Everything Attachments Box Blade Review

[firemech]

Must also agree that ground engaging implements will wear paint. I paint the bare spots on my blower at the end of each season, spray chain lube on my plow shears and discs; don't worry about my box blade and buckets as I use them so often the rust goes away in about 5 minutes. They are usually put away polished like a piece of chrome, with surface rust a few days later. My disc and plow are at least 50 years old (converted tow behinds) and show no sign of rusting out yet:thumbsup:

 

[Fallon]

Steel won't even stand up to that abuse longterm. Hence replaceable cutting & wear edges.

Dirt & rocks work just like a sandblaster, sandpaper or a grinder wheel. It will quickly ablate paint off wherever it makes contact & slowly remove steel.

 

[danisiri]

Thank you to those with friendly responses. It is good to know that paint wear is normally that quick. All the used box blades I have seen were coated in rust, but I thought there were just old.

I may put a coat of paint on those areas of concern when I put it up for the season.

 

[daugen]

Danisiri, I have the rear blade and rake from the same ETA HD family so am familiar with their paint jobs. I drove to ETA's site totally across NC to pick up my equipment so it wouldn't get wrecked in shipping. I give ETA a B on their paint jobs but an A for value. The paint is a little thin and they don't get into all the nooks and crannies as well as they should. My Land Pride attachments are all better finished with what seems like thicker paint. As well they should, they are a good bit more expensive. But no matter how thick the paint, if it touches the ground the paint is very quickly going to come off. Augers, plows, discs, box blades, doesn't matter.
Just consider those wear marks your Badges of Courage...hopefully every scrape is a good memory.

Personally I hate the look of rust, so I'm always spraying some preservative goop on things that look like they want to rust.
But think about a disc harrow. NO ONE repaints discs after use, or I sure have never seen it. Some implements are just meant to look "used". Even if they were just new. If the implement could talk I bet it would only be complaining from lack of use...have fun with your box blade.

 

[paulfun9]

Thank you to those with friendly responses. It is good to know that paint wear is normally that quick. All the used box blades I have seen were coated in rust, but I thought there were just old.

I may put a coat of paint on those areas of concern when I put it up for the season.

Yes giving it a quick touch up when you don't plan on using it for awhile is the best approach IMHO.
Don't be too hard on everyone here when we post something that might sound a little off. Remember it is sometimes hard to express ones emotion when posting and many of us (me included) forget about all those little icons we can use to help express ourselves without coming off as being rude.
For example if they were to have added this :confused2: or this to one of those posts you feel were rude would you have understood they were confused at why you were concerned in the first place and not trying to be rude.

 

[danisiri]

Yes giving it a quick touch up when you don't plan on using it for awhile is the best approach IMHO.
Don't be too hard on everyone here when we post something that might sound a little off. Remember it is sometimes hard to express ones emotion when posting and many of us (me included) forget about all those little icons we can use to help express ourselves without coming off as being rude.
For example if they were to have added this :confused2: or this to one of those posts you feel were rude would you have understood they were confused at why you were concerned in the first place and not trying to be rude.

Hehe. I understand. I am not sure if those emoticons would make it better or worse, lol. Tone is hard to discern through the written word, esp in the technological world we live in.

Maybe if that poster would have added t:licking: or I would have seen it as a joke.

 

[dudleydoright57]

The best way to take off rust is to drag it thou more dirt.

 

[WCarp]

I don't know what all was done during the job, but I would tend to expect a good paint job to last longer so I am surprised at your response. I don't have a box blade but after working with extremely rocky hard ground and hauling rocks, many large ones, with a six foot bucket on a 50 HP NH tractor for several hours, the bucket still looked surprisingly about new! I am one that likes my equipment to look reasonably good. Some people don't really care.

 

[daugen]

good resurrection of an old post.
My ETA Extreme rake got used extensively yesterday by my neighbor cleaning up hurricane storm mess
and he was very complimentary of its functionality. But....there are rust spots all over it, looks like leprosy...
Now it's three years old and sits under an open shed but at the edge so I'm sure it gets some rain and sun on it.
I expect the paint to be tired and weathered.
I do not expect leprosy.
:thumbdown:

parts that engage the soil should show the paint worn off.
Parts that don't engage the soil sure should not peel or rust within a few years.
Sure wouldn't accept that in our tractors...

