Box blade -- how big (and which tractor)

I have a small (600 foot?) driveway and small barnyard to maintain. I have a 7 foot rear-blade, fairly lightweight, that came with my four-cylinder Ford 4000. The outside of the rear wheels on that tractor are about 6 feet apart, and I'm not sure if it's even still possible to move them. The 7 foot blade is a nice match, even with a slight angle is still covers the tire prints. I need to figure out how to get some weight on it without being in the way when I adjust the blade angle and/or put the blade on and off (right now I can move the blade around by hand, which makes hitching up pretty easy)

I also have a JD 3020, outside of rear wheels about 7 feet apart.

I currently mow and blade with the Ford and use the JD as a loader tractor and for the snowblower (IH-80) in the winter.

My local Runnings has some of these 6 foot box. They seem pretty light, and I'm pretty sure you guys will advise me to look for a used one that is heavier (and there really isn't a rush, so I'm OK with that).

Should I look for a 6 footer for the small tractor or a 7 footer for the bigger tractor? I'm not in love with the JD, but never seem to work up to replacing it (and would probably end up with something just as big anyway). I like the little Ford--if I could have figured out how to put a loader on it I wouldn't have bought the JD, but I also never convince myself to sell the Ford. I like the way the JD moves the snow, but would rather drive the Ford most days.

Any advice?

Thanks,
homeowner grade box blade?

that one or a howse will both work for a box blade for your ford, now , they are fairly light in weight, i have the howse 6 footer for mine, for weight, i use 2 of the worn cutting edges off a loader from the local gravel pit,now this loader is no toy, its a 970G, and its cutting edges even worn weigh a good 150 to 200 lbs, if put on the top back of the box blade and chained, or strapped ect down, real good those will give a lot of bite, with the rippers in harder ground, i have to remove a couple of they will stop the tractor and let it spin,

I use a 6 foot box blade on my 1020 JD,the main use in maintaining a drive is evenly spreading the gravel so I don't think the lighter weight one will be a problem,you will get a lot nicer results with the box blade and the Ford should handle it nicely.

I have grader blades on two different farms. One is 8' and the photo is 7'. Both have 1/4" steel plates that are easily bolted onto the blades. Three bolts per end. Plate should extend to the front about one foot and to the rear about six inches. Both work great on my 1/4 mile long gravel driveway. One in photo is 4 years old on an ancient blade. The 8' was added 20 years ago. I have lost some photos, but will take more if you want. I can take the ends off in the same time you hitch up another unit. I have honestly abused the unpictured unit and it has served me very well,

I have a small 4' I pull with 25 hp Kubota. I use old weights from rear end of a Massey combine to make it a lot or just a little heavier.

crookedwrench, if you don't mind taking some additional pictures I would like to see how those ends plates are bolted on. The blade was originally a standard rear blade? Thanks

The end plates on mine have two angle iron tabs and bolt on the blade with 1/2 inch bolt.

For driveway & yard maintenance I use a landscape rake.
Works great in gravel.
Best to grade soon after a rain when ground is slightly soft.

Rarely use a blade anymore.
Rakes

I had the same problem a few years ago. I had a light duty 6' blade that I was using with my 4630 ford. It wasn't heavy enough so I bought a very heavy 8' big ox blade that had 3 cylinders for different angles. It was too big for my ford but the IH handled it fine. The problem was that a rear blade always left a washboard. I finally did myself a favor and got a wheeled box blade. Mine is 10 ft and I can easily pull it with the 4630. It has cylinders on each wheel so I can adjust it to put a crown on the road. Weight can easily be added without making it harder to hook up. I found it at a farm auction for little more than a new cheap rear blade.

This is not exactly like mine but similar:
http://kirksville.craigslist.org/grd/5789024199.html



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Thanks all,

"Gravel" around here is what I would have called "dirt" when I lived back east. Not pretty gravel like in the two pictures--it packs down really tight.

