You're welcome John, thanks for the kind words.

that sure is "nice" of you to say "thanks"

Glad I could help! Thanks for the support!

So glad I could help, Todd! Hope you have fun with that new tractor.

The loader and box blade are on my tractor almost all the time...I use them both a lot. I have an A&B Eagle Line 4 foot box blade which has some cross braces within the box blade itself which I found perfect to hang suitcase weights from for additional ballast when using my loader with my pallet forks to move heavier stuff around...mainly needed to add more ballast when I need to use my roto tiller which is stored on a pallet that sits on a scaffold that I modified to use as a shelving unit for implements/attachments for my tractor. The tiller/pallet weigh enough that the box blade itself isn't enough ballast to move the tiller safely without causing a rear wheel to come off the ground. The suitcase weights I have are for my lawn tractor but they work just fine for my needs on my tractor as well for ballast....the suitcase weights are about 40 pounds each, and I have 4 of them which seems to be just right for my needs, and I could add a couple more if I needed to.

+MyNameIs Nobody .. found it !

That's what the cutting blade on the back end of the box blade is for. When u go in reverse the curved steel & the weight of the blade do a light cut to the surface 😎🚬

Thanks for watching!

That's a good idea, especially on smaller tractors, as well as some tractors that don't have a depth control on the 3 point, its hard to gauge how high or low the implement really is, like my Kubota BX2680, its up or down, its hard to really set it anywhere else as you have no guide as to where its set....and hard to repeat a depth as well due to the lack of 3 point height control.

LoloL

adding weight helps, ive got 2 4 inch plates welded on my blade that adds about 100lbs or more

Tim Sawyer Tim, I also am a new tractor owner. B2301. I bought a rear scraper blade for it. I’m trading it on a box. Personally, I found the scraper blade extremely difficult to use. I had a terrible time maintaining grade. Hope this helps.

Nope. Did just fine without the rippers.

He doesn't recommend it according to one other comment...

I guess if that's all you had

Yeah, I just drop it all the way to the bottom and let it do its job.

You want to be in the lowest gear you can stand with the engine revved up and the pedal down as far as is comfortable for ground speed. The further you have the pedal pushed down, the more oil is flowing through the transmission, the more cooling you have. What you don't want to do is be in a higher range and barely push the pedal down. That's what can wear out a hydro. Good luck!

It's definitely harder on the three point to push backward, they can be broken, I've done it, but I've never broken anything in the housing. If I was in an area where there might have been a stump, a root, or a huge rock I probably wouldn't have done that. A good, heavy box blade is a great tool to own.

No, I don't think it would help. Draft control is designed to regulate the depth at which tillage tools travel in the ground. If the implement is on top of the ground it has negligible effectiveness.

I've never seen an aftermarket kit to do that, I doubt that mine would fit your tractor. The manufacturer's generally offer that on certain tractors and the turnbuckles on others and then don't offer a kit to change from one to the other. If it were me, I'd pull off the one you have now and run it down to the Kubota dealership and find the older gray haired parts person and see if they could order a replacement from a different model that would fit. They're a whole lot easier to adjust, the turnbuckles will give you muscles like Popeye :).

Yes I agree, in order to get rid of pot holes one has to dig them out with rippers because pot hole are compressed, therefor if one just re gravel and or grades, the pot holes will reappear. I'd like to know if the rippers on a tractor box blade can dig out the compressed pot holes something like a road grader equipped with rippers (of course on a smaller scale).

+Ricky Choat Gosh that's a good question. My guess is that it would spread better if it was dry, but it might pack down better when wet.That's on a driveway, if you're doing dirt, better do it dry. If I remember from my soil science class in college, there's a chemical reaction that happens when soil is disturbed when wet that makes it clump together and it takes a lot of time to get it back to normal. My best advice, if you're doing your driveway, try it both ways and see which way works best, if you're leveling out dirt, do it dry only.

Damp would be best if you need to use the scarifier teeth to dig in and help break up really compacted ground. I waited till a good rain storm and did my driveway so I knew where the low spots were that needed filled in. This is for a gravel driveway....don't try it in dirt, you may find yourself stuck in the mud if its too wet.

Thanks for the compliment! I didn't put the teeth down for anything I did. In my experience, the only time I drop them down is when I'm wanting to loosen up compacted soil and, in this area, you want to be real careful with that. Here in the Ozarks there could be huge rocks and/or roots just below the surface that can stop the tractor (or bend or break the scarifier). If you live in an area with deep topsoil and few rocks you won't have to worry as much. Good question about the loosened gravel going toward the ditch. No more tilt than I put on the blade that didn't seem to be an issue but you bring up a good point, gravity is going to try to push the gravel to the low side, so you sure don't want to overdo the angle. It doesn't take much to head the water toward the ditch.

