Box scraper vs. rear blade for this type of road work

[letthegoodpinesroll]

I am buying a YT359C and have about 1.5 miles of forested, steep, hilly dirt road to maintain in the summer and winter. I will be creating a lot of in-slopes, and widening/improving in many areas and will likely cut a few new roads in as well. With that said, I am trying to figure out what attachments to order and have a box scraper with hydraulic rippers in mind as the primary road implement but someone suggested that a nice rear blade might be more valuable for a lot of the in-sloping, drain ditch and general leveling. While I don't have an unlimited budget, if I had to spend $6k on something that could really help me do some pro work on my road, I would spend the money.

It was also suggested to get a wheeled/hitched unit because the road has a lot of dips and humps that I would like to level. My neighbor has a standard box scraper that I can borrow if I go with the back blade.

Would love to get some feedback on the best attachment to invest in for this. Thanks for the help, looking forward to getting this road sloped and draining right.

 

[thclimer]

Each attachment will excel at specific function, that is why they were each designed and built.

Our driveway is only about 1,300 feet long and I started off with a box blade. In my opinion a box blade is well suited at moving lots of material and filling large dips or holes (8"-12" or deeper). I did initially have lots of material to move. My goal was to have smooth wash board free surface and the tool for that is a land plane. With both you can create a crown, but I would say with the land plane its easier. So now I have both. If I only could buy one for our driveway it would be a land plane. Also, once you have created a smooth road and it needs a little touch up the land plane is what I use.

 

[scaredychicken]

although my needs / use differ (about 300 ft, driveway, turnaround etc) the Box Blade has been great, for levelling and for breaking up ice, moving snow. I have a small tractor, and the box blade is only 54" wide. I thought about a rear blade as a future purchase, but now I think it would not add any value to my effort. If I find a used rear blade at a decent price I would probably buy it though.

For a long 1.5 mile driveway / road I think a large box blade would be great for maintenance. If you need to do some road building extra cut outs etc. it might be good to hire that out. Amazing what they can accomplish in a day.

 

[bearthebruce]

We have a half mile driveway with a 400 foot rise from the bottom to the top. Making and maintaining drainage ditches, keeping the drive crowned has been done with a back blade that can be heavily angled in several planes.

We use the box blade to move material to low spots and to drag the slag that flows down the mountain - back up top so we don't have to buy new stone each and every year. We bought stone 2 years ago and that was the first time in 6 years of owning the place.

What I wish we had, and we may add it soon, is rear remotes so we could put on a hydraulic top link and other links. Sure got the fat old man moving better with all the up and down to adjust the blade and such last year. But as I am getting older, would prefer to be lazy.

 

[PuffyC]

We have a 1000 ft drive and for road maintenance a land plane is the way to go (which I have) but there are times when I wish I also had a rear blade (which I’ll be buying soon). I’ve cut a few small dirt roads too. If you’re doing a lot of that you’ll probably want one with rippers - some have them and some don’t.

 

[BackRoad]

Mr. THClimer hit the nail on the head...

Box blade is great for roughing in the drive or fixing major foundational issues with the drive.

Back Blade is great for crown work, plowing snow, clearing ditches.

The Land Plane is perfect for maintenance and keeping the gravel smooth, crowned and fresh.

Once the drive is established, you'll seldom use the box blade...so borrow the neighbor's if you need to for now....but eventually you'll likely want one for other general dirt work.

If you're plowing snow, get the back blade. You'll find lots of other uses for it.

That said, I wouldn't trade off my land plane...it's perfect for fast, effective driveway maintenance.

The real magic comes from adding rear remotes along with a hydraulic top link and side link to your 3 point hitch. It will turn you into a driveway master wizard!

 

[MinnesotaMorg]

I am currently in this dilemma as well. I have about 500' of driveway and I plan on expanding my turnaround after my new garage is built. I'm thinking I go with the box blade so that I can actually move larger piles of crap to help build the turn around.

