Box Scraper What size box blade?

[dirt ditch]

Sometime this spring will get a box blade for my 27hp (24 pto) 790 John Deere. Right now am looking at a 5, 5 1/2, or 6 foot BB. Would like to know what size box blades other TBN members have and how well you like them. Does a person want one that just covers the tire tracks, or a little wider to cut outside the tires? I already have a 6 foot rear blade.

 

[gordon21]

Mine is 5' which just covers the tracks. When the rippers are all the way down and the box is slightly tilted forward with the rear up a couple inches, it will dig in enough to slow or stop the tractor. I would not go wider. Since you already have a blade for smoothing and distributing dirt, I assume you want the box blade for the ripping capability.

Suitcase weights are great for adding extra weight as needed. Use it without them if you don't need the weight and add them for extra weight as needed. They are great when used on one side to help dig a ditch on one side.

Get a medium or heavy duty model with 2 blades in the back. Weight is good for strength. Economy models aren't strong enough. Expect to pay $450+ for something decent.

 

[Leon Wittner]

I run 6' KK box blade and it is six inches wider on both sides than my rear tires. This makes it very handy for getting close to objects or bank sides when I do my roads. I have a 29hp Kubota and it will tear up earth and rock with all six scarfers fully extended. I use a 5' KK rock rake to finish grade. Road maintenance with just the rock rake works most of the time unless the soil is rutted real bad and hard as a rock. I then drag out the box blade and loosen things up.

 

[greg_g]

A lot depends upon what you're going to use it for. Loose sand and gravel are a lot easier to move than soil and clay. Whether or not your tractor has draft control is another consideration. I have a six footer that is quite capable of bogging down my 45hp four wheel drive tractor when I forget to set the draft control. I'm thinking if I had only 27 horses, I wouldn't consider anything larger than sixty inches.

..greg..

 

[jbrumberg]

I agree with greg as to task and material to be moved. In my heavy, clay based, rocky and rooted soil a 60" box blade seems to work. I might add that it is somewhat more manuverable than a 6' in the woods. If I was just doing driveway and gravel work I would probably have gone with a 72". Jay

 

[3RRL]

The flip side would be not to fill the larger boxblade 100% or rip too deeply.
You also don't have to use ALL the rippers when digging. You could use 1, 2 or 3 for that matter. The added weight of a larger box helps. As long as you don't bog down your tractor with it, it should be a lot better for smoothing since you've got more surface area being smoothed on each pass. I find a larger boxblade very handy since it completely covers my tracks and sticks out on each side for those reasons.

 

[john_bud]

The 790 is a very light machine. Getting a large box will stop it dead, especially with it full of dirt or when scarifying.

Stick with 5', unless your soil is very light and loose with no rocks or roots.

jb

 

[hockeyhead]

I agree, I have a TC-30 with loaded R4's and a 5' BB. I would not consider a larger BB then a 5' as I can stop the tractor dead in it's tracks.

 

[Crash101]

I use a 5 foot box behind my similiarly powered Orange Crush and It seems to be the ideal size for me and my tractor's needs. I wouldn't recommend anythng larger. While my recommendation is only an opinion and should be taken as such, one thing most people would suggest is, get a quality made unit built by a well known manufacturer.

 

[canoetrpr]

I'm going with a 6ft Woods for my L3400. I think it is on the larger end of what my rig can handle. I decided to go with this size over 5ft or 5.5 ft which would have probably been the perfect fit for a few reasons:

- Primary use is going to be gravel work on the drive. I'll use it probably one or two times a year. If I have to rip a couple of times to ensure the tractor does not bog, it won't be an issue wrt. time.

- Having a 60" rotary cutter which exactly covers my width has taught me that I'd rather have something at least a little wider for tight areas.

- I will more than likely move up to a bigger tractor sometime in the next 5 or so years. I'd rather not have to switch my implements.

- I'd rather pay a bit more for the 6 than have to put some weight on.

