What's best for grading driveway

[wldbil3]

Another couple of weeks and I'll have enough for the down payment on a new BX2670 (with FEL and 60" belly mower) - getting excited! Should have it just in time for the first mowing of the spring! Question - I have about 800' of driveway that I want to keep graded and nice while avoiding having to dump a bunch of $$$ in gravel on it.

What is the best implement for maintaining a gravel driveway like that? It gets pretty compacted in the summer and pretty soft in the spring.
My dad says I would be fine with a York rake or even a back blade (which could be used for snow in the winter) but I've heard from others that a box blade is the way to go.

Suggestions? Also, what size implement should I look for with this tractor?

 

[lakebota]

Many variables would help with a guess.
What is the site soil (sandy loam, clay, some rock)
Is the drive graveled now, and to what depth?
What is the grade (steepness) and cross section (cross slope or crowned)?
Are there ditches along the road?
When you say soft in the spring, is it soft enough to rut?
There is really no substitute to adequate structural section of good type "A" aggregate (100% crushed with size grading to lock it together. Also subgrade moisture and drainage is important for longevity of road surface.
If you have wet areas, control moisture be getting water to run off and even use grade separating fabric if the area is clayey.
Given all that I have no experience with a york rake. THe back blade is good for sweeping and shaping. The box blade is good for moving material, and when set right can be used to grade, and shape.
I'm finishing up grading an area about 1/2 ending up with a simple cross slope of about 5% with a service drive about mid slope with a cross slope of about 1%. Moved and shaped probably 75 yards with bx2230 with a 5' box and fel.

 

[85Hokie]

Another couple of weeks and I'll have enough for the down payment on a new BX2670 (with FEL and 60" belly mower) - getting excited! Should have it just in time for the first mowing of the spring! Question - I have about 800' of driveway that I want to keep graded and nice while avoiding having to dump a bunch of $$$ in gravel on it.

What is the best implement for maintaining a gravel driveway like that? It gets pretty compacted in the summer and pretty soft in the spring.
My dad says I would be fine with a York rake or even a back blade (which could be used for snow in the winter) but I've heard from others that a box blade is the way to go.

Suggestions? Also, what size implement should I look for with this tractor?

You Dad is on the money for the simple solution - box blade will Ok - but it is harder to move stuff left to right with a box blade - it will knock down humps and even out material better than the back blade.

I had good luck with a back blade - as the middle of the drive gets higher and stone is cast to each side - the angle on the rear blade pulls it back and forth and will place it in the high and low spots. A rock rake works well too!

All of them are great for what they do - I would buy the 5' back blade first!

 

[DocGP]

These land planes are the cats meow for maintaining roads;

Doc

 

[ShaunRH]

For most leveling work, the land planes seem to be coming into popularity.

Back blades can be had for cheap (a lot of people upgrading to land planes!)

Box blades are jack of all trades. If you have to have just ONE implement to do a lot of different things in an 'okay' fashion, then it's a box blade. It's just not a true master of anything but moving material around and leveling at the same time. Primarily a landscaping tool. Learning curve to using them effectively.

 

[D2Cat]

Here's an implement you can make. It will pull the rock up that gets packed down from moisture and driving over.

Once you have a crown on your lane, and rocked, it will pack as you continually drive over it.

Have this on your tractor and go over the surface 3 or 4 times it will look like you hauled in tons of rock. Works excellent. I made it from the pickup teeth from a baler.

 

[cerlawson]

I hate to throw cold water on the subject, but a bX for driveway grading may well convert you to a larger tractor. The reason is the stupid BX control for the three point is a very difficult thing to use with any accuracy. Larger tractors have a draft control. That means the blade stays at a certain elevation according to the position of the lever. BX is nothing more than "up" or "down" for he hydraulics. There is a small "tit" sticking out near the housing which you can adjust some for creeping the hydraulics up or down. The lever has to be pulled inward as you move it to snug against that "tit".

Assuming you have a bucket, you may have better luck back dragging the bucket, once the gravel is loosened up.

Anyhow give it a try. If you have the opportunity to use a tractor with draft control, you will soon see what I mean.

 

[Grouse Feathers]

If you do a search on driveway grading in OTT and some of the other tractor forums you will find several long threads on the best ways to maintain a driveway. I bought a BX in December and plan to buy a LandPride GS (grading scraper same as a land plane) soon or maybe when the ground finally thaws here in northern Michigan. A grading scraper overcomes the limits of the BX 3 point control as you set the scraper on the ground and drag it. The GS setting on the ground also eliminates the learning curve on manipulating the 3 point to control a box blade or rear blade when. If you get a box blade or grading scraper you will probably want to stay at four feet. If you get a rear blade you will want a five foot blade. The rear blade will be angled most of the time and you need five feet to stay wider than the tires.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

These land planes are the cats meow for maintaining roads;

Doc

Hands down the single best implement for "maintaining an improved drive". Improved meaning anything that does not require a 4x4 to make it down the drive.

 

[Porkman]

That's one of the best looking land planes that I've seen. Who makes it?