Maybe down the line in a few years ill get a land plane, but as someone who has just purchased his first tractor and has basically melted my brain trying to absorb years of knowledge and experience in just a few weeks. I gotta throw in the towel and just go with the box blade, every video and forum i've read basically says it's one of the top attachments. I think it's a good choice even if it's technically the wrong one.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

One of the secrets of grading, get the correct size and as heavy as you can afford that the tractor can handle at full capacity 90% of the time in your conditions.

My 2 cents, a LPGS (Land plane grading scraper) is by far the best road maintenance implement 99% of the time, it cut my maintenance time by more than half and I have over a mile of road to maintain.
I believe that the OP would be best off getting an 800 pound plus rear blade such as a Land Pride RBT35 or 40 series 96" wide or equivalent to start with. Simply because he needs to rough cut new areas as well as reshape existing parts of his road.

No doubt that a 1000lb box blade could be well used in this process, sort of why I have all 3.
I started out with a rear blade, then the box blade, then a landscape rake, then the LPGS, then upgraded the rear blade.

Each has it's intended use and is best at that. You can get by without all 3 or 4 if you want to consider a heavy landscape rake. If I could only have one, then it would be my LP RBT45108. 2nd implement without any doubts, a LPGS.

A top & tilt set is a HUGE benefit using some of these implements, if not all of them.

 

[airbiscuit]

A heavy duty rear blade with a GAUGE WHEEL.

Woods makes a dandy
Everything attachments has one
There may be others

 

[MinnesotaMorg]

get the correct size

For box blades it seems that they are rated by engine HP recommendations, that's simple enough. Get the biggest one that your tractor can tow right?

For Land plane - I'm not seeing any HP suggestions (at least on EA.com), I'm guessing since it doesn't carry nearly as much dirt as long as it matches your cat hookup you're good to go?

 

[oosik]

I have three implements that are used on my mile long gravel driveway. HD Rhino rear blade, Bush Hog ROBB and Land Pride LPGS.

I have found that there is no one implement that is best for everything. However - there IS one universal truth here. BUY HEAVY or be content with simply playing games.

The rear blade clears winter snow and clean the ditches. It is a learning process when used to maintain the crown. Forty plus years with a rear blade and I'm still learning. It just simply is not the easiest implement to use well. I've added a hydraulic top link and that helped a whole lot.

The ROBB( roll over box blade) is used to move material.

The LPGS( land plane grading scraper ) is used to repair pot holes and keep the surface smooth.

My LPGS and ROBB both have scarifiers. This is important for pothole repair, erosion, etc.

To the poster - I would be VERY CAREFUL about all your stated "in-slope"creations. The water MUST find an acceptable means of exiting the driven surface AND the road side ditching. Otherwise, you are simply creating muddy messes and more work for yourself.

Especially in hilly, mountainous terrain - a simple mistake and you could, quite easily, loose the entire road - at that spot.

That wheeled box blade might be a good implement for your use. I would also recommend a LPGS - once the road is in the condition you want.

Do you have winter snows to contend with. That's another completely separate situation.

Suggestion - what are others in your area doing about driveway maintenance and how do their driveways look.

 

[mikester]

A blade is nice for spreading. If I wanted only a single tool I'd probably go with a box blade with scarifier.

If you are doing a lot of ditches a hydraulic ditching V-blade works well.

 

[Egon]

Rear blade with gauge wheels.

If moving material is a priority the bucket will do it much better than a box blade.

 

[dj1701]

I have a box blade, but my new Grader scraper all the way.

Grader Scraper

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[SwingOak]

I have a Woods box scraper that really only gets used when I re-stone my driveway every few years. A hydraulic top link is really the key to efficient usage of a box scraper (and I don't have one yet), and there is a bit of a learning curve to using one properly. But once you figure out how to run it, it's a very effective tool. I've used it for everything from filling ruts and smoothing out part of my hay field to cleaning/reshaping drainage swales and leveling/smoothing dry lots.

That said, I would also like to have a grader which is clearly the better tool for road maintenance, but have a hard time justifying the cost for something I do only every 2-3 years.