Box Scraper box blade advice

[digger2]

Hey guys,
I'm new to the box blade world sooo.....
I have a B26 TLB Kubota.The rear track is 53" wide total.What width box blade would be best suited for this tractor?
digger2

 

[mboulais]

Hey guys,
I'm new to the box blade world sooo.....
I have a B26 TLB Kubota.The rear track is 53" wide total.What width box blade would be best suited for this tractor?
digger2

Is that a 26 hp machine? I bought a 6' boxblade for my 40hp machine and I think I could have gone bigger. I too am new to boxblades. I would say a 5' minimum to cover the full width of the tractor. I don't think you will be underpowered for that.

 

[skipmarcy]

I agree with Marcel, cover your track fully at least. My 6' boxblade will almost cover my tracks, wish I had a 7' though. The extra width would let me get in tighter when grading up close to something where you have to angle in to get to it and sweep out. With the 6' blade, the rear tire is mighty close or totally in the way at times. I've got my eye on a new boxblade at a small dealer here - much heavier than my Atlas and very reasonable price, will buy the 7' when I'm ready to buy. That's the other main factor with a boxblade - buy the heaviest one you can find/afford, the heavier they are, the better they work.

 

[MarkV]

A 5’ box has worked fine for years on my B21. The key to effective box blade work is weight so shop for the heaviest one you can afford.

MarkV

 

[jbrumberg]

digger2:

There have been many, many threads related to boxblades here at TBN. If you are inquisitive and/or bored do a search. The general "Rule of Thumb" is 1 foot per 5 HP, but a lot is dependent upon intended use, soil type and composition, tractor weight, and tire type. I agree with MarkV, heavier is better in the boxblade world and you definitely want a boxblade wider than your wheel width. I probably could have gone wider , but my heavy clay based, rocky, and rooted soil as well as manuverability were important issues for me. Jay

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

my BB is 66" wide so it covers my tire tracks. (tractor is 60" wide to the outside of the tires)
I also have a bracket on top of it to set buckets of concrete for added mass when I'm working with clay instead of just spreading gravel.
At the time I bought the tractor the BB was included, otherwise I'd probably have gone for a 6' one instead.

good luck

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I think in general it is thought to have a box blade as wide or maybe 6" wider than your tractor. Get as heavy as you can afford in the size that fits your tractor. Beefier the better. I have to disagree with the 5 horse power per foot rule for box blades. I have a 75hp tractor, there is no way in the world that I could pull a 15' wide box blade. I have an 81" wide 1000lb roll over Gannon box blade. It works very well for me, but even it will stop my 12,000lb tractor at times. A lot depends on what you are going to use it for. If you are going to only be moving fresh soft material, then you could get away with a lighter duty box. But if you are going to do any digging or ground ripping, then you are way better off with a heavy box.

Oh, to answer your question directly, 54"-60" wide is what I would look for.

Just my views, others will vary.

 

[2manyrocks]

For what it's worth, I went to an equipment auction last week where new 6' heavy box blades were selling for about $315-$325. It was sort of strange because the first new blade that sold was 7' and it brought $310.

 

[john_bud]

I have to disagree with the 5 horse power per foot rule for box blades. I have a 75hp tractor, there is no way in the world that I could pull a 15' wide box blade.


I have an 81" wide 1000lb roll over Gannon box blade. It works very well for me, but even it will stop my 12,000lb tractor at times.

Ha ha! I like that, 15' box blade!

Excellent point that even your larger sized tractor can be stopped dead by a 7' box. As you said, it alll depends on the soil, the tires and the weight/balance of the tractor.

For the original poster, don't go over 5' wide if you plan on doing any serious digging work with the box. (scarifiers down) The tractor will spin the tires or stall fairly often. If you are just spreading or smoothing, then you can go to 6'. If you can find a 5' box in the 600# range, that would be matched pretty well to your tractor.

Enjoy,
jb

 

[Old School]

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't more about the weight of the box blade then the length. You want the weight to get enough bite when you want it and the width wide enough to cover the rear tires. From what I've seen guys go wider to give them more weight. If they made a 1000 lbs 36" box blade it probably would stop a 40 hp 4x4 tractor.

 

[chuckhole]

I have a 5' Ag Products box blade on my Kubota L2800 4WD and if I make a mistake with it, it can stop my tractor. I guess it also dependes on how much material the box will hold while you are scraping and what the material is and if it is weighted by water as well. There have been times when my box was so full that my back tires were running into it.

I don't know if all box blades are double sided but I like to work mine in reverse. When reversing back over what I just scraped smooth, it seems to really get a level finish.

