Driveway maintenace

[crazyal]

I'm going to say the grading scraper (similar to a land plane) would be the one attachment I would have hands down if I could only have one. The box blade and rear blade have their uses and each one can do something much better than the other attachments but the grading scraper is very easy to use and will give great results. The difference between a land plane and a grading scrapper is length. The land planes tend to be much longer while the grading scraper is shorter to go around corners easier. Most grading scrapers either come with or have the option of having ripping teeth. If your drive gets packed hard in the summer and/ or tends to have pot holes you'll want the rippers.

My drive has some hills and the gravel ends up at the bottom. I had a box blade that I would try to pull the gravel back up the drive but found that after the first pass the gravel would get too loose and I just couldn't get enough traction. I ended up using the front bucket to scoop and dump the gravel where I wanted it. With the grading scraper I find that I'm touching up the driveway all the time because it's fun, it's easy, and it looks like I just had loads of gravel dumped on the driveway so I don't need to bring as much gravel back up the hill.

Things to look for in a grading scrapper are ripping teeth (if you have a hard packed/ pot holed drive). Weight, too light and it will just bounce and not dig. For a BX I would want no wider than 5' and about 500lbs to 600lbs. Replaceable wear parts. It'll last you decades so you're going to need to replace the parts that wear. Adjustable blades, When being aggressive I lower mine about 1/2" below the skids and once the gravel has been loosened up I raise them about 1/2" above the skids so I'm just leveling without building up much gravel in front of the blades.

 

[sodamo]

For me and my drive, the box blade was my first choice, but was never happy with the results, seems I'd always be dislodging a bigger rock. Now I much prefer my landscape rake, especially with the TnT. I can rake gravel in from the sides and back upslope. With the TnT I can recrown.

David Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[longshot47]

Tho I've got, and have used, both front and rear blades, my best results have come using a York type rake after a prolonged rainfall. Gauge wheels would be nice.

 

[NHbotanut]

I also have a long gravel driveway. I picked up a used york rake, but the driveway was too hard, and the rake would not dig in to move the gravel and just bounce off the high spots. I have a rear blade, but was a pain always adjusting it. I just do not have a need for a box blade so I opted for the Land Plane.

I picked up the land plane this spring and love it. Very easy to use, (it has the sacifiers if I need them, but I can't see using them). Once I set the top link angle, the plane just dug right into the driveway and left a nice level smooth surface. I will be playing witht the blade angle next month to put a crown on the driveway for the winter. Becasue of the land plane I will be selling my rake and most likely the rear blade also.

 

[jenkinsph]

I have found I use the landplanes more frequently than the boxblade, rearblade or rakes. The landplanes are very good for smoothing and averaging the driveway and lawn areas. What is more important is what you need for the specific problem at hand, which one I use depends on what I am trying to accomplish. If you need to cut a ditch the landplane isn't any help and the rear graderblade is king. I use the graderblade frequently when building up a new driveway then less frequently for maintaining maybe once a year.

I don't see the point in ripping the base layer frequently once it is packed down and in place, I leave it packed. If you have reoccurring potholes all the time you need to fix the base and what is causing the problem. Proper crowning and drainage away fromt the drive is key here and this is where the rearblade can be most helpful.

A boxblade is great for ripping up potholes and moving large amounts of material for short distances. I probably have twenty times as much experience with boxblades as landplanes and rearblades. An expereinced operator can do alot with these grading a drive or leveling a site but an inexperienced operator will find these more difficult to use.

Landscape rakes can be of help smoothing out a driveway but aren't as good as the land plane, graderblade or boxblade for their specific tasks. Landscape rakes are much better as rakes for removing surface debris on well "landscapes" who would have thought it.

I don't consider any of these to be best because they are used to do different things, that is why I have a large and small version of each.

 

[AHNC]

I, too, have a 2660. I put in a new driveway last year. I have the box blade and a Ratchet Rake. I found the box best for breaking up the old drive as the teeth were strong enough to get into it, but the RR best for finish grading. Just as with all implements, the more I use it the better it gets. I find the combination of the box and RR to work very well together. I also used the box/RR to re-grade a part of the side yard. In my opinion this is a good combination of gear for a driveway.

 

[djradz]

My drive has some hills and the gravel ends up at the bottom. I had a box blade that I would try to pull the gravel back up the drive but found that after the first pass the gravel would get too loose and I just couldn't get enough traction. I ended up using the front bucket to scoop and dump the gravel where I wanted it. With the grading scraper I find that I'm touching up the driveway all the time because it's fun, it's easy, and it looks like I just had loads of gravel dumped on the driveway so I don't need to bring as much gravel back up the hill.

I have seen and heard the same from many using a scraper or plane because the result is often so flat and with little or no crown. My goal is to not have to touch the drive again for a year once I've worked it! With the proper amount of crown, and stone in the mix, this should be easily attainable in all but the most challenging terrains. Not to nock the scraper or plane, as many truly love theirs, but my tools of choice are the rear blade (when more extensive work is required) and the landscape rake, with wheels up at first, and down to finish.

 

[TripleR]

In going around looking at driveways in my area, I have yet to see one with a crown; must be a regional thing.

 

[MasseyWV]

A boxblade is great for ripping up potholes and moving large amounts of material for short distances. An expereinced operator can do alot with these grading a drive or leveling a site but an inexperienced operator will find these more difficult to use.

I agree. A box blade will either be a dream come true or your worst nightmare, depending on your level of experience.

Personally, I love using my box blade, because my driveway is sloped and prone to gravel washing down the hill. My box blade allows me to bring material back up the hill and put it where I need it. The same can be said when I get loads of new gravel tailgated over my driveway, where the gravel always seems to end up everewhere but where it needs to be. My box blade can dig, shape, spread, move, etc... It's like a Swiss army knife, if you know how to use it.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I agree. A box blade will either be a dream come true or your worst nightmare, depending on your level of experience.

Personally, I love using my box blade, because my driveway is sloped and prone to gravel washing down the hill. My box blade allows me to bring material back up the hill and put it where I need it. The same can be said when I get loads of new gravel tailgated over my driveway, where the gravel always seems to end up everewhere but where it needs to be. My box blade can dig, shape, spread, move, etc... It's like a Swiss army knife, if you know how to use it.

7 words that make ALL the difference in the world. Honestly, pretty much all the implements talked about can and do work for maintaining and sometimes even building a drive. Some are a bit easier to use than others, but they all will work good "if you know how to use it"