 

[fried1765]

This is a short review on the Everything Attachments Category I & II Severe XTreme Duty Box Blade V1.0:

I called EA to get the correct sizing for my tractor. I wanted something heavy duty and EA had the best price for the quality versus my local dealers.

It took about two weeks for the implement to arrive at the FedEx freight hub. Pickup was quick and easy.

The box blade was attached to a wooden pallet in such a way that the forklift could place it in the bed of my truck sideways. I was grateful for that and it made tying it down easy.

The box blade is very heavy duty. The metal is thick. The welds are consistent. There was no rust anywhere.

I spent about two hours grading my driveway. The scarifier worked well to break up the packed material. The blades scraped and smoothed well.

The only disappointment was that the paint job inside the box is already wearing away. I had a few larger rocks get picked up and I guess that rubbed against that area. I hope it doesn't start to rust there.

Overall, I feel this was a good value for the weight and quality build. I would buy another implement from EA.

EDIT: Here are some pics of the paint wear. I was expecting wear elsewhere but I guess with the dirt rolling around in there it just wore that down in that spot. Maybe the paint was thinner there or something.

View attachment 424162View attachment 424163

"maybe the paint was thinner there or something"

You done broke the EA paint code!
EA does make great equipment, and they are apparently now using better quality paint.
Their paint issue is, that they use a VERY thin coat (save on paint cost) of that better quality paint (and no primer).
When it arrived, a non wear area of my rear blade actually had some visible raw steel as well.
There was no paint shipping damage.

 

[daugen]

they use a VERY thin coat (save on paint cost) of that better quality paint (and no primer).


Now ask yourself, don't most of us prime bare metal before we paint? And after, if possible, some thorough

degreasing and cleaning? Haven't we all heard from day one "it's all in the prep"?


It's manufacturing cost, plain and simple. You keep making your product "the best" and
it will soon lose any cost advantage. And then sales drop because if ETA costs the same as
Land Pride, who do you think will most folks consider the safe purchase?

I think we are all value shoppers. In my case I wanted to support a NC company.
And except for their paint jobs looking like leprosy the equipment works great.
and since I know how to paint, it's clearly time I did that.
Derust, clean, prime, and at least one top coat.
Now if ETA did all that, I bet it would add at least a hundred bucks per larger implement.

When I buy equipment from DR in Vermont, I know they set a very high paint spec.
even the noname Chinese engine they put on my lawn vac has a paint job most cars would appreciate.
The paint just looks thick. Durable. Ready for the weather.
And it's why they charge 30-50 percent more for the same Agrifab tiller, they add features, value and finish.

I'd prefer more UV resistance than extra bright shine...

Think about the corrosion guarantees now provided on most cars and trucks.
Unless we want our disc harrows to cost the same as a new Kia,
we can't hold implement makers to that standard.

there ought to be some kind of standard. Probably is...for nuclear reactor paint or some such, about
how long something shouldn't rust or substantially degrade while out in the weather.
If I want my barn shed to be wind rated I have to pay extra, which around here I sure do.
Now if they gave us the option to pay 200 bucks more for a paint job worthy of a new JD Ag tractor
for our implements, would we pay it?
Apparently many manufacturers think not.
and someone needs to provide to the low cost market.
Paint jobs sure aren't free.

 

[shooterdon]

duagen,

Not sure I agree with all you said. Wouldn't some sort of metal prep be required for any paint to adhere?

But I agree that most of us will not pay for a good paint job on an attachment if it adds $100 to a $600 item. I would rather see that expense in better steel or mechanical features.

 

[daugen]

Wouldn't some sort of metal prep be required for any paint to adhere?

absolutely, lots of it. The problem is when not enough is done and they spray a final coat
onto an inadequately cleaned/prepared surface. I like to use etching primer, do a fair amount of renovation work.
Now there are some paints that say primer is included. Ok.
I've had a foot long piece of paint sheet off a Land Pride mower hitch so I'm not picking on ETA.