One thing is for sure, my BB serves me more as counterweight for the FEL so for that reason as well, get a HEAVY box blade.

 

[john_bud]

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't more about the weight of the box blade then the length. You want the weight to get enough bite when you want it and the width wide enough to cover the rear tires. From what I've seen guys go wider to give them more weight. If they made a 1000 lbs 36" box blade it probably would stop a 40 hp 4x4 tractor.

You are correct and also off a bit.

It is about the weight. For digging / smoothing you want the heaviest box you can afford that is 6-12" wider than the tractor tires. If you are just going to spread material, light duty boxes work out fine as long as they are strong enough to match the tractor. Some boxes are 6' and only 300# and they don't last too long.

A 1000# 36" box would dig nicely and a 40 hp would be able to pull it. Boxes get stopped when they hit roots, rocks or get overflowing full of material. The narrow heavy box can still hit roots and rocks, but can't hold much so it would pull easier.

Best thing to do with a box, is hook it up and start pulling!

jb

 

[N80]

There really aren't any hard fast rules about box blades as far as I am concerned. The reason is that 1) box blades are so versatile that the range of uses is almost endless and 2) the types of materials you use them on varies tremendously.

There is no reason to buy a heavy, expensive box blade for scraping loose soil or moving light materials. At the same time, a light flimsy one would be alost useless for serious terrain changing landscaping in clay or rocky soil.

Fortunately, even though there are no absolutes there are some basic ideas that will get you by for most typical jobs and they have already been mentioned here. Width: about the same as tire width or maybe a little more. Weight: as much as you can afford without going overboard. Horsepower: most tractors can handle a box blade about the same width as its tires but any tractor can be stopped by the right obstacle (stump) and any box blade can be mangled by a sufficiently powerful tractor.

 

[Old School]

Help me out here. I rented a box blade to use behind my JD950 and it worked relatively well considering my skill level of using one. I was considering buying one for my BX2200 like the KK, but I read how the KK designed for this size tractor apparently will bend. I'm surprised to hear. I haven't had any problems with my KK back blade I use with this tractor. Do I really need to spend an extra $150 for a heavier box? I plan on using it for moving gravel.

 

[jbrumberg]

When I was researching out box blades I looked long and hard at the KK line. I liked the prices, but I was not impressed with the quality of paint, steel thickness, nor welds at the time. Since that time KK came out with a HD line of box blades with hinged black plates. They are heavier and appear to be of higher quality. If I remember correctly they also have captured lower link pins which were an important criteria when I was looking at box blades. I also did not think hinged back box blades would meet my needs at the time. Jay

 

[N80]

I think there are a lot of people who have KK and similar Howse boxblades that are satisfied with what they have, but I agree with Jay. When it was time for me to buy one, the KK's on the lot at Tractor Supply just looked awful and I couldn't make myself do it, regardless of the good price.

I ended up with a Bush Hog 6 footer that I found for a good price. I found it quite telling when I was comparing the KK to the BH. The SBX720 (the one I got) is considered standard duty (a more manly way of saying light duty) and it is significantly more beefy in every aspect than the KK. It weighs more than the KK, the steel is thicker, the bracing is more substantial, the welds are excellent, it has captured lower hinge pins, paint was better, etc etc. Granted, it did cost a bit more but if the BH is a 'kight duty' then the KK has to be a 'light light duty'.

 

[jbrumberg]

N80:

Bush Hog and Land Pride (both "standard duty") were the other two brands I seriously considered. The Woods was the cheapest in my area (which is not saying much living in MA). I really think captured lower links are superior to non captured pins. Jay

 

[john_bud]

Captured pins !! Big thumbs up on that one!

If you are going to "just" move gravel, the cheap kk will be ok. That assumes that you don't have any large rocks, roots or stumps hiding in your path! But, if you are going to use it soley for spreading new layers of gravel on the driveway, it should be fine.

Should you stray from that application, you may find that other boxes are built more in line with more challanging tasks. Hey, it's your $$, spend it wisely. If you will never use the the extra beef of a heavier box....

jb

 

[3Jranch]

Hey, I have a John Deere 2550 and watched my X hook it up several times but for some reason I can't get the three point arms in close enough together to get both sides on. What am I doing wrong? What's the trick, Thanks

 

[Baby Grand]

Welcome to TBN, 3Jranch!
You have awaked ole Lazarus with this thread, but the information's still good, so why not?
To answer your question, there should be either a pair of pins or turnbuckles that allow you to adjust the distance between the 3 point arms. Until you figure out how to release the arms, you won't have much luck hitching up implements.