Box blading with roots.

[TRA]

Are you getting caught by the rippers? I assume not just the box blade. What’s your long term goal? Moving material or just smoothing it out?

Long term is to make some level paths and drives around the hills. I need to break up the soil so my BB can move the dirt to the low sides.

 

[Lencho]

Hi TRA,
I hooked up my BB yesterday and pulled a ripper to compare to the Subsoiler(SS).
The only downside might be the SS is centered behind your tractor, unlike the BB rippers where you can dig on the uphill side. The SS is 1.5” wide vs. .75” for the ripper. When you get under a root the TPH lift can pop it out. Then you should have better luck with your BB.

 

[SDT]

In my never ending homestead path work, im running into a lot of issues box blading. I know I have a small machine and limited power, but I seem to get hung up on roots very easily, making the tractor full stop. Even little finger sized ones hang me up.

I’m a novice, so any advice is welcome.

Some things I try,

Setting the angle to the box so the ripper thanks only penetrate an inch or so.
Raise the height to where im only skimming a little.
Only using two rippers.

Tractor is in 4wd, low range, reved to redline, and I don’t stomp the HST.

Is there a ripper shank that’s a blade available for my LP BB?

You may be expecting too much.

I have a HD 6' box blade that I leave mounted to my Ford 860 just about all of the time.

The 860 is a 45 PTO HP 1955 farm tractor and carries 1,200 Lbs. of cast iron on the rear and 200 Lbs. of cast iron on the front. It is designed for plowing and will drag my L6060 into the next county. That said, roots of any size in the rippers will stop it in its tracks.

SDT

 

[nickelplated5s]

Try dropping only one or two of the rippers.

 

[TRA]

Small update.

I had a fella come in with a dozer and give the whole place a work-over for a couple of days. Damn... even a little JD350 is like the hulk. He pulled up shitloads of stumps.

With the big stuff broken up, I used the root rake on my grapple to scoop up a lot of the roots. Made a big pile of them.

Hopefully the box blade will do a better job now that the soil is broken up.

 

[TRA]

Hi TRA,
I hooked up my BB yesterday and pulled a ripper to compare to the Subsoiler(SS).
The only downside might be the SS is centered behind your tractor, unlike the BB rippers where you can dig on the uphill side. The SS is 1.5” wide vs. .75” for the ripper. When you get under a root the TPH lift can pop it out. Then you should have better luck with your BB.

Thank you for that comparison. I didn't consider the vertical forces as important as the lateral ones. That makes perfect sense.

I wonder if a single point has more breaking power than two or more spread out?

 

[TRA]

You may be expecting too much.

I have a HD 6' box blade that I leave mounted to my Ford 860 just about all of the time.

The 860 is a 45 PTO HP 1955 farm tractor and carries 1,200 Lbs. of cast iron on the rear and 200 Lbs. of cast iron on the front. It is designed for plowing and will drag my L6060 into the next county. That said, roots of any size in the rippers will stop it in its tracks.

SDT

I think I am too.

I watch videos of box blading and some of these dudes are using M series or similar, and make it look like a dozer ripping through.

 

[In Utopia]

Didn't have the rippers down, but instead a corner of the blade caught a root and threw me around before I knew what happened.
Couldn't go forward, couldn't go backward.
Took a neighbor with a crawler to lift the rear and pull me out.
This all happened while trying to smooth out a trail for a neighbor.

 

[TRA]

Didn't have the rippers down, but instead a corner of the blade caught a root and threw me around before I knew what happened.
Couldn't go forward, couldn't go backward.
Took a neighbor with a crawler to lift the rear and pull me out.
This all happened while trying to smooth out a trail for a neighbor.

That could have been a lot worse. Amazing how fast things can go sideways.