How wide a box blade has to be???

[dex3361]

I use a 7 foot BB behind my L4400HST and it pulls it pretty well but If I were to do it over again I would look for a 6.5 foot BB as this fits the rear tire width of my machine with the tires set to their widest. I work in the woods and hook a tree if I am not paying attention.

 

[IndyIan]

My ground is sandy loam so I don't have to much problems with traction. My loss of traction is usually because of steep grades. I used to live in Louisiana and traction was always an issue, heavy clay soils can be a tough pull for sure. You may find that taking a lesser bite will be faster in the long run. I don't see much problem with the heavier boxblade in your case as sinking the rippers down will be the biggest traction issue regardless of the overall boxblade weight. In other words the "hook" is what will stop you. The extra blade weight will enable you to hold a grade much better without having the whole box ride up as much.

My 820 tractor is the only one I have with R1 tires the other two have R4 tires which are better in my locale.

Thanks for the info! It does have 8 rippers vs the regular 6 so I guess its 1/3 harder to pull but I guess I can fine tune the ripper depth with the hydraulics pretty easily. I've got loaded R1's which I think are pretty good for my soil and I could put 1000lbs of dirt into the FEL for some more grip if needed to bust up sod. Its a big chunk of my tractor toy budget for this year but I guess it will have a few different uses.
I would prefer the 6.5' or even a 6' but none are available used so I'll have to be careful in the woods. One of projects is to get the trail in there a bit more established.

 

[jenkinsph]

Thanks for the info! It does have 8 rippers vs the regular 6 so I guess its 1/3 harder to pull but I guess I can fine tune the ripper depth with the hydraulics pretty easily. I've got loaded R1's which I think are pretty good for my soil and I could put 1000lbs of dirt into the FEL for some more grip if needed to bust up sod. Its a big chunk of my tractor toy budget for this year but I guess it will have a few different uses.
I would prefer the 6.5' or even a 6' but none are available used so I'll have to be careful in the woods. One of projects is to get the trail in there a bit more established.

You might find that you won't need the rippers down as often since a heavy boxblade will cut in most conditions without them. When I had the lightweight bb I had to use the rippers all the time, now not so much.

 

[IndyIan]

You might find that you won't need the rippers down as often since a heavy boxblade will cut in most conditions without them. When I had the lightweight bb I had to use the rippers all the time, now not so much.

I guess that true. Sometimes the tractor amazes me what it can do and other times, its not as effective as I thought it would be... Like with my 7' lightweight rear blade.
I've got former hay fields with brome grass that has some pretty serious roots but I guess if I spray it or even mow it really short a couple times that will help raise the root depth and I might be able to peel it up without the rippers.