I've not had experience with a land leveler, that's on my list of equipment to evaluate someday. If you're wanting to keep the price down and you'll never use a front end loader, you could probably find a cheap 25-40 hp tractor with no loader, then make sure the land leveler is just a little wider than the back tires. Get 4wd. If you get a tractor with a loader, generally a sub-compact will pull a 4' leveler, 25-30hp will pull a 5' and 35+ a 6'.

The land plane does a great job for gravel driveway work from what I've seen as well. They're quite expensive compared to a box blade and for most driveway work the box blade would do just fine. I wouldn't mind having a land plane but the cost of them is way too much for what little use I'd have for one. I get by with my box blade which has been doing quite well on my driveway...I do want to pickup a rear grading blade mostly for snow removal tasks, but they don't do as well for driveway maintenance as a box blade or a land plane/land leveler would. The land leveler/land plane is larger and heavier than a box blade but I think you would have better digging power with a box blade with the scarifier teeth especially for the initial driveway work...afterwards a land leveler/land plane would probably keep up with it if you did it often enough.

Buy an older tractor like a ford 3000

It's possible if there's something down there that the blade catches that won't move, but if all that's down there is gravel I think the danger is really small. I'd take it easy and be in a lower gear and you should be O.K. If you hit an immovable object going fast, something has to give, usually it would be a pin or a weld in the box blade, but I've actually seen some broken three point arms, so its hard to predict where the failure would be.

Yes.

Thanks for watching! That comes standard on many tractors, but generally cannot be added if it is not originally on your tractor.

@@TractorMike I did find a place online for one that will fit my L3301. Seems like a very universal setup and a no-brainer for manufacturers to use as standard equipment.

I don't think you're missing anything. That's a problem when the surface you're on is not fully level and you've found the best option of finding a level spot and going backwards. Running over a hump with the tractor has an impact on what's behind it.

Search Dave knows show The box blade on utube. 4 videos. You will find "the ripple affect secrets revealed part 2"

+Al Coroy You have the same problem we had at our last house. The aces that built the driveway put "shot rock" or big rough limestone rocks down to save space, then spread gravel on top. We fought the same thing you're fighting. Every time you graded you'd pull up big rocks and have to get rid of them. I wish I had an easy solution short of pulling up the driveway and hauling off the big rocks and starting over. Maybe a subscriber will have a better idea, but I think the best thing is to probably add a couple more layers of gravel on top of those big rocks and hope you never see them again. That's what I did. I feel your pain...

Thanks for the quick response Mike.

Nick, box blades are not the best for snow removal. They're great for leveling ground, spreading dirt piles and taking the "crown" off that gravel driveway but they just wad up snow in the box and eventually it spills over. A straight blade that can angle will throw snow off to one side on the way down the driveway and the other side on the way back. This video shows it: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qqd5aZBottW1qIE.html. I hate to tell you, but you probably need both tools. The box blade to keep the driveway fresh and the angle blade for snow removal. That's a little expensive, but stuff like that holds it's value. If you ever want to sell it you won't lose that much, as long as you take care of it.

That's what I will do then. Makes sense. Thank you for the advice!

I'd probably use a box blade. It's going to tear up the turf pretty bad, if I were doing it here I'd do it in late September/early October and then seed it. The best time to seed cool season grasses is fall here, then they don't have to compete with weeds and they get established right before it turns cold and do well the following spring.

Depends on how uneven this is and the nature of you soil - I've found it's easier to just add more material on top than make a mess trying to dig it up, especially if you have heavier soils and dense sod

A roto tiller and start over LOL. Other than that there isn't much you can really do to fix it without tearing things up anyways. Where I live in Idaho the ground changes all the time anyways, with hot and cold weather changes you get low spots and high spots never in the same place HAHA!! You just learn to live with it. Only thing I've had to do was fill in some spots where a shed installation contractor got their truck stuck after I told them not to drive over that area several times.

Those were stock on the New Holland TC tractors. It's called a "Leveling Device" and the crank part #86402632 sells for $580 through New Holland, you'd also need the lift link #86400283 to make it work and it's $98. I thought I'd get one to go on the other side so I could easily adjust angles on attachments and then I saw the price and decided not to. There might be other brands that have them that would be cheaper, I've not seen aftermarket units.

That's definitely a lot but they are nice I'll look them up might be able to make one thanks very much for the reply back

+Anthony Hart So much of that depends on who owned it before but, at 57 years old, if I were buying a tractor in good mechanical shape with 2000 hours or less I would expect it to last until I'm gone and the kids do my estate sale :). If I knew the person that owned it before and they took meticulous care of it, I wouldn't mind a tractor with 3000 hours. I personally wouldn't want a tractor with over 4000 hours. There are probably a lot of differing opinions on that topic but that's the best advice I have. Hobby farming, brush hogging, moving dirt and tree limbs around and doing my videos I put under 150 hours on a tractor a year which is really nothing, but pretty typical for rural lifestyle customers. Now, if you start farming full time all of those numbers will change.

