Go BottomGrading Power JD 855
 | Dale Chatterton
Join Date: Posts: 1 
|
2000-12-03 22094
I am looking at a 1997 JD 855 with 190 hours, 72" belly mower, front hyd. snow blade, turf tires. I can get it for $12,000 which looks about right. My question is with this set up will I have trouble with a 5' box scraper. I have a 1/2 mile gravel drive and have maybe one or two days a year with heavy snow.
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGrading Power JD 855
| Bird Senter
Join Date: Jun 1999 Posts: 962 
|
2000-12-03 22101
Dale, does that 855 have 4WD? I've used a 5' box blade in dirt behind a 16 hp tractor, so in some circumstances the 855 can handle it, but traction may be a problem with turf tires, especially if it doesn't have 4WD. ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGrading Power JD 855
| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley 
|
2000-12-04 22104
I use a 6'box scraper on my 24hp 4wd/turf tire tractor. There isn't quite enough traction for heavy applications such as ripping sod with the scarifiers. The tractor also will burrow in if I try to pick up and drag a full box on loose gravel. Of course, amount of cut and pick up is controllable, so I can match the blade's performance to the tractor's traction. I get by OK. I may have rip sod in two passes, and I carry a FEL bucket of gravel for extra traction when I'm spreading loose gravel. I'd rather have a long blade for leveling work, and having to take the heavy stuff in two passes is an OK price. ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGrading Power JD 855
| Dale Chatterton
Join Date: Posts: 1
|
2000-12-05 22152
Yes it is a 4wd. I would be doing mostly road grading. The two post I have gotten tell me what I had already decided, that this just is not the correct set up. The price was good but the set up was not what I needed. I am now looking at a LandTrac 300. This is new, weights 3100 pounds and has 30 hp. The first price I have gotten is $13,400. Looks like a good deal and a solid tractor. ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGrading Power JD 855
| Jeff Pizzi
Join Date: Posts: 1
|
2000-12-05 22154
Bird - I'm curious what you mean by "some circumstances". I ask because I have a 4wd 755 (20 hp w/ HST) and a 60" (5ft) box blade that I have yet to hook up. It was really a little bigger than I wanted (I wanted a 54" Land Pride but this box was only $300, vs $450 plus $150 shipping or a 6 hour round trip to pick up the LP). I'll use it to grade about 800ft of gravel road and do some small amount of leveling on my 3 acres. I know I'm not going to be able to sink all 5 scarifiers, but what about just using the box? ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGrading Power JD 855
| Bird Senter
Join Date: Jun 1999 Posts: 962
|
2000-12-06 22157
Jeff, by "some circumstances" I meant just about what you're talking about. If the material (sand, dirt, gravel, etc.) is light enough, and the surface you are on, and the tires you're using, can get enough traction, no problem using a 5' box blade, but if you sink all the scarifiers, try to dig hard clay, are on grass or wet ground, you may bog down and not be able to pull a blade that big as well and find you can get more done quicker with a smaller blade. I bought a light weight 5' blade when I had a 16 hp tractor w/4WD and would have kept it, except their welds broke (on two different ones), so I got a refund and bought a 4' Monroe Tufline that I couldn't break. Now that I have a 27 hp tractor, I went back to a 5' blade. I definitely want the blade to be as wide, and preferably a little wider, than the tractor. ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGrading Power JD 855
| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
|
2000-12-07 22195
Just a comment about blade width: Here’s an example where my 6' blade is an advantage, even though I may be a bit traction challenged. I crowned several gravel drives (14'- 16'wide) with the scraper. I put one side down with the 3ph side-leveler and cut gravel into the box on each side of the drive. It took me several passes on each side before the blade was cutting over its entire length. I leveled the scraper, picked up the cut material in the box and spread it in the centre of the drive. I back-dragged some with the loader bucket and then compacted the spread material in the centre of the drive (Scrapers can compact gravel by extending the top link so the scraper rides on the back of its rear cutter). I finally lowered one end of the scraper again and compacted each slope of the crown. The point is that a 6' blade gave me 6' slopes on each side of the drive and left about the right width crown in the centre. A shorter blade would leave a wider crown that may not drain properly, or I would have had to cut each side in more than one course. Cutting a single grade in more than one course is a pain. The angles may not be the same, and you end up with a 'saw-tooth' that has to be worked out. I also cut a level pad for a 40' construction trailer into a slight hillside this summer, and the same idea applies.
If the side-to side grade is important, as well as the front to back grade, a wide blade can be a real advantage and save some hours on the tractor. For the trailer pad, I parked the tractor in the area to be graded, and actually put a master level on the box to adjust the side-leveler. Then I added some more tilt to allow for linkage play.
Anyway, what works best depends on the type work that needs to be done. If I had to rip a sizable pasture with scarifiers, I'd probably end up wishing for a 4' scraper. Hope somebody gets some ideas about box scraper grading from all this as well.
....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGrading Power JD 855
| Jeff Pizzi
Join Date: Posts: 1
|
2000-12-07 22221
Bird - Thanks for your reply. I don't have time of more now.
Jeff ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGrading Power JD 855
| Dan Bessette
Join Date: Posts: 1
|
2000-12-10 22308
While we're on the subject of box scrapers, I have a couple of more questions. I'm planning on getting ad JD4400 in the spring with FEL, backhoe, and a box scraper. I've seen you guys talk about different options on the three point hitch. I'm new to this tractor stuff (aside from wanting to get one since I was little) and was wondering how wide I should go with a tractor this size. Also what capabilities does this tractor's TPH have and are there any options I should get when I get the tractor to make the box blade more useful.
....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add PhotoGrading Power JD 855
| Bird Senter
Join Date: Jun 1999 Posts: 962
|
2000-12-10 22309
Dan, as I mentioned above, get a box blade that is just a little wider than the tractor (greatest width of the outside tread of the rear wheels). The other option that is a major help with a box blade is a hydraulic top link (and preferably at least one of the lower links) so that you can adjust the tilt of the blade easily from the tractor seat. A major factor in using a box blade is having it tilted right (front to rear is most important, but side to side adjustments are often needed also), and that tilt needs frequent changes. ....
Reply to |
Quote Reply |
Add Photo
Go Top
Share This