Hands down the single best implement for "maintaining an improved drive". Improved meaning anything that does not require a 4x4 to make it down the drive.

 

[sawmill]

I have a piece of catwalk grating 6' long. I drilled a hole in the side at each end and put eye bolts on it. I tied a heavy rope on it and and drag it side ways on my
driveway. It loosens the packed gravel and fills in the low spots. I've been using it for 10 years. It works great. I have to drag it in the next couple weeks. I'll post a
picture of then. Here is a pic of the type of catwalk grating.

 

[skeets]

Yes Sir that will work well,,, I use an old box spring from an old full size bed, it is amazing how well things like that work

 

[lakebota]

I want to offer that if I had 800' of driveway (and likely a sizable lot?) I would buy the box scraper and learn to use it. There are several resources on-line (google or bing are your friend) that will help educate a new owner or even an old hand on the proper use and how to set up a box scraper.
The tilt of the box fore and aft can be set for ripping, cutting and spreading and from side to side to build crown. Large cuts and fills, road - side ditches can also be made, by setting the box tilt, ripping and spreading and or using the fel to pack material.
The important thing to remember to work in small bites. Work from a section the looks good onto sections needing work. This is especially important when pioneering a road or drive where one backs onto virgin ground with box set to a cross-slope and and or with rippers set deep or right, mid in middle and high on the left. The added benefit of the box scraper is that is somewhat doubles as a grizzly in that any oversized material istrapped in the box and removed from the work when one dumps the load at the end of a run.
I've been using a box scraper ever since seeing them in use by contractors on paving projects, working ahead of the paver crew on the main road, constructing driveway flares and spreading asphalt into intersections.
At this point, I can't hold a candle to those guys, but for my property and drives (sandy loam with gravel to cobble sized rock) the box scraper is my preferref implement.
edit-> do you have a rental yard around that might have a selection of implements for rent? Not knowing your site req's makes it difficult to imagine the best tool.

 

[Fredneck]

Everythingattachments has some great youtubes on using a box blade effectively. Appears to be the best all around tool for driveway maintenance. Good luck !

 

[Burt]

Another couple of weeks and I'll have enough for the down payment on a new BX2670 (with FEL and 60" belly mower) - getting excited! Should have it just in time for the first mowing of the spring! Question - I have about 800' of driveway that I want to keep graded and nice while avoiding having to dump a bunch of $$$ in gravel on it.

What is the best implement for maintaining a gravel driveway like that? It gets pretty compacted in the summer and pretty soft in the spring.
My dad says I would be fine with a York rake or even a back blade (which could be used for snow in the winter) but I've heard from others that a box blade is the way to go.

Suggestions? Also, what size implement should I look for with this tractor?

wldbil3,

Double ditto on the box blade. Before you make your decision, I suggest doing some you tube searches for box blades. Understand their full capability. They are one of the most useful tools for a rural area. They will smooth out gravel or dirt, rid you property of unwanted moguls, allow you to clean out a ditch quickly, rip up for a garden, and many other useful chores.

We have a snow blade as well as a box blade and the snow blade will not do what the box blade will.

Good luck on your decision.

Burt

 

[wldbil3]

Thanks for all the feedback guys! It seems like all I want to do right now is look at tractor stuff - these next two weeks can't go fast enough...

I have about 15 acres (mostly wooded). I mow about 2-3 acres and have the driveway to maintain so once I get the tractor there's plenty of seat time to be had - can't wait!

I think I'm going to start off with the back blade since I can use it for other things as well (like snow) and see how it works with the driveway. I am definitely going to do some more research on the land planes as I've never really heard of them until now. If the blade doesn't work to my satisfaction, I may have to save up for one.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

That's one of the best looking land planes that I've seen. Who makes it?

RoadMaster, been out of business for years. Closest thing now days is a Road Boss, but way over priced in my opinion. GradeMaster seems to be a decent alternative.

Besides weighing around 800lbs, it has much longer runners than most of the LPGS built recently, and that goes a long way as to how well they work. I actually have 2 of these, the 5' in the pictures and a 7' @ 1400lbs that I use behind my bigger tractor.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Thanks for all the feedback guys! It seems like all I want to do right now is look at tractor stuff - these next two weeks can't go fast enough...

I have about 15 acres (mostly wooded). I mow about 2-3 acres and have the driveway to maintain so once I get the tractor there's plenty of seat time to be had - can't wait!

I think I'm going to start off with the back blade since I can use it for other things as well (like snow) and see how it works with the driveway. I am definitely going to do some more research on the land planes as I've never really heard of them until now. If the blade doesn't work to my satisfaction, I may have to save up for one.

A HUGE asset to any rear blade is skid shoes. They really help out. If the rear blades that you consider don't offer them, then find one that does, or figure on building some yourself. The heavier the blade, the better it will work for you. That goes for just about any grading implement.

 

[aeblank]

Man you run some big equipment.....

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Man you run some big equipment.....

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

120 acres and a weekender at best, when I get a chance. When I need to do something, I need to get it done now, not in 2-3 days or weeks.