Combination Box Blade And Finishing Blade

Combination Box Blade And Finishing Blade MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Earth Movers 31-1-33 "It does a splendid job of both leveling the ground and spreading material," says Michael Breazeale, Collinsville, Miss., about the 3-pt. mounted combination box blade and finishing blade he built out of scrap metal. The rig measures 7 ft. wide and deep and has a square frame built from 12-in. steel I-beams. Cross members inside the the frame are made from 1/2-in. thick, 4-in. sq. tubing. The unit is designed with four angled blades on front - two that roll the material out and two that bring it back in toward the middle, leaving a 16-in. wide gap. On back there's a hinged box blade that extends about 2 in. below the blades in front. It's raised and lowered by a hydraulic cylinder that mounts in the middle of the frame and operates off tractor hydraulics. As Breazeale drives forward he can raise the hinged blade to whatever height he wants to spread the material. When he backs up, the blade is rigid. He also installed a hydraulic cylinder on the 3-pt. top link, and another cylinder in place of the original screw-type adjuster. He uses an International Harvester 50 hp industrial tractor to pull the rig. "It does a beautiful job of leveling yards and driveways," says Breazeale. "I use it in my custom business. I can shape up a yard in no time. I use the angled blades to cut loose fill and can set the rear blade at whatever height I want. Once I get the box full of material, I can raise the rear blade without raising the angled blades and spread the material out. The cutting edges on the angled blades are off a road grader and are set 2 in. below the bottom of the I-beam frame. I cut off the inside lip of the I-beams. The outside lip serves as a slide. "I spent about $700 to build it. I bought used steel cheap. My biggest expense was for the cylinders. I added hydraulics to the tractor after I bought it." The front two angled blades extend 12 in. in front of the 3-pt. hitch. "If I have to work some hard ground, I can retract the top link cylinder all the way until the front two blades form a downward point that tears up the ground. I can make a beautiful V-shaped ditch with it," says Breazeale. To keep the front end of the tractor from lifting up, he used 4-in. sq. tubing to build a heavy bumper that mounts on front of the tractor. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Michael Breazeale, 8305A Mosley Crossing Rd., Collinsville, Miss. 39325 (ph 601 626-7105).

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