The Art of the Box Blade for Gravel Driveway Maintenance
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- Опубликовано: 22 фев 2022
- In this video we talk about the mechanics of using a box blade on a tractor, and discuss the secret trick needed to unlock the full range of capability of the box blade. These techniques will be put to use to refresh a rutted gravel driveway.
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For a first-time tractor owner, this was super-valuable. The illustrations and commentary were extremely helpful to solidify the basics in my brain, then the actual demonstrations were perfect in that I could see the moment when you transitioned from a cutting attitude with the gravel pile to a smoothing attitude. I'm subscribed now and will be watching more of your video catalog. Thank you!!
Glad it was helpful!
As a first time tractor owner this video was perfect to show how to use the box scraper. Thanks to your detailed illustrations, as well as your explanations this is a very helpful video. I really appreciated the "heads up" about not over using the box to push hard in reverse.
Finally a video of someone that actually knows what they are doing with a box blade! You are definitely an expert. Thank you for the video.
Great explanation thank you! Now I’m sold on a hydro top link.
Best box blade video on RUclips. Hands down.
This is far the best "Box Blade video" I've seen. One can se that you have experience using this device.
Fantastic video. The diagram plus the demonstration was a great format. Really helpful for those of us that didn't grow up around this equipment. 👍
This is one of the best explanations along with a real world demonstration of how the blade works. Well done!
That was a really great video! Thanks for all the work you put into it.
I think I've watched every "how to box blade" video on RUclips. This is the first one I've seen to accurately describe and illustrate how to best set up and utilize the implement. Thank You
Great video. I come across this by chance, but even as a veteran operator I found this to be helpful.
This has been one of the most informative videos I’ve watched about this tool!
Great Info. I have learned that for gravel driveways, an implement that is particulate-size-agnostic is required. For example, using a landscape rake on a driveway only moves the larger pieces, leaving the top layer loose and less likely to compact to a more solid surface - problem with shape-retention, and an issue for plowing or blowing snow, for example.
Awesome video. Thanks for sticking to the topic and leaving out the BS. Great use of the diagram and mouse pointer.
Never seen a hydraulic top link before now. Very handy.
Awesome video. Best teaching video I have seen for how to use a BB and explaining the adjustment of the toplink (as well as the sidelink). Great job!
I'm new to this and just started using a box blade. This was very helpful. Thank you very much.
Best video on the subject. I didn't have a clue ad you explained all the dynamics. I was confused which implement to get and was leaning towards the land plane. You immediately told me that the box blade is more useful and took away the mystique. The computer graphics was essential. Thank you.
Glad it helped. Land planes are great for maintenance but are one-trick ponies and not nearly as versatile as a box blade. If you can only get one of them, go with the box blade.
Very best demonstration for using the box blade I have seen. I am a novice to this & have not used my equipment because of the lack of education & experience. Thank you so much.
Awesome information, I ended up putting on a hydraulic top link because of the wonderful information you provided and explained thoroughly. Thank you. 👍
Great video on box blade, very thoughtful and concise.
Very nicely done! Thank you for taking the time to be thoughtful and provide quality content.
Excellent content. Thx for the instruction. Keep up the great work.
Awesome! No one ever explained how to use the till of the box for spreading/digging/hauling. Thanks
Great explanations and illustrations. Thanks.
Very good and informative video on the box blade. I learned a few pointers. I was over adjusting it.
Excellent tutorial and fill demonstration.
Look forward to seeing a cut and fill demo if you have that need on your land in the future.
How do you not have more comments on your Channel? This is solid stuff here, man.
Top and tilt kit is a must if you do alot of driveway and ground leveling work.
Excellent video. Thank you for posting.
you make it looks so easy and explanation was very helpful.
Great tutorial and explanation.
Really nicely done video. Thank you.
