Can't Make Up my Mind - Help

Tractor_Jim_CT · Apr 1, 2005

Can\'t Make Up my Mind - Help

Need to grade driveway including potholes, level and clean up cleared property. Do I want a box blade or do I want a landscape rake. Dealer said landscape rake and boxblade will not did into a packed down dirt/gravel driveway with the BX23. Do I need both?

I have quotes for Woods and Landpride with Woods being much less. Is Woods a better quality.

DaMadman · Apr 1, 2005

Re: Can\'t Make Up my Mind - Help

If you have a BX23 I would use the FEL and a boxblade to work the driveway, just make sure you dig out enough around the current potholes, smooth the dirt back out and compact the dirt as you put it back, or the pothole will likely reappear very soon.

coveredbridge · Apr 1, 2005

Re: Can\'t Make Up my Mind - Help

Why decide? Just get both! You know you're going to need them both eventually anyway. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

rosey · Apr 2, 2005

Re: Can\'t Make Up my Mind - Help

Personally I find myself using my rear blade 95% of the time to level dirt , move snow, dress up my gravel driveway, etc. The landscape rake is very cumbersome and tends to dig into the dirt and gravel too much.

grandad · Apr 2, 2005

Re: Can\'t Make Up my Mind - Help

The boxblade seems to work the best for me. I maintain a 1/2 mile private gravel road with a 72" boxblade.

The most difficult challenge is the potholes. I find you have to open up the surface of the road to the depth of the pothole to eliminate them. If you don't get down that far, you will simply be filling in the pothole with loose material that can wash back out the next time it rains, and the pothole reappears. So we rip open the top 2-3" of the road in the area around each pothole and then grade it smooth.

Timing and the composition of the road are critical. If it's too dry, it can be pretty hard to dig into the hard pack. If it rains before traffic has a chance to re-pack all the loose material, it can make a mess. The more gravel and less dirt at the surface, the better.

With a BX-size tractor, you will be limited by the weight of the box blade, so these timing and material issues will be even more important. Get the heaviest 4 ft. box blade you can buy for best results.