What kind of Blade?

[ritcheyvs]

Using draft control with a box blade or rear blade, set properly makes a day and night difference in time taken to do the job, ease of the job, as well as how well the out come is. Now I will admit that for light-finish work, for me anyway, it doesn't make any difference or can even be bothersome.

I have a lot to learn here. I have about 50 acres in NC with dirt trails used by me and my neighbors. There were some awful mud holes in some of those trails but I fixed the worst of them by cutting drainage ditches at the low spots. Still, the tire tracks get deeper and the high center gets higher so I want some kind of blade to help level these out. Should I get a grader blade, a box blade or will I need both? The land was mostly farm land but now it is mainly wooded with some mature trees and lots of saplings around clearings. So I'm likely to encounter substantial roots in places. I'd appreciate advice from folks with experience. Thanks

 

[KPark]

Matter of preference, really. Box blade has scarifiers to dig and fix pot holes better, without spreading material beyond the blade (furrows). That would be my preference.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

All depends on what you want to do. :confused3:

Make what you have smooth, then get a grader blade. You will end up needing one anyway. A nice 6 footer would work good for you.

Make new roads, get a good rear blade. 7 foot would be the thing to get for this chore.

If you need to dig out humps or fill in areas, then a good box blade would be very useful. 6 foot would be what I would get.

All of these type implements should weigh about 100-125Lbs per foot of width at the absolute minimum. More weight is better, but the heavier commercial grade implements do end up being pretty costly.

 

[jeff9366]

Rear Blade, used sharply angled, is particularly good at cutting and moving crowns to fill in ruts. TractorData.com gives Kioti DK45 width as 69.2" so you would need a 84" rear blade.

For your 4,000 pound tractor I would look at Land Pride rear blades. With a suitably heavy rear blade, used tilted a bit, you will be able to cut quite a few roots.

Are you aware that your three-point hitch is lifted by tractor hydraulic system, but drops and works only by force of gravity?

There is NO hydraulic down pressure on the three-point hitch, that is why implement weight is key to implement cutting/scraping ability.

You know you are going to work it hard; buy heavy, buy quality, cut roots.

RBT35 Series Rear Blades | Land Pride

You will likely want a Rotary Cutter (Bush Hog) or Flail Mower soon, to open up those meadows. Land Pride is well regarded in the Rotary Cutter category too.

 

[DKCDKC]

A reminder that box blades - which I would recommend if you have an either/or situation - and grader blades are frequently available used within 100 miles. Since both are easily inspected and tough to damage, you can save a bundle with used over new. I've got about $350 combined in my BB and blade. Both are medium duty but, if I damage them - I can fix them or replace for moderate cost. I've used and abused both for years without serious damage.