I may not need tilt after all..

[MikeFLA]

I discovered something along the way. During my driveway wide-ining, re-grading project, I was jumping on and off the tractor all the time adjusting the tilt to crown the road just right.

After that experience, I thought I just had to have tilt. But now that I am in the maintenance mode, I realize that it is not really necessary.

My drive is now 10 feet wide, and has a nice crown to it. When maintaining it I drive my tractor up one side of the drive and down the other with the 5' rear blade level to the tractor. The crown in the road naturally tilts the tractor and blade at the correct angle of the crowned road. The only adjustment I make is so that the blade windrows loose soil on the crown. I have no "need" for tilt with this arrangement. I still have "want" for tilt though.

The 5' blade works perfect on a 10' wide road. If I had a 12' wide road I would want to have a 6' blade.

I also found that turning the blade around backwards but running the tractor forward makes for super smooth finish grading of my mostly sand driveway.

 

[W5FL]

Are you using the rear blade or the box blade for the driveway? I have an 8 foot rear blade which I use primarily for digging ditches and use the 72 inch Gannon Box Blade for all grading work. I have a hydraulic top link which is used all the time. The best grading incidently is backing up the tractor so that the tractor is on the smooth road. Tilt the blade to cut or level and really works well. I have not been able to use the rear blade as well. I only have manual tilt for the boxblade, but as you found out, that is not used nearly as much. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[TresCrows]

There was similar thread about using a boxblade to grade with. Some even called it dangerous /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif . I use my boxblade for grading and find it rather easy. I do understand that Mike is grading a 10 foot wide road however. Anyway, I do like Wen and back up--reverse--- with the box tilted up so that the rear blade is riding about 0.5-1 inch above surface level and the front blade supports the weight of the box. This would work going forward also for those who have a non swinging rear blade on their box just set it opposite, front blade high so the weight is on the rear blade. Doing it reverse this way also allows me to swing around and attack a rough or pothole area with the blade in forward for cutting and digging and then doze it back out in reverse without having to readjust anything. J

 

[MikeFLA]

Wen,

I used to use the boxblade, but I have found the 5' rear blade is ideal for the week to week maintenance needed on my road.

 

[MikeFLA]

J,

What I like about what your reverse method is that the box does not fill up with material like it would if you were moving forward.

As you know, you can do the same thing with the rear blade. Just spin it 180 degrees and utilize the non cutting edge to smooth, while the tractor is riding on previously graded material.