leveling with box scraper questions

[AD18]

I'm new to using my tractor, even though my wife swears I spend more time in the seat than in the house. How do you make a pad level with a box scraper? My project is cutting a pad on the side of a steep grade. I have it dug out with the bucket but it is nowhere near level. It is small not big enough to drive in circles. Suggestions?

 

[bjcsc]

The key to leveling really rough ground with a box blade is to go slow and take small bites. Going slow enables you to make little adjustments to the height as you go along and the tractor pitches. As it smooths out, you can progressively move faster as it will be getting flatter and flatter as you go.

That said, if the area is so small you can't turn around in it, you might be better off using a shovel and a rake...

 

[jmfox]

The first thing an operator needs is a sense of level from the seat. Most people can tell if something is level when the step back a 100' or so, but an operater needs to see/sense/feel level from a top perspective. What ever you do, it won't be finished until you rake it.

jmf

 

[3RRL]

How small is it?
Can you drive the tractor on it or past it on each end?
If you can, drag the boxblade over it form end to end until you get it FAIRLY smooth ... not necessarily level to the Earth.
Once you get it like that, check where you need to cut lower first and about how much the slope or grade is. Then set your side links to that same slope or grade. Start at the top (highest part) and drag the box across the pad. Move down half the width of your box and do it again. Starting at the highest part and doing that might move some dirt to the lower part. If it does, run over it with the tires to compact it.
Then keep doing that until your pad is level.

You can also do the same thing in reverse by using your boxblade as a bull dozer. This will get faster results, but I don't advise it unless your lower drag links are reinforced or you take little cuts. Otherwise you can easily bend the lower drag links. The advantage of dozing in reverse is that once you've made a cut, the tractor wheels now ride on that cut. Pulling a boxblade forward, the tractor wheels ride on the slope, and your boxblade needs to be tilted by the side links. Sometimes it doesn't cut the slope off in one pass and takes several tries that way.

You can go here to see uses of the boxblade. Various Boxblade Uses

 

[EastTexFrank]

A boxblade is one of those simple implements that is really difficult to use well. Believe me, I know!!! I did some work at a friend's house last weekend that took me 2-1/2 hours that a good operator could have done in about 30 minutes. I have my best success doing the rough out work travelling forward with it and doing the final grading going backwards. Either way it's hard on the neck and back because you are turned around in the seat watching it all the time and continually adjusting the depth lever.

Good luck but you'll have to spend a lot of time in the seat to be as good as 3RRL.

 

[AD18]

3RRL, talk about humbled in the face of talent. Those are great demo shots. I didn't even think of using a box blade as a trencher. Thanks. The area is triangular roughly15x30x50. Not big enough to turn around on w/o backing up. I tend to run of traction before horsepower. So slow and easy it is. I will end up doing some hand work to finish it for the garden shed that is going to sit there.

If you ever get the time, take the family on a pack trip over Farewell Gap and down to the south fork of the Little Kern River. Great grand dad had a goldmine back there. Fresh caught golden trout are delicious!

Thanks to all who replied.

 

[john_bud]

The attack angle is also important. That's how much tilt front to back it has.

Digging and moving dirt, you want the nose lower than the tail for forward motion.

You want the nose and tail about level for going backwards.

For smoothing, you want the nose higher than the tail (1.5-2.5") for forward motion.

jb

 

[3RRL]

Michael,
Thanks for the kind words, but like you, I learned most of it here. Then experiment a little to see what works for you. don't be afraid of pulling forward and dozing back in reverse. You could get a lot of that pad flat in a hurry that way.

I've been near where your grandpa was, although never did that back pack trip of over the gap though. I'm just on the other side, the inland side of there.

 

[AD18]

I haven't had a chance to get back out there to try any of the tips. Too much rain makes for an uncomfortable, read spooks the heck out of me, climb up the hill to my site. I need to get this project done it's almost time to start cutting firewood for next winter. I will post pics of this and my other winter projects when I figure out how.