Help me design the best attachment for smoothing gravel

[bdog]

I have a gravel / crushed asphalt parking area. It is roughly 200遅100? I have zero problems with potholes, ruts, etc but the gravel constantly gets messed up from trailers turning and tracked machines moving around. We smooth it out almost weekly.

I have a LPGS and it is great for some things but not this. It likes to load up full of material since it is so loose. I have a box blade and similar results. A chain harrow drug behind the UTV works pretty good but doesn稚 take all the bumps out. By far the best thing I have found is backdragging with the loader bucket in float mode. The problem with this is you can稚 see where you are going. It works but as mentioned this almost a weekly thing and I want something that is quick and easy to use.

I want to build an attachment (or buy one if it exists) that is SSQA and will work essentially like a loader bucket backdragging but only going forward. I have a blank SSQA plate here. I am thinking maybe get a 4x8 sheet of 3/8 plate and have it bent with 3 in the middle and 6 at a 45 sticking up on either end and the full 8 wide. Then weld my SSQA plate to it with some reinforcements so it can run with the 3 portion flat on the ground and the 6 edges sticking up to prevent it from digging in. My thoughts are you could go forward or reverse with this thing flat on the ground in float mode and it would work like a bucket back dragging. It would not collect or move material which is what I want and should do a good job of smoothing gravel. Thoughts?

 

[Rustyiron]

I put a SSQA on the rear end of a LGPS for my SS, dragging it backwards works well for what you want. Also how about bolting on a 1/2-3/4" metal "strap" to the bottom of your runners to lift the blade?

 

[bcp]

Box blade you already have with top link fully extended. Maybe even a dedicated longer top link, if needed.

Bruce

 

[4570Man]

I usually just use the bucket to fix gravels that aren’t a bad mess. Why not use that?

 

[prichard]

Box blade you already have with top link fully extended. Maybe even a dedicated longer top link, if needed.

Bruce

This

I had to get a longer top link. I set front blade an inch or two above the rear and set 3pt to float. Rear blade smooths nice and front clips it real high stuff.

 

[JohnMacca]

If you are only wanting to give the surface a light smoothing, the implement commonly used in Australia is called a "smudger".Here is a link to an example - Dissy Machinery Hobby Farm and Farm Machinery Specialists Bendigo Vic.

This one is designed to be grabbed by a 4 in 1 bucket and run backwards and forwards with the loader in float, but you commonly see contractors with the same idea on the front of a skid steer or behind a compact tractor. I have also seen extra weight thrown on top of them to give them more bite.

 

[bdog]

I put a SSQA on the rear end of a LGPS for my SS, dragging it backwards works well for what you want. Also how about bolting on a 1/2-3/4" metal "strap" to the bottom of your runners to lift the blade?


View attachment 550501

My LPGS is a road boss and I have their skid steer adapter for it. The way it works it pins on to the top of the LPGS from either direction. Running it backwards definitely helps but it still loads up. I thought about putting spacers under the runners but I use the LPGS often enough for other things and this gravel smoothing is a weekly thing so I would prefer a dedicated solution instead of having to constantly bolt and unbolt things.

 

[bdog]

My box blade isn’t 3 point it is a pull type with gauge wheels behind it. The angle of the cutting edge really isn’t adjustable.

The smudger looks interesting.

As I said the bucket works great going in reverse. I want something that will work going forward. Ideally something where I can tell an employee to put it in float and drive in circles.

 

[bcp]

Have you tried a rear blade turned backwards?

Bruce

 

[bdog]

Have you tried a rear blade turned backwards?

Bruce

I haven’t. I don’t own one. I bet I could build my contraption for less than I could buy a 8’ blade for. I still think a blade even backwards might have a tendency to dig in and scrape away the gravel? I think why back dragging the bucket works so well is there is so much surface area contacting the round.