 

[GrumpyJoe]

I'm gonna have to disagree with some of you on this one. This is my Woods BSS72. I've had it a few years and it's done its fair share of ground work. I do hose it down every so often. The only place I've lost any paint is up at the top link where it meets the quick hitch. I can't say anything bad about my Woods attachments.

 

[fried1765]

they use a VERY thin coat (save on paint cost) of that better quality paint (and no primer).


Now ask yourself, don't most of us prime bare metal before we paint? And after, if possible, some thorough

degreasing and cleaning? Haven't we all heard from day one "it's all in the prep"?


It's manufacturing cost, plain and simple. You keep making your product "the best" and
it will soon lose any cost advantage. And then sales drop because if ETA costs the same as
Land Pride, who do you think will most folks consider the safe purchase?

I think we are all value shoppers. In my case I wanted to support a NC company.
And except for their paint jobs looking like leprosy the equipment works great.
and since I know how to paint, it's clearly time I did that.
Derust, clean, prime, and at least one top coat.
Now if ETA did all that, I bet it would add at least a hundred bucks per larger implement.

When I buy equipment from DR in Vermont, I know they set a very high paint spec.
even the noname Chinese engine they put on my lawn vac has a paint job most cars would appreciate.
The paint just looks thick. Durable. Ready for the weather.
And it's why they charge 30-50 percent more for the same Agrifab tiller, they add features, value and finish.

I'd prefer more UV resistance than extra bright shine...

Think about the corrosion guarantees now provided on most cars and trucks.
Unless we want our disc harrows to cost the same as a new Kia,
we can't hold implement makers to that standard.

there ought to be some kind of standard. Probably is...for nuclear reactor paint or some such, about
how long something shouldn't rust or substantially degrade while out in the weather.
If I want my barn shed to be wind rated I have to pay extra, which around here I sure do.
Now if they gave us the option to pay 200 bucks more for a paint job worthy of a new JD Ag tractor
for our implements, would we pay it?
Apparently many manufacturers think not.
and someone needs to provide to the low cost market.
Paint jobs sure aren't free.

I know that EA claims that they now use a more expensive/better quality paint.
Certainly it would not cost "200 bucks more" to provide a thicker application of paint.
EA claims their paint costs $40 per gallon.
I would not want 5 gallons ($200) of paint on any implement.
If EA had used 2 quarts on my rear blade ($20) it would have been much better protected than with the one quart ($10) they actually used,
That extra quart would have been a 1.25% expense on an $800 retail item.

 

[Newby first timer]

The first time you hit any implement with dirt rocks or what ever. I do not care what they coat the implement with paint Galvanizing or what ever the coating is going to start being scrubbed off and exposing the metal under it. just like wet sanding something.

And if you use the implement a whole lot the metal will eventually start to thin.

If you look at equipment that works in the dirt a lot you will see how they actually weld Hard Facing on the Implement to build up the wear areas and help the implement last longer so they do not just sand it down to nothing and have to replace it.

Paint will only hold up so long. And if you want a perfectly painted Implement go buy some paint and paint it after every use.

Tractors are built to work hard and when you work them hard they are not going to look like ya just drove it off the show room floor.

My apologies for my rant but do you buy a tractor to look at it or do you buy it to work it.

 

[jeff9366]

I don't know what was done during the job but I expect a good paint job to last longer.

I am one that likes my equipment to look reasonably good.

Some people don't care.

I like my implements to look reasonably good, or better, too.

 

[daugen]

do you buy a tractor to look at it or do you buy it to work it.

you're fairly new here so I'll take your comment with a sense of humor
My suggestion is that looking down on folks because they care to take better cosmetic care of their equipment than you do isn't warranted here.
Please remember the overwhelming majority of folks on this forum are not professional farmers, land clearers or earthmovers.
Most of us are hobby farmers or landowners, many of us retired. We are out here to have fun.

