FEL vs box blade for spreading dirt

[Cpita1]

I have a FEL on my Branson 3015H. Which I’m not an expert at using, so would a box blade be easier for spreading dirt, gravel, etc….?

 

[i7win7]

You will get better with practice. FEL material being transported is lifted fom ground. BB material is dragged across ground. With BB, a hydraulic top link allows blade adjustments on the fly. BB allows a road to be crowned, FEL always level unless it's bent

Having both is great

A land plane is simpler than BB. Landplane moves small amount of material short distances. BB moves more material greater distances. FEL can keep materials separated because you lift it.

 

[jeff9366]

Your FEL bucket can scoop up loose material from a tall pile, then transport the loose material to where you want it. To safely carry a max load in the FEL bucket, Three Point Hitch counterbalance to the dirt laden bucket is necessary. A Box Blade is one of the most common implements used as TPH counterbalance to heavy FEL loads.

Wet dirt is much heavier than loose dry dirt. Gravel is heavier yet.

I regularly transport bucket loads of tree debris 1/2 mile one-way to a community burn pit.





A Box Blade peels 1" to 3" layers of dirt, which accumulate in the box. Your cannot transport dirt from a pile until the pile is reduced to ~ 4" height. Transport distance for a Box Blade is usually just a few feet, from one part of the work site to another part of the work site close by.

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Tractor FEL is delicate relative to the tractor Three Point Hitch. Heavy tractor works should be accomplished utilizing Three Point Hitch implements.

 

[scaredychicken]

box blades are awesome. use it along with FEL

have fun doing

 

[beowulf]

I am not an expert but have moved a fair amount of dirt. A box blade will drag and move dirt to be dropped and spread as you need to - some patience is needed. But I find that I can be more precise with a rear blade as it can be angled as well as tilted and thus you can toss dirt to one side or the other to be spread as needed and it seems with more control. I keep a box blade on the tractor but when I need to move dirt with a bit more personal control I use the blade - particularly for grading roads.

There is a place for both and I would not be without either.

You did not say what you are moving dirt for - how much, how wide, over what kind of ground - knowing that would be helpful. The FEL can also be used to spread dirt.

 

[Piston]

I have a FEL on my Branson 3015H. Which I’m not an expert at using, so would a box blade be easier for spreading dirt, gravel, etc….?

Both the box blade and the FEL take some practice to become efficient when spreading dirt. I find that using both of them together is most efficient. If you are spreading dirt from a pile dumped onto your driveway, a box blade (when proficient with it) will very quickly spread/grade the dirt, and in a very controlled manner. A hydraulic top and side link make adjustments 'easier', however those adjustments can also be made with your manual top/side link.

A FEL is okay for spreading dirt. It's a lot easier to become proficient with it so typically people are very comfortable using them (and it seems like they are always on.) You can back drag the FEL in float, and by varying the pitch of the bucket move more or less dirt with some simple adjustments.

For moving dirt over a paved driveway or lawn for example, a box blade is not very useful, you will need the FEL. However, if moving dirt over an area that is already dirt (such as unfinished lawn or gravel driveway your touching up anyways) then a box blade will carry a lot more material. I can carry a little over a yard of dirt in my box blade, but only 1/3 of a yard (at BEST) with my bucket. After moving many hundreds of yards of material with my tractor I found that scooping up a bucket full, then turning around and filling the box blade, was the most efficient means of moving the material moderate distances.

The box blade is my most used attachment, however it takes some getting used to. Once you figure out precisely how to keep it perfectly adjusted, you can do a LOT with it in a short amount of time.

 

[rademamj1]

I find the FEL is best for moving and positioning the dirt or gravel. But nothing beats a box blade or land plane for effective spreading. However, it does take some time to develop experience and best practices with a box blade. Utube provided much useful knowledge and shared experience using box blades and proper setup. After 3-days effort, I got fairly good at spreading and leveling gravel loads.

 

[savageactor7]

To fill and level a hole in you yard a FEL will do the trick. To level a gravel driveway a box blade or grader is the better attatchment.

 

[newbury]

I have a FEL on my Branson 3015H. Which I’m not an expert at using, so would a box blade be easier for spreading dirt, gravel, etc….?

Tell us what you are trying to do -
Many of us leave our FEL and buckets on 24/7.
(Note Front End Loader [FEL] does not necessarily include a bucket, many have grapples, pallet forks, hay forks etc.)
Since your FEL & bucket is more likely to be hooked up it's like a pocketknife, always there. Learn to use it.

I liken the FEL & bucket to my pocketknife. If I have to tighten a screw, cut a piece of cardboard, cut a piece of cheese there may be better tools. But my pocket knife is with me.

If I have to spread a few buckets of gravel it's quicker to just do it with my bucket. If I have to level a front yard I COULD use my bucket but it's quicker to get my box blade.

 

[old and tired]

....so would a box blade be easier for spreading dirt, gravel, etc….?

Yes, but you need to know how to use the box blade, too. Also, does your FEL have the ability to "float"? Using the float feature while back dragging with the FEL also helps to level things out. I will back drag with the FEL with lots of weight in it to work better (full bucket of gravel helps with extra down pressure).

Box Blades, you'll need to know what effects the length of your top link does for the cutting edges of the blade: