Box Blade vs. Rear Blade

[Perplexed]

I was looking through the various threads here and in online sales catalogs, but I'm not certain of the answer. If I'm looking for an implement that will see double duty for moving and leveling out dirt across small patches of land (say, 10-30' x 10' in spots) in the summer and for plowing snow off a 150-yard paved driveway in the winter, which would be better - a box blade or a rear blade? I believe the box blade is better for moving and leveling dirt, but the rear blade, by virtue of its angle settings, would be better for plowing snow along the long stretch of the driveway (and the dead-end street, since the county never makes it there). If you had to pick one to do both tasks, which would it be and why? Thanks!

 

[duckhunter27]

I have both and i use both but if i had to choose to do the things you are saying i would go with the rear blade. You will get differant answers as everyone has their own pref. you need to think about what will work best for you and then make the call , you never said if you have a FEL which makes alittle dif also.

 

[nybirdman]

I have both also;they have their own uses.I use the rear blade more but the box blade is more versatile.If I had to own only one it would be a heavy duty rear blade with power angle and tilt.Box blades are great for road work and leveling,I use the rear blade mostly for snow removal along with a FEL mounted front blade.

 

[Perplexed]

Thanks for the responses thus far. I do have a FEL, and I will probably end up with both a box blade and a rear blade at some point. However, I'm watching my budget for the next year or two, so I was wondering which would be more useful for that period of time. Box blades cannot be angled around the vertical axis the same way a rear blade can be, right?

 

[spruce Deere]

A box blade cannot be angled like a rear blade, not to say some one has NOT done that yet...

I too, have both box blade and rear blade. Had the rear blade for years before the box for same reason as you, a budget.

If I needed to move/level some dirt, I would just use the back blade with a 3 foot hunk of rail road track chained to it. That in combo with the tiller in certain situations, I got by without the box blade.... Took more time but I managed.

The box blade is like having a tiller and rear blade, rail road track all together in one, just not completely dividable. I LIKE the box blade alot

So from my experience altogether with plowing snow on longish stretches also, I would go with the rear blade. They tend to be a little less than box blades also

 

[LD1]

Start with the rear blade. They are cheaper. Good deals can be found on c-list for under $200. If you find yourself wanting more after you have used the rear blade for awhile, then get a boxblade then:thumbsup:

 

[Car Doc]

I am with these guys get a back blade first least you can move snow with it and they are cheap thats a plus.

As far as box blades go I wish now I had bought a grader blade instead of a box blade because of the angled cutters inside them.

I have found the box blade is decent for leveling but an angled blade would be better I think anyway. ymmv

 

[Soundguy]

I was looking through the various threads here and in online sales catalogs, but I'm not certain of the answer. If I'm looking for an implement that will see double duty for moving and leveling out dirt across small patches of land (say, 10-30' x 10' in spots) in the summer and for plowing snow off a 150-yard paved driveway in the winter, which would be better - a box blade or a rear blade? I believe the box blade is better for moving and leveling dirt, but the rear blade, by virtue of its angle settings, would be better for plowing snow along the long stretch of the driveway (and the dead-end street, since the county never makes it there). If you had to pick one to do both tasks, which would it be and why? Thanks!

box blades dig and drag/move dirt good.

angle blades clear driveways of snow and blade up rock and gravel. not alot of overlap so that one would do the job of both. dragging dirt with anangle blade makes it spill out the sides.

blading snow off a driveway with a box means you are making repetitive pushes fromthe rear.. not a great setup at all.. leads to bent lift arms and a kink int he neck and a worn out clutch or tired knee on a treadle peddle..

the angle blades are usually much cheaper than a box.. I'd get both.. even if I had to get medium duy to afford both.

soundguy

 

[HCJtractor]

I would disagree that a box cost more than a blade. In my opinion most box blades are pretty similar, and they are pretty bombproof. I have pulled a fairly cheap box that is rated for a 30 horse tractor with my 70 horse and it works fine. It was pretty cheap (don't recall the exact price, but I think under a grand) A good wide rear blade for my tractor that has good features easily costs over two grand. I think horsepower ratings are more important for a blade than a box. In other words, I think pulling a under-rated blade with a too big tractor is much more likely to damage the blade than it would pulling a box. Also, a good blade has to be wider by a couple of feet than a box, and ideally it should have hydraulic controls. THis adds to the cost.

So I bought a cheap box and use it alot with no problems. Some day I am going to get a nice rear blade but it will be triple the cost. Obviously a box is made to move dirt. You can do some finish grading with it but it is primitive. A good hydraulic blade would be far superior and easier to use for good finish grading. In the meantime, I will continue dragging my box blade wishing I had a rear blade.

I never plow snow, but I think a box would be fairly worthless for that, as compared to a blade. I would be afraid of tearing up my drive if it was paved.

 

[jenkinsph]

I agree with Soundguy get both new or used.

These are different tools for different uses and applications, neither is better than the other.

