I wonder if I can return it ... and exchange it for something better.

[mcmxi]

I have a rear blade, used it once. probably going to sell it in the spring. I ended up buying a landpride box blade for my BX it does an amazing job, I do not regret getting the box blade when I bought my machine. I had actually purchased the rear blade used before I even got my tractor. However with the implement deal we decided to order the box blade as the multi-implement discount made the mechanical thumb on my BH free.

I've used the rear blade that I bought with the BX a fair amount for gravel, dirt and snow but I don't have top-n-tilt on the BX so the blade is somewhat limited. Like you I have a box blade for the BX but I've used that a lot less than the rear blade.

I'll admit that I have some buyer's remorse when it comes to the rear blade for the MX and the money could have been better spent on a box blade, but perhaps it will be a useful implement in combination with top-n-tilt which the MX has. It's not so much the cost but rather I'm averse to having things sit and not getting used.

 

[UpNorthMI]

smackdab, photos would be very helpful.

I ordered the ETA-CATI-II-XDBBV2-84 box blade from EverythingAttachments.com this morning. I opted for a black finish at no charge mostly because it's easier to match gloss black paint rather than yellow, and to be honest I don't really care for EA's mustard looking finish. Lead time will be at least 12 weeks, but just like the grapple I think I'm getting a quality implement that will last a lifetime.

The box blade has a shipping weight of 780lb and costs $320 to ship to Montana. So the total is only $98 more than ordering the Land Pride BB2584 from my local dealer, and that box blade is about 130lb lighter.

Congrats on the new box blade order, as I was reading down the thread I was about to share that I use an 84" wide heavy box blade on my MX5800 and that it is a great tool, the MX handles this size really well. I have a Woods HB84, it is an amazing tool for keeping my 6 miles of woodland trails and roads in shape, it's a great tool for assisting to create new tracks. EA make nice heavy equipment, I think you will be pleased with selecting a box blade, the EA model you ordered and the performance of your MX with the box blade.

Good luck with your projects.

 

[smackdab]

This is a Rhino blade I use on a MX. I don't have pictures handy of the Land Pride we use behind a L3560, but the concept is the same. With the side plates on it will haul quite a lot of dirt. The tail wheel really makes it a much nicer unit to do more precision grading, but if you have a small job and time and patience, you can still do a good job. I've used this blade to build and maintain roads, To put a crown on, and I've dug a pretty decent size drainage ditch with it. Plan on similar jobs with the Land Pride.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

if you're reasonably handy, you can add 'wings' to a rear blade and turn it into a box blade. Friend did that, made the wings removable,so he now has the OPTION of what blade to use.

 

[Crash277]

if you're reasonably handy, you can add 'wings' to a rear blade and turn it into a box blade. Friend did that, made the wings removable,so he now has the OPTION of what blade to use.

thats a great idea! I was thinking of doing that to my plow blade.

 

[smackdab]

We built the side plates (wings) on the blade I posted pics of out of scrap we had around. I am now where I can get some pics of the side plates on the Land Pride blade,. but they attach to existing holes on the ends of the blade moldboard. I think its 3 bolts there, plus the support arm takes one bolt, They can be put on or removed in minutes, especially if you have a cordless impact available.

 

[KTuk4J]

Box blade with adjustable/removable rippers all the way!

 

[Henro]

if you're reasonably handy, you can add 'wings' to a rear blade and turn it into a box blade. Friend did that, made the wings removable,so he now has the OPTION of what blade to use.

LOL... I think one would only think that a rear blade with wings was equivalent to having a box blade IF he never used a real box blade!

 

[JimmyJazz]

I have an old simple rusty rear blade I have been tripping over in my barn for the past 10 years. It came with the property. I have tried to use it on a few occasions with little luck. I would imagine hydraulic tilt that I lack would make a world of difference. My crowned 300ft long gravel and weed driveway warms my hillbilly heart when I see it. As they say "Perfection is in the eye of the beholder". Its hard to say what one should spend and how much effort to put forth maintaining a driveway. The answer in my neck of the woods is very little.

 

[smackdab]

LOL... I think one would only think that a rear blade with wings was equivalent to having a box blade IF he never used a real box blade!

Well, I've ran both. In the size of equipment we're dealing with on this site, a rear blade more than a box, admittedly. Biggest difference I can think of is the blade has no rippers of any kind. A rear blade with a tail wheel added does a pretty good job of pulling dirt and making grade. Outside of that, not much difference I can think of. On the larger box blades I'm accustomed to, there are a couple differences that come to mind. First is that they usually are drawn, and spread out a bit from the pin to the box. They typically add wheels on the rear somewhere to make grade. Which kind of leads back to what I try to accomplish ( on a small scale size wise) with a tail wheel on a rear blade.

What has been your observations when comparing a blade with side wings vs a box blade? I could very well be missing something.



This is the style of leveler we used on some of our land. It works fine for filling dips, has some limitations though.

This is a leveler we use now. I've covered about a 1/3 of our farm with this particular leveler, and would like to eventually do another third. Lots of iron engaging the ground, but it works well because of the length of the tool - its 48' long. Its tough to replicate the job something like this will do when we're talking about sub 80 hp tractors. But, the concept of spreading stuff out a bit is still relevant. I think anyway.

 

[Henro]

What has been your observations when comparing a blade with side wings vs a box blade? I could very well be missing something.

I guess with loose soil the blade with wings would work fine.

For me, the blade will simply drag across the top of the virgin earth and not dig in at all. The box blade with scarifiers down rips the soil loose, and I can get a box full pretty quickly, and with T&T easily change the angle and drag the full box somewhere and dump it, and repeat.

This is why for me the blade is pretty useless on hard packed soil, especially if grass covered.

Guess that was the point I was trying to express...although not very clearly...