Exactly. Real farm tractors hold up to more hours on the meter much better than the modern tinker-toy compact diesels that so many home-owners are buying now-a-days. Most compacts are not being built to last like real farm tractors have traditionally been built. Most smaller compact diesels should be considered "pretty-well whipped" between 4,000 and 6,000 hours. Farm tractors typically get taken better care of also when a good farmer owns them, because their livelihood depended on it. Of course there is always the exception to every "rule". Bottom line is to inspect its overall condition, condition, condition! If you look the machine over well, most of the care, or lack thereof, will be fairly evident. This includes abuse and mis-treatment. Always be sure to check all of it's fluids. Be sure there is no oil in the coolant, or coolant in the oil. Check for excessive engine blow-by at the crankcase breather and at the oil fill cap. Check for any abnormal amounts of exhaust smoke/soot/oil build-up on the tail-pipe. Listen to the engine for any abnormal or out of place noises. Listen for any misfiring or rough idle. You'll get a pretty good picture of the overall condition of the tractor's powerplant if you do those few quick checks. The average farm tractor is relatively trouble free to around the 7,000 hour mark. That is not always the case however. I've had several tractors go 10,000+ hours and only be a little tired due to lower compression from normal wear and tear. I've had one turbo diesel engine completely fail at around 6,500 hours. With that said, the 6,500 hr. diesel engine that failed had been known by the manufacturer and the dealership to have defective pistons that came apart prematurely. To prevent any arguments amongst the internet community, I won't disclose what major USA manufacturer said engine was originally built by. LOL Another thing about hours is that tractors often get repaired & rebuilt. A high hour tractor could potentially have a new engine, a new clutch, a new hydraulic pump, etc, etc... So just because a machine may show higher hours on the meter, you can't always go on that one thing alone in making a decision. For example, my tractor with the bad engine got a full out of frame overhaul at the 6,500 hr. mark. It also got a new clutch at the same time. It now has 8,000+ hours on it. It will undoubtedly outlast me, and I'll bet the meter (if it stays working) will show double that number by the time she's tired out the next time around. One final thought to also always take into consideration... Tractor hour meters sometimes LIE. They are often found to be inoperative altogether, replaced without noting when the meter the was replaced, or broken and repaired many hours later to show a working meter with a bogus number of lower than normal hours on the clock. Over the years, I've seen many a tractor at auction and on dealer lots with inaccurate hour meter readings. I've seen a good share with around a supposed 2,000 to 3,000 hours on the meter, that I know easily have actually double to triple those hours on them based on various wear signs all over a given tractor.

For me, it made no sense buying used because used tractor prices for the size of tractor I needed were just about the same as a new tractor...but lacking any warranty, so I just bought new, so at least for me I know what's been done to the tractor from the beginning with no guessing games as to what services a previous owner did or didn't do...and in my area it would be the didn't do as people love to skip routine maintenance on everything...hell people here can't seem to build a simple shed to keep their equipment in, it just sits in the field where they last used it then wonder come spring why it don't work and why there's water in places it shouldn't be. Knowing all that was one huge pointer for me to buy new only, and skip the mess of a used tractor that I'd end up with.

My choice would be a three point box blade for the Deere.

Lift the blade gradually and spread it over a large area

4' or 5'. Make sure it cuts a patch a little wider than the tractor tires. If you have fluid in the tires for extra weight you could go with a 5' blade, if not, I'd stay with 4'.

I run a 54" BB on my 26 hp, Kubota B2620 - this seems to be the right size - you'll find the 5" wide that you may be underpowered for some applications, when the BB is full of material and dragging it's a lot of force on the machine

A 4 foot would be ideal, but for light duty stuff you could get away with a 5 foot. I can stop my tractor in its tracks in 4WD with my 4 foot box blade if I don't pay attention.

I haven't done a video on it, here's a video I helped a dealer produce, while it's a Massey, the process is very similar: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Z7VylqVpm8zSdo0.html. Getting it back on is actually the fun part: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mbuSdLSp0OCmY4k.html. Better hope someone has greased the pins that hold the loader on, without grease those things can darn near weld themselves in.

Tractor Mike awesome thank you

hi tractor mike. i did my driveway over the weekend with a box blade and i rolled it with a wacker tandem 2500lb riding roller. worked really well and my family appreciated it was not soft after loosening up all this gravel.

TC40...I sold them when they were new and they're pretty good little tractors.

About the only thing I'd use a regular grading blade for would be snow removal, or moving large amounts of gravel or dirt at once, then go back over it with the box blade to finish leveling it off. A grading blade depending on the model can sometimes not only be angled left to right, some can be angled up or down as well and be used as a ditcher, although you'd have to be extremely careful in areas with large rocks and roots.

