Plow with BoxBlade??

[lakngulf]

For most of my projects I am in the use what you got mode of operation. This spring/early summer I plan to prepare some new spots for fall food plots. Also, want to plant some chufa for the turkeys but it is getting late for that.

The soil that I want to break is fairly rich with a sandy loam base, for the most part. It has been pasture for many years. During the winter I cut it as low as I could, and now want to break it up before the grass starts growing again. I have a disc that can be used when the soil is loose and/or moist, but need something to work as a breaking plow.

What are the pros and cons on using box blade diggers as a subsoiler? Has anyone given this a try?

 

[defed]

i never tried it, but if all you want to do is loosen the soil for the disc, then it might work. i'd lower the rippers to the max and then just engage them into the soil w/o the cutting edge.

 

[MMagis]

I know it’s been done, though I have no experience. If your disk is adjustable, you could skip the “plow” step if you really wanted to. In the past I’ve sprayed with gly, then once everything was dead I scalped with the brush hog and started disking. It took a few passes and didn’t get all that deep, but it worked.

 

[oldnslo]

How deep will the rippers on your box blade go. Most only adjust 2 - 3 inches I think. Shortening your top link might get a hair more.

Biggest concern would be these will act like a rake and fill up with any lengthy debris.

Won't know unless you try.

Disk may / will also work depending on the cut angle and weight of the disc. Either way expect to do more than one pass.

Roy

 

[6011Artist]

I built a reciever style hitch to go on my tractor 15 yrs ago. Built it really heavy duty. Years later I needed the same thing you speak of. I took a piece of solid 2 X 2 stock about 3' long and slid it into the reciever hitch. I then took a piece of 3/8" thick wall 4X4 tubing and built exactly what was inside my box blade to hold the teeth. It's basically a "T" with the teeth spaced about 10" apart. Works great. I use it as a sub soiler and also to rip out small stumps and roots.

After losing a tooth several times I no longer use the pin and clip system that was in the box blade. I used 1/2 in #5 hard bolts with nylon lock nuts. Haven't lost one since. Something about the hairpins as they kept coming out. But my teeth are loose and floppy, like in the box blade.

Also, over time I noticed the slots I cut for the teeth to fit through the 4 in tubing were taking a beating. I cut pieces of 1/2" X 1" flat bar about 3 inches long and welded them on the top in front of the tooth and on the bottom behind the tooth. The pressure points when teeth are engaged.

To mount the 4" tubing onto the 2" solid stock, I cut 2 square holes in the 4" and slid the solid stock all the way through. I then welded it up front and back. I feel that is much stronger than butting it and using gussetts. That part has not taken a beating, holding up good. I had it on a 90 HP tractor and bent the solid 2X2 stock pulling at a stump larger than it would handle. I found the right tree in the woods to bend it back straight, still hanging in there.

Right now my FIL has it. He is really bragging on what my old home made rig can do.

Hope this helps. Any questions, feel free to email me or ask right here.

 

[TripleR]

I actually did this yesterday, I dropped the scrappers, retracted my hydraulic top link all the way and broke some very hard ground before running a tiller on it; could just as easily used a disk, but I wanted a really fine seed bed; worked really well.

I have a plow at another farm, but it was one of those spur of the moment things and I didn't want to take the time to go get it for a fairly small area.

 

[defed]

How deep will the rippers on your box blade go. Most only adjust 2 - 3 inches I think. Shortening your top link might get a hair more.

Biggest concern would be these will act like a rake and fill up with any lengthy debris.

if you lower them to lowest, and tip it as far forward as possible, i bet you can get quite a few more than 3". sure, you'll grab some debris, but it can be removed or just 'spread out' and disced up.

 

[lakngulf]

Thanks for the great replys. I have not measured my rippers but I am pretty sure they go more than 3 inches. I used them in my garden (soft soil to start with) and they dug in very good.

I know I will pile up some grass and debris, but I will just lift up and keep on digging.

My diggers are held in place with pins, and cotter keys. Does anyone have problems with the diggers popping out. Seems to me if the pins stay in then the force will keep the diggers in.

 

[dieselsmoke1]

Your box blade theory will probably work. mine go in about 6 inches when tilted forward.

On another note, for the sake of anyone with a cultivated area, yard, garden field, whatever, be careful where you plant the "chufa". This is another name for nutgrass, and nutgrass is the EXTREMELY difficult and expensive to contain or kill. It absolutely will take over any area that it gets loose in and is left unchecked.

