How about some discussion on road grading now that old man winter is within a couple of months of letting go of his grasp on terra firma? Any ideas on grading for level, rather than following terrain? Seems that a rear blade, or front for that matter follows the pitch and plane of the tractor dependent of the wheel base of the tractor. Any input?
Road graders and the end of winter
- Thread starter kadonte
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Thomas
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kadonte,
I hope old man winter lets his grip go before a couple of months,for its been a strange winter over in these parts..seems like every other snow storm has been an ice storm /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif5 above w/3"of fresh snow this morning and the wind starting to blow,4 cold weekends in a row. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif
All I do angle my cutting blade on the York rake and pull from the ditches back into the center of the road,than I use the rake to crown the road and if need be order some hard pack.
Far as cleaning out the culvert header area..armstrong {hand shovel}backhoe. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Stay warm out there.
Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
I hope old man winter lets his grip go before a couple of months,for its been a strange winter over in these parts..seems like every other snow storm has been an ice storm /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif5 above w/3"of fresh snow this morning and the wind starting to blow,4 cold weekends in a row. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif
All I do angle my cutting blade on the York rake and pull from the ditches back into the center of the road,than I use the rake to crown the road and if need be order some hard pack.
Far as cleaning out the culvert header area..armstrong {hand shovel}backhoe. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Stay warm out there.
Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
Rowski
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Kadonte
I have been thinking about this too. I have heard of mid mount blades like a grader, but having a short wheel base on a tractor it doesn't get rid of the small rolling. What I have thought about doing is putting a gauge wheel on my blade and using a hydraulic top link. I have found and been told that it is easier to grade with fresh gravel rather than trying to cut in to it. My thinking was to set the gauge wheel at the height needed. Set the position control on the 3pt hitch all the way to the bottom. Then use the hydraulic top link to control the height of the blade. By doing this if the tractor dips or rises the blade with not move due to the position control floating and the gauge wheel. I don't have a hydraulic toplink yet but last year I did a pretty good job with my rake and guage wheels. The key is the gauge wheel. When I make my gauge wheel for my blade it will be 2 or 3 feet behind the blade. Hope this helps. I'm sure there must be some different ideas out there.
Derek
I have been thinking about this too. I have heard of mid mount blades like a grader, but having a short wheel base on a tractor it doesn't get rid of the small rolling. What I have thought about doing is putting a gauge wheel on my blade and using a hydraulic top link. I have found and been told that it is easier to grade with fresh gravel rather than trying to cut in to it. My thinking was to set the gauge wheel at the height needed. Set the position control on the 3pt hitch all the way to the bottom. Then use the hydraulic top link to control the height of the blade. By doing this if the tractor dips or rises the blade with not move due to the position control floating and the gauge wheel. I don't have a hydraulic toplink yet but last year I did a pretty good job with my rake and guage wheels. The key is the gauge wheel. When I make my gauge wheel for my blade it will be 2 or 3 feet behind the blade. Hope this helps. I'm sure there must be some different ideas out there.
Derek
Rowski,
I think your on the right track there. The more you can distance the blade from following the tractors tendancy to follow contours the better. I looked at a couple of previous posts with picture attachments for road grader attachments for the 3pt. Both I saw were interesting enough. The one was set up as a dual set of cuting edges with the leading cutting edge spilling gravel to the rear set for final grading. The blades were angled to a center point, only inversed from front to rear. There were no trailing wheels or skids however and it would seem that they would be benificial. I think I will build one with a pair of rear adjustable skids and see what it will do. Theres a surplus steel place fairly close that sells steel at .20 cents a pound, so the project should be cheap enough. The graders I looked at in past posts are nice but the prices are too stiff for my pocket. When I get it done I will try to post a pic or two.
I think your on the right track there. The more you can distance the blade from following the tractors tendancy to follow contours the better. I looked at a couple of previous posts with picture attachments for road grader attachments for the 3pt. Both I saw were interesting enough. The one was set up as a dual set of cuting edges with the leading cutting edge spilling gravel to the rear set for final grading. The blades were angled to a center point, only inversed from front to rear. There were no trailing wheels or skids however and it would seem that they would be benificial. I think I will build one with a pair of rear adjustable skids and see what it will do. Theres a surplus steel place fairly close that sells steel at .20 cents a pound, so the project should be cheap enough. The graders I looked at in past posts are nice but the prices are too stiff for my pocket. When I get it done I will try to post a pic or two.
gordon
Veteran Member
I made one a few years back that I used at my old property, the driveway was better than 1/4 of a mile long. I sold it this past spring. Because it was a bear to load on a trailer and at my new property my drive is only a few hundred feet in length.
