Scrape Blade.

Is this in your ad selling these two blades? That’s quite an endorsement. LOL.

 

[fried1765]

Is this in your ad selling these two blades? That’s quite an endorsement. LOL.

How did you arrive at the conclusion that I have placed an ad for anything,....anywhere?
I have not!

 

[TxBigRed]

How did you arrive at the conclusion that I have placed an ad for anything,....anywhere?
I have not!

I believe he was being sarcastic....you did say both of your old blades were for sale...

 

[kthompson]

I own a King Kutter also 7 feet if not mistaken. I have mostly used it with a Kubota M6800 and had to repair or rebuild about every weld joint on it and install new lugs for the lift pins. Dealer sent me cat two lugs as cat one pins were not heavy enough for the blade. I would not recommend King Kutter either.

However that blade will rotate for tilt and angle and you can but a ditch easy with it. But in our dirt you need a heavy front end to have necessary traction for steering, light front end will pull tractor to the ditch.

I was a big fan of the rear scrape blade over box blade for years and good bit of the reason was box blades were not popular here as most people were using blades to cut ditches and grade roads which beat box blade greatly. Now saying that couple of years back bought a 10 foot pull box blade and while you can not angle it can tile it with hyd cylinder very easy and I can cut a ditch with it. Also can grade road with it. Part of the reason is the weight of it, heavy enough to really cut a packed road and not slide as lighter weight one on 3 pth has done with me. I can also use it to cut packed dirt for leveling which have always used rear blade at angle to do those jobs.

No doubt the best implement for a tractor to dig a ditch and grade roads would be a rear blade on wheels with hyd control of tilt and rotation as blade on road plow and plenty of weight to it. But not many want to buy one due to price or size of tractor that would require.

I pull my 10 foot pull box blade with 90 something JD with 4 wheel drive and it does pretty work and is all my tractor wants. A seven foot rear blade at heavy angle and tilt will load a good size tractor if you are cutting much dirt.

 

[DMW]

For give my ignorance. I am sitting here pondering if I should purchase a 60in Scrape Blade or a middle buster to place small trenches next to my roads and probably a few other places. Or should I use the box blade that I already have. The sales me told me I can do anything the scrape blade can do with the box blade but I would like to know what you think. Thanks in advance-Bill

It would really help if you included your location, do you have a FEL, a couple pics of the roadway, soil conditions and why you want the trenches. Getting advice from owners of 5000lb, 60HP machines isn't going to translate well when using a SCUT.

 

[HoneyBadger1]

I have a FEL and I'm in northern NC. Soil is predominantly clay. The reason for needing trenches is my property is basically a valley. My home was built on the flattest spot but my driveway and neighbors feild directs water onto my front lawn. There is also a fair amount of water that gets directed towards my storage building. I am in the process of clearing a path down to the pond and that will require some form of managing water on it also. I am aware that we have received more rain in my area then ever recorded this year. The original grading is doing well as far as the house goes except for one spot on my walkway from the parking area to the front door. I feel that a ditch directing the water from the neighboring field will eliminate that issue. As far as pics go this is all I have at this time. In this pic you are looking out my driveway. The paved road is at 12 oclock, the house is at 9 o'clock, the feild is to the right. It is sloped from the paved road to where the tractor is sitting. if I place a ditch on the rt side of the drive all the way down across the property line it will catch the water shedding from the feild and flow down hill leaving my house unaffected .

 

[ededic]

I have used all three RB, LR and BB and I agree with the folks here that call for a rear blade. I maintain 4 1/2 miles of gravel road and while the Frontier 60” rake makes it look really nice, it is separating fines from aggregate and makes the hills less stable.

The box blade does a better job of moving the washed out millings/gravel back into place and allows cars to pack it because the fines come with it.

However, for the ditching you are talking about you don’t need just an entry level rear blade, you need one that pivots/angles vertically as well as horizontal directions.

Good luck with your drainage project.

 

[brown40]

Morning HB,
Great discussion. I have a 7' RB and a 6' BB on a 66" tractor width that seem appropriate.
RB is the superior ditch cutter/lateral material mover-crown tender/snow shifter/smoother/grader. Mine is lighter than I'd like but does the job.
BB can rip roots, move chunk of material from A->B 'intact' (nice for snow at doors), provide adequate ballast.
Real world gravel delivery for instance: The BB gets most of the pile where you want it and roughly how backing to it, harvesting, and heading where you want (mirrors prior surface--you adjust height and angles though).
The RB is the tool to shape and grade the result to where you'd like it to be.
Both can smooth pretty well, but the RB rides up and gouges less, though the BB packs it better.
I bought the BB first, as it could get it close, I needed compact ballast, and I had a limited budget.
Its also rugged enough too weld hooks and a receiver on, so I move trailers with it and haul logs here & there--no room on a RB for that.
The RB does the road in ~25% the time. Steep winding drive though.
I'd get the RB if road was #1 on my list for sure.