Awesome job on the video, the top link cylinder is a must for the adjustments on the fly... Thanks
Well done. Lots of work involved in making this. Just bought a tractor and need to learn how to grade my long driveway. Thanks
LOOKS GREAT!! VERY INFORMATIVE. THANK YOU FOR THE INFO
Great video and commentary.
Really outstanding and excellent explanation of using a box blade. I have a Kioti 35HP with about 40 hours on it, and just bought a Tarter 84 inch box blade. Super helpful and very clear. Thank you so much and fantastic job!!!
Good video,, well done and very instructional. Your responses to the comments are also very informative. Thank you. Subscribed.
Really good video, amazing stuff I’m going to try this
Great video. Really helpful information. I need to get a box blade for my 8N.
Great video!
Fantastic video, wonderful job explaining thank you vert much
Great video! Thank you.
Looks like the hydraulic top link is key for a smooth finish. I don't see my lack of experience combined with hoping in and out of the cab constantly to adjust the link to produce a nice job.
Thank you for explaining how this works. I need to get a box blade for my old Ford 9N.
Nicely done.
Great idea for the trailer hitch on the back of the box blade.
I put a hitch ball on just about all of my implements.
Fantastic instruction.
Geat job!
New sub.
Awsome video! Wish I watched this before I tried out my new box blade. Now I have to get a hydrolic top link.
Nice job on your driveway!
Thanks 👍
Thanks needed this info!
After you’ve put countless loads in the drive over many years , you kind of want to scarf down 3 to 4 inches to get a consistent top to the road. Save a lot on stone. Spend the money on renting a roller. Your driveway came out great. I’ve had a box blade for thirty years. I think this year it’s time for the hydraulic top link. Lol. Thanks for the video. Subscribed
Unbelievably well made and useful. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. My neighbors will appreciate it too after I finish smoothing out our road.
Nice info. Thanks
I've had a regular blade, box blade and a cork screw type rock rake. The best for me was to make any ditches and grading with regular blade. Have gravel tail gated and then use my rock rake. It gets done much faster than a box blade. The box blade is excellent if the load of gravel has to be dumped and then spread. Love the rock rake for the finish work because it's so fast.
Thank you
I like it , I hope Dan is watching so he can rigged it up fast next year. 👍👍
sounds like an angry mosquito! great video thanks
Slight clarification. When moving forward with box on the ground, the 2 lower supports of the 3-point hitch are in tension and the upper link is in compression. This is reversed when backing. So you always have at least 1 point in compression and tension.
Good video :)
Agree but it also depends on implement weight and lever arm. For a heavy implement you have to first overcome that before the top link can go into compression, so nominally it leans towards tension most of the time. I have run the box blade with my hydraulic top link floating (no resistance) and it stays very neutral much of the time which surprised me. I think the lower lift arms and the sway links bear the brunt of tension/compression loads (and are what most often gets broken when put into large compression).
The hydraulic too link is over $1,000. The dealer told me it was more convenient but not needed for use a few times a year. The BB comes this week so I will see if it is worth it as I don't think leaning over the seat will work well
You can do it for a few hundred dollars if you want to put together a top link kit yourself.
Great Video!!! In reverse (as illustrated) the issue is that the side wings of the box blade are now below your surface line. Besides putting compression loads on the parts (also as discussed) this would probably not give the desired results.
With no hydraulic it's a pain adjusting..I just wanted a box to smooth out the gravel but I find I default to back dragging with the bucket and rarely use the box for anything except breaking up material
i am surprised you did not angle it slightly to the outside (right tire) to put a little crown in the middle of the drive. I bought a box blade a little over a year ago for my drive and the first time i really struggled with maintenance of drive, the second time i did a much better job. I do love the hydraulic top link - that makes the capabilities of the box blade so much easier to manage. I will have to look into that for my tractor.
Driveway already has a healthy crown and by running the tractor and box down each side of the center, it is maintained. To establish a crown, a rear scraper blade is the best tool, since it will windrow material to the center.
