Box Scraper Box Blade....Draft or Position?

[TNhobbyfarmer]

I have a project that is going to require quite a bit of box blade work. I have a question. Do you guys use your boxes in draft or position control? Are there pros and cons of each?

 

[greg_g]

I use both, depending upon the nature of the job at hand, and the consistency of the material I'm working. Position control for simple stuff like moving loose material around, filling holes, knocking down high spots, et cetera. But if the job requires going below level, a properly set draft control will automatically lift to the preset working height when the BB threatens to start working too deep. That can happen quickly if you've got the scarifiers down in soft material. For cases like that - especially working soft materials - think of it as depth control

//greg//

 

[3RRL]

I use mine primarily with position control and only use the draft control when I'm ripping a new area with the scarifiers down. Sometimes it's possible to cut without using the rippers, then I go to step 2.

Once that's done, I am constantly adjusting the hydraulic top link and hydraulic side links when cutting forward and bulldozing in reverse to get the shape, tilt and depth I desire. Since I try to control most of that cutting, my draft requirement is negligible during those times.

Once I have the cut established, I use the position control again to drag the box lightly over those surfaces to make the surface(s) uniform. After that I set the top link until I get the desired smoothness I want so I can let the weight of the box down on the surface but without cutting again.

 

[john_bud]

If you are using the scarifiers, then the draft control will help keep you from bogging down. If you are just dragging it around, smoothing and leveling then position is all you need.

3RRL's post is a good overview. There are other posts with some detailed hints and tips that may help you some too. Best advice is just to go after it and make some small adjustments on the attack angle (nose down or nose up) by using the top link. Keep adjusting until you get a feel for what the response is for changes in the attack angle.

jb