Im with the poster above who suggests doing this with the old Mark I eyeball. Especially since you are using a simple boxblade with its limitations. The level indicator is useless if the road is already on a slope. You are going to find that once you have established your grade you are going to have to level your boxblade back to 0 to follow your tractors pitch or you will be taking off a 10 degree slope on every pass. Box blades by themselves simply don't have the sophistication for precise roadwork but excellent results can be obtained with some practice.
I'm looking for a tilt indicator for my box blade
- Thread starter IXLR8
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This is why I want to put the tilt indicator on the BB itself. Parts of the road are level, parts of the road have a grade to them. I want to be able to put the same grade on the entire road and I know it won't happen if the indicator is on the tractor.
Yesterday I got a call from one of my neighbors that the ruts in front of their house had become so deep that they couldn't get their 'summer' car (Mustang) out due to the bottom dragging on the road, they didn't have any issues with their Forester. I was able to cut down the crown and fill in the ruts some, enough for them to get their car out. But it also taught me that there is going to be a bit of a learning curve to get this done right. I used my old Mark 1 eyeball when I did this, it looked good from the tractor but when I walked it later.. not so much. I can also see making some extensions for the levers for the remotes to make it easier to control the TNT on the fly.
MtnViewRanch
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Jim, while a box blade will and does indeed work to maintain roads and drives and you already have a nice rear blade, you may also want to consider getting a land plane grading scraper. The LPGS makes road maintenance sooooooooooo much easier, frankly it is almost unbelievable. There are times that each different type of implement is the best choice for doing a certain type of work-maintenance, but for simple general keeping the road smooth, it's pretty hard to beat a LPGS.
The time that you spent on your neighbors drive would most likely have been cut in half using a LPGS. One of the advantages of having multiple implements is that you can use one type of implement to get the rough part done quicker and then use a different one that does finish work easier, faster and usually better. You then end up with a better finished job that was actually completed quicker and easier than trying to do it all with the same implement.
Just my :2cents:, good luck with everything.
The time that you spent on your neighbors drive would most likely have been cut in half using a LPGS. One of the advantages of having multiple implements is that you can use one type of implement to get the rough part done quicker and then use a different one that does finish work easier, faster and usually better. You then end up with a better finished job that was actually completed quicker and easier than trying to do it all with the same implement.
Just my :2cents:, good luck with everything.
Brian, I appreciate/value your input. I had the choice of buying a BB or a LPGS, not enough $$$$ for both. I needed the BB to do leveling and earth moving in my yard that a LPGS would not do. I found I can rent a LPGS for $50/day locally, I can't rent a BB. I intend to rent one for a day or two when I get the road near where it needs to be. I only spent 20 minutes on neighbors drive and quickly found that there really is no material to work with and they are going to have to bring in some gravel to do the job correctly. It was just a quick stab at taking the crown down and filling the ruts enough so they could get their car out. My rear blade was too light to work on his driveway and I do wish the BB had been heavier. Without the scarifiers on the BB I think I might still be at it, they pulled up some 6"-10" rock that without them the BB would have just bounced over. The rocks were not road bed, just typical Maine soil. There apparently is no road bed on this road which is one of the problems. But it did teach me a valuable lesson on just how little I know about using a BB, how much I need to learn. I am going to go back and re-read the monster "how to use a BB" thread. Then when I get back from vacation I am going to practice in my other neighbors field that they want leveled before I attempt the road.
MtnViewRanch
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Believe me when I say that I understand the $$$ situation. I did the same thing. I bought my box blade about a year before the LPGS. And as has been discussed many times before, any of these 3 implements will do the job, but how well and fast depends upon really to many variables to discuss in general.
I honestly don't know how or what I would do to deal with the rocks that so many of you have to deal with continually.
HokieMS
Member
Search for camping trailer bubble levvels. They are made to mount on pop-up campers and the like. It has a bubble tube in the shape of an arch, and the bubble points to an approximate angle as it tilts. Should be more than adequate for box blade work. Only problem is finding a place on the blade where it won't get damaged.
Edit: like this:
Precision RV Levels, Set of 2 - Camco 25553 - Levels - Camping World
Edit: like this:
Precision RV Levels, Set of 2 - Camco 25553 - Levels - Camping World
Jeff F.
Gold Member
If you have a hydraulic top link, tape a ruler to it and it will measure how much you extend or retract the link. This will help give a reference point for your work and is cheap. Same can be done for the side adjustment.
A simple visual indicator would be to put a magnetic base CB antenna on the scarifier bar of the box blade. You can compare the vertical-ness of the antenna to the horizon or trees or structures. Not perfect, doesn't tell you 3 degrees from 10 degrees,but you CAN tell pretty quick what your progress is and after a while should get a feel for how far is far enough.
Just a thought...
Just a thought...