grader blade size?

[jyoutz]

I used it for the first time today, fixing the county road that goes to my farm. I have a lot to learn as far as technique and efficiency goes, but I am really happy with it. 8ft is actually a good size. For what I was doing, I could angle it sharply and not need any offset. For most of my work, it’ll be angled the full extent. Tractor felt plenty heavy enough.

Pictures

 

[RayIN]

I have a 55hp TYM t574, about 65" wide. We have probably a couple of miles of dirt roads on our property in east texas, red clay soil. With heavy rains the roads get a lot of runoff washouts. Ive been smoothing them with a box blade, but think a grader blade that i could cut a runoff ditch on the sides and try to keep crowned a bit would be a better option. Should i look at a 7' with offset ability or an 8'? Or would a regular 7' be wide enough when angled?

Can you use the 3-pt leveling feature to raise one end of your box-blade? If you can, you can make a pass on each side and it will build the crown, just don't try to make it all at once (shallow cuts), make several passes to "sneak up" on the crown.
I do that with my crushed stone driveway because it's easier to make a mistake doing it all at once.

 

[wendlingknives]

Can you use the 3-pt leveling feature to raise one end of your box-blade? If you can, you can make a pass on each side and it will build the crown, just don't try to make it all at once (shallow cuts), make several passes to "sneak up" on the crown.
I do that with my crushed stone driveway because it's easier to make a mistake doing it all at once.

Yes. I have tried that, but i think...and maybe i am wrong....that having an angled blade when building a crown will move dirt more toward the middle. Or maybe im not using the box at a lifted angle correctly?

 

[Too many Kubotas]

My landplane has angled blades, and when using a regular blade I run it at an angle.

Creating a crown with a box blade sounds like work to me since it'll want to transport the material more so than moving it to one side.

 

[wendlingknives]

My landplane has angled blades, and when using a regular blade I run it at an angle.

Creating a crown with a box blade sounds like work to me since it'll want to transport the material more so that moving it to one side.

Thats the issue i have with a box blade doing it and want to get an angled grader blade

 

[RayIN]

Yes. I have tried that, but i think...and maybe i am wrong....that having an angled blade when building a crown will move dirt more toward the middle. Or maybe im not using the box at a lifted angle correctly?

Yes it will; that's why I take small bites and make several passes. Trying to build a crown with one pass is a disaster.
A 3-pt hitch, 3-way grader blade works well. I have an old Ford 6' grader blade that also has 2 different off-sets to move the blade 1' or 2' to each side.
I had its use down pat when I used the MF135, but this MF451 is twice as big and feels clumsy by comparison. It's gonna take a while to re-learn how to do some things.