Your dealer has probably had someone buy a box blade and try to level a forest with it. After about the third or fourth sudden impact with a tree root or a stump, the three point arms on the tractor broke or a weld on the box blade came loose and the dealer got yelled at. Believe me, I've been there. If you take it easy with a box blade you're not putting any more strain on the tractor than moving dirt or brush hogging, but if you try to make it into a bulldozer, something will fail. You could get in trouble on a driveway if there were large rocks down below and gravel on top and erosion meant some of the big rocks were sticking up. Your big danger is sudden impact at high speed. Take it slow the first few times to see if there are any obstructions and when you get the gravel worked up to the surface you should be fine. Most of the people who have concern about doing damage and take care of their stuff never have a problem, it's the guys that think you can't tear up a tractor that cause the dealer to tell you to be overly cautious.

That makes all the sense in the world. Thanks again :)

@steal threaded Tree roots are what have got me as well. Though I feel like they should be designed to take all.the loads a properly sized tractor can give them. I have had to reinforce mine in several places to make that true.

Grading,plowing, subsoiling all need to be done at a slow speed. Hardly anything is tougher on a tractor than a rototiller or bush hog

I'd be a bit worried about putting the lift arms inside of the frame. I don't have a good alternative other than modifying the quick hitch so the arms fit inside or returning it and going with Pat's Easy Change: asktractormike.com/product/pats-easy-change-quick-hitch-category-1/. I like Pat's best, but I sell them so I'm biased. Here's a comparison: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qMCSZ7d8t6uwpac.html.

@@TractorMike I took the hitch back to harbor freight and they said MANY people bring them back because of same issue,,in shopping online i see if i buy a actual cat 2 quick hitch the openings are 1 1/4 or larger but pats hitch looks like its the easiest way to go,,,have you ever addessed the issues of tractors with auto or hydro sticking in gear,,i have a new farmtrac 25 hp thats great BUT shifter wont shift into neutral unless trac is off,,,if it locks up i can also push wheels back and forth it will release,im under warranty but no dealers here in sc,,i bought from a ocala fl dealer online because he marked down the 25 hp with loader to 10999,,same size tym and ls were almost 20k,,knew it was a gamble but since im a decent mechanic i hoped i could do repairs,,maint etc,,cant find a repair manual anyhwere,,if you have any tips on the trans i would app it,,thanks for helping,,stay safe and PRAY for our country

James, that was something offered on the New Holland TC's and a few other tractors I've seen. You correctly noticed that it's a whole lot easier to operate than other options out there. Unfortunately, there are enough differences in three point systems that no one I know of has ever attempted to offer aftermarket kits to update other tractors to a system like that. I think you'd have to redesign the whole thing and fabricate several parts to adapt it. Wish I had better news...

Yes. Any gear drive transmission that has one or more gears in neutral can be towed without damage. Now, if it's a power shuttle, better check the owner's manual. You may want the gear, or range lever in neutral, then you'd be okay. CVT's and hydro's don't like to be towed.

I'd try it first without the teeth, if you're pushing backward like I am in the video you won't want the teeth down anyway. If you get to where it won't dig any deeper then it's time to either A) pull down the teeth and try to dig it up B) call the quarry and line up delivery of more gravel. Having said that, the gravel driveway at our family farm always has a hole in the same place. We tried about everything to get rid of it and it still comes back every 3-5 years to this day, so I don't know that I've figured out the final answer to hole elimination. Maybe someone else will contribute an idea here that we can both try.

@@TractorMike c

@@TractorMike sounds like a bigass hole...I hate to say it but I got one of those too! In my driveway that is. Can't never fill the dang thing up

@@TractorMike For stubborn holes I get #10 gravel from our local limestone quarry. You can think of #10 as "big sand". I overfill the hole with it and pack it down tight, rolling my 15,000 lb. dually truck tires over it. This typically lasts a LONG time, more than filling it with other types of gravel or material.

The Plow Guys John, I'd love to help but where I'm at in southwest Missouri, we usually don't have that much snow. Consequently, dealers don't stock or sell much snow removal equipment, so I've had pretty limited experience there. I've heard that snow blowers are the preferred method of snow removal in northern areas but in this area a blade is about the only tool anyone uses for that purpose. There's a website that I like with a lot of discussion about tractors and implements called TractorByNet.com. You might check there to see what discussion there's been about snow removal there. Good luck and thanks for watching.

OK great thank you.

Absolutely...I've never been around Kudzu, I'm not sure that'll kill it. My southern friends tell me it's fairly hardy.

@@TractorMike It is very persistent and it grows incredibly fast. The only way to get rid of it is to dig it up.

Goats, When there done use Brushkill. Then dig it up. Most difficult thing ever to get rid of