Reclaim, regrading existing gravel driveway

[tcdiver]

I'm looking for the best, most cost effective attachment to rough up and regrade a gravel driveway that has some grass and weeds growing in it. I used to have an old metal box spring with concrete blocks but someone decided they needed it more than i and stole it. It's going to take some horsepower to rough up the grown up areas like between the tracks. Ruts aren't bad at all but the median between tire travel tracks has grown up a little.

Any suggestions of what to rent or buy. The rental guys in my area were zero help.

I'm using a JD 3120 and can use three point or standard ball hitch hook up.

 

[airbiscuit]

Use a box blade with scarifiers. Use your height adjusting arm on your 3pt to establish a crown.

 

[/pine]

I'm looking for the best, most cost effective attachment to rough up and regrade a gravel driveway that has some grass and weeds growing in it. I used to have an old metal box spring with concrete blocks but someone decided they needed it more than i and stole it. It's going to take some horsepower to rough up the grown up areas like between the tracks. Ruts aren't bad at all but the median between tire travel tracks has grown up a little.

Any suggestions of what to rent or buy. The rental guys in my area were zero help.

I'm using a JD 3120 and can use three point or standard ball hitch hook up.

IMO a quality landscape rake is the ideal implement for what you describe...setting it on an angle will cut the center down and groom the lanes...they also work well for recovering gravel that has migrated to the outside of the wheel tracks...

 

[airbiscuit]

 

[/pine]

Box blades are great for repairing and or reworking rough or damaged lanes etc...for light maintenance and grooming established gravel lanes there is nothing better than a landscape rake...especially if an "old metal box spring with concrete blocks" used to work for you...

often when just general maintenance is required a box blade will create as much additional work as it remedies...!

Also a BB does nothing to recover migrated gravel simply because it can't be angled...

 

[RjCorazza]

X2 on a box blade.

 

[airbiscuit]

It's not so much the box blade as it is the scarifiers needed to rip up the grass and loosen the gravel. After that a landscape rake, rear blade or land plane would do the trick.

Better yet, buy an old pony grader

 

[lilranch2001]

I have been looking for one for years.....

 

[CoyPatton]

I'm looking for the best, most cost effective attachment to rough up and regrade a gravel driveway that has some grass and weeds growing in it. I used to have an old metal box spring with concrete blocks but someone decided they needed it more than i and stole it. It's going to take some horsepower to rough up the grown up areas like between the tracks. Ruts aren't bad at all but the median between tire travel tracks has grown up a little.

Any suggestions of what to rent or buy. The rental guys in my area were zero help.

I'm using a JD 3120 and can use three point or standard ball hitch hook up.

If you have been getting results that were acceptable with a metal box springs unit with added weigh, look into a land plane with sacrificers. You need the sacrificers to breakup the grass growth and any ruts that are present or may develop in the future. The tilt function of the 3PH can be used to establish and maintain the crown. It is the best gravel driveway maintenance implement by far! It can be useful to level any movable material (dirt, sand, gravel, wood chips, you name it)
For general redistribution of gravel not needing surfaces broken up, a rake does great, but takes lots of passes to dig out grass roots, otherwise a week later the grass is back and causes the same issues again in my opinion and experience.
A regular rear blade can do the same thing for a drive way with same issues.

Use your needs as a reason to acquire implements to meet your needs. Do you need every implement made?—I seriously doubt it! Will one implement do every job you need to do?—I seriously doubt it.
Ad you buy implements try to buy as heavily built as is possible within the confines of what your tractor can handle. I like older implements, as light duty cheaper is not an issue. Typically you can find them for about the price of a new lighter duty implement. One caution on older implements is they tend to not be quick hitch (QH) ready. They also may require a great of redesign to make them ready. If you have to hire this done, you need to figure that cost (much great than some material) into the cost of the implement or more commonly buy a QH ready new/newer implement.

 

[senecak19]

X2 on the land plane. I built a twin to Gordon Gould’s here on TBN and I use it to manage my driveway without scarifiers. It’s HEAVY. mines likely pushing 500lbs so it has no issues digging in. As noted above, they level anything they come across. Pot and ruts be gone. ��