Front-End Loader Driveway install - FEL, Box Blade or Rear Blade

[fausdick]

Hello Everyone!

New girlfriend, new farm, new project! Planning on installing a 400' drive way across an old pasture. I need to remove the topsoil to put in my road base. I already had a JD 790 with a FEL and 7A backhoe. Will my small machine tackle this large driveway project? Would a Box Blade or a Rear Blade be better at removing the topsoil? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

[rdln]

you need a box blade due to the smaller radius of the cutting edge help dig in and curl dirt up over itself. and the box part will help keep everything together
as you move it away.

unless you need to haul dirt far away, cutting in this drive is an easy w/e project with your tractor 5foot blade and non turf tires

link is job i did 3 years ago....http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/s...cat/500/page/2

[Egon]

Give the FEL a try and surprise yourself!

[wedge40]

the soil type might play a part as well.. If you have a nice clay top soil like here in Indiana then it's do able but it will be a little harder. I'd be tempted to use a box blade to create the trench and the the fel to haul away the lose to dirt.

Wedge

[dtd24]

Box blade works the best for that because it will rip up the soil and scrape. I attempted this same project, but ended up calling in a dozer. The dozer did what I did in 3 weekends in about 20 mins. The dozer also layed the gravel 8 times as fast as I could have.

[jbrumberg]

fausdick:

Welcome to TBN ! The dozer will do the job much quicker than a JD 790 and a good box blade and you would not be beating up your equipment. I would also suggest that you get a toothbar for your FEL bucket. Jay

[wmonroe]

Hello Everyone!

New girlfriend, new farm, new project! Planning on installing a 400' drive way across an old pasture. I need to remove the topsoil to put in my road base. I already had a JD 790 with a FEL and 7A backhoe. Will my small machine tackle this large driveway project? Would a Box Blade or a Rear Blade be better at removing the topsoil? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Did you ever tackle this project, if so how did it go?

[Builder]

I just did a 400' driveway last week. I used a front bucket with teeth to remove about 10" of sod & topsoil. Rear blade won't scrape it off. My M7040 in the picture has my 7' GP bucket on it for spreading stone, but I used my Kubota 4/1 bucket with teeth on it to dig out the driveway swale.



I put down 12'6" wide driveway fabric, then 80 tons of 4" tire scrubbers. I will be topping it off with concrete crusher run (modified) this week.

[wmonroe]

Thanks for the pictures. How deep did you lay the stone? In the pictures it appears the fabric is only 2 or so inches below the ground level but pictures can be deceiving.
Thanks

[Builder]

Thanks for the pictures. How deep did you lay the stone? In the pictures it appears the fabric is only 2 or so inches below the ground level but pictures can be deceiving.
Thanks

My pleasure. I have built dozens of driveways. I usually get rid of the turf and its' roots. On that driveway, I was down ~4" at a minimum. Some spots I hit soft pumpy clay and had to remove 10".