Need some Ideas

[narampa]

My driveway is crushed rock or course gravel. In the winter I used my snow blower with the feet set high so that I leave about 2 inches of snow. I use the blower this way a few times and than I remove the blower and install my blade. Once the snow is packed the blade works great. I prefer using the blade than the blower it just does a nicer job.
Anybody out there in tractor land make a drag that will knock the air out of the snow and speed up he process of getting a hard pack of snow quicker. I am not really interested in a roller. I was thinking of something that could be made out of tires.
I have everything I need to do this tool wise. Just need an idea.

 

[oosik]

Hmmm - I've got to say, I've never heard of a situation like yours. I would think driving up/down the driveway would do the trick. A drag is going to move the snow around and probably not pack it. I don't understand why you use the blower when you have a rear blade with feet. The feet should keep the blade off the gravel. Rather than some type of drag - look at bigger feet that will hold the blade up and do not need hard packed snow.

Because I've not put feet on my rear blade I'm fairly gentile on the driveway - snow removal - until the surface freezes hard. However, like now, the driveway is frozen hard and if it were to snow there is no problem with the rear blade dragging directly on the frozen driveway.

 

[narampa]

Hmmm - I've got to say, I've never heard of a situation like yours. I would think driving up/down the driveway would do the trick. A drag is going to move the snow around and probably not pack it. I don't understand why you use the blower when you have a rear blade with feet. The feet should keep the blade off the gravel. Rather than some type of drag - look at bigger feet that will hold the blade up and do not need hard packed snow.

Because I've not put feet on my rear blade I'm fairly gentile on the driveway - snow removal - until the surface freezes hard. However, like now, the driveway is frozen hard and if it were to snow there is no problem with the rear blade dragging directly on the frozen driveway.

I don't have a rear blade. Maybe I should have said how do I knock the air out of the snow. If a grader makes a pass and the snow that it piledup gets hard that is because there is no air in it anymore. At the first snow fall I just want to remove the air out of the snow.I don,t want to remove any snow. Driving up and down is not a option it would take for ever,however it would work. No a drag won't work because I don't to move the snow I want to float the air out like you do when finishing cement.
Hope that explains it better.
And I forgot to mention I need a hard packed surface to skid trees up my driveway. My wood lot is across the road and my processor is in the back yard. I have been doing this for 15 winters. I would just like to be able to speed up the hard packed driveway and get an earlier start on my firewood.

 

[Chopperhed]

Do you have rims for the tires.

If you want to pack it down, a roller would do it. Stack the tires in a row, add fluid or weight, and pull it up and down the drive.

Something floating behind would level it out after.

Or look at how the ski hills groom the hill.

 

[mfreund]

Spray it with a mist of water and then let it refreeze.

 

[jix]

Spray it with a mist of water and then let it refreeze.

Yep!..after it is flattened. I use my blower, moving its broad flat bottom surface backwards over the snow and with PTO tilted so that it does not pick up snow, and with the blower PTO off. That flattens it nicely. Sprayed and sanded. its good to go till we get a thaw. Winter is just such a hassle!

 

[DuckSlayer1017]

Someone posted a video a couple days ago of him plowing his drive with his BX. He had his blade turned around so it would be easier on the drive. I think that may accomplish what you want.

 

[treman]

Why not try a sheet of plywood with some weight on top. Similar to a giant toboggan. You would need to keep the leading edge up a couple of inches but that would easily be accomplished my attaching it to the 3pt. This would smooth and compress the snow in a single pass and you could then mist it with water if needed as others have said and have a nice smooth hard pack.

If those tires are on rims and of the same size you could make a rubber tired roller as has already been suggested by sliding a pipe through the center.

Another option would be a piece of culvert pipe made into a roller. I know you said that was not something you would like to do but many trails are groomed that way and it works rather well.

 

[notme]

umm u want to pack it down right? I just back blade (drive backwards the weight of the blade pushes it down) because the blade is roundish the blade lifts as the snow pushes it up..leaves a good flat pack..i do that a few times till theres a few inches of hard pack then plow normally with the shoes set high onces or twice so it doesn't cut in....and then its good to go.

 

[narampa]

Well I certainly got the ideas I was looking for. I am going to try and incorporate making a roller out of tires. I talked to a tire recycler and he said that they get a lot of tires with rims on. It seems they just put them to the side as they deal with them later. He said for a box of beer I could get what I need.
I am also going to look at a roller made from a culvert. That would work great as I could use down pressure to pack it harder. Now that idea just might work. I am retired and on a fixed income so I don't want to spend a lot of money.
Thanks for the ideas!