4 or 5' box blade

[Gary Fowler]

Nothing wrong with using the scarifiers to loosen up the hard soil, but you must not try for a full length dig on the first pass. Gradually work your way down by lowering them one or two notches at a time. My 6 foot box blade will stall my 70 HP tractor if it hits an immovable object underground when digging full depth.

So I would say go with the 5 foot one and then use the scarifiers a little bit at a time to work the ground to the depth that you need. Adjust the top link (lengthen it)so the blade has a bite. Remember that the more you lengthen the top link to get the blade angle, the more you pull the scarifiers out of the ground.

 

[Smoreau]

I have the Ls 4 ft box blade for mine with 3 drop down teeth and it works great. With the teeth down it will bring the traactor to a stop with the box tipped forward. Laying flat it has no problem at all in any ground I have used it in. Having the loader on the front helps a lot for traction. No loaded tires, for this tractor I strongly think its not worth the trouble. Larger tractors its a great idea. As for going to a 5ft box blade, I wish I bought that instead as the 4ft fills fast and the tractor has plenty of power and traction for it.

 

[CMV]

Ended up getting a 5' while at tractor dealer last weekend. He had 2 to choose from. One was really nice....525 lbs, 1/2" steel, welded gussets, heavier hardware, 5 teeth vs 4, etc. Other was an economy one similar to what you'd get for lowest cost at TSC. Talked with him and he was giving me a real good price on the heavier one. But he said I should probably go with the lighter one for my little tractor if I insisted on 5'. He said I'd run into difficulty with the heavier box full of dirt/gravel and be fighting power or traction limitations - even with teeth up.

Figure I can always add some weight to the lighter duty one, but can't really remove weight from the heavy one. Will see if I made a good choice or will regret not going with my gut and getting the much more substantial one for <$200 more....

 

[CMV]

Oh...and kind of related 3pt tightness question.....Do I want bush hog same or should it be looser on the arms? How much side-to-side movement should I have with it? I would assume I don't want it real tight like the box blade so it can budge a little if I get too close to something and sway a little while turning?

 

[jeff9366]

Box Blades optimally are slightly wider than tractor's rear tires.
If narrower, you cannot pull down the same "aisle" repeatedly because space for the rear tires is not cleared.

Weight is your friend in ground contact tasks.
Box Blades need to be 100 pounds weight per foot of width in order to cut soil well. (Construction Box Blades are 200 pounds per foot of width.)
Many 48" Box Blades are sold to newbies on basis of price. Often they do not cut, or cut 1/4" per draw. Sometimes they break. Only the heaviest 48" Box Blades approach 100 pounds per foot of width.

Moist soil cuts much easier than dry soil.

Learning to operate a Box Blade efficiently takes time.

A Box Blade is the implement most frequently employed as Three Point Hitch counterbalance to loader bucket loads.
A light Box Blades is not heavy enough to keep rear wheels securely on the ground during a max lift of dirt or other material with the loader bucket.

I trust you have functioning 4-WD.


Width of Rollover Box Blade in Photo 60"
Weight of Rollover Box Blade in Photo 630 pounds
Soil is pure sand at depth in the Photo.

 

[tcreeley]

How tight is fairly tight? Like lift it off the ground and you can move it left-right a few inches? a foot? or not at all?

I like some sway, not more than an inch. Too tight and you can get into one of those situations where one side is working against the other side. I respect my tractor's strength - and its ability to bust things! - I bent a lift arm once by forgetting lift my non 3 pt International single plow up and backed into a bank. One arm bent.

 

[fried1765]

I would look into heavying up your tractor to get traction for a 5' box. You could do it on a temporary basis if you dont want to load tires. -- Wheel weights and a load in the bucket.

Considering your location you might consider plain water in the tires. This would allow you to tailor ballast at whim. I do this on my Mahindra in VA. I only have to park it inside for 2 or 3 weeks a year because tubeless tires can handle light ice, from typical outdoor overnight exposure w/o damage.

In Montana....."consider plain water"?
I certainly do not think so!