At the bottom of the driveway a trash truck and a school bus turn around (I'm the first driveway off of the paved road) and I get pot holes there. I'm not sure that crookedwrench's blade would dig down to the bottom of those. Probably only 3-4 inches deep, but I can't get that deep with just my unweighted back blade. The school bus has trouble hitting the actual driveway, so gravel does need bladed back into the drive down there.

In the yard I have the opposite problem, we don't drive in parts of it very often, so I get grass and weeds growing. It still looks to me that using those rippers to take the top inch or so off would do well? The back blade just bounces off when it's dry and some years it's hard to catch it when it's wet.

Other than that, I like crookedwrench's approach. I would like to see the pictures but also would like advise on rippers vs modified back blade.

Thanks again,

Bob

I will get photos this week. Send me an email so I can reply them to you.
[email protected]

(quoted from post at 07:38:58 10/04/16)

At the bottom of the driveway a trash truck and a school bus turn around (I'm the first driveway off of the paved road) and I get pot holes there.

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Unless the city/county wanted to maintain my driveway for me, I'd put a stop to that.

You sound like the blade will be permanantly attatched to the tractor.'Tractor specific'LOL I bought a 6ft box blade from TSC(the biggest they offered).It has ripper teeth. Ihad the same problem,the little blade just bounced over the top.The ripper teeth loosened it up,allowing the box to do it's work.Now I leave the teeth up. I usually have it on a JD A,but sometimes on a Farmall SuperM.sometimes even on the Super H.The first time I did our driveway,there were a couple of high spots that acctually killed the tractor.Now regular use is easy,doesnt pull hard at all. an 8N could pull it.The secret is to go slow(1st gear,idle),especially the first time on two.let the machine work.Both tractors are fully capable of pulling a 7',so no real issue there.For a driveway,a 6ft is quite adequet.

You try that and you would no longer get your kids picked up by the school bus and your trash company would refuse to pick up your garbage. So then what do you do? You might be able to take kids to school every day but you would also have to pick them up. But then what would you do with your trash. If they were not stopping for your convience they would not be there to turn around. And they will not drive for miles extra just so you will not have them turn around.

Hey DeltaRed,

I thought it might ought to at least cover the wheel tracks, and thought maybe the Ford would be too wimpy for too large/heavy of a blade. Therefore, "which tractor" (would mainly use it) would drive "which blade". When I tried to use the rear blade on the JD it just looked wrong--puny almost. Any angle at all and the wheels were off the edge of the driveway when trying to scrape material back into the drive.

Sounds as if your 6 footer would work for me. I'd still rather buy used, but at least I have an option. I may check into renting one, but that would make it even harder to hit it after a light rain and having it around would let me touch up occasionally instead of waiting until it gets really bad.


I drove through Delta in early July -- that's the greenest I remember seeing it for a long while. Pretty country. Good luck with your beans.

Bob

Yep. My daughter does actually ride that bus this year. Last year it didn't turn around in our drive, just picked her up and drove on by. Last winter he "got stuck" several times at a neighbors. As the kids tell it, he backs out of their drive and cuts too soon and ends up in their ditch. Had to get pulled out 2-3 times, kids late to school, etc. Still, I should be able to maintain the driveway so that he can drive up it (if he stays on it).

My wife contracts with the trash company, so they are all my fault. Funny thing is, they don't need to turn around, they just pull in the driveway to pick up the bag, then back out and continue the same way. That's a younger kid, hits the driveway full speed and locks 'em up, then lurches out.

The trouble is compounded by the teenage son who doesn't "drive like Rainman" ("slow in the driveway") unless he knows I'm home. He carries those potholes on up the driveway. If I can get on them sooner, and better, things will go better. Plus, I get to play with the tractor(s)!

Thanks for the comments,

(quoted from post at 11:43:11 10/04/16) If they were not stopping for your convience they would not be there to turn around. And they will not drive for miles extra just so you will not have them turn around.

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My convenience? You call paying taxes out the wazoo a "convenience"?