Box Blades & Graders in Montgomery, TX

Start with the box blade. It digs in and moves dirt. It's built with side plates and a cutting edge at the back, so it can cut, carry and fill in one pass. That's what a rutted drive needs first. A grader works lighter. It rides over the ground and skims high spots into low ones, so the surface ends up smooth. So run the box blade to knock down the ridges and fill the ruts. Then follow with a grader if you want a smoother finish. Only light washboard on your drive? A grader may be all you need.

That depends on the width of the implement and how heavy your ground is. A smaller compact tractor handles a narrower box blade or grader fine on a driveway or yard. Heavier clay ground, or a bigger stretch of pasture, calls for more horsepower and weight. Otherwise the implement bounces or rides up out of the cut. Check that the implement's hitch category matches your tractor's three-point hitch, too. Your place might run from a couple of acres to a large tract or more. The right fit comes down to the ground you're working and what else you plan to pull. Browse our implements on j5tractors.com to compare widths, or call the store with questions about your place.

A box blade is built for moving and leveling dirt on a driveway, a pad or worn pasture ground. It can cut down a high spot, fill a low one, and smooth out ruts left after wet weather near Lake Conroe. Pull it slow. Let the blades do the cutting instead of forcing it. It'll also backfill a trench or level ground before you build something. Go slow near stumps and old roots. They'll catch the cutting edge. Your tractor and the blade both take that jolt.

Start with the blade angled back slightly and ease into the ground instead of dropping it in all at once. A box blade digs in harder the steeper the angle and the lower you set it, so small adjustments make a big difference on softer ground. Go slow. Take the first pass over new ground easy, until you know how it's cutting. If you're filling a low spot, raise the blade a touch and let dirt roll in rather than piling it on top. On rutted or soft ground near Lake Conroe after a rain, give the ground time to firm up before you run heavy equipment over it.

We carry Mahindra, IronCraft and Modern Ag Products implements at our Conroe store. Mahindra's box blade is sold as a box scraper, and you can ask about IronCraft and Modern Ag pieces too. What's on the lot shifts week to week, so come take a look or call ahead. Whatever the brand, check a few things before you buy. Look at the frame weight, and match it to the tractor you run. Look for scarifier shanks if your ground packs hard. A reversible cutting edge is worth having, too. And match the hitch category to your tractor. You don't need to match the badge on your hood. A box blade or grader fits most brands of tractor.