Spreading 3 inch rock with 35HP JD 4410

jeffinsgf · Jul 19, 2013

Trying to help out a buddy that is building a new place. He's built a beautiful steel building and put an apartment in it where they will live until they can build a house. He's got a pretty bad slope right behind the building. County engineers told him he had to spread gravel on it to break up the water flow. He got it delivered and I took my tractor over to spread it for him. I struggled a little to spread it like we want. I was using a 7ft landscape rake. If I got a good bite with the rake, I would lose traction in the rocks. If I lighten up the bite, I just get waves of rock. I did a bit better just scooping and spreading with the FEL, but I ran into the same thing if I try to backdrag with the bucket. If I get the bucket in front of a decent pile of rock, I start spinning out.

Any tips on working with big rocks (compared to 3/4 minus, which I can spread like butter).

Grandad4 · Jul 19, 2013

I think a landscape rake is too light to spread your 3" gravel evenly. Being heavier, a box blade might do a better job of capturing the rock you want to spread and will also help with traction. At the other end, having a toothbar on the FEL bucket allows it to "rake" gravel when you backdrag. Be sure to angle the edge at enough angle so it doesn't catch excessively.

Only other techique I can think of is trying to drag material downhill from the top, if that's possible. Seems to me it would be harder to pull it uphill evenly because of the transition at the bottom of the slope. Going side-slope is probably not a great idea due to safety concerns, of course.

Don't know if any of this is helpful, but it's all I can come up with. Maybe others will have more or better thoughts. Best of luck with the project!

oosik · Jul 19, 2013

Wow! 3" rock is difficult to move. I've done it with my FEL but only because I have a tooth bar on the bucket. From experience I know that a backblade does not work that big rock well. And my moving the big rock was not easy and not as nice like if it were 3/4 minus. Actually spreading the big rock was quite a tooth jarring experience. I got the big rock very cheap but sure paid in ease of spreading. I think a tooth bar on the FEL is about the way I would suggest. No experience with a rock rake.

Gary Fowler · Jul 19, 2013

I have no experience with moving that size rock with a tractor. We moved that size and larger with a dozer with ease on my last job in Angola building a road. My suggestion for tractor use would be to lower the scarifiers on a box blade and just use those to dig the rocks out and drag them down hill. I think they would dig in and with the aid of the box move them pretty well in a downhill manner. Uphill is going to take a heavy dozer.

jeffinsgf · Jul 19, 2013

Well, glad to hear that I'm not the only one who has struggled with this. If I could have worked downhill, I think I would have been fine, but he had a concrete block retaining wall at the bottom. I got it in fairly decent shape with the FEL. Thanks for all your suggestions, guys.

oosik · Jul 19, 2013

Hey Jeff,
You did good getting it all moved. If buddy doesn't like it he can get out there with a heavy rake, haa, haa. I know I will never again order the larger rock - its cheaper but the time you spend with it isn't what I'd call "good seat time".

Grandad4 · Jul 19, 2013

Ditto those thoughts. I still have about 1/2 of a tandem dump load of 8-12" rip-rap we occasionally use for ditches, etc. It's such a pain to use we just avoid it for the most part.

jeffinsgf · Jul 19, 2013

Buddy was thrilled...not so much with my performance on the 3 inch, but he had 3 loads of that and 4 of 3/4 minus, which I spread exactly as he wanted. I spread 7 loads of rock in a day and a half....OK...some of it not well, but I thought that was almost as good as some OEs that carry a card. I had a good time doing it, but that was some serious seat time in 95 degree heat and 70 per cent humidity. My buddy's a former college football lineman and a current wildcat oil rigger who's about 35...I worked him into the dirt. Not bad for a guy pushing retirement age. OK, that's enough of beating my own drum. Captain Morgan is doing some of the talking.