Grading with a Back Blade

[shooterdon]

I have been having problems using my back blade to grade my gravel drive. It is a bit of a roller coaster with dips every 10-15 yards or so. When I use the position control to raise the blade as I go up a dip, I leave ridges that look like washboards. When I go down a dip, I wind up leaving more material at the top of dip...making the dip worse. I was having a bit better luck with the York rake but that may be due to it flexing more...I don't know.

It got me thinking about using a chain to replace the top link to give me a degree of float. I assume by using a chain, when I go up a dip, the blade will not dig in as much as it is not held ridgidly in postion with a sollid top link....is that correct?

To address the blade lifting as I crest a dip, I am thinking about having having some slack in the chain when the blade is on level ground...thus the blade would not lift as high but follow the ground. In operation, I would note the setting on the postion control when the implement is level on flat ground, and set the implement to that position when grading.

Before I do somethiing stupid and hurt myself, or the machine, I would appreaciate any comments. First, is there a better way (note: I cannot afford a hydraulic top link). Is what I am proposing safe to do with a back blade and/or York rake? Do you think it might work?

My other thought is to add wheels behind the blade so it performs more like a grader. Something like this:

5' Grade Blade w/wheels for ATV | Agri Supply

Thanks in advance!

 

[LouNY]

Many of the back blade manufactures over a hydraulically controlled gauge wheel for there blades.
I'm not sure that your floating top link would do much good for you.
When you are grading your driveway do you have the blade angled?
I would expect that trying to pull your blade with slack in a chain top link would allow the blade to dig in deeper then desired.
Your link seems to have been hijacked by that shopping link.

 

[Tractorable]

I would weld on some brackets for gauge wheels and lower the position control all the way so the 3pt floats as the tractor moves up and down the dips while the gauge wheels control the blade height.

 

[/pine]

A lot depends on the make up of the road....base and topping etc.??
From the brief description I would say you are not going to get it right with just a rear blade...if the same situation was here with mostly granite gravel I would say the bad sections of the road needs to be scarified up and evened out...then back blade (blade reversed) it with the rear blade and eliminating the dips etc...

 

[oosik]

I maintain my mile long gravel driveway with a heavy duty rear blade. Winter snows - then ditches, crown, general grading, pot hole repairs in the summer.

Unfortunately - I have a 150 foot section that resists all my summer maintenance efforts with the rear blade. Soooo - I hook up my Land Pride GS2584 Land plane grading scraper. Three or four passes back/forth and this section is smooth as a pool table. I keep adding gravel to the mix thru this section and hopefully one of these day it will be enough to hold the uber smooth fix that my LPGS provides. Until that day - its the LPGS once a year.

 

[Citydude]

Grading scraper... take the 450 bucks for the agri supply blade and add that to the price of a decent grading scraper. Back blades are very hard to master. One thing to keep in mind, go extremely slow while blading. Going fast like a road grader is futile in my experience.

 

[metalbender]

Land plane all the way. I do a half mile drive, no guessing, just drop it and charge forward. Run 10-12 kmh hr, gets it done in a couple passes each direction.

 

[oosik]

One reason rear blades are so difficult - the short coupling between the blade and the tractor. What "short coupling" really means - the rear blade reacts very quickly to the same thing the tractor is doing. Tractor goes into a dip - rear blade drops almost instantly - digs in, takes a bite, makes the dip just that much bigger. Tractor front raises up to exit the dip - rear blade drops even further and digs the "dip" even deeper. Trailing wheels - draft control - - these may help some but it takes time & experience to become proficient.

When I get to the bad section of my driveway - post#5 - I go very slow - lower the rear blade all the way( its actually floating ) and lengthen the dips. The dips get longer and longer, join together and finally the 150 foot "bad section" becomes one long dip. I then put on my LPGS - scarify the entire length and width of the dip - add my yearly allotment of gravel - pack it down with the tractor. This section has been a PITA ever since I had the driveway built in '82. I suppose I could have it dug up - some really heavy ballast added and build that section back up. But the way it is right now - it provides a good day of seat time and I get to use my LPGS for something other than new trails thru the outback.

There is a very good reason that the highway dept road graders/maintainers have such a loooong wheel base. Its an answer to short coupling.

 

[Thomas]

After getting gravel etc. loosen try using back of the back blade for the finishing touch...won't dig in..

 

[oosik]

For sure - Thomas. My new Rhino 950 rear blade brings an all new aspect to rear blade use. Reversing and dragging this blade will flatten/smooth most anything - either wanted or unwanted. And the price of gravel -- you would think its gold plated. I have always got my gravel from the same source. They know me and my driveway well and know the exact type that will work best. Most times you will see me out doing any needed repairs in what scant rain we may be getting or immediately afterwards. The delivered crushed rock and fines pack so very well when its raining.

Speaking of which - my stockpile is dwindling - I should probably order more.

 

[Egon]

Put gauge wheels on the back blade. Makes it a different attachment that does work.

 

[fried1765]

Put gauge wheels on the back blade. Makes it a different attachment that does work.

I would suggest a tail wheel.

 

[lucky llama]

Place your blade at a sharp angle towards the center of the road. It seems to help reduce the washboard.

 

[npalen]

Gauge wheels combined with hydraulic top link are the cats meow for grading. Drop the 3PH all the way down so the gauge wheels are carrying the blade then adjust cut depth with the top link.
Running the blade at an angle adds to the performance with or without gauge wheels. It tends to cancel the "washboard"

Edit: Sorry, simultaneous posting.

 

[shooterdon]

Thanks for the advice guys. Will try some things tomorrow

 

[Looking4new]

Place your blade at a sharp angle towards the center of the road. It seems to help reduce the washboard.

I run my BB at a 45 degree angle to the road and it seems to do a fairly good job. I have 6" long teeth on my bucket, so I scarify with the bucket going backwards only on the high spots, first. Then attack with the BB turned backwards at the 45 degree angle. I start on one side and basically 'carry' the windrow over to the other side, then carry it back to the first side again. It is easier to do it than it is to explain.

 

[oosik]

Man - whatever works for any/all of us. Even at a 45 degree angle my Land Pride RB3596 was just too light for summer maintenance. It weighed 565#. My new Rhino 950 - 96" & 1100#. It's weight is finally sufficient to cut my driveway in the summer. The driveway surface is a combination of crushed granite, sand and fines. It sets up like concrete after things dry out in the spring. I've priced adding a 6" lift of just crushed rock - - it would certainly make grading and shaping easier but I don't think I would live long enough to pay off the loan required to finance the project. Last estimate about eight years ago - $25K.

 

[Egon]

The vertical angle of the blade is also important to cutting.

 

[FatTire]

We added a loop at the end of our driveway this year, about 500 ft. I had the same hump/dip problem with the new road base. Couldn't make it quite right no matter how carefully I worked it.
So I finally bought a tailwheel kit and gathering plates. World of difference. It took about 3 shallow passes to make it right. BTW- With the tailwheel is when you float with a chain for toplink.

 

[massey collector]

Did you people read he is useing a box blade. Not useing a back blade.

I have yet to see a box blade you could angle to the center. The idea behind a box blade is to use the shanks to dig up and sofften the gravel. the box edge is supposed to ride leval across the high spots digging them up and the 3pt arms stay leval so the gravel drops in the hole.

Doesn't seem to be some thing you can do quickly. Have to go sloly and make many passes withth eback blade stock from the store.

Seat time.

Al