new to accessories

Anonymous Poster · Sep 3, 2002

Just purchased, and still waiting delivery, of a NH TC33d FEL w/60" HD bucket and 72" Landspride rear blade. I need to put in a 300 ft drive and eventually a path from my front door to the drive. Do I need a box blade to do this or is the above sufficient? If so, what size/brand? Cost?

Spencer · Sep 3, 2002

Kristy,
I have the same setup other than my 72" rear blade is made by Bush Hog. My driveway is almost a 1/4 mile long and is mostly just dirt. I think a box blade would be a better choice. I will probably just get an inexpensive 72" King Kutter from TSC ($329) when I can afford it.

BB_TX · Sep 3, 2002

If the land is level and you just want to drop some rock or gravel and spread it, then the rear blade will do it. However, if you need to do some leveling, then the box blade would be the way to go. Also, if you want to cut the grade down a little so that you can back fill with rock or gravel and have the final drive elevation the same as the surrounding elevation, then you definitely need the box. Or you could use a tiller to loosen the top few inches and move it with the FEL. But a tiller is getting into serious dollars.

Anonymous Poster · Sep 3, 2002

Thanks for the info. I do need to cut out, lay gravel then level to grade. How does the box blade work on leveling topsoil? I know the contractors used this in my clay soil when they did the final grade for my Certificate of Occupancy.

ScottAR · Sep 4, 2002

Box works great for spreading soil, or really anything else. The best techique for me is to pull soil where I need it and either just dump it (raise the box quick) or spread it (lift it about 1-2 inches and drive till its empty) and then do the fine spreading with the FEL. Maybe I need more box practice but for loose fill this works best for me. See the thread "what do I need to know about box blades" Somthing like that anyway.

BB_TX · Sep 4, 2002

It takes practice. Lots of it. If your soil is fairly soft, you can just lower the box and drive forward. It will pick up the high spots and drag that dirt along. As you go over low spots, some of the dirt will fall into the low spots and level it out. If your dirt if hard, you will probably have to lower your scarifiers (rippers) and make several passes loosening the soil. Then raise the rippers and go back and level it. With practice, you will learn how to adjust the height of the box to smooth the dirt as you move.
To lower the grade, you will probably have to make several passes with the rippers and then either take the dirt out with the FEL or drag it out with the box. With soft dirt and the box all the way down, it will pick up a lot of dirt in a hurry.

WVBill · Sep 4, 2002

If you get a box blade, get one with a rear blade that can either be locked or left to swing free.

See <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=implement&Number=186718&Search=true&Forum=All_Forums&Words=WVBill&Match=Username&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=186675>My Post on Box Blades </A> for the details.

Anonymous Poster · Sep 4, 2002

I talked to my dealer and he recommended a 72" Grizzley box blade. How is the quality vs. a Landpride or First Choice (I assume they make box blades, I've been on their website, but cannot remember)

MarkV · Sep 4, 2002

Christy, I am not familiar with the Grizzly products so I don’t have an opinion about their quality. What did strike me was the size of box that the dealer was recommending. Keep in mind that a box blade, with a full box of soil, will be pulling much more weight than what your rear blade is pulling. If it were me, and if, a 5’ box blade will cover your rear tire foot print, I would consider that. Your local soil conditions and property may make this a non issue for you. Around here though, box blade work can be demanding so less can be better as long as you can cover your tread width. Maybe some of the TC33 owners will comment on what they use.

MarkV

Anonymous Poster · Sep 4, 2002

Never thought about that. I will talk with my dealer and call a few other places for their opinion. I will wait for further input from other TBN''ers.