What's the Best Box Blade for Maintaining Your Driveway?

[@ohiofarmer254]

I bought a farm store box blade at a garage sale. i paid $150 for a 72 inch blade. I quickly learned why they were selling it. it never worked right. My dad had a good box blade that would outperform mine even though it was smaller. I quickly sold it and bought an ETA wicked box blade and love it. It was worth every penny.

[@davidbalvin8112]

Great advice Mike. After many years of using rear blades, scrapers and box blades I find each better at some things than others but for leveling driveways a land plane does a better job and requires less skill.

[@billupstateny9151]

David is correct

[@DowneastThunderCreations]

Mike, I discovered Homestead Implements. They are located just outside of Buffalo, New York. The company is owned by a US Navy veteran, and he employs veterans from all services. I recently purchased their Pinnacle series (top end) box blade from them and I'm impressed with quality of materials and construction. I looked at quite a few brands before making the purchase and it does pay to take your time and shop around. My box blade was made to order (almost all of Homestead Implement products are made to order). The box blade was made from U.S. sourced steel, not imported stuff. Heavy duty, unsurpassed weld quality, and they powder coated the box blade to match my tractor (New Holland Blue). Because I'm a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, they gave me a 10% discount right off the top and they shipped it to me free of shipping charges! I'm sold on this brand and I'll be a repeat customer in the near future. I made a video on my KZbin channel about my new box blade when I received it, and one of the reps from the company (a fellow Marine) called me on the phone to thank me for posting the video and sent me a T-shirt with my choice of graphic and color. My box blade is 72" wide and has all the features, bells & whistles you would expect from a premium quality product. They are certainly not the cheapest of all the different box blades I had checked out, but they are reasonably and competitively priced. I've always subscribed to that old saying that you get what you pay for and I think it's true in this case. 👍👍👍

[@coypatton3160]

Mike great job on this topic! BB’s have lots of uses! You made great points.

[@tobyhaiste1497]

Great video Mike. Central B.C. here, running a Kubota M108s. I bought a new 8' Land Pride box blade last year from the local Kubota dealer. In my opinion, at around 3 grand it is very good value for the money, fairly heavy duty. The ripper height is easily adjustable, the at least one of the 2 blades is bolted on so easy to flip or change. I did have to wait 6 months for delivery but hey, "supply chain issues" For comparison purposes I got a price from the local JD dealer, their quote was a couple hundred dollars more, which I would pay if their unit was better i.e. heavier. The JD quote was for a much lighter unit, 300 pounds lighter in fact, even though it is for the same working width. In my experience, for something like a box blade, heavier is better. The all around thicker steel and more rugged rippers will last far longer. I bought mine to maintain my gravel driveways and various clay based trails, smooth them out some, it works well for that.

[@alanross3435]

You always give the best advice! Thanks bro!☮✌🏻

[@bendoucette5921]

Hello Mike, First of all , thank you. I bought my very first tractor at the beginning of the pandemic, a B2601. You have been a great resource during my learning process. I have a landpride box blade and thought I would never need to use the ripper blades, but I was wrong. They are amazing when you have a gravel driveway covered in ice. All the best, Ben from Nova Scotia

[@coypatton3160]

Mike great info. Very little if anything to add. A few things to reinforce: Quick hitch- if you have one, triple check that any implements will fit. If you have not yet pulled that trigger, PULL it! I suggest Pat’s easy hitch. Width of blade/weight of blade-get as Mike says just wider than your rear tires! Get as heavy as you can pull loaded up. Heavier and wider will both drive the price initially, long term better investment-price that repair cost or replacement cost. The heavier the BB, generally the better the build quality including welds. Welds are tricky to judge-paint hides what you need to see to evaluate the weld-easier to eval overall build and judge good quality welds from that perspective. Better box blades are heavy, real pain to hook to without a quick hitch!

[@stevemcclure3935]

A land plane is much easier to use and does a better job for driveways and lanes. The only place a box blade excels is actually transferring bulk gravel or soil from one area on the driveway to another.

