dragging my driveway

[Ricn]

Looking for some ideas specific to my situation on dragging/smoothing up gravel. I have an L series Kubota so hope there is something that will do what we need done. Our situation is this; we have about 2000 ft of driveway mostly going uphill with a couple easy corners. Over the years, we have replaced the gravel as needed but due to being uphill, we get lots of bumpy gravel piles from cars not using or having 4 wheel drive that spin the tires tearing thing up. I have used our box blade with poor results, not sure why but box blades seem more suitable for dirt, not gravel. I have tried using the spiked horse arena dragg getting poor results there as well and the fact I can't pick it up when turning around or on corners makes a mess doing it. Mostly, I end up back blading the whole thing with the front loader bucket that helps but does not do that good a job either.

Question: is there some other 3 point tool that will smooth things up going forward, not backward? Really would like something I can pick up and set down using the 3 point in float setting while going uphill and allowing me to pick it up in turns as needed.

Thanks for any ideas.

Ricn

 

[TerryR]

Ricn,

I find a simple old back blade works very well for this. I find that there are really two issues, the washboarding caused by vehicles spinning as they come up the hill, especially on corners, and the tires throwing the gravel to the sides out of the tire tracts. So you need to both move gravel back on to the roadway and cut of the bumps. A properly angled back blade works well for me, though it does take a bit of practice.

I first grade the gravel back to the center from both sides, grading only on the uphill direction. The I knock the ridge off the center, often by turning the blade around backwards so it doesn't cut in.

I work the driveway only after enough rain to dampen the top few inches. Not only does this make it easier to cut the bumps off, but it makes it possible to re-pack the graded surface with the tractor first then with other vehicles so it doesn't so readily wash with rain.

For some photos of the result see this post.

 

[airbiscuit]

A gauge wheel makes anything better!

 

[MtnViewRanch]

In my opinion you need all 3 implements to be efficient at road work. A box blade, a rear blade and a land plane grading scraper (LPGS). All should be as heavy as you can afford and that the tractor can make use of. For your L2501 a box blade of 60"-66"
in width, but whatever you currently have. . A rear blade at 84" in width and a LPGS at 60" in width.

My first recommendation would be to look at Everything Attachments and their LPGS which is among the best in this size range IMO.

Then consider a Land Pride RB3784 for your rear blade. You really need the additional weight and is why I am recommending this particular rear blade for your tractor.

Obviously other brands will work, just not sure that they will work as well with-for your tractor.

Good luck with your research and final decisions. :thumbsup:

 

[/pine]

It sounds to me like at least part of the problem is a lack of fines in the gravel...to hold up and pack down on grades...fines are paramount...here in the S.E. we use (granite) crusher run...which is everything from about 1.5"s to fine sand...once spread and rained on a time or two it will pack down like concrete...!

The more you work gravel the more you tend to separate the aggregates...

 

[Ricn]

Agree on Fines. For years we used 5/8 minus gravel but last time our we tried 3/4 crush without fines and a big mistake. It lasts longer but also piles up easier.The gravel is now worn down some and pressed in so I may have some 58/s minus put over it..Still, I need a tool to plane it all out every few months or so. Shipping 500 lbs to the west coast is so expensive. Why everything comes from the east is beyond me, can't be that much cheaper to make stuff here but evidently it is so. Thanks all for your ideas; the King Cutter land plane without scarifiers would likely work for us..

Ricn

 

[zzvyb6]

If there is enough gravel to comb up some to redistribute, you probably just need a landscape rake. I recommend an 8' wide one so that when it's angled at 45 degrees to comb stone to the center, its wide enough (5.65') to leave a wide enough 1/2 lane. Gauge wheels ant the end of the rake set the smoothness. Comb left, the right, then set the rake to zero angle and do the center. Done. Takes me longer to mount the rake than it does to do the driveway. Also recommend asphalt millings or crushed asphalt for dust and packing control.

There is a nice video on YouTube showing a guy using a front mounted rake which seems to work really well on a curved hilled driveway/road. This setup allows you to do the edges much better because a rear mounted rake scarfs out material from the right as you correct your path to the left.

 

[fried1765]

Ricn,

I find a simple old back blade works very well for this. I find that there are really two issues, the washboarding caused by vehicles spinning as they come up the hill, especially on corners, and the tires throwing the gravel to the sides out of the tire tracts. So you need to both move gravel back on to the roadway and cut of the bumps. A properly angled back blade works well for me, though it does take a bit of practice.

