Blades on a box blade

[crazyal]

I never checked the blades on my grading scraper to see if they had any sort of bow to them. I doubt you will notice it. When smoothing out my drive I always finish off with back dragging with the loader bucket flat to help pack down the gravel. My loader bucket has at least a 1/4" worth of bow to it and it's never bothered me in the least.

 

[EverythingAttachments]

If I did anything to it I would use a couple of flat washers to shim it close enough. Then tighten it down and start using it. I would agree with others that this is a minor issue though and nothing to be concerned about.

If you are new to using box blades understand that it takes seat time to be proficient with them. Do not think for a minute that this warping will cause any problems with grading. With practice and patience a box blade can achieve good results +/- .25 inch.

Here is a picture from a few years ago where I graded a small field +/- .50 inch, specs called for +/- 1 1/4 inch.

Nice work!
Travis

 

[EverythingAttachments]

Thanks for posting the additional pics catman8. So with the cutters bolted on solid, the edge of each is now arched?

I was at the Farm store today and they happened to have a BB laying on it's face so I snapped a couple pics.

I like these pics. It gives me a good opportunity to point out some structural differences.
The first thing that catches my eye is no bracing on the piece of angle iron. Yes, after looking, angle iron is the second thing.

The front cutting edge and what it's bolted to is the highest stress point of all on the box blade. Rather than welding a piece of angle iron to the bottom of a flat piece of steel which is the moldboard on the yellow box blade, our front moldboard is one solid, formed piece. The moldboard, tabs and holes are cut with the laser and formed in our press brake.

Here is the 60" EA 30-70 Box Blade(catman's) front moldboard:

Now that the front is taken care of and extremely strong and rigid, the rear piece of flat steel is added and triangular braces are welded in between, which creates the durable attachment point for the back cutting edge. Not a single one bent to date.

Catman and I exchanged PMs yesterday and it seems as if he is satisfied with the outcome after hearing multiple opinions of the situation. We are on good terms and neither believes the other was(or is) out to get the other!

I was thinking of something else, and i'll think it out loud for a moment. The bottom of the box blade looks totally flat here on the pallet:

Is it the location of the straight edge that makes it look worse. Is the angle of the straight edge totally relevant to the position of the piece when it is lying flat on the ground?
It is hard to imagine without actually being hands on with one minus cutting edges.

I'm not entirely excusing the minor bow, but I do think it is well within tolerance. There's way more to our box blades than meets the eye. I've only covered the moldboard so far!
Travis

 

[RNeumann]

I like these pics. It gives me a good opportunity to point out some structural differences.
The first thing that catches my eye is no bracing on the piece of angle iron. Yes, after looking, angle iron is the second thing.

The front cutting edge and what it's bolted to is the highest stress point of all on the box blade. Rather than welding a piece of angle iron to the bottom of a flat piece of steel which is the moldboard on the yellow box blade, our front moldboard is one solid, formed piece. The moldboard, tabs and holes are cut with the laser and formed in our press brake.

Here is the 60" EA 30-70 Box Blade(catman's) front moldboard:
View attachment 497415

Now that the front is taken care of and extremely strong and rigid, the rear piece of flat steel is added and triangular braces are welded in between, which creates the durable attachment point for the back cutting edge. Not a single one bent to date.

Catman and I exchanged PMs yesterday and it seems as if he is satisfied with the outcome after hearing multiple opinions of the situation. We are on good terms and neither believes the other was(or is) out to get the other!

I was thinking of something else, and i'll think it out loud for a moment. The bottom of the box blade looks totally flat here on the pallet:
View attachment 497416

Is it the location of the straight edge that makes it look worse. Is the angle of the straight edge totally relevant to the position of the piece when it is lying flat on the ground?
It is hard to imagine without actually being hands on with one minus cutting edges.

View attachment 497417

I'm not entirely excusing the minor bow, but I do think it is well within tolerance. There's way more to our box blades than meets the eye. I've only covered the moldboard so far!
Travis

"Well within tolerance" .......bummer. Crooked top brace and this......no EA for me.

 

[EverythingAttachments]

"Well within tolerance" .......bummer. Crooked top brace and this......no EA for me.

Thanks for your continued pleasant comments regarding our company. Have a blessed weekend sir.
Travis

 

[Ford850]

These are some good pictures. To me, it appears there is a 1/8" bow to the flat surface of the rear blade mount. After mounting the blade and setting the box blade flat, that should equate to 1/16" bow (both edges touching and 1/16" gap in the center). That's all that matters is how flat it sits on the ground, not the bow at a 45* angle.

 

[RNeumann]

Thanks for your continued pleasant comments regarding our company. Have a blessed weekend sir.
Travis

I call um like I see um and I can't make comments like this anymore-

Box Scraper / BoxBlade Choices?

