Box Scraper Rocky Road after using grading scraper

   / Rocky Road after using grading scraper #1  

Granite Tractor

Bronze Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2009
Messages
78
Location
Southern NH
Tractor
Kubota L3560 HSTC, formerly B3030HSDC
Last weekend I tried using my new LandPride GS1560 grading scraper for the first time (pulling behind a Kubota B3030).

Have a 1/2 mile dirt driveway in southern NH that hadn't been graded in over a year. Previous owner used to have someone grade with what I believe was a rake.

I bought the grading scraper upon recommendation of local dealer.

The driveway was extremely hardly packed, so I lowered the scarifiers until they started digging into the driveway (before I did that, the scraper just skimmed across the surface having no effect).

Grader did an amazing job with one exception: it brought hundreds (perhaps thousands) of large rocks to the surface. Immediately after grading, I had a perfectly smooth and level driveway littered with rocks.

A week after grading, I have a driveway that no longer has ruts or potholes but has rocks embedded into the dirt, making it far worse to drive over than it was before I graded it. One of the rocks was so sharp that it punctured the sidewall in my wife's car. Not quite what I had in mind :)

Would greatly appreciate any advice on how to deal with the rocks. My 5 year old has started picking some of them up, but as he noticed "daddy, we have a LOT of rocks to pick up!"

thanks!
 
   / Rocky Road after using grading scraper #2  
How big are the rocks.?? I am guessing they are 3" or bigger.

If so, I think what you would want to do is have some 3/4 stone hauled in for a good 3 or 4" top "base."

Remember this...every rock you throw to the side, your driveway will settle and end up low. You are throwing out your base.

Hope this makes sense to you.
 
   / Rocky Road after using grading scraper #3  
get a rock rake 3pt or hitch i rake 6 miles of road
 
   / Rocky Road after using grading scraper #4  
get a rock rake 3pt or hitch i rake 6 miles of road

a rock rake or landscape rake will remove the rocks to the sides of your driveway so you can go back with your FEL and move them to anywhere you want.
 
   / Rocky Road after using grading scraper #5  
also remember the rocks you throw to the side will be projectiles when you mow or bushhog.
 
   / Rocky Road after using grading scraper #6  
A back blade with gage wheels will windrow the rocks to one side.:D

Use the grading scrapper scarifier's to loosen things up and switch to the back blade. If you work it right you may be able to bury the rocks plus crown the road.
 
   / Rocky Road after using grading scraper #7  
I'm going to agree with JDGreenGrass, if you are finding lots of large broken (not smooth river rock) rocks then you are into your base course. It sounds like you need some top course material brought in.
 
   / Rocky Road after using grading scraper #8  
I'm going to agree with JDGreenGrass, if you are finding lots of large broken (not smooth river rock) rocks then you are into your base course. It sounds like you need some top course material brought in.

Agreed. I has a 2.5 mile dirt/gravel driveway I maintain and I have the same issue. the only solution I can see is to add more material to raise the road. In my neck of the woods you can get a 20 ton coal truck full of #57 gravel for around $300 delivered. They might also "tailgate" it onto the road for you if you ask nicely..
 
   / Rocky Road after using grading scraper #9  
Sounds like two fairly good approaches. I tend to think the best approach would be to add more material as I am sure if you remove this crop of rocks, another crop will arise the next time you work it.

Someone who has the right truck and skill can put rock down for you that will require relatively little finish work on your part.

Good luck.
 
   / Rocky Road after using grading scraper #10  
I have a similar land grader. It was time to clean up my driveway, there were some pretty good ruts where the tires run.

When I put the driveway in, I first put a thin layer of crusher run. Then I put down a layer of rail road ballast (1-3" stone). After that had been pummeled into the ground (with much complaints by construction crews) I added a layer of crusher run, which around here is as the name implies: the output of the rock crusher. This has "the fines" to 1.5" rock in it. So that is where the driveway was when it was time to do some work on it.

I had the gavel guy put down one more layer of crusher run, but had him put two cinder blocks (you can also use a hunk of 6x6 wood) so that when he dumped it, it just fell into the ruts. This gave me a semi flat driveway.

Then I had some screen crushed rock (has 3/4" and smaller down to the fines) put on the road. Finally I got to use the land plane to get it smooth and work up a crown. I don't have scarafiers on mine, and would not use them because once that big rock comes up, it's not going back down.

I did get a few of the bigger rocks come up, and there was a fun packed hour or so walk along the driveway to fill the FEL with anything big that popped up.

So in my own wordy way, I agree that with the big rocks you have at your base, you'll need to put something small on top that you can work with the landplane. This might be a screen crusher run or small washed stone. I'm trying to avoid numbers and names since there's no consistency across the country. It kinda sucks that after you spent the money for the land plane, you might need to spend another chunk of change to get a nice fine cover on your driveway :(, but that's where you are.

- pete
 
 
 
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