@@Lumber_Jack Ah! So that explains it! I really appreciated the video so much good info, but one thing that has always perplexed me was how to establish or maintain a crown. Much obliged!
Well done video, I appreciate the time you take in explaining and your drawings are very helpful. I've watched many of your sawmill videos as well. Obviously you put forth a lot of effort in prepping for your topics and that shows in the quality of your work.
Two questions - Why did you choose not to leave your hydraulic lifting rod on when grading and what is the thinking behind the multiple mounting holes for the top link on the back of the tractor?
Looking through my owners manual for my L3400, there is a chart which lists several types of implements and what holes to use to mount the top link, but gives no explanation as to why. I had read/heard that the lower mounting holes were best used when using ground engaging implements, such as a disc harrow, sub-soiler, but the chart doesn't fully align with that thought process. Any thoughts of the topic?
Thanks for the comments. Normally I leave my hydraulic side link off the tractor if I am not doing any tilted grading/cutting or crowning with the box. It will bleed down slowly, and requires periodic attention to keep the box set level. If I don't need it, I avoid that hassle by using the rigid side link. The hydraulic top link stays on the tractor 100% of the time though. It's useful with every implement I have.
The different mounting holes are there to allow a trade between lifting height and lifting power. The bottom hole will let you lift implements higher but with less power. And vice versa. You really don't notice this unless the implement is very long, since the effect is all about the lever arm to the aft end of the implement. The only time I fiddle with this is with a bush hog or post hole digger, which stick out far from the tractor and may require that tweak to optimize operation.
Have you (or any viewers) considered dropping a thin layer of Portland cement on top of your crusher run driveway, right before a rain? It does an amazing job of getting the mass of particles to hold together. Applied once or twice a year, you'll have something close to a concrete driveway in a year or two! I use a hand drop spreader over my 300 ft driveway, and a 50 lb bag is all I need.
Never heard of that but it sounds really interesting and worth trying.
We have a gravel load mix they sell here in Arizona, it has cement dust mixed in it and it holds better than the regular gravel available.
Hi great video, thank you. I am trying to learn how to use my box blade on my MF 255 tractor. This is a road at the top of a mountain and over time the rain washes all the gravel and needs to be fixed re-graded and more gravel to be brought to fix it. I would like to know how to make runoffs at even distances so the rainwater goes on that ditch and doesn't wash off the gravel. Thank you!!!
Make sure the road has a crown so water runs off to the sides, and then you might need to cut a waterbar channel across the road in any steep sections, which will divert water to the side ditch and prevent it from washing down the slope. That is best done by hand with a shovel. Lumber or scrap metal can be used to maintain the waterbar channel shape so that it doesn't fill in due to traffic.
For a new user of a box blade this is a top notch description of use. Where do I get and How are you adjusting your top link? Do I need another hydraulic connection? My unit is coming on March 18 with a backhoe attachment. Do I use that linkage?
Normally hydraulic top/tilt links are connected to rear remote valves on a tractor. Those are usually optional kits sold by the tractor manufacturer. Some third party companies offer rear remote kits but they are usually kludgey and won't have as nice integration as the OEM kits.
Very impressive class on boxblade, you kinda skipped over scarifiers and how deep to set them, when to use them and not use them etc.
Just bought some land and about to make a driveway. Great video 😊.
How wide is your driveway? Please
What do you use the bail on the back of the box scraper for?
Nice job explaining! Was that crush and run or 57? Not decided what I’m using on regraveling my driveway
Crusher run.
great video, the diagram is very helpful in illustrating the function of the two cutter blades. I'm gonna guess your an engineer. One question though, when you add material to the driveway wouldn't it be better to loosen the entire surface slightly and redress it. My thought is the the entirely loosened surface will all form into one surface. My experience is that adding material to my potholes makes them wash out again quickly. Just wondering, as I'm no expert, just wanted to know your opinion.
