BHD, thanks for that info and to each of you.
I did buy a 10 foot box blade two Saturdays back, long trip but the price was worth it (in Texas would have been trip to mail box per my sister). Boy what has happened to the price of hydraulic hoses? It was yesterday afternoon before had chance to test it.
It certainly is not same as my using 3 pth one. But you do not set it and forget it either. It does have hydraulic tilt (can lower or raise the right end by about 4 inches I think) which I like but may need to get some spaces to limit the tilt amount.
Working on pond banks which means turning corners and of course it travels as a trailer which means the outside corners are easy to miss. It does extend at least a foot past rear wheels with drawbar centered and will be offsetting it for not so much the corners as to not have tractor tire on edge of the water when make straight runs. It is not the big commercial box blades I have seen for years, but it will hold a lot of dirt. If much easier to pull a lot compared to my 3pth box blade and yes it did a much better job leaving a smooth cut due to the blade not being on the hitch. How ever it does not grade such as a slope or gently grade changes, you use the lift for that. OK I knew that before I bought the blade but still did not think on that due to watching how near the water I was, do I have the tilt correct (have a crown on the slopes so had to change the tilt depending on which side of the crown was on), how deep it was cutting, tree limbs (realized they needed trimming first) and the joy of watching it work. It does not have scarifiers and it did slide on some real thick grass and if it sat down on large piece of wood of course would just ride it and not cut. I used it with my JD 5525 with four wheel drive and it had no issue pulling it other than when I hit one area where was cutting way too much (about 4 inches). The work at our pond is not completed but after an hour or so of beginner with it thought, maybe should have really tried harder to find one to rent. Can see it being for sale in not to far away (have two other jobs for it) or the one tool I keep and loan. Did hang it up on a solid stump near one of the sides and it had no problem holding onto the stump and stopping the tractor. Not a big deal once you realize it but if cutting on a slope and you have the rear wheels up, it will run down the slope which can work in your favor if working on slope near water it allows tractor to be further up the slope. Lower the wheels and they will tract back up the slope. Same can happen on flat area with one end cutting (tilted blade) and the other clear. Oh even without scarifiers it took out small tree roots very good. Did not hit any larges one. The blade has sharper angle more like a knife angle to cut than my 3pth blade does. Based upon my limited experience really like it, see it being much faster than the 3pth blade which I think is 7 feet but it is deeper with higher sides and it is smoother again due to the design. I realize it is not a tool most need. I have a Kubota
M6800 with 2 wheel drive and think it would handle it for reasonable cutting but it only has one remote which means the tilt has to be set and forgotten.
You all know this, there is a blessing in turning dirt. Fresh turn dirt is a beautiful sight. One too many have never seen much less have the joy of. Maybe cause we are made from it and our body will return to it. Let this granddaddy offer a suggestion, share the joy with your children, grandchildren, great grands while you can. Joyful Memories are the best of anything we can build.