 

[crazyal]

My BEFCO grading scraper came with the blades adjustable from even with the runners to about an inch or so below them. Once I broke up the gravel the runners would sink down a ways into the loose stuff so when I would try to make a final pass the blades would dig up the loose gravel. What I did was drill new holes so now the blades can be adjusted from about a 1/2" below the runners to about an inch above them. For the final pass I raise the blades up about a 1/2" above the runners so when the runners sink into the loose gravel the blades stay close to even. This gives me a nice smooth finish (other than the marks the runners make). I still use the the bucket in reverse to pack it down. If I was to make some thing I think it would be to find a section of thick wall steel pipe that I could turn into a SSQA roller. That way for the last pass I could use it instead of the bucket and drive forward.

 

[Dave M7040]

Watch the small paving contractors. They have a small version of a Road Grader which is the purpose built machine to level and grade granular road base material.

The small paving guys grader looks like an old tractor with a mid mount moldboard plow set between the wheels. The tractor has a long wheel base. The operator stands up. There are controls to finely adjust the blade to crown if that is what you want or to level.

The secret is having a long wheelbase with the blade in the middle. This way there is less reacting to the dips and humps and the end result is a smooth surface.

Years ago there were grader implements designed to be towed behind dozers.

This is an example of a common design found by Googling "Huber Maintainer."

Dave M7060

 

[Redlands Okie]

Flat plate of steel about 18 inches wide and however long your box blade is wide. Bend or weld a piece a couple inches wide and angling up on the front edge so as to prevent it digging in. Weld on a couple strips or angle iron on each end that you can bolt up to the edges of the box blade.

Basically covering the bottom of your box blade so as to duplicate your front ends loaders large footprint.

 

[Egon]

Heavy timber baulk with angle iron on bottom leading edge. Chain for hitching up so it can be angled at will.

 

[countrybumpkin]

Landscape rake with gauge wheels?

 

[greggyy]

Smudge bar, landscape rake, or chain link gate with weight if needed.

You can often buy used older stuff for good prices here, probably even less over there.....

Would not be too hard to make a smudge bar either if you bought say a 3pt tow hitch frame then weld angle line or pipe to desired size and shape.

I used my grader blade for a small area but it is not ideal, a hand rake works, so a landscape rake should do well, someone who has and uses one may chime in or look on youtube etc.

 

[greggyy]

Oh, and harrows, drag or 3pt frame type.....

 

[jmc]

I like OPs idea, especially if he capped the open ends on the concave side so he could add weight if needed and so it would not collect gravel on turns. I think a 3PH will follow shallow, side to side angled contours more than a loader will so a little slop between the pan and the mounting plate might be nice.

Redland Okies skid plate under a box blade seems resourceful since OP already has one. Maybe instead of bolting it to the BB sides, use some uprights that go into the scarfier slots?

 

[CADplans]

If the material is moving that easily, you have the wrong material on the driveway,

Over the last month, I have had 91 trucks, at 80,000 pounds each go up and down my driveway.
The mill run material on my driveway has moved almost zero.

The material I use, locally called pug mill run, was graded into place with a landplane, going forward.
Simply raise the front of the LP until you are getting the grading effect you want.

The mill run material is easy to roll to a tight compaction,,

Obviously, my driveway has sharp turns,, even this turn has no material moving.

The turf tires on the JD 650 compact as well as the concrete filled iron pipe roller.

This is typical of the trucks that have traveled the road,,

The gravel simply needs some fines added to it, to turn it into mill run.
I have never tried that, but, so many have the problem of gravel moving like ball bearings, the fines must be available.

Mill run is very difficult to tailgate spread, but, a good driver can do it.
The last guy that did mine told me his secret,
He gets the guy in the loader to pick up a bucket full, then dump it on the pile, then scoop it up a second time.
I seems that the dumping on the pile will loosen the material enough to get it to tailgate better.

 

[4570Man]

What about a really cheesy contraption like 2 pallets screwed together on a chain. Maybe add some weight if it doesn’t take enough bite.