Grading Gravel Driveways

   / Grading Gravel Driveways #1  

W5FL

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2000
Messages
1,558
Location
Central Texas
Tractor
TYM T-1104/TX10 Loader Kubota M6800SD/LA1002 Loader Kubota RTV900
I came across a really neat attachment for maintaining my gravel driveway called a GradeMaster.

As soon as I get the money I am going to get one. The six foot model looks like it is about 6 ft x 6 ft x 1 foot high, looks rugged and hooks up to the 3 point. It has two cutting blades set at an angle where the gravel spills over each blade.

With a conventional box blade, I have not been able to make a good gravel drive without a wavy surface and can't keep the crown in the drive. I see that some users do this by backing up so the tractor is on the level part of the road and they regulated the height of the box blade to get a fairly level cut. Actually my landscape rake works better for leveling road base on my drive than the boxblade.

There are two local dealers in the North Texas area that carry this GradeMaster implement. Mark asked for more details about it and this is what I found:

The brochure says "The GRADEMASTER BLADE is simple in design but outperforms complex motorized graders. Consisting of two forward cutting blades mounted on a strong high-grade steel frame with runners and side pans, the GRADEMASTER BLADE has an A-frame hitch that mounts to any three-point-hitch tractor with a minimum of 24 horsepower.For gravel road maintenance, the GRADEMASTER BLADE fills potholes that stay filled longer and virtually eliminates corrugating or washboarding of the roead surface. The GRADEMASTER BLADE does not leave windows and churns and shifts aggregate materials so that the finer aggregate levels out in more uniform layers with the coarser aggregate deposited on top."

They come in 5 ft size at about $800 for the utility model, 6 ft at about $900 for the utility model or $1550 for the HD model, 7ft at about $1900 for the HD model, and on up to 12 feet. The factory quotes $300 per foot and the brochure I have is scribbled on says $200/ft.

They are listed as GRADEMASTER BLADE OF TEXAS, LLC, PO BOX 191, Forney TX 75126 (800) 299-8582.
 
   / Grading Gravel Driveways #3  
Go to this link and check out the open mesh system. I made mine from chainlink fence checkbook to small to afford that. http://www.gehl.com/const/attachments/pg4.htm This is a simplified grademaster I tow mine behind the tractor I have added rod to keep the fence taught and angle iron for weight.
 
   / Grading Gravel Driveways
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Gordon, I went to the link and it has some nice attachments. Interesting that the one you describe is also called GradeMaster although I guess it is entirely different equipment altogether. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Would you describe the one you build and how you use it. I looked at the picture, but wasn't sure how you fill it with dirt and empty the rocks. It looks just like a flat box made from about 3 inch angle with something like chain link across the bottom.

I would like to know more about their heavy duty grader and power landscape rake. Both of which look really nice, but no specs on the site or any more data that I could find other than a picture. Looks like a list price or two wouldn't hurt these guys just to let us know whether it is worth considering. Maybe we could make more money making websites. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
 
   / Grading Gravel Driveways
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Gordon, I also found a breaker - looks like a hydraulic operated jack hammer that you could put on a loader. Again wonder how much one of those cost and how much hydraulics they take. Now that looks like it would pulverize rock. You could dig a storm celler in rock with that and a few weeks of time. [grin]
 
   / Grading Gravel Driveways #6  
The grademaster the you spoke of is the mac daddy I went to the web site a few months back they even have a short movie on how it works--I was impressed with it. The chainlink fence idea came from landscaping years ago helps to bring rocks to the top and also level as the same time making running the rake much quicker. My last house had a driveway that was 1800' in lengh and from that I found different items to work best a different times of the year. But all took to long to complete. Then came the old link fence.

I have made a couple different styles for different applications. The one for the drive is as follows:
10-12' long piece of fence it has 3" angle run down both sides L facing in to hold the stone 4' from the tounge it has a 1 1/2" piece of angle facing down welded to the side angles and 8' from the tounge is a piece of 1" angle facing down as well welded to each runner. The fence is held to the angle with cable clamps and wire.
This design worked real good for the long drive I had an old trailer tounge welded to the front to get the first bite and then the stones rolled over the angle leveling the drive out very nice. Boy my friends made fun of me while I was building that but once the saw it work they all shut up.

Now I only have a 300' drive so I didn't need the monster anymore so I cut it in half and made two shorter ones and mounted the angle cross runners at a 45 degree angle to roll off stones when grading lots makes raking much quicker.

When the fence starts to wear out I go get some more free fence from the fence installer the old stuff they take down . It pays to recycle and helps the checkbook to
 
   / Grading Gravel Driveways #7  
Gordon, do you have an address for that site?

Mark
 
   / Grading Gravel Driveways #8  
For which site the skidder site or the site of Gordon's hokie homemake but works as well or better than the big boys toy's---Wait till I make my brush brute this winter already have been drawing it up on my cad.
 
   / Grading Gravel Driveways #9  
Gordon, the one you meant when you said "The grademaster the you spoke of is the mac daddy I went to the web site a few months back". Thanks!

Mark
 
   / Grading Gravel Driveways #10  
'Actually my landscape rake works better for leveling road base on my drive than the boxblade...'

My neighbor is lending me his landscape rake for this purpose in the spring (we still have a foot of snow). I've never tried to smooth our ~1500 ft drive which is 6" crusher with a nice crown put down by a 70 year old bulldozing expert 3 years ago. Now it is washboard in places an I want to smooth it up.

I'd appreciate advice on this process - forward, reverse, depth of tines, speed, etc. Thanks!
 
 
 
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