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Newbie needs help - box blade or tiller
We'll be moving into our new house soon and we've got lots of landscaping ahead of us - bare soil all around the house, some loose with backfill, some just scraped and a bit hard. New swale that is also scraped and hard (a fair amount of clay). I'll need to break all this up so we can grass seed it. We're also planning all sorts of other
I've got a 1 year old Kubota 2350 with FEL and MMM. I'm pretty sure I'll need a box blade, but should I also get a tiller attachment? The Kubota dealer says to get a 48" box blade, what size tiller should I consider?
I'd appreciate any advice!
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Newbie needs help - box blade or tiller
Docspencer,
If you're tilling next to the house, or next to any concrete slabs, you'll be better off with an offset tiller. The offset tiller leaves one tire track, with the advantage of reaching out away from the tractor.
You should be able to handle a 4 footer, especially if you have a hydrostatic transmission.
The King Kutter tiller is a very good machine, and should be available locally, at your nearest Tractor Supply Company (TSC) store. I highly recommend them....other than for the lousy paint they come with.
Joel
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Newbie needs help - box blade or tiller
docspencer: Most box blades come with ripper teeth (scarifiers) so unless you have a real hard packed situation that your tractor won't pull it I would guess a box blade would work fine. If you have pulling problems you can always remove one or two rippers, or adjust their depth as need be. Remember, though, that anything (even a tiller) hitched to your 3 ph is going to make it very hard to get an all-over smooth result. When the front axle goes up the rear of the tractor goes down, causing ruts. The more area you have to work the easier it is to get smooth results with a box blade because you can continually hit it from different directions, though they still tend to dig in without gauge wheels. Backing up on soft soil frequently gives you better results because the blade is essentially "in front." A tiller is going to give you a more finished look but chances are you'll still need to do a lot of leveling. On the other hand, If you don't have any other use for it, pulling a heavy timber or steel beam does a great job of leveling too. Best of luck.
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Newbie needs help - box blade or tiller
docspencer: Just having read Joel's message I would add that your tractor's 3 ph is likely adjustable enough to give you the offset he's talking about. That would work on any implement.
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Newbie needs help - box blade or tiller
Thanks for the suggestions - as I said, even though I'd like to think I know what I'm doing, I'm very much new to this.
Quick question - I'm going to buy the box blade new. Is a TSC brand okay? The Woods seem pretty pricey. Any features I should keep an eye out for?
From what I gather from these comments, I might try starting out with a box blade and see how that goes, especially if I can experiment with the depth and number of teeth. Really, all I need to do right now is rough up the ground, level some, and break it up enough for grass seed. In most places the clay isn't bad enough to cause a major problem. In other spots, well I guess we'll find out. The box blade is the cheaper of the two, and I can always it on the driveway, too.
If the box blade isn't enough, I can then consider a tiller. Are there other uses for the tiller after I get done around the house?
Again, thanks for all your suggestions!
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Newbie needs help - box blade or tiller
Generally speaking, the cheaper models are cheaper because they have less steel, as much as 100 pounds lighter, and use cheaper construction methods.
You will want as much weight as you can afford within the design limits of the tractor you are using.
On the other issue, I have gone to the big box tractor store with the money in my pocket for a box blade and not bought because a very close inspection showed the whole thing was assembled out-of-plumb.
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Newbie needs help - box blade or tiller
That makes sense. In your opinion, are Woods or Land Pride worth the money?
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Newbie needs help - box blade or tiller
I ended up with a Land Pride box blade (got lucky and found a used one) and I am quite satisfied with it.
I have used other Woods products and found them top notch also.
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Newbie needs help - box blade or tiller
I use an 84" King Kutter, which is about the cheapest on the market. Certain attachments, such as those that I pull in dirt, gravel, etc. I don't spend gobs of money for because they get pretty beat up in short order anyway. I'm not saying quality doesn't matter, just that I buy machinery to use, and I don't need contractor grade. So far I've been lucky not having anything too problematic. A lot of abuse comes from the driver's seat. If I haven't torn apart my 7' box blade with 50 hp I doubt you'll tear apart a 4' with 20 hp. Now loaders are a seperate matter. The cost between medium and heavy duty isn't that great; and it's something you'll notice every time you use it. The same is true about hp. The cost for additional hp isn't that great when buying a tractor within each series. Frequently you can end up with 40-60% more tractor for 20-25% more money.
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Newbie needs help - box blade or tiller
I too use mine to use it. If you're the type that likes to take a lot of pride in your stuff and willing to keep it nice and clean, buy the nicer stuff. If you're the type that's like most of us, go cheap.
As far as buying a tiller for grading only and no gardening, it would be a waste to buy something that will be used a few times (and you'll be amazed how many NEW and old friends you'll make when word gets out you have a tiller).
I would rent the tiller assuming you're not happy with the grading job, then use your multi-purpose box blade to finish it up. And that way you're not causing excessive wear and tear on the SCUT trying to blade it.
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