Box Scraper LMC48" Box Blade vs Homemade grader vs Landpride 5.5` Boxblade

[PhysAssist]

I'm trying to decide what to hitch behind our Kubota B2320 mainly to grade our 1000` gravel drive with a bunch of sweeping curves and a 40 degree grade on a curve for about 150-200`.

A local guy has a moderately used economy model Lowery Mfg Co 48"boxblade with 3 scarifiers, and welded-on blades asking 300$ or best offer.

Another local has a homemade grader with a center I-beam blade with angle iron welded onto it as the contact edge, and 2 wheels/tires as the back contact points, and a 3-pt hitch.

Finally, I also have a possible line on a Landpride 5`6" boxblade, new in the crate, for about 400$.

Any help in deciding what will be the best tool for primarily driveway grading, but occasional yard leveling or earth grading would be greatly appreciated.

Pictures to follow...

 

[jenkinsph]

Sounds very steep, are you sure about the 40 degree grade? Asphalt might be the best solution, doubt you can keep a gravel drive in place. A very steep driveway will require moving the material back up the slope on a frequent basis. I would consider having a better road to the top by a good contractor if there is a way.



For lesser slopes and smoothing of lawn areas a boxblade and landplane grader work well. For crowning, ditching and recovering fines from the sides a rearblade is needed.

 

[PhysAssist]

[Open mouth insert foot]- I stand corrected.

Measured the grade today to be sure and while there is a bit approaching 30 degrees, most of it is from 15 to 20 degrees.

Unfortunately, I'll never be likely to be able to afford to pave it, but in any event, if I put black top on it, most likely I'd slide right down into the cedar grove at the bottom, based on the ice that makes it nearly impassable several times a winter as it is now (we're between Rochester and Buffalo in da sno belt.)

Any suggestions as to which implement makes the most sense for my little kubota, to use in spreading gravel, grading out low and high spots and modest earth leveling?

Thanks for any help you can give...
T

 

[jenkinsph]

I suspect you would be better off with a boxblade for your driveway with an addition of skids. I would get a boxblade that is slightly wider that your rear tires and add simple bolt on skids to it made from angle iron that have the ends turned up like a ski. In your case with steep grades and a small tractor you need to be careful to keep the attachment snall enough you can pull it uphill.

Use the boxblade without the skids (ski) to shape up the material and get it in place, then bolt on the skids to smooth out the driveway. This would be your best bang for your bucks. You would get the benefit of a boxblade and a landplane to an extent. I wouldn't get too heavy since you will be dragging everything up hill most of the time trying to get the materials back in place.

Last month I built a small landplane to use behind my garden tractor, if you have access to welding equipment and want to build one I have a thread on the build. This has worked well so far but is more costly to do than the above setup. I also have a small boxblade that I use seperately with good results. Here are pictures of the landplane and the boxblade.

 

[PhysAssist]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the advice-that's a nice looking setup you've got there.

I guess getting the landpride BB scooped out from under me on ebay may have been for the better- though since most of my drive is flat, I would've liked it for that (it was actually a rollover bb ns weighed almost 700#).

Back to the interweb...

Thanks again,
Thomas