What implement to maintain gravel driveway?

[FL_Cracker]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( My thoughts are that water will travel through gravel so a gravel crown won't do much. )</font>

If you use gravel with lots of base "crusher run" it will compact down so tight that water will just run across the top and never soften the road. Thus, no pot holes.

Charles

 

[FL_Cracker]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( That's been my finding too. I don't need "crown", and don't want it. In fact, my road gets a center ridge that I need to keep graded out. Our area topography is hills, more hills, and STEEP hills. Drainage has never been an issue. )</font>

I see your point but without the crown (even if ever so slight) the water may start running down the middle of the road (more so in steap areas) and was out your gravel. The crown just gets the water off the road. The exception is where the whole road is sloped to one side to shed the water to a single drainage ditch. Here you don't want a crown but you need to be sure your road is not shaped like a dip or the water will again run down the road.

Charles

 

[HobbleCreek]

Hi Rob,

Can you explain for me how the top-n-tilt works with the box blade. Can you angle it in either direction, or are you only able to lower one side. If you have any pictures of how that works, I'd love to see them.

I'm thinking about adding that feature to my tractor, but I'm having a hard time visualizing just how it works.

Thanks,

-- Grant (4720 is "in transit"!)

 

[CTyler]

I have about 600' of drive on a hill and have a BB, RB and Landscape rake. All of them get used at one time or another.

The Landscape rake is great for light grading and pulling bigger rocks off to the edge or back out of the grass.

The RB is good for moving material from one side to the other or middle. The RB can be easier to smooth out high/low spots by angling the blade. You can make it more/less aggresive by turning it around. Good for moving snow as well.

The BB is good for ripping stuff up, moving and carrying material from one area to another, heavy grading and light grading. You can crown with it as well by tilting it. It won't cast material from one side to the other.

The BB has a bit of a learning curve to it unless you put gauge wheels on it. If I could only have one of the three listed it would be the BB. Also a hydraulic top link really makes it easy to make the BB more/less aggressive. For light grading I tip the BB way back on its heels so the cutting blade just scrapes and the rear gate smooths it out.

 

[flusher]

I had a new driveway installed last June (260' L x 20'W). The contractor excavated about 4" and laid three 2" thick layers of road base (3/4" crusher run or something equivalent), rolling and watering between each layer. During the summer I watered the driveway regularly and that, together with baking by the Sun, gave me a really tough and hard surface.

In July and August the foundations for my new house and garage/shop were poured and about a dozen 9 CY readi-mix trucks rolled over the driveway, hardly making a mark.

The rainy season started last month. It will be interesting to see how well the roadbed does during the next 4 months.

I have a 48" KK box blade for my B7510HST, but so far it has'nt been needed for driveway maintenance.

The driveway cost me about $3K more than I planned, but I think it will pay off in the future by needing less maintenance. Like a lot of things, I think it's a pay me now or pay me later situation.

 

[NewClimber]

I am not really sure how my gravel drive was put in when the house was built but even after 6 summer months now the rain has returned and the drive is getting rutted and pot holes everywhere. I put some 5/8 crushed rock down in august but it just don't harden up...I read somewhere that I need to add some sand or some type of fill....Any suggestions.

 

[CTyler]

Kinda sounds like there isn't enough base. When we built ours we put down 3" for the base followed by 1 1/2" crusher run.
We have put some 3/4" down and thats all it will get going forward. You may need to rip it up lightly with a box blade to cleanup pot holes etc.. I'd put down some heavier rock like 1 1/2", grade it and pack it. If you have roller great if not just drive on it.

If your worried about the bigger rock then use 3/4 or 5/8 etc..
The trouble with just putting down 3/4" with out a base is that it will keep sinking until you get a lot of it down.

We use crusher run, crushed limestone, in our area. The fines are what helps bind it together. We can get crusher run or screened, the screened has all the fines(dust) sifted out.

Our drive is 600' on a pretty good hill. This is our third year and the only trouble has been slight washboards on the curved part. I do grade several times a year but very lightly.

 

[jgh]

20051203

Check this link out. I have one and it is dy-no-mite! But use it with a cab tractor unless dust is your friend.

Terrrabond Spreader Grader

Jim

 

[brewdog]

I bought a landscape rake to keep my driveway maintained. It was low cost and easy to slip on and off. Works great for gravel drives.