Landscape rake or box blade .. if I had to buy just one attachment ?

[jenkinsph]

For driveway maintenance I would get the boxblade first, the rearblade second and the landplane third. I would get the landscape rake if I had other uses for it besides the driveway work. All of these tools are useful and important to have imo.

 

[9973720wb19]

i have a long trail with small stone that need to be replaced i own a bb and rake - i use the rake each time - i dump stone in piles along the trail and the rake works great spreading - the bb can't do that

 

[jenkinsph]

i have a long trail with small stone that need to be replaced i own a bb and rake - i use the rake each time - i dump stone in piles along the trail and the rake works great spreading - the bb can't do that

It isn't that you can't spread with a boxblade but it does take skill and seat time to get good results. When I first started out with a boxblade I often made a big mess out of a little problem. Now with seat time, topntilt hydraulics, hydrotransmission and a good boxblade I can get good results.

 

[NHbotanut]

In my opinion, if the driveway has already been installed, then I think think the Land Plane would be the best tool. While I do not have a box blade, I did have a landscape lake just for maintaining the driveway.

It did not work as the gravel was too hard packed. The rake just bounced over the gravel. Even when I put weight on it.

I picked up the Land Pride Grading Scraper ( Land Plane ) and I can't believe how easy it is to use. I have done the driveway twice with great results. 2 weeks ago, we had 5" of rain over 4 days & a good portion of the driveway washed out due to a drainage problem. I was able fix the whole area within an hour.

This past weekend, I I had a job where I had to bring back 2 parking lots and 2 roads back to good condition. The scarifIers really ripped in to the lots. They were like concrete. I have gotten proficient enough to be able to put a crown back in to the roads to help with the drainage.

The more I work with this tool, the more I am impressed with it.

I agree that if you are moving a lot of material, the box blade is the way to go. But if you are just maintaining and fixing a driveway, I don't think the land plane can be beat.
I also think it is important to have the scarifiers, as this allows you to rip up really hard packed surfaces.

 

[LouieJunior]

What is the general rule of thumb for width? My rotary cutter is 60" and is the same width as my tractor. Would I want a box blade wider yet or would 5' be okay?

 

[crazyangel]

I think it is best to get something that will at least cover your tracks. You can certainly pull one that is not as wide, but it will be a headache when trying to grade anything other than stone. Some guys like to go a little wider than their wheel base. If you do that, just remember that your tractor will fit between things that your blade won't. Being reminded of that the hard way can really hurt your neck; not to mention damage trees and other structures. My tractor is just under 68 inches wide and I went with a 72 inch box blade. I have the HP to pull something wider, but haven't found myself wanting more than what I have. It has been a great combo for me.

 

[TripleR]

Pretty much what crazyangel said. I go quite a bit wider on my box blade than my tire width, but in the woods keep an eye on the rear view mirrors. I have pulled a 10' rotary cutter for years and am use to things sticking out which helps. I am on open areas a lot more than in the woods.

 

[botayota]

Wow!! thanks guys for all the replies... looks like a box blade would win out as long as I knew how to use one properly, versus a landscape rake which could do some of my driveway work
without alot of seat time. Having the toptilt hydraulic link seems like a plus... luckily I have two spare rear hydraulic outputs I had installed when I bought the tractor so hopefully I could use one
of those for the toptilt link. Will do some further research, and talk to my local tractor guy.

Cheers,
BY

 

[kf4uda]

There are some threads on here that can help you learn how to use a box blade. Here is one of them:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/122762-beginners-guide-using-box-blade.html

 

[jimgerken]

I will agree with "boxblade" for your first choice. And I will add that you should search for a single section drag (harrow) to drag up and down with your garden tractor to keep the grass from growing and to give the gravel a perfect finish. The drag would be used to polish, between sessions of fillng holes and reshaping with the boxblade, OR use the drag following reshaping with the boxblade. I own a boxblade, and landscape rake, and a drag section, and my choice, if the drive is not in too bad of shape, is to use the drag. I use and suggest the garden tractor because it is way more manueverable than your CUT, and can turn around on the dirveway pulling the drag, and can generally fit better in the small areas between buildings, etc. My 2 cents...