Best way to spread gravel??

[fivestring]

<font color="red">"One gravel at a time. You select one and place it carefully and the grab another and do the same with a little overlap so it locks the first gravel in place." </font>

Even number rocks are laid down first, odd number rocks second. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[CTyler]

We have a aprox 650'+ of drive and having the dump truck spread it is the way to go. They do a pretty good job of it as well. All you really have to do is a finsh grade on the overlap and sometimes the start point.

For a final grade/smooth turn the blade around backwards so it can't dig. I used the HTL and pull it in all the way(top ink real short) It acts almost like a drag at that angle.

If everything is pretty good overall and you only have a bump or to you can float the FEL and back drag it as well.

 

[OkeeDon]

I looked and looked, but I couldn't find any numbers on my gravel.

Seriously, we don't see much gravel in South Florida, but our shell rock is similar to crushed limestone. It comes out of deep, water-filled pits, so it's generally pretty wet when we get it and doesn't come out of the dump evenly. I use the FEL and back-drag it roughly level, then finish with the box blade. I back up to it first to get out the worst dips, then work it level in both directions. I have no idea if this is the best way, but it works.

 

[PineRidge]

Don you got seconds, every little piece of mine has a #57 made in china stamped on it. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[AndyM]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Don you got seconds, every little piece of mine has a #57 made in china stamped on it. )</font>

It's cheaper if you buy a container-full at one time! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[nobull1]

In my excavating/landscaping business I sometimes have to spread gravel with my tractor.IMHO the way that works best for me is to try and get it level as possible when placing either by truck or fel.Than I use my box blade set at a pretty good angle so as to take just a little cut,usually one or two passes.From there I just keep turning the top link and making passes until just the very back edge of the back blade is hitting the gravel which helps compress it.It makes a difference if it is clear stone or crusher run[lot of fines].Once you get the feel for it it goes pretty quick and looks impressive

 

[OkeeDon]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( #57 made in china)</font>

Man, that is one DEEP gravel pit!!!

 

[Dave___in___CT]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Hi...


The best timer saver... is having the deliver truck driver "run out" the gravel as it's being dumped... ie. driving the truck forward as it's dumping...

Saves A LOT of your time spreading it...


Dave... )</font>


Note... not all drivers will do this... so ask 1st...


Dave...

 

[Golfgar4]

A good dumptruck driver can lay a mat any thickness that you want. What has not been mentioned yet (unless I missed it!) is that the truck driver will chain his tailgate to only open so far. Then when he's ready to make the run, he starts driving in the direction the mat will be laid, and just as he's getting to the start point for the mat, he'll trip the tailgate. With the tailgate being chained, it only opens so far. The real key to laying down a very smooth mat is to keep the trucks speed consistant. I remember the first time I ever tried doing this. My mat looked like an exaggerated washboard! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Of course, this only works if the area where the mat is being laid out is open on both ends.

A really good driver knows how much chain to use for the tailgate opening and at what speed it takes for different thicknesses of mats. But if he does right, you won't have to do much grading at all. When I worked on a grading crew in college, we had a truck driver that we called Fruit Loops (another story! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif). You could tell him that you needed a mat 200' long at 2.5 inches, and he'd lay it out so there wouldn't need to be any grading, and the whole time he was laying the mat he was pulling a wheelie with the truck! It was awesome to see. The guy was a real artist! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[rambler]

I guess everyone is telling you to learn real quick how to expertly use your brother's trailer!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I only owned a regular 3pt blade, works well tho. Try to spread the stuff evenly to start with, but that is a learning process & LOOK UP!!!!! There will be places you don't want to be driving & dumping. Try to at least make the mounds down the middle of the drive.

Then, use the blade, run over the mess you made & try to distribute the high parts to the low or zero places (since you own a box blade, it might work well for this part of the operation - I don't know). You can be sloppy, but try to keep things to the middle of the drive. You will end up with one big _mess_ of a washboard road, big dips & rolls! How will you ever get this level & done, worse road now then it was before I started???? The more I go over it, the more of a washboard I get!

Angle the blade. As much as you can without hitting a tractor tire. Angle it in to the middle of the driveway. Keep it about level, but you might want to angle (with the crank on your tractors 3-pt arm) the blade up a little bit so it drags gravel from the outer edge to the middle of the drive. Drive up & down the driveway many times like this.

If you had a tough time getting things fairly close to begin with, you'll have to move more stuff in this phase. No problem, run the grave back & forth, always an angled blade (on side closer to the tractor, one side far away - like a snowplow). You can run it out to one side of your driveway, then back across again to the other side. And so on.

Heck, this looks good, I've got a driveway! And all that seat time helped pack it down nice & stable!

Now turn the blade around, again at an angle, and lightly groom the gravel into a slight mound in the middle, higher than the sides. (Use the crank on the tractor hitch arm again to set this up.) You won't move too much gravel any more, mostly packing, & flattening things down nice & smooth.

Oh, I have a very light rear blade on a rather strong tractor, so it is always down in full float - 3pt control is all the way down, let the blade drag as hard as it wants to. If it scoops too much gravel at one time, you can either run with the blade backwards from the start so it floats a lot more, or you can shorten your top link so the blade does not have much bite - it will want to float more than drag gravel if you don't have much bite in that top link.

Works for me.

--->Paul