I've never had issues adding material on top and re-grading. But potholes are another thing all together.
The fundamental issue with a pothole is poor drainage and standing water. The water washes the fines out of the gravel mix, and traffic activity splashes the water (and fines) away from the pothole, leaving loose gravel that will not bind together. More traffic over that will knock the loose gravel away from the hole. And you get this repeating cycle which gets worse and worse as the hole gets deeper and deeper.
So the true fix for a pothole is to fix the drainage issues and/or regrade the area to move water away from that spot. Generally that means the fix is going to cover a larger area than the pothole. You might end up removing material or adding material, depending on what's required to fix the drainage issue.
If you do try to fix just the pothole, leave material about 1.5" high after you compact it down. Then add more gravel around the hole to blend in to the existing grade. It should solve the local problem, though it might also move to the problem to a new "low" spot.
Excellent video and presentation; thank you! I am still deciding about getting a box blade or scraper for my 125-yard-long driveway, but I will get one or the other shortly; any advice would be appreciated. I get constant washouts with heavy rain on the slopes. The regular driveway's brown sand and tiny gravel disappear into the grass and creek in no time. I have tried 3/4" rock, and it still will get pushed downhill, but not as bad. Do you have any suggestions on what driveway rock to slow washing away? Thanks!
The only good solution (if feasible) is to divert the water, otherwise it will be an ongoing battle with any type of gravel.
Hey there having a lot of fun watching your videos. I have 800 rough driveway... In high elevation in northeast takes a beating. Want a box scraper and before I jump need to know about the hydraulic top link for Kubota L3400 tractor... recommendation ? Not top line needed as I am in 70's and need a ten year deal!
There is a company called "a&i products" that sells generic ag parts and they have low cost top links and side links for all sizes of tractors. See www.aiproducts.com/. Both my top link and side link came from them, and were around $150-200 each back in 2015. For the L3400, I think you'll want model A-TLH001 for the top link. You can custom order hoses from www.discounthydraulichose.com and get exactly what you need for your setup. If you don't already have a rear remote valve, that will be required (plumbs into Kubota power-beyond circuit), or you can use the front loader control valve instead, assuming you don't need to use the front loader at the same time as the box blade.
Excellent video!
I have about 1 mile of driveways with a gravel seal that includes river stones of various sizes from pebbles up to about 6" diameter. Is this implement suitable for that, or would I also need a roller/compactor to bed the larger stones in agan?
It won't do well with the larger stones. About the biggest gravel a box blade can spread effectively is 2". Bigger stuff will collect in the box and not get out, or get trapped below the cutting edge and create furrows in the surface being graded.
One thing to note, the material has to be loose and dry or it will just pack up in the box and not redistribute.
Where did you get the top link kit? Thanks for the education!
I bought a generic AI Farm Products cylinder with the right specs (www.allpartsstore.com/ItemList.htm?CategorySeq=S&SelcBrand=KB&SelcSectn=HPT&SelcSubsc=HPT12) and had the hoses made up by discounthydraulichose.com. Once you find the correct size cylinder (should be the correct "Category" rating for the tractor, with the right ends, and match the range of the original mechanical top link) you can google the cylinder model # and usually find a few sources online. All together it was under $250, which is quite a bit less than off-the-shelf kits.
I took the same approach for the side link and found that cylinder as new-old-stock on eBay for $85. It came wrapped in newspaper from the 1990s, so it really was old stock, but worked beautifully. Hoses for that were about $60, so all total under $150 for the side link.
прикольная штука👍👍
excellent!! very informative. what size kubota tractor was used? thank you
32HP L3200
Hey great video! I’ve been maintaining my long driveway for a few years. What have my side plates worn so badly? Is there any way to avoid this? Thx
I think it's inevitable over a long period. My box blade is only about 8 years old and still doing OK but I do see wear for sure.
Yes don’t tilt the blade down so far lengthen the top link a little tilt goes a long ways.
