Angled driveway grading, etc

[macminn18]

I have a driveway that is at a fairly steep angle. About 6 years ago a neighbor suggested I get a load of taconite tailings to put on it. I'm in northern MN, just on the edge of "the range" where iron ore is mined. These tailings lock together and actually make the driveway hold up quite well. I think in other areas it works similar to crushed concrete. We had another load of tailings put down last year since we were starting to get ruts when we had heavy rains. This summer we had a pole barn put up, so lots of heavy machinery up and down the driveway. It caused the tailings to get compacted into the clay underneath, and more ruts again.
Now I have a tractor, and am wondering if I could use a box blade with the taconite tailings. I'm looking at one with scarifiers, and am wondering if that would work or not. And for how long. Would the scarifiers cause too much of the subsoil to get mixed in with the tailings?

 

[dodge man]

It depends on how deep you set the scarifiers and how deep your material is. You can also use it without the scarifiers. I just graded some driveways using just a rear blade and was happy with the results.

 

[airbiscuit]

You can set the scarifiers to be fairly shallow, and how much you lower the box blade. It will not mix in too much subsoil f you have 2-4"of tailings. It will all be easier to work once loosened up with the scarifiers. Then adjust your lift arms so the box blade is higher in the center so you leave a crown.

 

[chowyunmatt]

Hey, I'm also from Da Range! I just got a box blade from Everythingattachments.com, and I am happy with it. I checked out offerings at some of the local stores, and they all seemed pretty sketchy. The EA version is solid built, and very nice. I haven't played with it a whole lot so far, but did use it to fill a couple potholes without using the scarifiers at all. As others said, you can adjust the depth on the scarifiers as well.

Did you haul the tailings in yourself, or have them delivered? If it is reasonable, I could use some around my place.