TractorByNet.com - Compact Tractor Forum

 

[EverythingAttachments]

I call um like I see um and I can't make comments like this anymore-

Box Scraper / BoxBlade Choices?

TractorByNet.com - Compact Tractor Forum

The link doesn't work, but I know the recommendation you're talking about and appreciate your recommending our box blades before this fatal mistake. Yes, I read TBN constantly.

I admitted that we are not beyond making mistakes. Show me a manufacturer that has never made one please...pretty please.

You see, what makes us different is we ship directly to the customer. No dealers or distributors handling it in between.
No dealers or distributors answering to our customer's concerns or dealing with our customer's problems.

Usually, who hears of the mistakes we make, which are really at a minimum, is US and TBN.

WE make the best of it and resolve it properly no matter what it is and where it shows up.
Travis

 

[RNeumann]

It's not a fatal mistake. It's a disappointing response. We all make mistakes- it's how we recover. Instead of saying EA blew it on that one and will make it right you instead say it's within spec. Straight would have been right- we both know that BB isn't right.
Sounds like some on here wouldn't notice and or wouldn't care. But for the buyer who does notice and or is concerned, hearing that's within spec (aka normal) is a bummer.

 

[kthompson]

If the blade would wear in quickly it would also wear out quickly too. In my past life with tractors and box blades level was by eye and close enough. Now with laser and machine control accuracy tolerance is a bit tighter and there are adjustments you can make for blade wear. Nothing I would loose sleep over though.

I totally agree, from a person who has never been on site with laser levels being used, just how is the blade on the machine with laser controlled? Is it control by hand on a 3pth lever? If so that operator has one great control. It is my "impression" those machines are controlled by computer directed by the laser. Could be totally wrong. I find it hard to believe a blade of ANY type or precision on a 3 pth hitch unless the device has it's own controls would ever be adjusted in real time to keep it level side to side and the correct height as the tractor tracks across un-level ground itself. I really find it hard to believe the rear tires on many tractors are that true to round to give such accuracy unless there is a computer controlling the blade. I know when I pull my tractors onto pave roads there is almost always a spot that goes bump. Then I am running ag tires on my two larger but would not trust the loader tires to be that accurate either on my small tractor.

That being said please understand I think it is very proper for the OP to ask the questions he has. He has done so very tastefully. At same time think Travis with EA has done the same and has impressed me with being so candid.

jenkinsph I see where you held the grade to plus or minus .50 inch what I do not see is that was for how long a distance? In the grading business is the a standard length to hold that grade?

 

[RNeumann]

On the typical jobsite you would establish grade and then go from there. Depending on soil type etc you would continue to check grade as you went- this could go on indefinitely. From my experience motor graders don't get involved until you are over a few acre project.
As far as fine control- we do most of that with a hydraulic top link. It would take someone with more skill to get that type of precision with just the tractor 3pt height control.

 

[kthompson]

I worked for years in quality control for a world leader in it's product line of a certain type heavy machine. Our products were bought and used by large private companies in the USA and many foreign countries and by at least the USA Air Force and the US Marines. There is tolerances in anything man made, period! Do not care the industry or products. There is tolerance even in medical test run by the best of testing methods and machines and the best hospitals and labs. We know there are tolerances in the air and water to be called safe whether you agree with them or not. Man has never been able to make perfect anything on any production level to be reasonable in price. Some tolerances are industry standards while some or what that manufacture determines to be acceptable. Have no idea there is any industry wide standards that apply to a box blade but doubt it so would say it is per the manufacturer to determine what is acceptable depending on the use of what is being made. That is one big reason the brand is so important, it speaks to how well they control the product they build.

I never had any business nor personal relationship with EA or Travis nor a product of theirs.

 

[Catman8]

I like these pics. It gives me a good opportunity to point out some structural differences.
The first thing that catches my eye is no bracing on the piece of angle iron. Yes, after looking, angle iron is the second thing.

The front cutting edge and what it's bolted to is the highest stress point of all on the box blade. Rather than welding a piece of angle iron to the bottom of a flat piece of steel which is the moldboard on the yellow box blade, our front moldboard is one solid, formed piece. The moldboard, tabs and holes are cut with the laser and formed in our press brake.

Here is the 60" EA 30-70 Box Blade(catman's) front moldboard:
View attachment 497415

Now that the front is taken care of and extremely strong and rigid, the rear piece of flat steel is added and triangular braces are welded in between, which creates the durable attachment point for the back cutting edge. Not a single one bent to date.

Catman and I exchanged PMs yesterday and it seems as if he is satisfied with the outcome after hearing multiple opinions of the situation. We are on good terms and neither believes the other was(or is) out to get the other!

