im having a hard time getting my gravel driveway smooth with my grading scraper with my l2501 im using a land pride grading scraper 6ft wide. I put down number 8s for my top layer and im getting a wash board throughout the driveway. do i need to add weight to the top of scraper or adjust my height ?
grading scraper
- Thread starter sajnaj
- Start date
When I spread stone on my drive I use my grading blade to scrape it forward and when things look pretty good I use the back of the blade to smooth it out.
Just what exactly is your definition of "grading scraper"? Land planes are closer to true graders than box blades, which are a little better than simple scraper blades. Though scraper blades can be adequate with the addition of gauge wheels well behind them.
Mid mount graders are the only true grading blades. They are virtually all that are used for preparing and maintaining roadbeds.
Mid mount graders are the only true grading blades. They are virtually all that are used for preparing and maintaining roadbeds.
NCL4701
Well-known member
Equipment
L4701, T2290, WC68, grapple, BB1572, Farmi W50R, Howes 500, 16kW IMD gen, WG24
I’m not quite clear of you’re using a box blade or back blade or land plane. If using a box blade or back blade, adjust the top link to dig in just enough to pick up some material but not much. The washboard will make the tractor bounce so you’ll never get the washboard out unless you have the blade floating in the full down position, which is why you have to control the cut with the angle using the toplink.
Once you have it set right, run back over it and do NOT go slow. Running around 4 to 5 mph should start to take the washboard out. You may have to run over it several times to get all of the washboard out.
If using a land plane, I have no experience with those so although I think that should cut out washboard by just running over it, I would defer to others who have land planes.
BTW you certainly can fix a dirt/gravel road with a box scrape and/or back blade. This one is about 1/2 mile private road plus a couple of short driveways. Started out W shaped with water running down the wheel tracks instead of the silted ditches. Put in 30 years before and not touched since. Reshaped the roadbed to put the crown back on it, cleaned out ditches and turnouts, topped with 3/4” rock (about 150 tons).
This was after ripping with the boxblade and resetting the crown. Roughed in with boxblade and did a bit of touch up with the backblade before topping with fresh 3/4”.
Finished result. No more W. No more washboard.
72” light duty backblade. It’s a manually adjustable backblade and it works. That’s the only good thing I can say about it. It’s quite old and as basic as they come.
Boxblade is also 72” and nothing fancy but heavy enough to do some actual grading.
So, yes I’m sure it would have been an easier and quicker job with a crawler with a gravel box and a true road grader, which is why DOT doesn’t use small tractors to maintain hundreds of miles of gravel roads, but a couple days with the tractor and blades did the same thing. May take a bit of experimenting and practice but if someone thinks it can’t be done with a CUT and blade that’s more a comment on the operator than the equipment.
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Unless your grading scraper isn’t level with the ground, it shouldn’t be that hard. In most cases, you don’t need the scarifier. That was a recommendation from the guy who delivered mine. Mine does a wonderful job removing washboarding although you may need multiple passes.
I have been thinking of getting something better than the back blade I am using now. I would really appreciate some recomendations. Right now I pay DOT to make a swipe through every time they do the public road leading to my property but the steep hills still turn into washboard quite quickly.
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
All gravel driveways NEED regular maintenance. Farmer cross the road,every Sunday, after church, before brunch, would drag a heavy bar/chains ,up and down his 500' driveway several times, 6-10. It was always flat,level, pretty.It was like that for decades. he sells, new guy did NOTHING, less than 2 years driveway was a disaster,even after 10K of 'professional grading', it still has potholes, wallows, yucks...
Now depending on the actual use, you may only have to 'dressup the driveway' once a month or so. The farmer had a lot of equipment using that driveway, you maybe not ?
Now depending on the actual use, you may only have to 'dressup the driveway' once a month or so. The farmer had a lot of equipment using that driveway, you maybe not ?
NCL4701
Well-known member
Equipment
L4701, T2290, WC68, grapple, BB1572, Farmi W50R, Howes 500, 16kW IMD gen, WG24
For just maintaining a gravel/dirt road that’s already there, land planes look pretty sweet. No real setup, just run over it and it levels everything, filling potholes, cutting out washboard, etc. Seems like that’s all they’re good for but they’re really good at that.