You've got a few less horses than me. I would probably go with a 5.5ft on your rig just to extend out a bit. That said, take my opinion with a grain of salt as I haven't used one yet.

 

[jake98]

Everybody talks about doing gravel work with a box blade. Seems to me gravel is moved w/bucket...'
I'm also considering a box and wondering how the terraceing theory works. Jake

 

[jcmseven]

If you are thinking of going with a JD/Frontier product the 2065 65" BB is a nice match for your tractor. Your machine will really easily handle that width and it is wider than your track without being cumbersome. My advice is to buy the smallest box blade you can get by with, not the largest. Having owned and operated many compact machines, the one thing I have found is going too big gets one into trouble. Your 790 will pull a 6' BB, just not well. My previous 3720, with almost twice the HP of your machine, would not pull a 6' BB that well, so I went with a 65" and was happy. I have found that a well-matched smaller BB on the correct tractor is actually FASTER than the same tractor pulling a few inch larger blade and struggling with it. Also, in tight turns, etc. the bigger BB's tend to be much more difficult to manuver and also require more ballast, which strains the machine even more. I say this mainly because I think you should get a 65"--but since they are uncommon in size and might not be in stock--I want you to avoid jumping on the 72" blade which might be there and opt for the 60" if the 65" is not available. I think you would be happier with the performance.

John M

 

[browns40]

Ditto on the 65" for that size/weight/track machine.

 

[bjcsc]

Everybody talks about doing gravel work with a box blade. Seems to me gravel is moved w/bucket...'

It is moved with a bucket - initially. The BB is handy for maintenance. I don't know what the others here do, but my drive is 2300ft of #57. I use a landscape rake, angled and tilted, to run down each side and pull all the "pushed out" gravel to the center of the road and fill in any low spots. Essentially I create a big crown of gravel. Then I use the BB to spread it back out flat. It gives me a nice uniform finish. As we drive on it, I have to BB the middle a few times as the wheel paths compact, but then I'm done with it for a year...

 

[horse7]

I'm also considering a box and wondering how the terraceing theory works. Jake

I want to put some terraces in, but it looks like the rough terrace shape needs to be done by bulldozer-- the slope I'm considering peaks at 18*, and a tractor with FEL isn't too suitable to make a terrace on that driving lateral on the slope.

Also need to work from the top down so that one is unlikely to drive on a fill section or over a drop off, have to watch the sidewalls as the box doesn't stick out too much but some rocks do... terracing seems to work on gentle slopes but takes a while.

The real problem though is the price for rock or retaining block to make the retaining walls. Might be cheaper to use packed dollar bills or sand bags full of pennies for retaining material.

 

[john_bud]

I've used a box blade in conjunction with FEL to cut terraces into side hills. You just drop the scarifiers and break up the ground where you want the road, then angle the box to dig in more on teh high side and continue with the scarifiers. Then pick up the scarifiers and drag out the dirt. Angle the box so you are cutting with about 1/2 to 2/3 of it. That will cut the hill side down more and move the dirt to the low side. You actually want the road to be angled opposite of the original hill. (High side is now the low side) THen you ditch that side for drainage and channel the water to a spot where you cross the road -either over or under. Depends on the amount of water you are expecting. That will help keep erosion down and the road dry.

Again, with the 790 being so light, you should probably stick with a 5' box.

jb

 

[855Idiot]

I'm rated at 28 horses and I have a 5' General Box with a rear hinged blade.

It's not hard to fill the box up and bog the tractor down.

I'd stick with 5'.

 

[dirt ditch]

Thanks, lots of information. At first was considering a larger box blade as could not think of any tough projects to use one on. Found out yesterday there is a 50 year old yard with thick grass that needs 4 - 5 inches of dirt taken off and sloped back to the street. Think I will get a Cimarron 5 foot hinged back bb for $595. John Deere dealer sells them instead of the Frontier brand. Says the Cimarron bb is a better bb for the money.