Grading 101 please!

[Egon]

Sorry for any confusion. Thought that here on TBN when someone has referred to "angling" of an implement, such as a blade, it was pretty well understood that we're talking about the turning of the blade in the horizontal plane, so that material is pushed to one side or the other when moving. Always thought that other adjustments are typically referred to as tilting, tipping, etc.

Maybe I'm the one confused on terminology??

In any case tilting or tipping the blade is quite important to what is trying to be achieved!

 

[Jay4200]

I am trying to smooth out my gravel driveway, and not doing too well. There is a dip that crosses the driveway (opposite of a speed bump) that I am trying to smooth out. I have been dragging my scrapper blade behind it. I have tried to hold it at a specific height using the position control. Also tried to 'guess' how far to let it drop, and then lift it as the blade get's into the dip. Neither method has worked well for me. I also tried backdragging w/ the FEL, but again, w/o good results.

Anyone have some advice for me?

Flip your blade around and run in reverse.

JayC

 

[JDGreenGrass]

Yes and No.

ALL 3PH's float. Meaning they apply NO downpressure. It is just the weight of the implement.

But what he is refering to is a float setting for his toplink. Meaning that it is allowed to extend and retract with the contours of the ground. You more than likely have a mechanical toplink. Kinda like a turnbuckle, that you screw in and out to lengthen and shorten.

So, long story short, if you push the lever all the way down, your blade IS going to float. Meaning if your front tires go into a dip, the blade will not raise up into the air. It will be allowed to drop. And vice versa. If the front tires go over a hump, this isn't going to force the blade into the ground.

The problem you are having is probabally due to their being a bunch of loose stone in the "dip", and nothing but hardpack on both sides. So if you allow the blade to "float" by pushing the lever all the way down, it wont cut/bite much on the hard pack, but once you hit the loose stone, the blade digs right in and pulls the gravel out.

Another suggestion mught be to spin the blade afound backwards. Pulling backwards will allow the blade to NOT dig so much material out of the low spot. It will give you a smoother final grade.

Your last paragraph says a lot. By turning the blade around backwards and drive in reverse you nearly create a "york blade". In other words...The Rear Tires are very close to the blade, acting like wheels on the attachment, or the blade.

Good post.

 

[jenkinsph]

Do you mean flip the blade around (facing rearward) and drive the tractor forward to backblade?

 

[SPYDERLK]

MMH, Im thinking you are dealing with at least one variable too many. What I think would work is to pull all surface gravel back from the problem area to leave a surface of uniform hardpac. Then selectively back drag the high spots into the low. If you have no method of scarifying the hardpac you will have to use downforce and steep bucket angle to get anywhere. This puts a lot of force on the hyd cylinder rods and some setups are not built to take it. [I have had no trouble on the 3 setups I have used his way.] To aid in loosening and mobilizing the high spots you can probably scrape up some of the packed material with the bucket lip pushing forward with shallow lip angle and light downforce. The key is to try the different strategies and work incrementally so that you catch any mistakes while they are still small. Strategic hand work can be very important as you are developing finesse with the equipment. Once you get the whole area blended well with the base hardpac material just distribute any loose gravel back over it.
larry

 

[Reg]

MMH, Im thinking you are dealing with at least one variable too many. What I think would work is to pull all surface gravel back from the problem area to leave a surface of uniform hardpac. Then selectively back drag the high spots into the low. If you have no method of scarifying the hardpac you will have to use downforce and steep bucket angle to get anywhere. This puts a lot of force on the hyd cylinder rods and some setups are not built to take it. [I have had no trouble on the 3 setups I have used his way.] To aid in loosening and mobilizing the high spots you can probably scrape up some of the packed material with the bucket lip pushing forward with shallow lip angle and light downforce. The key is to try the different strategies and work incrementally so that you catch any mistakes while they are still small. Strategic hand work can be very important as you are developing finesse with the equipment. Once you get the whole area blended well with the base hardpac material just distribute any loose gravel back over it.
larry

Right;
I like the term, "strategic hand work" (-:
All too many times I have tried to do EVERYTHING from the tractor seat and have DONE too much.
It took me a while to fully appreciate that a hand rake
a) Can do what needs to be done - while avoiding excess "doing".
b) Provides a ground level detailed view.
c) Can be good/fair exercise - which is sometimes "needed".

I would generally AVOID digging/scraping forwards with the bucket - too likely to catch.
I think the lowest cost and lowest damage risk device for loosening the base is to back drag with a tooth bar on the bucket.
Somewhere between 30 and 80 degrees according to level of compaction, MAYBE some down force, MAYBE just float it, again according to level of compaction, bucket weight, angle, etc.
IOW experiment - play around with it a bit.

 

[Jay4200]

Do you mean flip the blade around (facing rearward) and drive the tractor forward to backblade?

No - drive backwards. That way, your tires are running on the finished surface, not the bumpy one. Like a bulldozer.

JayC

 

[McGeesEquip]

I am trying to smooth out my gravel driveway, and not doing too well. There is a dip that crosses the driveway (opposite of a speed bump) that I am trying to smooth out. I have been dragging my scrapper blade behind it. I have tried to hold it at a specific height using the position control. Also tried to 'guess' how far to let it drop, and then lift it as the blade get's into the dip. Neither method has worked well for me. I also tried backdragging w/ the FEL, but again, w/o good results.

Anyone have some advice for me?

When doing grade work, sounds like you have 2 problems working agaist you. 1. Your using a box blade trying to get a finish look. 2. Your using a tractor that only has a position control 3 point lift and not draft control. Using either one of them is going to keep you from getting a nice flat finish drive.

The box blade is a good material mover, but not good for use on drive ways to get a real nice flat look. You have the front loader for good material moving, so I would change the box blade to a leveling blade. That leveling blade will do a lot better job at leveling than your box blade.

If your low spots are vary deep then I would drag out what gravel is in them and refill them with new dirt and retop coat with gravel after refilling with new dirt. If all your doing is dragging good gravel off one flat surface to fill a lower spot then you will build up to much gravel in the lower spots and you will continue having rut problems. A good gravel top coat should be about 4in. deep which allows for some compressing.

 

[amazincaucasian]

I say if you're using a box blade, adjust it about level. Drag it down the driveway and collect material. When you get to the dip, turn so you're driving perpendicular with the dip and straddle it. The box blade should drop material into the low area. Might have to use scarifier teeth on the box blade if you have them. When the dip is filled in above grade, adjust the blade up in the front and finish grade it . Hope this helps

 

[jenkinsph]

I spent the better part of the day grading a new lawn area yesterday. I have watched others try to grade with a boxblade and get exasperated. Most of the time it is caused by trying to drive the tractor faster than you can control the boxblade. This also applies to a rear grader blade as both of these implements will follow the rear wheels and accentuate the problem.

Top and tilt hitches really help alot but even if you don't have this option you can achieve good results. I recommend that when you approach the dip that you slow down to a crawl or even stop momentarily and adjust your implement height as needed. As soon as your front tires start to drop into the dip you need to lower the box or blade incrementally and as your tires come up you need to raise the implement. Same is true with the rear tires, you have to anticipate what is needed to keep the implement on an even course. This may sound overly simplistic but it does work. Don't drive the tractor faster than you can make the adjustments, the more seat time you have the more proficient you will become.

Landplane graders help alot with these type problems they are great for averageing out dips and peaks. Sometimes you need to shape the road the way you wan't and then go back and rip it up, reshape and repack.