Most of us don't use equipment hard enough to thin down metal, in your words.
And I honestly think that most of us would not expect paint on our implements to come off all by itself
within a few years.

Of course paint will come off if you whack into something. No one here was suggesting it wouldn't.
What bothered some of us is fairly new equipment with manufacturing paint fails. The standard of quality for implement painting has been really poor for a long time. Not for pro ag equipment, but for the TSC and AgriSupply stuff most of us buy.

I shed all my equipment, but it's an open shed. All of the TSC and EA equipment has ratty yellow paint. Most of the Bush Hog and Land Pride
implements paint have held up much better. Higher price point equipment, builder took time and expense to do it right.

No one buys a tractor here to look at. But after spending fifty grand on a tractor, many of us want to keep it looking nice, that same way we do our homes and vehicles. Keeping implements looking nice is tougher, but after spending 3500 bucks on a small disc harrow from Land Pride, which I have to leave outside, I'm sure not going to let anything but the discs rust. Doesn't matter what I paid for it though, not going to let steel rust outside. That's what a variety of waxy sprays are for. But will the scratch bother me? No. Badge of Honor. Will the paint getting big rust spots on flat surface areas bother me? You bet.

And that's why I have a row of beige, orange, red and green paint rattle cans. Because stuff happens.
But I want to be the one to knock the paint off my expensive implements, I don't want it to fall off all by itself in three years.

Otherwise when EA sets their mind to making a first class implement, copying the good designs just like the Chinese do, they do a fine job, my
Extreme rake and blade are excellent tools. I'm old fashioned and like to see American flags on my equipment. But it bothers me seeing a third world paint job on a US made tool. I also know a state of the art paint booth today is seriously expensive, and as has been stated, so is the paint.

Rust is like a termite. Sooner or later it will ruin your day. All I want is a paint job that will prevent rust, not look nice for a parade.
I'm in a coastal damp climate and equipment rusts very quickly outside. Others may not have that problem.

 

[daugen]

571738[/ATTACH]

nor apparently can John Deere, since a salesman told me yesterday that Woods made their better quality finishing mower.

More than 50 years ago I was cutting fields with a Woods mower. Almost indestructible equipment.
I would have bought Woods if Land Pride wasn't around with the tie in to Kubota.
Woods has had a long time to get it right.

back on topic, my EA Extreme rear blade is sturdy and works well. Connected to a top 'n tilt, it can be almost creative in making little ditches, just like other sturdy blades, the ones that don't bend or break when you bear down on them at odd angles.

I almost forgot, I bought the attachment wings for the EA rear blade to convert it to a box blade.
Never used them, sitting up on wood shelf in shed, after three years, about one third of paint has come off/turned to rust without the item being touched by anyone or anything. Complete paint failure after three years sitting out of the sun on a shelf. This is where I raise my hand and say this should not be.

 

[jeff9366]

Earlier in September 2018 I toured one of Deere's huge assembly plants in Waterloo, Iowa where Deere's 400+ horsepower Cab tractors with two tracks, four tracks, or eight equal size wheels come together. The tour includes every part of the plant, except the paint facility for which a film suffices, I presume because of potential allergy/breathing complications.

The paint facility film showed robots spraying paint liberally, assisted by a single human for touchups. I questioned the guide about paint overflow, which I thought would be huge on an annual basis. He told me no, that the tractor parts were charged with 170,000 volts in one polarity and the paint charged in unspecified voltage in opposite polarity and that almost 100% of the sprayed paint landed on the parts. Painted parts were thereafter baked for ninety minutes.

I believe the Deere paint on these tractors will adhere awhile.

The guide would not discusss tractor prices but I expect tractors exiting that facility started at $500,000 and could be optioned much, much higher.

All the tractors we saw had two full size seats in the cab. Second seat for a navigator or bombardier?


Also interesting that they were assembling three Tier 2 emission level tractors, one for Russia, one for Brazil and one for a third country, in Africa, where Ultra Low Sulphur fuel is not available.

The guide had worked for Deere 42 years, eight years in the assembly plant I toured.