Gravel and Dirt Work - Which implement?

[TerryR]

I hate to poke a hole in a perfectly good excuse to get a fun toy, but you really don't need hydraulic control. I've gotten along just fine for the past 15 years with a simple rear blade with manual adjustments.

On the other hand, if you have the money and your tractor has the remotes, I'm sure it would make grading the road a whole lot easier.

Terry

[MtnViewRanch]

While Terry is right, you don't have to have hydraulic controls. But then all anyone really needs is a good pick, shovel and rake. It may take just a weeeeeeeeeeeee bit longer and your body may feel like you're ready to die, but what the heck, you will save a few $$$$$.

Enough of this sillyness. I think that you will find that there are many many of us that either have a lot of road that we maintain and or do this professionally that make good use of 3-4 different implements to do this type of work. Each different implement excells at certian things and while one may be used to do many different tasks, it really is best at only a few.

I maintain over 2 miles of dirt roads, I have 4 different styles of implement to do this. A land plane grader blade (LPGB), a rear blade, a box blade and a landscape rake. There is nothing better for maintaining a drive than a LPGB in my opinion. But that is maintaining and it sounds like you have some other work to be done besides just maintaining the road. So I would pass on the LPGB for now, but for sure get one in the near future. To me with what you have listed out, a good hydraulic actuated rear blade is probably going to be your single most usefull implement at this time.

[schmism]

note: Mnt veiw's RBT45108 is a perfect example of the type of HD rear blade you would want for your application. Just be ready to pony up $5K for it. Landpride recomends 70-110hp tractor for it.

If you are seriously considering it, once you cross into THAT size HD rear blade teritory, they offer wing kits for it effectively turning into a box blade, as well as bolt on ripper kit.

[PhysAssist]

note: Mnt veiw's RBT45108 is a perfect example of the type of HD rear blade you would want for your application. Just be ready to pony up $5K for it. Landpride recomends 70-110hp tractor for it.

If you are seriously considering it, once you cross into THAT size HD rear blade teritory, they offer wing kits for it effectively turning into a box blade, as well as bolt on ripper kit.

.....And what I would say is the MtnView showed the best style box blade available, and if possible you should consider a roll-over box blade for all of the above.

I do eventually intend to buy a rake, and build a land plane grader, but in the meantime, our rollover boxblade (a Gannon like MtnView's) is doing all the things you have stated that you need to do, (though we don't have the volume of work you do) without needing all the futzy adjusting required of a standard boxblade or a rear blade.

YMMV

[Furu]

As MtnViewRanch states a land plane is the best for maintenance and you will love using it and the results you get. However a blade is far superior for ditching and earlier work before you get to the maintenance or final phase.
I would say spend the money for a three way hydraulic blade. You have the tractor to handle it, I think. I have a RBT 4596 just the 12 inch shorter version of MntViews and to be able to infinitely adjust all three axises without getting off the tractor, let alone adjusting it on the fly as you are moving is sooooo worth it.

[skoalman12]

Thank you everyone for all the help. The tractor I'm looking at to buy only has two remotes, and I'm already pushing the mythical budget anyway. I wont be getting a 5k rear-blade thats for sure. It sounds like for the most part the blade will help get me where i need to go, but in the future I'll need a land plane or a box blade. Now if you could all just help convince myself and my wife that I'm not crazy for spending this kind of money. All of this equipment I could borrow from family for free. But you reach a certain age where you want to be self-reliant. And I'm there. It may not be smart...but we can "afford" it. What to do..what to do.

[radioman]

A box blade in my opinion should be the FIRST one to get. Your wife will see the results once your smooth out the roads with no more bumps. THEN you can say - yup its worth the money -- now honey I got another project over here that needs .....

[pclausen]

While it's true that a 96" heavy duty all hydraulic blade lists for around $5k, you can pick one up for craigslist if you keep looking. I picked up this one for $1200.



After a little work, it looked like this:

[scarhead26]

Well I was gonna buy a 5 box blade for my 3616 to grade half a mile of driveway. Right before i went to purchase one my dad found an old 5 foot grader blade my grandpa had left in the brush and weeds and I went got it and I still haven't purchased a box blade. I would like one at some point but the blade does all I need for now.

[Catfish Man]

One option that no one has mentioned - you can get a rear blade that has the option for hydraulics and add the hydraulics later as the budget allows.