Gravel and Dirt Work - Which implement?

[skoalman12]

I can buy one attachment with my 5093e w/ FEL.

I need to maintain and improve a 1500' gravel road and entrance. I want to be able to pull gravel from the edges, back up to the middle crown, and then smooth back out.
I have about 3500' of dirt roads that are terrible and need grading. Land is sandy and packed, it will take some "digging" in of the implement to get it nice.
Need to Need to set about 3-4 pipe in ditches
Need to be able to maintain and dig/improve drainage
Also I have two fresh water lines that the dirt sunk into, i need to go back and pull the dirt from the sides and into the hole to crown back up.

Which implement does everyone suggest? I'm leaning toward a rear blade, even though they are harder to use. Seems like most ppl here recommend a box blade though.

 

[TerryR]

Lots of folks here are very fond of their box blades, but I find a rear blade works well for maintaining the kind of road you describe. My road is about the same length as yours, fairly steep, with three sharp corners and different banking in various sections. I have the same issue with the gravel being thrown into the ditch. The rear blade, properly set, does a great job of recovering it, as well as maintaining the crown and side-slopes. It does take some skill to use it successfully, I'll admit.

Terry

 

[skoalman12]

Thanks for the feedback. My dad has also maintained his road with a rear blade, and i know it takes skill. but I have dirt work to get good with it first, before i tackle the road.

 

[bglz42]

I vote for angle blade on that work. I use my box blade to spread new material, but I use my angle blade to crown and smooth the surface...

 

[LD1]

If you have three sets of rear remotes, I would suggest a rear blade with power angle and add a top and tilt to the 3PH

 

[schmism]

nothing beats a rear blade for maintaining gravel roads and can do light ditching with a Heavy duty rear blade.

but nothing cuts and fills like a box blade

for your project i dont think youll be happy with just one or the other

 

[skoalman12]

nothing beats a rear blade for maintaining gravel roads and can do light ditching with a Heavy duty rear blade.

but nothing cuts and fills like a box blade

for your project i dont think youll be happy with just one or the other

I was afraid someone would say that

 

[DKCDKC]

I have a full mile of gravel drive, with several sharp curves and hills. I have a box blade, rear blade and rock rake. The box blade is the most useful generally, not only on the road but with other dirt handling. You can angle and rotate a BB to so ditch work, smoothing and even tilling. The blade is good for working the road sometimes to pull gravel in and to crown - although crowning is only something for roads in relatively flat areas. Steep hills require a more complex bit of shaping to divert water. A rock rake or landscape rake is great for touch-up, pulling leaves off, pulling gravel out of grass and pulling bigger rocks out of roadways and gardens.

All three of my grading implements are solid, and all were purchased used. Got the BB on a barter - it was rusted, but a little TLC and paint and it looks new. The blade too came on a barter - for a hotel stay I couldn't get to. It's light duty, but works on a CUT just fine. The rock rake was bought from an equipment rental company auction. It's bent a bit, but I just bent the teeth to a straight line and it works beautifully. I paid $150 for it.

All three implements are great for their own job. Consider acquiring all three - and if you go used you might spend less for three than you would for one new. Used is good because these implements are made out of heavy metal and there is little you can do to really screw them up without it being obvious.

 

[Halftrack]

We bought this LandPride combination rake and blade to do yard finishing originally. As it ends up, we like it better for maintaining the gravel drives and finish grading. The blade swings down and has removable end plates, similar to a box blade. I cobbled the chain top link to allow finishing above or below grade, but you can still pick up the wheels to back or turn. A solid top link amplifies every lift arm movement, this minimizes them.The only issue I see would be with your packed driveways, you may have to either add weight or wait till after a rain to get penetration. If you could find/ order something similar without the rake, I think you would be satisfied.

 

[jenkinsph]

I recommend you get a heavy duty rearblade with hydraulic control. This isn't going to be cheap and it isn't all you need but it's a good start. Do the best you can and make a cheap drag of sorts until the time you can buy/build a landplane and boxblade in that order.

 

[TerryR]

I hate to poke a hole in a perfectly good excuse to get a fun toy, but you really don't need hydraulic control. I've gotten along just fine for the past 15 years with a simple rear blade with manual adjustments.