[@larrymoore6640]

Mike you're absolutely right about staying away from the cheaper models. I would recommend talking with Travis of Everything Attachments. Great products and customer service.

[@tfoucher481]

Great advice Mike. My box blade does an amazing job. Go KC!!

[@mrfurb73]

Leroy might want to look into the Land Leveler with ripper shanks from Everything Attachments. Seems to be the best mix for working on driveways.

[@kevingreene9426]

I found a good rule of thumb to judge durability and usefulness is get one that weighs as close to 100lbs per foot of width. My 7 footer weighed in at 686lbs. The farm stores' weighed less than 500 for a 7 footer. Price was higher but well worth it. I did have to weld reinforcement behind the scarifer slot - 1/4in angle iron. I hooked a hidden chestnut stump with my 65hp JD. A hydraulic top link makes things go nice.

[@woodyholland9865]

Hi Mike, I have a local manufacturer of implements close to me in Alabama. Have used 2 of their box blades and 2 of their brush rotary cutters for over 25 years. I gave my first box blade away after I borrowed one from a friend and ruined the paint on his. My second one is still strong and works perfectly after many years. I got another rotary cutter because I wanted to use a 6 foot cutter instead of a 5 foot one. And man does that extra foot of cut save me time!! So I am happy with aftermarket implements instead to the ones painted orange or red or green and yellow. My tractor is blue like yours.

[@MJADoingStuff]

Great information as always 😁👍Thanks for the video Mike 🚜💨☀

[@stephenrhodesianridgeback7418]

Good advice . A hydraulic top link is a game changer on a box blade also. The curved bolt on grader blade cuts the best .

[@ryanv3751]

Good advice Mike. Box blade is perfect tool to leave on the tractor. I like mine for it’s weight and it stays relatively close to the tractor. I also hang suitcase weights on it for extra ballast when using the loader but remove them when grading.

[@coypatton3160]

On grading driveways: Depending on how your driveway lays on your land (hills can be different) you may want a crown in the middle-it aids in getting water off the drive quickly. That said, crowns may need to be cut down. If you have ditches on the side of the drive, you want to be sure the edge of the road rolls over into the ditch, a slight ridge will keep water in the drive-frequent problem with driveways. My mind thought of a different hump than a crown (Mike addressed crowns well other than you may want a slight crown). I thought of the up/down hump. To work these out is a pain, but can be done. Depending on how bad/tall the hump, it may need to be bust loose first. Then grade driving in reverse-driving forward usually makes these humps worse. One last mention-potholes! A couple of points. 1) get the water off the drive as quickly as possible-slope of some type, drive higher than rest of property, no ridges at edges of drive. Filling with gravel is not the way to do it, use those teeth and loosen up all the area around that hole, then grade the drive.

[@fhuber7507]

You always want a crown... but not a hump with ditches on each side, where the wheels run, another hump each side and the real ditches...

[@gckshea]

Mike, I would add this (my opinion): get a box blade with ripper teeth (scarifiers) that are held in place with a through-pin and snap cotter pin. The alternative are rippers that are held into a notch by a wedge or spacer pinned or friction held. These are a pain to adjust, don't hold up to the forward and backward forces of tough ground engagement, and the wedges are often proprietary...don't lose one and expect to replace it by dropping into any hardware store.

[@mburke1211]

Good advice. I would add that hydraulic top and side links accelerate the learning curve on using a box blade. If your tractor has rear hydraulics, the links are relatively inexpensive to add.

[@MikeBrown-ii3pt]

There's an old adage that's common when talking about tools, it says, "buy once, cry once", referring to the price of quality vs the price of junk. It also definitely holds true when it comes to buying implements and attachments for tractors. Always buy the very best that you can afford.

[@geremychubbuck3730]

Woods makes high quality equipment.

[@markchoate9021]

Good stuff, Mike. Yep, a good box blade is a must on a farm or spread of land. Very key to have one with a removable blade edge.

