Getting gravel back on my lane

[Gio]

Good news, Snow is melting. Bad news, 75% of my gravel is off of my 1/4 mile lane and spread 3 ft off either side of the road.

My lane is about ten feet wide then it drops off pretty quickly on each side. Does anyone have a good recovery method ?

I have a blade and a landscape rake but it may be hard to get a good even run with both sides dropping off the way they do.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

GIO

 

[djradz]

Does either have the ability to "offset" or otherwise swing out to one side, well beyond the tractor tires? If so, I'd go with that. If neither, I think I'd opt for what ever one is the widest, and if the same, opt for the rake.

 

[Gordon Gould]

If it is down over the bank you might have to back down with your blade, so your tractor is perpendicular to the road, and pull it up onto the road. Its a slow process but works. Sometimes the easiest way is to get more gravel. Then next year keep your blade up a little when you plow until it gets frozen.
Another thought is to go rent one of those power brooms. I have heard they work really well for doing what you want to do.

 

[Gio]

Thanks everyone. My wife said a Rake and my two feet would be good exercise. I'll let her know I got better advice on TBN

 

[Craig Clayton]

I have found that if the gravel is only a thin coating you will bring more leaves and topsoil than it is worth if you use a tractor. You do not want to intrduce organic matter into a gravel drive as that then grows weeds and grass. I hand rake about 700' of drive. You need to go and purchase a quality rake and spend some quality time hand raking the shoulders before the grass starts growing. I try to get to mine just before the snow melts down to the green grass.
Happy Raking

Craig Clayton

 

[tuoysRme]

Use a power rake, you know those paddle wheel powered by a two cycle motor, just like a weed whacker. they do a great job of getting the gravel off
grassy areas etc but leave the grass.

 

[BrierPatch]

Use a power rake, you know those paddle wheel powered by a two cycle motor, just like a weed whacker. they do a great job of getting the gravel off
grassy areas etc but leave the grass.

2X My dad said he did it this way and it worked really well also.

Good Luck !

 

[8N Boom]

too bad you don't live closer, I have one. It's a Shindaiwa Power Broom. I'll add a photo to show along our road where I did one swipe and then took a picture so people could see what it does. It's still a lot of work but beats a rake! Maybe someone would have one of those big industrial rotary brooms for the front of a tractor in your area.

You wont notice so much extra gravel on the road but you'll notice none in your ditch or side of the road basically.

 

[milkman636]

I had the same thing happen my first year with a 600' gravel drive. I opted to widen the driveway out a little on each side. The tractor worked great for spreading out the new gravel.

 

[kf4uda]

Thanks everyone. My wife said a Rake and my two feet would be good exercise. I'll let her know I got better advice on TBN

You could tell that rake would fit her hands too. Just don't tell her I said it.