do i need to add a box blade to my collection to fix my driveway?

   / do i need to add a box blade to my collection to fix my driveway? #1  

jbeall

Bronze Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
Messages
55
Tractor
John Deere 2210
Hi All,

I've got about a 1000 get off driveway to maintain. I've currently got a DR Power Grader as and a 6 foot scraper blade. The Power Grader works fine... But it never takes long for my potholes to come back. They get filled in with loose material during grading, but very quickly that material is knocked back out by vehicle traffic and the pothole is right back.

One suggestion I've heard is that I need to rip up the area around the potholes as and then let it be recompacted by traffic. that way instead of hard packed large areas with little small holes with loose material in them, we have larger softer areas that could all get compacted together and instead of getting kicked out of the small hole. A box blade would work for this.

What are your thoughts on this? Should I try a box blade, or should I just keep at it with what I've got and eventually it will stick?

Other implements I've considered are a land planer and landscape rake. But it seems like they would have the same problem that my power grader has. It would fill in the low spots, but then after a very short period of time the loose material in the low spots would get kicked out but I'd by traffic and I'll be right back where I started.

-Josh
 
   / do i need to add a box blade to my collection to fix my driveway? #2  
   / do i need to add a box blade to my collection to fix my driveway? #3  
I think a boxblade with rippers would be a tough pull for a 2210 on a hard packed driveway. You could do it but it would take some time. If you are willing to wait a week before buying I can give you alot better idea of what to expect as I have a job similar to this planned. Should get to it about Thursday of next week.
 
   / do i need to add a box blade to my collection to fix my driveway?
  • Thread Starter
#4  
I've watched a ton of everything attachments videos and I love them. :) I think that whatever I do get I will probably get through everything attachments as my small way of saying thank you for all the videos!

I won't be making a purchase this week so yes please post back next week with more information after your job. Thanks!
 
   / do i need to add a box blade to my collection to fix my driveway? #5  
I had the exact same problem you described and i fixed it with my boxblade. I first ran the boxblade with the scarifiers down to break everything up and then i graded it without the scarifiers. It came out great and i didnt have to buy any new gravel. My ford 1710 did not have any trouble pulling the 5' boxbalde filled with stone.
 
   / do i need to add a box blade to my collection to fix my driveway? #6  
Hi Josh. I live in western Washington with a half mile of gravel/pit run driveway. Not sure if you heard, but we get a lot of rain. You have to keep the water running of the road or you'll never get rid of the pot holes. What ever attachment you use, you need to put a crown on the road so you're not driving through the standing water. I have a 5' box blade, a back blade and a rock rake that I use. If you're splashing water off the road, the gravel is also. Good luck. Matt
 
   / do i need to add a box blade to my collection to fix my driveway? #7  
A boxblade because it has sides makes it easier to move gravel around. As you grade certain areas of your road gravel will collect in the box, then you can move it into low or washed out areas of your road. It's much harder to do this as effectively with just a blade. The blade works better for moving gravel sideways or ditching out the sides of your road.
 
   / do i need to add a box blade to my collection to fix my driveway? #8  
Without seeing pictures it's hard to say one way or another but I went with the grading scraper. I borrowed a box blade for years and was pretty good with it. When it came time to buy I made the choice based on which was going to be used more often. A BB is made to make a road or do heavy repair work while the GS is designed to keep the road up (remove ruts, washboards, potholes, etc.). So if your driveway just needs work but doesn't require building from the ground up I would go with the grading scraper. I do my driveway 3 or 4 times a year (3 months it's frozen solid) because it's easy to do with the GS. Easy means enjoyable. If you really need to move any dirt then you can use your loader (if you have one).

I have a few potholes that I fix. The best way to repair them is to rip up the gravel and move it off to the side. You need to get down 6" and put down some road fabric and then put the gravel back. You want to be down deep enough so your rippers will not catch the fabric. Just filling them will help but they will return. I have a rental company near here that sells culvert pipes. They also sell the correct fabric by the foot vs a whole roll. I would go with at a minimum of 10' long for a small pot hole. I use the large landscaping nails with survey tape tided to them so I can find them and pull them back out after putting the gravel back down.

I bought a BEFCO GS simply because I could buy it cheaper than the Woods and Land Pride and it's a little heavier. I wanted the ripping shanks, a number of brands don't have them. The BEFCO can be bought on line and shipped directly to your house, another plus.
 
 
 
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