I first grade the gravel back to the center from both sides, grading only on the uphill direction. The I knock the ridge off the center, often by turning the blade around backwards so it doesn't cut in.

I work the driveway only after enough rain to dampen the top few inches. Not only does this make it easier to cut the bumps off, but it makes it possible to re-pack the graded surface with the tractor first then with other vehicles so it doesn't so readily wash with rain.

For some photos of the result see this post.

Excellent advice!
A back blade will give the best results, but one must pay attention to creating a crown, and keeping it!
It will take PRACTICE, but you can create a very good driveway.
CROWN - CROWN - CROWN!

 

[airbiscuit]

Again, weight and tail Wheels are your friend

 

[fried1765]

Again, weight and tail Wheels are your friend

View attachment 521377

Very best tool for the job is called a "Huber Maintainer", built in the 50's, and 60's!
There is a nicely restored one on E-Bay.

 

[JRobyn]

Ricn, I think I get exactly what you mean. It looks like many of these responses really don't. I have your problem with our steepest hill (mostly straight up), particularly with my FIL who tends to slow way down halfway up the hill in his 2wd PU truck, then hits the accelerator, which invariably leaves big "spin holes". In my case, it is excacerbated in that the road base in the middle of the hill is solid shaley rock a few inches below a top coat of gravel. Regardless if it is "57s" or crusher run, the same thing happens. It is definitely better with a thin coat of crusher run, wetted down and packed as much as possible. The 57s with no fines may just as well be marbles. We once even tried a substantial coat of mortar mix on top to try to solidify it or at least make large and hard to move "sheets" that would key against the base. It just crumbled.

Unfortunately, nothing is really successful for long.

The best I have been able to do is to grade it with a LPGS, leaving as thin as practical a coat of crusher run.

I suppose that tar and chip may work if it were glued down to the base rock with enough tar, but that is outside the budget.

 

[Ricn]

JR - You have it right! Now, if only I could find a Land Plane of sorts and for sale here on the west coast, that would be great! Paying $700. freight for something costing just a little more than the freight cost is out of my league.

Ricn

 

[Rara Avis]

Not a cheap solution, but a device with many uses on the farm...

 

[Thomas]

Rake w/drop down grader blade...York offer different models.

 

[Egon]

It's all back to basics! A well drained packed subgrade with a well graded, well packed crushed rock overlay that gets maintained. Maintaining requires the crushed rock to be remixed and laid down again. Moving the loose top gravel around will make it look good but that's about all. Scarification of the road surface down to at least the bottom of the pot holes is required. Then that material must be remixed and laid back down. Equipment that would do this may be a scarifier(ripper) and a blade that is adjustable.

On steep areas washboard will develop and reoccurs. Best maintenance practices will delay the recurence. Asphalt will also suffer wash board but not as quickly and requires heavier loads to start it. Concrete is one of the better materials to prevent washboard. Many Cities have Bust Stops made with concrete because of washboarding.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I have had great luck with a box blade. Less luck with a grader blade.

 

[oosik]

On my mile long gravel driveway I will use my rear blade, roll over box blade and land plane grading scraper.

 

[airbiscuit]

As I see it, there are two discussions going on here.
First is the composition of the roadbed (rocks and fines), and the contour (crown).
Second is the implement to maintain it.

A land plane might do the trick, but a box blade or rear blade without gauge wheels takes a lot of finesse to do a good job. I built a drag that is like a land plane, but my go to implement for control and contouring is an old pony grader.

Here is the modern version...

 

[JRobyn]

Ricn, wish you could buy mine! I bought a new LandPride GS1572 without realizing that what I really needed was a GS1560. It's important with a grading scraper to match the scraper width to the road width! Now I need to sell the 72" and buy a 60".

Don't you have any local tractor/implement dealers that can get one freighted in for you? Everything Attachments has super shipping deals but maybe not out to WA.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Ricn, wish you could buy mine! I bought a new LandPride GS1572 without realizing that what I really needed was a GS1560. It's important with a grading scraper to match the scraper width to the road width! Now I need to sell the 72" and buy a 60".

Don't you have any local tractor/implement dealers that can get one freighted in for you? Everything Attachments has super shipping deals but maybe not out to WA.

I know that they have shipped to California VERY reasonable. One of those things of you just don't know if you don't ask.