Best implement for maintaining a gravel driveway

[bellweather]

I have a Kubota BX22, and I was wondering if there is one best implement for maintaining my 500' gravel driveway. Currently the driveway is in reasonable condition...a few potholes and not much crown, with weeds growing down the center. Thanks

 

[accordionman]

SIR,
i would say a grader blade will probably do the best all around job, and for
putting a crown on your gravel drive.
accordionman
william l. brown

 

[MarkV]

There seems to be two main trains of thought on how to do a gravel drive. Some prefer a rear blade and some a box blade. I have both but use the box blade 90% of the time. The only way I have found to get rid of potholes is to cut the area down to the bottom of the hole and the box blade does that better for me.

MarkV

 

[djradz]

Unless the driveway gets into really bad shape, I'd say neither. What all the construction firms use around here for finishing a drive, and what has worked best for me is a landscape rake. Some call it a "York rake" since I guess York was one of the first or more popular. One with a wheel kit installed is even more usefull. You will never get it as smooth or with the stone as well-distributed with anything else. It'll look so perfect you won't want to put that first set of tire tracks across it.

 

[bellweather]

ok so I cut the area down to the bottom of the pothole, but how wide an area around the pothole? then how do I build it all back up? and what holds the new material in place so the pothole doesn't just return? Thanks

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I'm with Mark on this one. I think a box blade is definitely the way to go for something like that, especially in the condition you describe. The other attachments mentioned are fine for maintaining a drive if it's in good shape to begin with but that's not the case with yours. You need a box blade to get it to the point where you could get by without one. Of course, by then, why would you want to? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

When you take your drive down to that level you have smoothed everything. What used to be the pothole is the same as the rest of the drive. It's not like you're trying to just fill the pothole with a couple shovel loads of gravel. You've broken up all the compacted material and spread it evenly so everything is the same consistency and you're no more or less likely to develop a new pothole there as anywhere else. It's like a new gravel drive at that point (well, almost).

That's the advantage of the box blade. A regular blade or York rake will only scrape material off the top into the hole and that's when the hole is likely to reappear in the same spot. The box blade breaks up everything and levels it all out for you and gives you a much nicer job. Good luck with it. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[DocHeb]

If your looking for the best, consider RoadRunner Blade and <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.conterraindustries.com>Conterra</A>.

 

[bellweather]

That sounds good...so if I'm understanding you correctly...if the pothole is say 3" deep (below grade) then the box blade will no only cut down the surrounding area by 3", but also redistribute the broken down gravel evenly over the driveway, and in the process building up the pothole. Then I guess it's just a matter of time and driving before all the newly ditributed material becomes compacted and stable, right?

 

[JRP]

I saw the above photo on one of the TBN posts. I thought it was called "driveway fixer". Sorry I can't give good credit for it.

This thing works and is easy to use. I built one 10' wide for next to nothing. The boom was $80 and used I beam sells for about $0.15 per pound. Add some chain and you have a tool that will surprise you. It is the implement attached to my tractor right now.

A 10' wide one of these will really put down a smooth surface. I have 68 hp and the tractor idels with this thing. Shorten it according to the hp you have available. Easier to cut it shorter if it is too long, than to cut it longer if you find it does not use your available horsepower.

It will take multiple passes to get a really smooth surface, but so will other implements.

Jim Poux