scraper / earthmover

[Dozernut]

If you could get a 1" "scrape" in clay, yes it would take approximately the same effort. A box blade will float with the lay of the land and raise and lower with the hills and valleys. It will perform well in softer soils but try the same tool in clay and you are wasting your time, unless you rip first. Then it is a slow tedious process, moving only small amounts. This is where a dirt pan shines, but it takes a lot of power and traction to pull through clay.

 

[have_blue]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I understand your analogy but wouldn't it take the same effort to scrape 1" vs cutting 1"? )</font>

Cutting shallow, the dirt "breaks" or curls a lot more easily, and the ends of the blade aren't dragging as much as they are when cutting deeply.

 

[ScottAR]

And the resistance to loading 3yds of dirt is harder than 1yd +/- a box blade holds. The dirt at the cutting edge has to displace the dirt behind it in the pan. 2ft to 10ft depending on machine and point of the loading cycle.

Dirt in a box only has to displace the dirt above it maybe 18-24 inches worth till it rolls over to the front.

 

[CTyler]

I'd love to have the 6 foot 3 yard clam style scraper even if I could only put 2 yards in it. Right now I load the dump trailer with 2+ yards and carry a 1/2 yard in the bucket to move dirt. It works but stopping to connect/disconnect and load the trailer eats a up a lot of time.