[@reno4819]

Mike, Have you considered the Box Plane? It's both a land plane and a box blade in 1 unit. Don't know if any are quality built or not. Cheers!

[@rpercifieldjr]

I currently have both a box blade and land plane. My driveway is almost 1/2 mile long, and the land plane does a great job on it. I use the box blade to move dirt and rock into and across areas. Unfortunately, I do not have enough gravel for my driveway, and that will be the next big expense. I have used a box blade on my driveway, but the land place is faster. Either would serve Leroy well.

[@m16ty]

I've been eyeing a land plane, but I have some concerns on how well it will actually work. My driveway is a little over a quarter mile with a couple of fairly large hills. I don't want my driveway completely flat, I want a crown where it will shed water and not run down the middle of it and wash out on the hills. Can you make a crown driveway with one of those land planes? Looks to me like they just make everything flat.

[@fhuber7507]

Shop around for the gravel... Locally prices for the exact same material can be $350 to $700 for a 20 ton load delivered to the exact same address.

[@a.saintango1311]

Depending on how often you’ll need it consider renting one. Many times someone in the neighborhood has one laying around maybe offer a rental fee or offer to help that neighbor with something in return for them letting you borrow their implement. I saved hundreds borrowing my buddy’s post digger and I’d never have used it again in my life if I bought it after my fence job.

[@rlmillercpa]

I have a Frontier box blade that came as part of my package deal. I use it about once a year to maintain about 1/2 mile of gravel roads/trails. It does the job just fine. I find the operator is the biggest factor in its effectiveness (setting the angle/aggressiveness via top link is the biggest challenge). Once set, a few passes is all that is needed. I don’t see spending more $$$ gaining me much.

[@steviegene4006]

Definitely go with Bush hog brand. They are the best, bar non

[@charlesperry1051]

Great video. I bought a MF GC1723E in late November. They were offering zero percent financing, so of course I took it. The mistake I made was NOT including a box blade. When it came time for delivery of the tractor I decided I needed a box blade and bought a Woods (in red). I could have financed any Woods attachment when buying the tractor. Live and learn. Now I am waiting on a weekend with good enough weather to work on my driveway.

[@_AndromedaGalaxy_]

i also rake my driveway sometimes but that takes longer and more passes. best to use that after the box blade but will suffice if you dont have a box blade.

[@waynereiver3917]

Mike what about the tr3 from abi attachments. That's a great tool

[@chrishunt5291]

Quick hitch for sure. Its a bear without it. I have a like new 5 ft frontier for my massey subcompact. It works great on our road. I want to mention this. The box farm stores around me sell king kutter. I have there 5 ft landscape rake and nothing cheap about it.

[@jaclynalley809]

I feed hay all winter to my cattle in round hay bale feeders. After the spring thaw and it dries up a bit, I take my feeders up and scrape the area with a scraper blade and front end loader. I then sow some rye grass. Would a box blade help me??

[@TractorMike]

I don't think so.

[@craigmcclure1819]

Question about hydraulics..my NH has the hydraulic connections up close to the bucket and as such I have broken the fitting while pushing up trees and the likes. Some advise on tractor purchase and hydraulics would be helpful Regards CMC

[@boblani8150]

Hi Mike, enjoy your videos. Very educational. Do you have horses and if so ,do you ever show any videos on them. Thanks

[@TractorMike]

The horses are my daughter's project. I've never been on one and probably will never be. Better for me to stay with tractors :).

[@redneck5356]

I have found some really heavy duty implements on market place and Craigslist

[@wildbill23c]

Usually broken, worn out, and otherwise beat to crap.

[@glendonmorgan7253]

I love how Mike won't even come out and say "Do not buy the cheap one."

[@gregwells4161]

Hi Mike wish I lived in the USA IT WOULD be easier & cheaper to get products for my tractor need a back blade for my mf1705 ,what ìs a good price for one? Also oilfilters is there a ďifference between diesel engine and gas engine ..?

