driveway

[darrenjttu]

I have a gravel driveway that needed some attention. It was so compacted and rounded over that I took my neighbors box blade to it. I used the rippers to rip un all the potholes and smoothed it out really nice. About a week later when the gravel started to compact from driving over it the washboard ripples appeared. They are everywhere. Today I ripped every thing up again and smoothed it out and hoping it wont happen again. What did I do wrong?

 

[Tomtint]

Gravel will either pot hole or washboard.. It's a constant battle

 

[747driver]

I try not to dig very deep with the rippers....use the first setting. Just take alittle off at a time...i like to keep the base in the middle as firm as possible. But it is a constant battle as Tomtint said !

 

[GPintheMitten]

Do you have a back blade? If so, before it gets bad next time turn the blade to an angle like /:=:
It will help to reduce the horizontal ridges.

 

[darrenjttu]

I don't have a back blade. Right now I only have a rock rake from EA.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

If you are up for purchasing a new implement, this type will take care of most of your needs. Typically makes road maintenance a breeze. :thumbsup:

 

[darrenjttu]

Yes I have seen those land planes but they are pretty pricey. Next purchase will be a quick connect and some weights.

 

[MacLawn]

That thingamajig old MtnView posted is the ticket!! I have a rear blade, but just got one of those from an old boy in northeast Mississippi for $500, brand new. Another old boy in Alabama makes them. Let me tell you, those things do the job!! Love mine. Land leveler, or some such, that's what I think it's called.

 

[Egon]

Got any fines in the gravel your working with?

 

[darrenjttu]

What do you mean by fines?

 

[GPintheMitten]

Finer particles. Rather than just homogeneous size. So a mixture of size like 3/4 ", 1/2", 1/4", 1/8" etc down to dust.

 

[darrenjttu]

Yes I have a good mixture

 

[MarkE]

I second that vote for a land plane! Mine is the best attachment I've ever bought. It makes quick work of my 1.5 miles of driveway and my neighbors additional 1 mile. This summer I put down 240 tons of roadbase with it.

 

[jk96]

In maintaining our 1 mile drive I've found that loose gravel will washboard, especially on grades. I use a landscape rake once it washboards to smooth out. Usually only takes one pass. The washboards will lesson as the gravel compacts.

 

[PILOON]

What we found:
Automatic transmissions are killers for grades as they tend to shift always at the same place and every shift kicks up or digs a wee bit. That when repeated creates that first bump which multiplies and then comes washboard.
One trick is to lock the tranny in a lower gear and drive gently up the hill with no shifts. Try it.
The other thing is not to drive very fast as the suspension bounces and the 'bounce/skips' start that washboard effect.
In fact attack a hill a bit on the faster side and gently back off on the gas as you climb and you will greatly diminish the washboards.
\
The big problem is that everybody wants to get there before he leaves and then most folks tend to step on the gas when they see a hill,
Do the opposite, back off the peddle and the car will coast up on its own and NO BUMPS!.
Practice and time it so that the car crests the hill with your foot off of the peddle and you will no longer have washboard.

 

[Egon]

Does your gravel consist of fractured rock and range in size from large to small pieces?

 

[Egon]

Yes I have a good mixture

Okay. When scarifieing go as deep as you can and make multiple passes. Then try an mix the loose material well before levelling.

 

[darrenjttu]

Its a normal gravel road. No pea gravel so I guess its fractured rock. Yesterday I went as deep as I could go with the scarfiers and it was really clumpy from the moisture. I kept going over it raising up the rippers every time to break up the clumps. By the end every thing was broken up and smoothed out. I am going really slow on the road while it is not compacted.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

As much as you do not want to spend the money, get yourself a land plane grading scraper (LPGS). You will find that it will cut your road maintenance time by half at the minimum if not more. And because of that, your road will never be bad again, at least not for very long. All of these washboard issues are typically taken care of in a single pass. When the road is nice and takes a small amount of time it keep it that way, you do and therefore is always nice.

Trust us, everyone of us that have LPGSers would not trade it off for anything. :no: Heck, some of us have more than one just for different applications. :thumbsup: