Compare box blades, rear blades, and land planes for grading, leveling, and snow. Which implement does what, and which one belongs on your tractor.
The three most-bought rear implements for compact tractors all move dirt, but they move it in completely different ways. Get the wrong one and you'll spend years fighting your driveway instead of grading it. Here's the simple decision framework.
New driveway or rebuild: box blade first to shape and crown, then a land plane for the finish coat. Maintaining an existing gravel driveway: a land plane is the right tool. It floats over high spots, fills low spots, and breaks up washboard in a single pass. Snow, ditching, or pushing material sideways: rear blade, because it angles and tilts.
A box blade has fixed cutting edges that dig in. On gravel, it scoops piles and leaves ridges unless you have hours of seat time. A land plane has two angled blades and four wheels. The wheels reference the high points and the blades shave material off into the low spots automatically. You get a finish-grade pass with zero skill.
Match implement width to your rear tire track plus 6 inches so the implement covers your tire tracks. A 48" box blade is right for sub-compact tractors. 60" works for compact, and 72" or wider fits utility. Use the FitTractor compatibility checker to confirm minimum PTO HP, hitch category, and lift capacity before buying.
A land plane is the best tool for maintaining an existing gravel driveway, the dual blades cut high spots and fill low spots in one pass. A box blade is better for rebuilding or reshaping. A rear blade angled at 30 degrees works for crowning and ditching but takes more passes.
For hard-packed soil, gravel, or compacted driveways, yes. Scarifiers (also called rippers) break up hard ground so the box blade can move it. For loose soil, finish grading, or snow, scarifiers are unnecessary. Most modern box blades include adjustable scarifiers, set them to skim or dig as needed.
Match the box blade width to your rear tire track width, typically 60 inches for sub-compact tractors, 72 inches for compact tractors in the 25 to 40 HP range, and 84 inches or wider for utility tractors over 40 HP. The implement should clear your rear tires by 2 to 4 inches on each side.
Yes, a rear blade angled and offset works well for plowing driveways. Look for a model with both angle and tilt adjustment. For deep or heavy snow, a dedicated snow blade or front-mounted snow blower is faster and easier on the tractor. Rear blades also tend to scrape gravel along with snow.
Published 2026-03-22, last updated 2026-03-22. Every figure quoted in this guide is taken from manufacturer documentation and linked in the text, and the tractors and attachments it references are records in the FitTractor compatibility database.