When shopping for blades to fit out your tractor, you can go for a scrape blade or box blade, depending on your needs.
However, since there is a thin line between the uses of these two contenders, choosing the right one for your needs can take time and effort.
But understanding how scrape blades and box blades compare can ease things a bit for you.
In this scrape blade vs box blade article, you’ll find the pros and cons of each blade type and an in-depth side-by-side comparison section highlighting how they compare in terms of uses, durability, utility, reliability, and other attributes.
What is a Scrape Blade?
A scrape blade consists of two small angled blades behind a row of digging teeth. The angled blades, which are the main feature of this blade type, typically run the width of the grader scraper.
A crape blade is used to smooth rough surfaces, making them flat. The tool also does an excellent job of snow removal in snow-affected areas.
How to use a scrape blade
A scrape blade is used by mounting it on a tractor’s three-point hitch, where its width extends past the tires on either side of the tractor after setting it at the appropriate angle.
You can also change the blade’s pitch side to side in addition to setting the angle.
Scrape blade pros and cons
Pros
- This type of blade allows for easy side discharge. You can angle the blade as you want and move material to the side easily.
- It is made of lightweight material ideal for finish grading. It is easy to drag the tool over loose stuff.
- The mechanism uses less horsepower since it does not dig into the ground. This means you can attach it to a smaller tractor without a problem.
Cons
- A scrape blade generally costs more than a box blade tool, making it a more expensive option.
- Its utility is limited to making rough surfaces flat.
What is a Box Blade?
As the name suggests, a box blade is a tractor attachment comprising a box with a row of teeth and a blade that faces the tractor.
The box is typically attached to the back of the tractor with a three-point hitch. The front-facing side of the box is open, with a row of teeth you can adjust to break the ground as the tractor pulls the box.
The design of the blade behind the row of teeth allows it to collect and distribute debris over an uneven surface.
A box blade can perform multiple tasks thanks to its complex design and multiple components. It is an excellent tool for breaking hard ground, grading, and smoothening uneven surfaces.
It can also push dirt forward and backward, with rear blade and front cutting edges.
How to use a Box Blade?
To use a box blade, start by adjusting the top link to bring the front and rear cutting edges in contact with the ground.
Once that is done, lock its scarifiers into place and then angle the box blade forward. Doing so should adjust the scarifiers to enable them to break any lumps in their way.
After removing all lumps, pull up the scarifiers, readjust the box blade, and extend the top link to set the blade to its float position.
Box blade pros and cons
Pros
- Adjustable teeth help make ripping sod, gravel, or dirt easier with a box blade.
- These rear blades do an excellent job moving materials over long distances, thanks to a high box design.
- The double-sided blade on the back of the box allows for reverse-pushing materials like gravel, sod, and more.
- The tool is available in small sizes allowing for versatility. For example, you can pull one with a lawn mower for lighter tasks.
Cons
- Digging with this tool takes more horsepower than an equivalent scrape blade.
- The drag-and-fill mechanism of this tool makes finish-grading with it more challenging.
Scrape Blade vs Box Blade: Side-by-Side Comparison
A grading scrapper and a box blade have some overlapping uses, which can make it challenging to choose between them.
So this detailed comparison of the two landscaping tools should be handy as it highlights their differences in terms of specific features.
1. Scrape blade vs box blade: Common uses
A scrape blade is primarily used for grading driveways and roads. It also does an excellent job removing and clearing snow from roads and other snow-covered surfaces.
Because you can angle the blade slightly in whichever way you prefer, you can set the blade angle to discharge the snow or debris on the side, leaving a clear track behind the towing tractor.
On the other hand, a box blade is commonly used for leveling uneven ground that is too demanding to level by hand. It is also used for backfilling, grading, and spreading materials like soil or gravel.
Verdict: The tools have overlapping uses, but a box blade has a wider range of applications.
2. Box blade vs scrape blade: Utility
A grading scraper is primarily used to rough surfaces flat. Even though it allows you to choose the angle that best satisfies the role at hand, there is not much else you can do with it.
Its functionality and utility are limited by design. In contrast, a box blade boasts a versatile design that allows you to adjust it to fit your specific needs.
Its steel-toothed shanks enable you to break up hard, compacted ground, while the back blades allow for swift entry into the earth. This way, the two blades can make your leveling work much easier.
You can use box blades to transport material while grading and contouring a driveway or yard. You can also use it to draw or push a large mass of dirt frontward or backward.
Verdict: box blade is the winner, providing greater utility than a scrape blade.
3. Scrape blade vs box blade: Cost
Scrape blades generally cost more than standard box blades, so you are likely to spend less on a box blade than an equivalent grading scraper.
While a scrape blade will shine at grading and creating flat surfaces, prepare to part with roughly $500 to acquire one.
This price difference is especially notable since box blades outshine grading scrapers in a range of applications.
The higher price of scrape blades, together with their limited utility, makes them less appealing in those regards.
Verdict: Box blade is more pocket friendly
4. Box blade vs. scrape blade: Efficiency
A box blade boasts a retractable scarifier with a hydraulic control mechanism that makes the tool pretty efficient. The moldboard front blade also does an excellent job redistributing soil and leveling it.
A second blade on the back of the box further enhances the tool’s soil leveling and dispersing efficiency.
On the other hand, a scrape blade does an excellent job of ensuring flatness when creating a new road.
The blade is designed to ensure it maintains the appropriate angle at all times. This means the blade smooths out any surface or material you work with more effectively than comparable tools.
Verdict: It’s a tie
5. Scraping grader blade versus box blade: Reliability
Because a scrape blade is designed to always create a flat, even surface regardless of the material you are working with, it is incredibly dependable.
Its reliability makes it the best grading tool for pathways and driveways on the market today.
Similarly, a box blade is considered the most useful tool whose versatility allows for backfilling, leveling, and backfilling, thanks to its frontward and reverse-cutting edges.
Both tools are incredibly reliable for their respective uses.
Here’s more on box blade vs grader blade
Verdict: It’s a tie
FAQs
What is better, a box scraper or a grading scraper?
The better tool between a grading scraper and a box scraper depends on the work you are doing with the tool. Nonetheless, a grading scraper is designed to always have the correct angle for smoothing out any material you are dealing with. This gives it an upper hand over box scrapers.
What is a scraper blade used for?
A scraper back blade is primarily used to spread material like gravel or soil. The blade is also used for leveling, grading, or backfilling vast areas of land for a garden, driveway, lawn, or building site.
Can a box blade be used for gravel?
Yes. Box blades can be used to spread material such as soil and gravel. It can also do an excellent job digging into and breaking up hard ground to allow for shaping it to your preference.
Scrape vs Box blade: Which Should You Choose?
Much as box blades and scrape blades have their similarities, they also have significant differences that make one better than the other for specific use scenarios.
So, use a scrape blade when moving loose material like soil and gravel to achieve a perfectly flat surface. This tool is also the best choice for clearing snow out of your driveway or pathway.
On the other hand, use a box blade when breaking hard ground or mowing heavy material over long distances. Where significant mass is involved, a box blade will do a better job than a scrape blade.
In case you are stuck in a mix that involves both worlds, you may be better off with a box blade that can serve multiple roles, including some typically set aside for scrape blades.
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