Now all I need is a tractor, loader & box blade.....lol
How well does that hitch work on the box blade
Not bad but it's short so it has limited range in turns. I just kept getting in situations where I had to move trailers while spreading gravel with the box blade and decided to stick that on.
Where did that trailer hitch piece come from? Or did you make it out of angle iron?
Just welded up from scrap.
Loved your video! But I'm still confused. I see that you don't use any of the heavy metal prongs that stick down in the front of the box blade and that you're using your box blade without that those prongs and just depending on the back smoothing and cutting surfaces. I'm confused on the angle though because my thought was that I seem to load up my box plate too quick and don't know really how to release the material correctly. I had recently thought that if I put it in the digging position that it would automatically fall out the back and fill the holes. But you're suggesting that I do exactly the opposite and put it in the smoothing position and depending on the back blade of the box blade without the diggers in the front to smooth the material it looks like you're saying that if you have the front of the blade tilted up the box might tilted up that will put you in the smoothing mode but I have been thinking that was a problem on my box plane gets loaded up so quick and doesn't get rid of anything. So if you could do a video on that that would be great.
I had thought that my tilting the back of the blade up with the front side of it down I guess in the digging position, that that would allow gravel to fall out under the back of the blade as I drove. You're telling me that I need to raise the front and lower the back to smooth it. I don't have new gravel on my drive, I'm just trying to renovate a very old driveway it's very packed with little gravel on it anymore. I had thought of using the prongs on the front to dig up the old gravel and expose it and then try to smooth it out. But again I was thinking if you lowered it in front raise it and back it would let the material fall out the back. Is there a step missing here between loading it up dropping it out and smoothing it how do you drop it out without smoothing it?
The "rippers" or "scarifier shanks" are only needed to break up heavily compacted material. They are rarely needed on a gravel driveway.
What size stone/gravel did you use?
I use crusher run aka "3/4 minus" which is a mix of 3/4" on down to dust. It locks together over time (almost like concrete).
Does the driveway get wider every time you do this? (Honest question as it looks like you gained some width here).
Weeds like to grow in from the shoulder over time, in fact they have grown back in again since the recent grading work was done.
When they were dumping the gravel, why didn’t you ask them to move as they dumped. This would have spread out the gravel a bit. I use both the box and bucket to smooth things out but I am mindful of the loads on the hydraulics and also the arms.
I brought in the gravel myself on a dump trailer (which you can see in some of the clips). It doesn't have the type of tailgate needed to spread. But in the past when I have had gravel delivered by dump truck, I would ask them to tailgate it down.
@@Lumber_Jack ahhh, sounds good. I don’t have trailer skill yet…but I would do as you did. Nice work.
What kind of gravel do you use?
Crusher run (aka, "road base" or "3/4 minus").
Question? Why didn't you just cut the high point in the middle of the driveway and move the material into the low spot? It would have saved time and $?
That would be a big mistake. It's super important to create and maintain a crown so that water runs off to the sides. Gravel driveways without a crown will deteriorate and form potholes very quickly.
I'm not sure you're right about using reverse with box blade. For generations there have been three point hitch using a blade, and compressing the arms. Some of the generations on the same tractor. Anyway good video, thanks
Spend some time on the various tractor forums -- about once a week someone will show up with bent arms or a busted rear end because of this. Very common failure when folks don't know the limits.
wow - I noticed a ton of dirt in the blade - I must be on dig?
That 53’s??
Cant u spread when dumping?
Is the box blade good for snow removal?
No, it is really terrible for that since it has no ability to windrow snow off to the side, so it just collects in the box and spills back out. I've seen people try and it's really not worth the trouble. A rear scraper blade angled to ~15 degrees does very well though. I make two passes down my driveway -- out and back -- and I'm done.
@@Lumber_Jack , Thanks for the info.
you are missing the idea of using the scarifiers...