And no I don’t have one because my budget dictated a box blade or a land plane but not both. I can’t keep the creek crossings dressed or flatten spots in the woods for Dad’s hunting blind or clean ditches with a land plane. However, if I had a long road that needed routine dressing or that was the only job I had for it, I’d take a hard look at a land plane.
pokey1416
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Lifetime Member
Equipment
Grand L4060HSTC, BH92 Backhoe, HLA Snow Pusher, Dirt Dog Tiller, EA DiscHarrow
My work has a farm and gravel parking lot down the street from me. I use a LPGS to grade those. If I have to use the shanks due to continuous heavy construction traffic, I follow up with shanks fully retracted. Fine tuning takes a bit of on-off and that’s why I installed hydraulic top link. If it just needs a “dressing up” I’ll hit it with the chain harrow.
The land plane is not as versatile as the box blade it really only is intended to maintain. The drive in this video has a #3 limestone base and the land plane does a nice job with the bigger size base.
The land plane is not as versatile as the box blade it really only is intended to maintain. The drive in this video has a #3 limestone base and the land plane does a nice job with the bigger size base.
All I have is a Land Pride rear blade with hyd. turning and a top hyd. link. My gravel driveway is 1000' and have only used the rear blade for 30yrs. It winds thru woods and has one steep hill going up to the house. I tried a box blade but without much success so I sold it and still use to blade to keep up the maintenance on the driveway. I bring in gravel as needed but usually can just scrape and spread what's there for several years before adding anything.
jyoutz
Well-known member
Equipment
MX6000 HST open station, FEL, 6’ cutter, forks, 8’ rear blade, 7’ cultivator
A straight blade that angles and offsets is far better than a box blade for maintaining gravel roads.
If your handy, you can build a land plane yourself for a fraction of the cost of buying one. There’s many posts on here about doing such a thing.
Jchonline
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Lifetime Member
Equipment
Kubota L6060, KX040-4, M7060, RTV X1100C, M62 (sold)
Try weight first, no harm. A few hundred pounds. Do you have the model with scarifiers on it? Can you provide the model # please.
LPGS with no scarifiers are great for maintaining the TOP of a road (one that doesn't have a bunch of ruts/washout areas in it. If you have washout/ruts you may need something to loosen up the road bed more (heavy rear blade 600lbs+ or box blade).
My GS2572 weighs 774 lbs according tot he manual with scarifiers attached. I also have a QH15 which adds about 70 more lbs.
I don’t know what model OP has.
I don’t know what model OP has.
NCL4701
Well-known member
Equipment
L4701, T2290, WC68, grapple, BB1572, Farmi W50R, Howes 500, 16kW IMD gen, WG24
For some things, definitely. Since having both, the box blade v back blade question has seemed to me kind of like open end wrench v box end wrench: 1) they both do pretty much the same thing a little differently and which is better depends on what you’re doing; 2) if you’re doing much with it, having both is highly preferable. I do a bit more variety than maintain a gravel road, but if I had to give up one or the other it wouldn’t be an easy choice.
OK lets try some old school lo down redneck thing,, For years, back inthe old days we use an old steel set of box springs that went under the mattress. Was by no means pretty, but when dragged it worked like a land plane in the gravel. Fillrd in rutts and holes the big rocks popped out and got caught inthe springs. Used that for a very long time, and the drive way was in pretty fair shape, but remember no matter what you use, it is not a one and done thing
jyoutz
Well-known member
Equipment
MX6000 HST open station, FEL, 6’ cutter, forks, 8’ rear blade, 7’ cultivator
I have had both for 30 years (on smaller size tractor than I have now). I have used the rear blade very frequently, but the box blade only for initial leveling of a new driveway or dirt pad. I don’t like it as a driveway maintainer because it moves too much gravel, when I simply need to level and reshape the existing road.. I’m looking to buy a new rear blade for my new MX, but may not even buy another box blade.