Spreading a dirt pile with box blade

TigerfaninAR · Jul 30, 2010

Need a couple dump truck loads of top soil but due to a few trees and an area that may be soft I don't think the dump truck will be able to help me spread as he unloads. So I'll have a couple piles of dirt but I only have a box blade, no FEL. I don't need to spread it far, maybe all of it within a 50X15 ft. area. Can I tackle this with a four ft box or is this like shooting an elephant with a bb gun?

beenthere · Jul 30, 2010

I can be done, but it will be by pushing or pulling rather than lifting and dumping.

Problem will be more with driving over the dumped dirt, and packing it down. Will need to work the edges of the piles first and plan ahead. Work it before it gets wet down with rain. I'd even throw a tarp over it to keep it dry if rain is threatening. Enjoy the seat time.

Thomas · Jul 30, 2010

As BT said...also try taking light bites to push/pull not to spin tires.

bdeboer · Jul 30, 2010

If you can back up the pile safely lower your boxblade and skim enough off from the top to fill the box blade as you drive forward from the pile. Raise it just enough when full, so that it does not keep filling. Drag the dirt to the area to fill and raise the box an 1" or whatever works empty the box blade. Then repeat. This also assumes that the arear is somewhat flat.

If you are trying to push fill over a bank drag the boxblade full of dirt to the edge and turn around push it over the side with back edge of the blade.

woodrr · Jul 31, 2010

TigerfaninAR said:
Need a couple dump truck loads of top soil but due to a few trees and an area that may be soft I don't think the dump truck will be able to help me spread as he unloads. So I'll have a couple piles of dirt but I only have a box blade, no FEL. I don't need to spread it far, maybe all of it within a 50X15 ft. area. Can I tackle this with a four ft box or is this like shooting an elephant with a bb gun?

if you get in a bind i can run over this weekend and help

i am in central ark also

TigerfaninAR · Jul 31, 2010

if you get in a bind i can run over this weekend and help

i am in central ark also

:drink:

two_bit_score · Jul 31, 2010

TigerfaninAR said:
Need a couple dump truck loads of top soil but due to a few trees and an area that may be soft I don't think the dump truck will be able to help me spread as he unloads. So I'll have a couple piles of dirt but I only have a box blade, no FEL. I don't need to spread it far, maybe all of it within a 50X15 ft. area. Can I tackle this with a four ft box or is this like shooting an elephant with a bb gun?

Mabe i'm wrong but isn't that one of the things a bb was designed for?

Have you looked at the video on bb's at everythingattachments.com?

radman1 · Jul 31, 2010

A FEL would make that job a snap. Knock down the pile with the loader so you can drive over it with the box blade and pull away. I would try to have the truck spread it out as much as possible so you can drive over it. In 50', he should be able to spread it out fairly well for you to use with boxblade. Just don't drive the tractor over the pile and get high centered. If he can't get too close to the area, still have him spread it a little nearby so you can drag it into the desired area. Before he comes back with the next load, have the first load spread out. Then he can drive on top of the previous dirt and dump/spread the 2nd load. Use the boxblade again and spread it out before the next load.

I built up my driveway with fill several years ago. Trucks came about every 10 minutes for 20 loads. Knocked down the piles with FEL and boxblade before the next truck could come. Each truck drove over the previous spread pile. They did a great job of packing my new road as it was being built. The Kubota 3710 got its work out that day and I could just keep up.