[@KittKeagy-cv1bd]

I don't suggest taking the rippers off. Not everyone lives were the soil is loose and fluffy. The rippers add weight to the box blade which a lot of grading jobs require more weight. If ur afraid of ur rippers being stolen then I suggest not leaving ur whole tractor on that job. Now adays a lot of tractors are disappearing from job sites. But all in all a very informative video. Thanku

[@jamesrigler]

Mahindra sells the titan attachments with their own name on them I have a Mahindra box blade but the owners manual says titan on it

[@royevans7793]

Timely video, I've been thinking about buying a box blade for over a year. What kind do you have, Mike? I'm about 2 hrs. North of you and could pick it up, I like to support local businesses, and if what your local guy has a quality product, I'd definitely consider him!

[@TractorMike]

It's this one: tri-l.com/products/3-point-box-blade/ in 6'. Shoot me an e-mail at [e-mail] and I can tell you more.

[@fhuber7507]

How big is the driveway? For my appx 150 ft of 12 ft wide drive + 40 * 20 parking... an inexpensive box blade will outlive me. For a mile long drive with large parking, you want a better implement. For a pro doing driveways every day, you want the best you can get.

[@fhuber7507]

I try to NOT run my vehicle on the same tracks every time I drive in or out. Beside the tracks of where I went the last time, working my way from one side to the other. Use the car/pickup to help pack the whole drive. This will also have you grinding grass roots in the gravel before grass can take over the drive edges or cfenter hump.

[@CedarOutpost]

You need the scarifiers to tear out potholes. If you just fill them, they come right back.

[@delwincarlson645]

There is a company out there that just come out with a box plane. I'll have to find it and post it.

[@delwincarlson645]

Look up Good Works Tractor here on KZbin. They did a video on it. Guess right now it is a prototype.

[@justkeepingitreal7768]

A land plane will out perform a box blade for driveway maintenance all day every day! A box blade will out perform a land plane for moving material over a distance. I haven't touched my gravel roads with my box blade since I got my land plane.

[@Chugwater_Cowboy]

A couple of things I'll disagree with and it looks like they've already been mentioned in other comments. The hump in my mind was the same as another where it was a "HUMP" not a crown. I wondered when you read that if the viewer knew the difference and I wonder if you interpreted his comment correctly. Working a hump out of the road is quite different from working out a crown. Then too, a CROWN is a necessary feature of a good road whereas a hump is nothing but a nusiance. Working out a crown in a gravel road is a sin and should ban the tractor operator from ever operating another for life. Without the crown you get damaged roads from all of the elements especially rain and snow. Too much standing water on a road is a major cause of pot holes and washboarding (along with excessive traffic). Also trying to level a driveway with just a box blade alone will not necessarily fill in the low spots but rather will create more highs and lows. There are tricks to operating a box blade to obtain work-arounds but it's time consuming and takes a lot of patience and practice and still not nearly as good as another implement designed for leveling as opposed to grading. A more expensive box blade with self leveling would be better than a standard box blade. A tractor follows the highs and lows and as the tractor goes down, the blade goes up and vice versa. So all you accomplish is more highs and lows. But as I said, there are tricks to employ. Next, it's not totally true that the rock/gravel you put down earlier is still all there. Driveway material travels and migrates and even if you dig up some with your rippers you're still going to need to replace some of the material as top dressing. The only time you can keep the amount of material all in place is if you NEVER have any TRAFFIC (Motor or Pedestrian) on the road. Car tires pick it up and throw it or pass after pass it just migrates sideways and into the ditch. The most seem to leave the driveway at the end where traffic leaves your road and enters a highway or street.

[@drgnner6028]

I learned that when you buy cheap, you end up buying twice.

[@stevewarner8880]

Always remember,”the stingy man spends the most”.

[@hugostiglitz8465]

Dont forget you can also get 0% financing for 24 months through the better manufacturers like Landpride instead of paying all the money upfront.

[@billupstateny9151]

Box blade is NOT the best driveway maintenance implement🤔🚜