I was thinking of something else, and i'll think it out loud for a moment. The bottom of the box blade looks totally flat here on the pallet:
View attachment 497416

Is it the location of the straight edge that makes it look worse. Is the angle of the straight edge totally relevant to the position of the piece when it is lying flat on the ground?
It is hard to imagine without actually being hands on with one minus cutting edges.

View attachment 497417

I'm not entirely excusing the minor bow, but I do think it is well within tolerance. There's way more to our box blades than meets the eye. I've only covered the moldboard so far!
Travis

Travis, when you say the edge that's sitting on the pallet looks straight, that edge is irrelevant. What matters is the flat area where the blade mounts, if that surface is not flat across the intire length it will bow the blade resulting in a cutting edge that's not flat. I will agree with you that EA design is nice, and the reinforcing shows that, the steel you use is top notch and the welds are beautiful.

I think the question we all want to know is there a way to weld your box blade together to alleviate the area that the blade affixes too from warping when you weld it. I think that area is critical to keeping the blade flat. If EA thinks this area being bowed is within tolerance and it's bending the blade where you no longer have a straight edge, that can't possibly be within tolerance. If you went into a hardware store and bought a framing square you would expect it to be square. We are all humans and we do make mistakes and we all heard the saying you must of got that one build on a Friday at 5:00pm :drink: Travis, is it possible to keep that area flat or is there just to many welds to keep that from warping.

 

[EverythingAttachments]

Travis, when you say the edge that's sitting on the pallet looks straight, that edge is irrelevant. What matters is the flat area where the blade mounts, if that surface is not flat across the intire length it will bow the blade resulting in a cutting edge that's not flat. I will agree with you that EA design is nice, and the reinforcing shows that, the steel you use is top notch and the welds are beautiful.

I think the question we all want to know is there a way to weld your box blade together to alleviate the area that the blade affixes too from warping when you weld it. I think that area is critical to keeping the blade flat. If EA thinks this area being bowed is within tolerance and it's bending the blade where you no longer have a straight edge, that can't possibly be within tolerance. If you went into a hardware store and bought a framing square you would expect it to be square. We are all humans and we do make mistakes and we all heard the saying you must of got that one build on a Friday at 5:00pm :drink: Travis, is it possible to keep that area flat or is there just to many welds to keep that from warping.

I am curious to see the box, cutting edges installed, sitting on a level surface just as everyone see one on a dealers lot, showroom floor, aerospace museum and/or tractor show.

Travis

 

[Deere Dude]

If I was the OP I would just forget it and move on. After such a nice paint job anything that would be done now will just mess the paint up. I don't know if the blade will ever see dirt, but after a couple runs through a dirt pile he will never notice the difference.

I bought a Frontier medium duty box blade and never checked the straightness of the blade before I used it and after hitting a few rocks and a sub-surface tree stump it doesn't matter anymore. But it still works just fine.

 

[Catman8]

I just want to see it on a flat surface. I am tired of splitting hairs.

I will gladly have the box blade picked up and returned to NC from CA.
Thousands of EA box blades across the US. Years worth & this is the best story yet.

Travis, OUT.

Travis, I just asked you some technical questions about fabrication and this is the response you gave me, come on man. Of course I'm not going to send this box blade back to NC after I had it powder coated. This forum is about learning and no one is trashing your product. You are a small company and all small companies go through growing pains, always developing, always improving. Making your product straighter and improving features is a sign of a developing successful company, you don't think woods or any other company dident go through the same growing pains. So don't take things personal, I'm sure I will buy other attachments from you in the future. It's all good :thumbsup: oh by the way I'm still interested if you can answer those questions I asked earlier. I will try to mount the blades but finding a flat surface ain't going to happen, a good level is about as straight as your going to find.

 

[Ford850]

Holy moly, 78 posts arguing over how straight a box blade edge should be, and we still haven't seen a picture of the blade on the ground. Catman8, to be fair to any equipment manufacturer, you can't compare the tolerances of a builders square to a box blade. Unless you plan to frame structures with that box blade.
Put the blade on it and see how close to 'flat' the blade sits on the ground. Then go move some dirt and enjoy it. :thumbsup:

 

[RNeumann]

The be fair to the OP (who has sent us about 10 photos) we also haven't seen others photos of their NEW BBs that have a crooked top brace and the cutting edge brace welded 1/4" out of square. You could be the first though!

 

[Catman8]

The be fair to the OP (who has sent us about 10 photos) we also haven't seen others photos of their NEW BBs that have a crooked top brace and the cutting edge brace welded 1/4" out of square. You could be the first though!

 

[ovrszd]

Ouch, that left a mark.