On the other hand, if you have the money and your tractor has the remotes, I'm sure it would make grading the road a whole lot easier.

Terry

 

[MtnViewRanch]

While Terry is right, you don't have to have hydraulic controls. But then all anyone really needs is a good pick, shovel and rake. It may take just a weeeeeeeeeeeee bit longer and your body may feel like you're ready to die, but what the heck, you will save a few $$$$$.

Enough of this sillyness. :laughing: I think that you will find that there are many many of us that either have a lot of road that we maintain and or do this professionally that make good use of 3-4 different implements to do this type of work. Each different implement excells at certian things and while one may be used to do many different tasks, it really is best at only a few.

I maintain over 2 miles of dirt roads, I have 4 different styles of implement to do this. A land plane grader blade (LPGB), a rear blade, a box blade and a landscape rake. There is nothing better for maintaining a drive than a LPGB in my opinion. But that is maintaining and it sounds like you have some other work to be done besides just maintaining the road. So I would pass on the LPGB for now, but for sure get one in the near future. To me with what you have listed out, a good hydraulic actuated rear blade is probably going to be your single most usefull implement at this time.

 

[schmism]

note: Mnt veiw's RBT45108 is a perfect example of the type of HD rear blade you would want for your application. Just be ready to pony up $5K for it. Landpride recomends 70-110hp tractor for it.

If you are seriously considering it, once you cross into THAT size HD rear blade teritory, they offer wing kits for it effectively turning into a box blade, as well as bolt on ripper kit.

 

[PhysAssist]

note: Mnt veiw's RBT45108 is a perfect example of the type of HD rear blade you would want for your application. Just be ready to pony up $5K for it. Landpride recomends 70-110hp tractor for it.

If you are seriously considering it, once you cross into THAT size HD rear blade teritory, they offer wing kits for it effectively turning into a box blade, as well as bolt on ripper kit.

.....And what I would say is the MtnView showed the best style box blade available, and if possible you should consider a roll-over box blade for all of the above.

I do eventually intend to buy a rake, and build a land plane grader, but in the meantime, our rollover boxblade (a Gannon like MtnView's) is doing all the things you have stated that you need to do, (though we don't have the volume of work you do) without needing all the futzy adjusting required of a standard boxblade or a rear blade.

YMMV

 

[Furu]

As MtnViewRanch states a land plane is the best for maintenance and you will love using it and the results you get. However a blade is far superior for ditching and earlier work before you get to the maintenance or final phase.
I would say spend the money for a three way hydraulic blade. You have the tractor to handle it, I think. I have a RBT 4596 just the 12 inch shorter version of MntViews and to be able to infinitely adjust all three axises without getting off the tractor, let alone adjusting it on the fly as you are moving is sooooo worth it.

 

[skoalman12]

Thank you everyone for all the help. The tractor I'm looking at to buy only has two remotes, and I'm already pushing the mythical budget anyway. I wont be getting a 5k rear-blade thats for sure. It sounds like for the most part the blade will help get me where i need to go, but in the future I'll need a land plane or a box blade. Now if you could all just help convince myself and my wife that I'm not crazy for spending this kind of money. All of this equipment I could borrow from family for free. But you reach a certain age where you want to be self-reliant. And I'm there. It may not be smart...but we can "afford" it. What to do..what to do.

 

[radioman]

A box blade in my opinion should be the FIRST one to get. Your wife will see the results once your smooth out the roads with no more bumps. THEN you can say - yup its worth the money -- now honey I got another project over here that needs .....

 

[pclausen]

While it's true that a 96" heavy duty all hydraulic blade lists for around $5k, you can pick one up for craigslist if you keep looking. I picked up this one for $1200.

After a little work, it looked like this:

 

[scarhead26]

Well I was gonna buy a 5 box blade for my 3616 to grade half a mile of driveway. Right before i went to purchase one my dad found an old 5 foot grader blade my grandpa had left in the brush and weeds and I went got it and I still haven't purchased a box blade. I would like one at some point but the blade does all I need for now.

 

[Catfish Man]

One option that no one has mentioned - you can get a rear blade that has the option for hydraulics and add the hydraulics later as the budget allows.