 

[Soundguy]

HCJ, i think you have your prices askew.. at least down here.... a cheap box around here, new, is 250$.. a same sized angle blade is about 150$// as you approach 1000$ you no longer get to call them cheap.. they are getting into the heavy-medium duty and heavy duty. the cheap ones can be folde dup behing my antique 30 and 45hp machiens. I know.. I've done it. no way I'd put my 200$ 5' blade behing my 70hp ford 5000.. it wouldn't last the moment it hit the ground and I let the clutch out... it'd fold in half at the back or the arms would pull off it.


soundguy

 

[jenkinsph]

I would disagree that a box cost more than a blade. In my opinion most box blades are pretty similar, and they are pretty bombproof. I have pulled a fairly cheap box that is rated for a 30 horse tractor with my 70 horse and it works fine. It was pretty cheap (don't recall the exact price, but I think under a grand) A good wide rear blade for my tractor that has good features easily costs over two grand. I think horsepower ratings are more important for a blade than a box. In other words, I think pulling a under-rated blade with a too big tractor is much more likely to damage the blade than it would pulling a box. Also, a good blade has to be wider by a couple of feet than a box, and ideally it should have hydraulic controls. THis adds to the cost.

So I bought a cheap box and use it alot with no problems. Some day I am going to get a nice rear blade but it will be triple the cost. Obviously a box is made to move dirt. You can do some finish grading with it but it is primitive. A good hydraulic blade would be far superior and easier to use for good finish grading. In the meantime, I will continue dragging my box blade wishing I had a rear blade.

I never plow snow, but I think a box would be fairly worthless for that, as compared to a blade. I would be afraid of tearing up my drive if it was paved.

I can go along with alot of your explanations above but a good box blade or good rearblade can both cost several thousand dollars. Just depends on needs and means.

 

[Soundguy]

i'm guessing he don't need 5000$ of blades. probably 600$ of used ones be fine...

soundguy

 

[JIGBUILDER]

I have both and prefere the box blade for moving deep snow over the angle blade. My gravel drive way is a 1/4 mile long. I found the back blade pretty useless in snow thats deeper than the blade. About the only thing I use my angle blade is for moving gravel back to the middle of the driveway. Then hook up the BB tilt the back of it down so the rear blade drags/spreads the gravel out level without digging in.

I would get a BB first as I can do much more with it than a angle blade.

 

[Kiotikarl]

I have a 6 foot BB on my CK30, and use it for both grading and snow-plowing. Presently making a 3pt skid-steer hitch to hook up the BB to my FEL.

 

[wade simpson]

I have both and prefere the box blade for moving deep snow over the angle blade. My gravel drive way is a 1/4 mile long. I found the back blade pretty useless in snow thats deeper than the blade. About the only thing I use my angle blade is for moving gravel back to the middle of the driveway. Then hook up the BB tilt the back of it down so the rear blade drags/spreads the gravel out level without digging in.

I would get a BB first as I can do much more with it than a angle blade.

I agree with this. I have a dirt road approx a 1/4 mi long and I had a really tough time moving deep heavy snow with the blade , the box would break it up and move it around until I could push it with the FEL. The blade was great once the snow was broken up and reduced in depth. The biggest problem I had with the blade was it would skew the whole tractor sideways when it got really loaded up with heavy snow and the blade was at its max angle.

I reconstructed my road last year with the blade and it worked great. It's the only tool I have that can dig a ditch and move the dirt to the middle of the road. The box is great at loosing and smoothing the dirt.

If I could only have one..it would really depend on what would be the tools main job. A good blade will do most of what a box will, with a little practise.

 

[crazyal]

I think I would go with a rear blade first. Like others have said they usually are cheaper. Also before buying a box blade I would read up on grading scrapers. Also watch some youtube videos of each. Because the box blade and scraper cost more you'll want to take your time and pick out what's going to work best for you.

 

[BoFuller]

I could only afford one to begin with and the salesman convinced me it needed to be the box scrapper. I bought remote land and had to make a driveway about 1/4 mile long. The box works great, and I won't be plowing any snow (at least not for awhile). Depends mostly on what you use it for.

 

[crazyal]

I could only afford one to begin with and the salesman convinced me it needed to be the box scrapper. I bought remote land and had to make a driveway about 1/4 mile long. The box works great, and I won't be plowing any snow (at least not for awhile). Depends mostly on what you use it for.

They way I was told by the dealer was that the box blade was the tool to build a road, everything else would be slower. But the grader worked better for upkeep. The grader and rear blade can't move the dirt the box can. He also said the box blade required more technique to get a finished product. The grader you just pull and it floats so the only adjustment is the blade height. Each one has some overlap but they also have a place where they shine the best.

 

[KWentling]

OK. This is from a guy that only has a rear blade, so take it for what it's worth, but I wouldn't trade it for a box blade. Ever. And I have used a Westendorf 10' box a little. A rear blade can have wings added to the ends of the blade so it will carry dirt much like a box blade. Most of the bigger blades have this as an option. It would be pretty easy to add that feature to any blade. Some just flip up out of the way when you don't need them. My 8' Leon has provisions for bolt on wings. I can't see how a box blade could be better for road building than a rear blade. To cut a ditch with a rear blade, you angle and tilt the blade to pull dirt from the bottom of the ditch and deposit it on the road surface. All in one pass, though it will probably take multiple passes to get the depth needed on a new road. Then get up on the road surface and spread it. In snow, you need speed to keep the snow moving. Sometimes you have to go back and make two passes to get what makes it over the top. There is a depth limit to what you can blade though. I have a blower now so I don't blade snow much. One MUST have (in my opinion) accessory for a rear blade is a tail gage wheel. Makes it SO much easier to get nice smooth surfaces. In my opinion, a rear blade is just much more versatile.

Kim