Box blade vs draw bar scraper

[Dragonpharm]

Considering purchasing a box blade and found a draw bar scraper listed also. Trying to decide if it is worth the extra cost to go with the drawbar implement? My intended use would be to remove grass and level an area for a horse arena. After that initial use I'm not certain how much I would use either. The 3 point box blade would likely be more useful for driveway maintenance (1/4 mile white rock drive). I don't know if either implement would be helpful for pasture maintenance. My assumption is they shouldn't be needed except for the areas the horses really destroy.

The other consideration is which tractor I'd use. I have my Mahindra 1538 (40hp) and the old Massey 58hp. The Massey would probably be the only choice for the 6' drawbar scraper. Following the rough guide of 10hp per foot of scraper. The Massey is a big beast and would be a pain for driveway maintenance. The clutch on it gets old using for too long. The travel on it's clutch pedal is approximately a half mile, lol.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[mo1]

Is the "draw bar scraper" a wheeled, drawbar-drawn box scraper? If so, a box scraper is essentially a large box blade drawn by a drawbar and its height changed by a hydraulic cylinder and wheels vs. being a mounted 3 point implement. Most box scrapers are 8'-12' but somebody certainly could have an old or homemade one that is 6'. Box blades and box scrapers do well to level things, so they can be helpful for leveling out dips and washboards in gravel driveways. If it's only a 6' wide unit, I would probably go with the 3 point mounted box blade over a box scraper as it would be a lot more maneuverable. A box blade won't be very useful for pasture maintenance unless you need to level out dips and ruts.

Your Massey-Ferguson 165 is almost identical in size and not that different in power compared to my Deere 5075E, and like your Massey mine is a regular clutched gear drive 2WD open station unit. I have an old 6' box blade and with fluid-filled rear tires the tractor will fill up the box blade with loose dirt or gravel to overflowing and the tractor doesn't even know it's back there. I suspect your 40 HP Manhindra should be able to handle a 6' box blade fine on gravel if it has filled tires. If your Massey's clutch travel is excessively long, you may need to adjust it as there is supposed to be a certain amount of travel, not too much or too little, else the clutch won't operate properly.

 

[Dragonpharm]

This is the drawbar scraper.

 

[jyoutz]

This is the drawbar scraper.
View attachment 731348

That would be dandy for gravel road maintenance.

 

[mo1]

That is a drawn box scraper. Typically they are larger than 6' but your Massey in particular should handle this no problem.

 

[BackRoad]

That looks like an awesome implement! Looks like the left wheel has adjustment to allow crown to be added or to adjust the horizontal blade angle.

I'd look serious at that for providing more precision than a box blade could accomplish.

 

[Gee Ray]

I have looked at one of the pull type box blades. I think that the short wheel base transfers a lot of the whoopty dues to the 3 point box blade and the drawbar would minimize this transfer. For an arena this seams to be a good idea. And road work would be an easy chore.

 

[Dragonpharm]

The drawbar implement will cost quite a bit more than the box blade but might be worth it. I might not want to keep it if I don't keep the big tractor. Really do not have much use for the big tractor but since it's here I may as well find something for it to do.

 

[npalen]

Might suggest an implement that sort of "falls between" the 3PH box blade and the drawn box blade and that would be the 3PH box blade with the gauge wheels behind and with a hydraulic top link. I have used all three types and, can honestly say, that the gauge wheels make the box blade into a useful implement.

I've added a removable tongue to mine which converts it into a pull type making it it slightly more adept at leveling a large area but not quite as maneuverable in tight areas as the 3PH mode. The length of the tongue helps to smooth rough areas.

The 3PH box blade with gauge wheels shines because the 3PH can be left to float so that the blade doesn't follow the tractor undulations and the gauge wheels run on leveled dirt. The hydraulic top link provides depth control for fine cutting. Also, the additional weight of the gauge wheels provides cutting power in hard soil when needed on either type box blade.

 

[johnnyvol]

Might suggest an implement that sort of "falls between" the 3PH box blade and the drawn box blade and that would be the 3PH box blade with the gauge wheels behind and with a hydraulic top link. I have used all three types and, can honestly say, that the gauge wheels make the box blade into a useful implement.

I've added a removable tongue to mine which converts it into a pull type making it it slightly more adept at leveling a large area but not quite as maneuverable in tight areas as the 3PH mode. The length of the tongue helps to smooth rough areas.

The 3PH box blade with gauge wheels shines because the 3PH can be left to float so that the blade doesn't follow the tractor undulations and the gauge wheels run on leveled dirt. The hydraulic top link provides depth control for fine cutting. Also, the additional weight of the gauge wheels provides cutting power in hard soil when needed on either type box blade.

Do you have a photo of this? I've pondered doing something similar since I got a hydraulic top link.