What you will be doing with a rig like that is removing potholes and mixing the fines with the gravel. After your two cutting edges put a piece of chain link fence with a piece of heavy steel behind it and will make a great trailing edge.
What I use now is what Derek posted in his post. The hydraulic top link is the key along with the gauge wheels. It depends on what kind of drive I'm working on as to whether I use the blade or the rake. I've got a single gaugewheel, skidshoes and endplate on my rearblade. I use one endplate on the rearblades trailing edge so it holds the gravel and doesn't dump it all out at one time. But I've found that with the little wobble of the rearblade pivot points the skid shoes keep the blade from dipping in too quick and causing more work from small dips in the drive.
My rake has gauge wheels and also works great for grading.
But there are two things that are key the toplink and also the gaugewheels or wheel
Derek I'm surprized that you don't have a hydraulic toplink yet!!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Gordon
What you will be doing with a rig like that is removing potholes and mixing the fines with the gravel. After your two cutting edges put a piece of chain link fence with a piece of heavy steel behind it and will make a great trailing edge.
What I use now is what Derek posted in his post. The hydraulic top link is the key along with the gauge wheels. It depends on what kind of drive I'm working on as to whether I use the blade or the rake. I've got a single gaugewheel, skidshoes and endplate on my rearblade. I use one endplate on the rearblades trailing edge so it holds the gravel and doesn't dump it all out at one time. But I've found that with the little wobble of the rearblade pivot points the skid shoes keep the blade from dipping in too quick and causing more work from small dips in the drive.
My rake has gauge wheels and also works great for grading.
But there are two things that are key the toplink and also the gaugewheels or wheel
Derek I'm surprized that you don't have a hydraulic toplink yet!!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Gordon
Scaper
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Hi Kadonte, I would look into renting a pacer box if I were you. The scarifer teeth will loosen the crush and run and the I beam main frame will level in the highs and low spots. If you have a larger box scraper you could use that with the teeth set shallow the adjust the top link so that the rear edge is scraping the stone ( in other words tilt the front leading edge up so that you aren't dragging stone with the box portion) this has always worked well for me in redoing driveways. Good luck. Scaper
Scaper
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- New Holland 1030
Hi Kadonte, I would look into renting a pacer box if I were you. The scarifer teeth will loosen the crush and run and the I beam main frame will level in the highs and low spots. If you have a larger box scraper you could use that with the teeth set shallow to loosen the stone, then adjust the top link so that the rear edge is scraping the stone ( in other words tilt the front leading edge up so that you aren't dragging stone with the box portion) this has always worked well for me in redoing driveways. Good luck. Scaper
Scaper
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Sorry folks for the double post. Scaper
Rowski
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Hey Gordon
Don't need a hydraulic top link for a 55 gallon barrel full of concrete on the 3pt hitch /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif. Will need it this summer! I'm just going to get the top link, got the rear hydraulic port already (backhoe). Still trying to figure out the best way to add a tilt cylinder. Got 45 hours removing snow so far with more to come.
Are you going to get snow this time around? I've got a little tip. Don't get the tractor ready for plowing. We do this with the plow truck, usaully get a ton of snow. Swear up and down in the morning trying to hook it up in the cold, wind, & snow. Hope the tip helps!
Derek
Don't need a hydraulic top link for a 55 gallon barrel full of concrete on the 3pt hitch /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif. Will need it this summer! I'm just going to get the top link, got the rear hydraulic port already (backhoe). Still trying to figure out the best way to add a tilt cylinder. Got 45 hours removing snow so far with more to come.
Are you going to get snow this time around? I've got a little tip. Don't get the tractor ready for plowing. We do this with the plow truck, usaully get a ton of snow. Swear up and down in the morning trying to hook it up in the cold, wind, & snow. Hope the tip helps!
Derek
gordon
Veteran Member
Derek, too late on Saturday I changed the fluids and filters on the tractor. Removed the skidding winch from the back and put on the rearblade. Bet you'll never guess what---
Forecast went from two feet down to one to two feet and it got worse from there. Now they are forecasting one to three inches!!! Can you believe that what power I've got just by installing my plow. I know next time I'll leave her set in the corner until snow is covering it thats for sure.
Well maybe next time. Or maybe next year!!!
Gordon
Forecast went from two feet down to one to two feet and it got worse from there. Now they are forecasting one to three inches!!! Can you believe that what power I've got just by installing my plow. I know next time I'll leave her set in the corner until snow is covering it thats for sure.
Well maybe next time. Or maybe next year!!!
Gordon
