Box blade options

I rented a box blade last spring to repair a gravel road and was very happy with how it worked behind the MF35. I'm looking to buy one this spring and I am wondering if there are particular brands that are good or bad and what size I should look for. I rented a 5' and it seemed about right, but it didn't quite cover the tracks of the tractor. I can get a new one at TSC for $579 but I am a little dubious about the quality. I'd sooner buy one used but I don't seem to be seeing them for sale over the past few months, now that I'm looking for one. Any advice will be much appreciated.
Zach

used is good if the price is right and it's intact.

I like a box that will cover my tire tracks. a mf 35 should handle a 6' box ok.

soundguy

If you are using the box blade for grading you'll be ok with a 6 footer. If you plan on doing a lot of ripping of sod etc with the scarifiers a 6 foot blade will put that tractor to its knees like dropping an anchor, or you will spin. I used mine for dirt ripping, not too much grading. I run a 6 footer on a NH3930 4wd at roughly 7500 lbs.

I picked mine up "new" from TSC. Some guy bought it, hooked a stump and returned it. I paid them $200 as is. I built a new hitch and re-inforced quite a bit. Now if it hooks hard into the dirt, it will bend the cat I pins and stop the tractor. It doesnt get the use it did, since I finally bought a dozer.

Short of a dozer, a box blade is a great piece to have around.

(quoted from post at 09:23:04 02/24/11) I rented a box blade last spring to repair a gravel road and was very happy with how it worked behind the MF35. I'm looking to buy one this spring and I am wondering if there are particular brands that are good or bad and what size I should look for. I rented a 5' and it seemed about right, but it didn't quite cover the tracks of the tractor. I can get a new one at TSC for $579 but I am a little dubious about the quality. I'd sooner buy one used but I don't seem to be seeing them for sale over the past few months, now that I'm looking for one. Any advice will be much appreciated.
Zach

Click to expand...

I purchased mine from Craigslist. You can really get some good deals if you watch and have your money ready. Good deals dont last long....

The heavier, the better. You (should) get strength AND digging ability with more iron. Personally, I like the type with the rear cutting edge hinged. I've owned a couple "TSC" boxes. First one wadded itself up when I caught the blade on a small stump. I've got a Woods (HB72???) now. It's proven to be a lot stronger, but I'd suspect it would bend under the right conditions. Get one as wide as your tractor, but I don't like 'em WIDER that the rear wheels.

Thank you all for the advice. It sounds like the TSC blade is not what I'm after unless I can find a used one pretty cheap.
Zach

depends. it's a decent economy bladed. there are wose, and there are better.. and there are used ones that could be worse or better.. but generally at least cheaper. I like to pay no more than 50% of new for a good used implement.. though as much as 80% for a 'used once', or bought new, not used.. etc.

used box blades in the 5' range with no rippers are as low as 100$ in my area..

soundguy

Rick Kr,
one of my winter projects is the repair of a FREE 6' BB, rebuilding the 3pt hitch, install pins, replace missing scarifier teeth which brings me to a question, how deep were your teeth when they "dug" in? I'm making mine 6" below the blade level. Is that too deep?

I'm thinking of using 1/2" x3" stock for the hitch bracket pieces instead of 3/8" to beef it up as well.

I have a six foot box blade (behind my 35) that I traded a worn out motorcycle for. One of my better trades. A six footer is just right for your 35. TDF

Find you a boxblade that is made by Atlas, I beleive they are made somewhere in Mississippi. You will never wear it out. I have 2 of them, my oldest one was my dad's and its about 30 years old and looks as good as my newest one thats 2 years old. My Dad's older one is a 5' and the one I bought 2 years ago is 6'

TSC DID sell king kutter implments but that agreement just ended. You might still find some with king kutters in stock. They are a mid weight blade. Priced about right. For better and heavier units look at either WOODS or LAND PRIDE
Both are very good units. The majorit of what we see used is what I call service station units. Something that was made in a welding shop somewhere and no parts avl. Used prices are all over the place. Just whatever you want to pay.

I have a six foot King Kutter I bought from TSC a few years ago, and it has served my purposes well. When I was leveling the site for my shop I hit a lot of stumps and roots. I was nearly thrown off my tractor a couple of times, but there was no damage to the scraper. I use it behind my Ford 4000, which has about 45 HP.

Consider using a york rake for routine gravel road maintenance. Preferably one with wheels.

JML,
Honestly can't tell you how deep the scarifiers are. I put them all the way down and ran one pass with just the scarifiers digging to break up the ground, I held the cutting edge just above the ground. Second pass I would drop the blade and let it bury as deep as it would go. The second pass is when I could stop my tractor.
Mine is the standard 6' King Kutter that TSC use to sell. I imagine they were 4" or so at least. I used mine mostly for earth shaping vs light grading. The clay soil we have here in mid-Michigan is anything but easy to rip up. Heck, I even live in Clayton Township.



The hitch was destroyed when I bought it, I rebuilt it with 1 1/2 and 2" square tubing. Weak link was the cat I pins. If I would change one thing, I would weld a second set of tabs on for the lower three point and use slide thru pins to prevent the bending.

If I remember correctly, I used 1 1/2 x 3 channel between the cat I pins, a 2x2 as an upright and 1 1/2 angled from the top link down to the lower pins. I straightened the original 1/2 x 3 straps that run from the top link to the back of the box blade. To date nothing has broke. I've ripped up probably 500 yards of ground with it.

I'd snap a pic of the hitch but it is still hibernating under a snow drift.

hope this helps
Rick

I have a 6 foot Massey Ferguson box blade that I would sell. Model number is MF18. Also have the serial number if you need it.