There's an old joke about the only guarenteed way to get rid of nutgrass...sell the farm.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I have done it a couple dozen times. It works well unless you have really thick turf. With the rippers all the way down and the top link shortened, I can get about 6-7" deep after a few passes. The first time the edge of the box will ride on the unplowed ground. The next pass will let it ride deeper, letting the rippers sink in. I cover 5' at a time at a pretty good speed, so you can do a pretty big area in 30 min. or so. I have thought about installing a couple of extra rippers at a closer distance for the final coupe of runs in order to improve tillage.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Here is a link to a long post on the subject from a guy that really uses his box blade:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/88588-plowing-food-plot-box-blade.html

 

[3RRL]

That link is a thread about using my boxblade to plow up the food plot.
Unfortunately, I see I must have relocated the photos and they are not coming up in it? Anyway, like you said, I did use what I have to prepare my food plot. Plowing with the rippers down did a great job for me, since I didn't have a plow or disc. I used the position control to keep the blade up, off the ground. Only the scarifiers went in and I dragged very little dirt doing it that way. I'll re-post some of the photos for you so you can see how it turned out. They are clickable thumbnails. My food plot was a bout 1 acre or a little bigger. Hope the photos show well enough how it turned out.
Rob-





Some photos after planting and before mowing.
I planted wheat and oats and even some peas. Most of it came in very nicely.

 

[lakngulf]

That link is a thread about using my boxblade to plow up the food plot.

Thanks, Rob, for reposting the photos. I checked out the previous posts and appreciate the descriptions of your work with the box blade. This is the first bb I have owned or used, but I am quickly becoming a fan. Your results make me even more anxious to do more with the box blade and rippers.

I did give the rippers a try as a breaking plow on Saturday. What a great day to be outside on a tractor at daybreak. The process went very well and I will document soon with some pictures. I do have a disc so the goal was to loosen the soil among the pasture grass and roots of many years. Here are my initial thoughts:
(1) Mow the grass as short as possible, and use the box blade rippers before it begins to grow again. I had to raise the bb often and lose the grass gathered around the rippers.
(2) Use the rains to your advantage. We had a small shower a few days before, but it would have helped for the soil to have been a little moist. Of course, then, I might have spun a bit on the grass when going up hill.
(3) The process does not like roots from large trees. I was often stopped dead in my tracks when I was breaking the soil near the fence and wood line.
(4) All in all, the soil has been turned over and in good shape for a soaking rain, and a disc.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Thanks Rob, I wanted him to see some of what you had done!

 

[clemsonfor]

Smoody in the yanmar forum says thats how he does his. I did my garden this way this year and plan to break some more of the sod in my fields to reclaim it to foodplots. use to be foodplot but let it go to grass and my disk is to light to do any good i would have to runover it like 4 times and that would take way to long so im going to do exactly as you describe, then use my disk with around 200lbs on top.

Also look at this post that was just up on top of one of the forums 2 days ago attachments maybe? The post has been around for some time but shows a member using it as a plow and in his foodpots.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/116316-various-boxblade-uses.html

-nate

 

[lakngulf]

I am sure if we look in wikipedia, under 3RRL, it will say Mr Boxblade

 

[clemsonfor]

uh it appears im an idiot:confused2:. I totally missed page 2 of this thread. Someone already posted the link i did as well as 3 the original poster and his own pics in this thread. Then i come along and post the exact same thing someone did 2 days ago, im not as stupid as that to post the same thing i just missed the second page at the time:laughing:

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Loose the box and it is a chisel plow it looks like to me. The supporting photos posted convinced me that it is a good solution. How many points have you ever seen worn out.

 

[lakngulf]

Don't beat yourself up Clemson' I think your link is different from the one referenced earlier. I am glad to have all the box blade stuff in one place.

 

[3RRL]

Yeah Nate,
That link you posted is another thread that describes other uses for the boxblade.
So it is a good thing you posted it anyway. Regarding wearing out the scarifiers and tips, I have mangled 1 set (7 on my 7' boxblade) of scarifiers and busted them off or bent them. Lesson is never make a turn with the scarifiers down in the ground. The can't take as much sideways load as going straight forward. On top of that, I've worn out the tips on my 2nd set and replaced them. You can get replacement shanks and/or tips very reasonable at ASC (Agri-Supply).
Scarifier Shanks, 4 Hole
They have shorter ones for less $$ and replacement tips too, but I couldn't find it in that link. I saw them in their monthly mailer they send me.

I have also worn out one blade and had to flip it over.
I'm about ready to get a new blade since the flip side is worn too. I've done a lot of work on my boxblade to make it sort of custom and easier to use...more versatile. If you haven't seen this old thread, it shows some of the improvements I did to it.
Gear Driven Hydraulic Scarifiers on Boxblade
I checked the thread and the photos still come up.
Rob-