box blade

A box blade is a type of implement used on

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...

s for

smoothing In statistics and image processing, to smooth a data set is to create an approximating function that attempts to capture important patterns in the data, while leaving out noise or other fine-scale structures/rapid phenomena. In smoothing, the d ...

and contouring land. It is almost always unpowered, though can have auxiliary

hydraulics Hydraulics () is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counterpart of pneumatics, which concer ...

attached in order for adjustments to be made without leaving the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

of the tractor. It is attached to the tractor via the three point hitch. Box blades are a variation of the rear

blade A blade is the Sharpness (cutting), sharp, cutting portion of a tool, weapon, or machine, specifically designed to puncture, chop, slice, or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they a ...

which has developed into its own implement, with uses that parallel that of a rear blade, but are distinct. They consist of a heavy metal 3 sided box, with the front, top and bottom open. The front has retractable scarifiers, which can be used to break up hard ground. The rear has a forward and reverse cutting edge mounted at the bottom, with the reverse cutting edge often gated or floating on more expensive models. Box blades are usually very heavy due to the

force In physics, a force is an influence that can cause an Physical object, object to change its velocity unless counterbalanced by other forces. In mechanics, force makes ideas like 'pushing' or 'pulling' mathematically precise. Because the Magnitu ...

s placed on them - even a lightweight one will weigh 500 pounds. The implement works going forward by scraping soil, carrying it forward as it rolls inside the box, and allowing some to work out as the blade passes over low spots. It works going back much like a dozer blade, pushing dirt, which can spill out the bottom or sides. Unlike a dozer blade, box blades are not adjustable relative to the tractor more than a few degrees in any direction, and generally only when the operator dismounts the tractor. Box blades are primarily used for moving

dirt Dirt is any matter considered unclean, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Du ...

, smoothing

land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of Earth not submerged by the ocean or another body of water. It makes up 29.2% of Earth's surface and includes all continents and islands. Earth's land sur ...

, and contouring land. Most major tractor implement

manufacturers Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a r ...

make box blades, including Cammond, Woods, Gannon, & BushHog. Commercial laser guided models are coming into use which automatically level the blade via

reference A reference is a relationship between objects in which one object designates, or acts as a means by which to connect to or link to, another object. The first object in this relation is said to ''refer to'' the second object. It is called a ''nam ...

to an external

laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word ''laser'' originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radi ...

. Three point road graders can be viewed as a specific type of box blade, and are used to grade and maintain

and

gravel road A gravel road is a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed. Gravel roads are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of developed nations such as Canada and ...

s. They usually have 2 parallel

angle In Euclidean geometry, an angle can refer to a number of concepts relating to the intersection of two straight Line (geometry), lines at a Point (geometry), point. Formally, an angle is a figure lying in a Euclidean plane, plane formed by two R ...

d cutting edges, and long, low sidepieces. Manufacturers include DoMor Equipment Dura-Grader, Road Boss, and RoadRunner. {{tool-stub Construction equipment