Really not needed for the type of work in this video.
I appreciate this video, you got a pilots vocabulary, do you fly too?
To quote Indiana Jones "fly yes, land no". I work in aerospace R&D so I use a lot of the same jargon as pilots.
I just have a l2501 not HST I hate they told me I can’t install a hydraulic top link with out it costing me a few thousand
It doesn't cost nearly that much if you do it yourself. You just tap into the existing power-beyond loop (same loop that feeds optional front loader and backhoe on the 2501). You can use generic valves for a couple hundred dollars. The Kubota valve kit is better integrated but just repackages generic valves, hoses, and fittings and they charge $$$ (especially if the dealer does the labor).
@@Lumber_Jack they gave me a spill about haveing to install new pomp’s and it would cost 3000 and up. I felt like they wanted me to get a new tractor a upgrade from what I got
What about having a crown?
This driveway already has an established crown, but if starting from scratch I prefer using a rear blade to spread gravel and windrow towards the center, then followup with a box blade to smooth it out. Don't ever run a box blade down the center of a crowned road except in smoothing mode only. The goal is to preserve the crown and not cut into it at all.
@@Lumber_Jack thanks for the info. New tractor owner and box blade owner here. Could you also slightly tilt the box blade up horizontally and cut both right and left side to create a crown?
@@DonnieDarko727 Yes, if you have enough material to remove when you make the cut, and the material would need to be very dry so that it moves laterally and out the high end of the box. But it will be slow. Box blades are not nearly as efficient at moving material laterally like an angled rear blade can do.
@@Lumber_Jack thanks
23 23:47 If you're going to haul your own rock you should set up your dumb trailer to spread the gravel it would cut your time in half
I tailgate gravel out the back of the trailer on new driveways or when I know I want an even layer over an existing driveway, but for periodic maintenance it's much more surgical/strategic to place it manually.
You don't ' crown '?
Definitely do, but it's already in the road here (see early in the video) so no need to shape it from scratch or re-establish it from the shoulders.
@@Lumber_Jack can you explain more on establishing a crown. If you are setting box blade level aren’t you filling in low areas and thus eliminating the crown? You did say you were setting box blade level, right? Not angled from center to edge of road
@@dalechristensen8459 This driveway had an existing crown which I did not alter (really just filled in travel ruts that were superimposed on the existing crown). The tractor and box basically ride on top of the existing grade and crown. The box blade is at zero tilt relative to the tractor rear wheels, so it does no cutting relative to whatever grade the rear wheels are riding on. Whatever material the box moves, it's mostly all fore/aft without any cutting into the crown.
You can use a box blade to establish an initial crown by using a tilt angle -- the resulting grade is going to be relative to whatever the tractor rear wheels are riding on, since the box blade cuts relative to the wheels. Normally I'd spread gravel level, then tilt the box and run down each side of the driveway to remove material from the shoulder and deposit it in the center. Then put the box back level and make some smoothing passes, starting down the center.
You can also use an angled & tilted rear blade to move material from the shoulders and windrow it to the center, then make some smoothing passes afterwards. This method also works to reestablish a crown that might have flattened out over time, or due to snow removal migrating gravel outward. I haven't had to do that in a while, but in a heavy snow year, I will always need to run down the driveway in the spring with an angled rear blade and windrow gravel back from the shoulders into the center.
@@Lumber_Jack if I did not have a crown or enough crown and wanted to create one, would I simply tilt box blade from high at center to low at outside? I’ve read I should crown the road 1/2” per foot of width,do you agree with that? Thanks for your video and answering my questions. I found your video to be VERY informative!
@@dalechristensen8459 That is how I would do it (a heavy box blade is key, or lay some weights on the box to help it make good ground contact). I just eyeball the crown but I'd estimate it drops about 3/8 to 1/2" per foot from center out to edge. My driveways are 10-12' wide and the edges are generally about 2-3" lower than the center crown.