Grading Grading bare limestone

   / Grading bare limestone #1  

voyager3

New member
Joined
Jul 21, 2025
Messages
7
Tractor
John Deere 5400
Hello. Is boxblade the right implement to fix deep ruts, potholes and erosion on a trail that is pretty much bare limestone? I have 'inherited' a JD5400 in more or less running condition and a box blade.
Unfortunately, I do a very different thing for a living but I'm willing to learn
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. All I know is that mini-excavators have no trouble digging through it.
 
   / Grading bare limestone #2  
The bigger rocks will be troublesome, but I don't see any issues. The stone looks pretty fractured, so it may go really well.
 
   / Grading bare limestone #4  
Welcome aboard. I can't tell much from the photos. When I was a kid, I spent time working in a local quarry. Limestone in my area is dealt with by calling in wagon drills and blasting. I have read accounts from people digging through limestone, but that doesn't happen here.
 
   / Grading bare limestone
  • Thread Starter
#5  
The longevity of any road will be greatly Iincrease the faster you can get water off it.
True. Unfortunately, this is the path that water takes in heavy rains. I'm not sure what kind of drainage is right for this since it's not a driveway, just a trail/occasionally used road through the property that I want to keep passable but it's not worth investing heavily.
 
   / Grading bare limestone #6  
Hello. Is boxblade the right implement to fix deep ruts, potholes and erosion on a trail that is pretty much bare limestone? I have 'inherited' a JD5400 in more or less running condition and a box blade.
Unfortunately, I do a very different thing for a living but I'm willing to learnView attachment 3810861View attachment 3810862. All I know is that mini-excavators have no trouble digging through it.
Take your time, make several passes and see what you end up with. It will probably make it more passable, and you'll get better with it as you go.
 
   / Grading bare limestone #7  
Without something for scale, I'm assuming your limestone is similar to our limerock; a mix of grades from maybe fist sized, down to powder. If so, yes, a box blade will work. As someone above pointed out, dealing with the water flowing down the slope is needed, but a box blade can and is often used for regrading limerock
 
   / Grading bare limestone #8  
I used a boxblade to level and grade the roadway going down past my house. I finally built a 3pt landplane to make the job easier.
A box blade will require a little bit of a learning curve, but if you have time, it will make sense as you work with it. It will take several passes to become flat and smooth.
David from jax
 
   / Grading bare limestone
  • Thread Starter
#9  
The longevity of any road will be greatly Iincrease the faster you can get water off it.
True. Unfortunately, this is the path that water takes in heavy rains. I'm not sure what kind of drainage is right for this since it's not a driveway, just a trail/occasionally used road through the property that I want to keep passable but it's not worth investing heavily
 
   / Grading bare limestone
  • Thread Starter
#10  
A couple more pics. Unfortunately, can't find an angle where the overall layout and the deepest ruts are visible together.
 

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