3-Point Hitch Does Draft Control have any use for blade work (or is it mainly for plowing)?

[Tx Jim]

90" wide, you can see the small lift points in the ground behind the tractor. I don't understand why you think it takes so much to let the tractor continue. It takes X amount to stop a machine, you lessen that amount by raising the blade. Why do you think the blade has to be raised a lot?

I think moving the dirt as illustrated in your last two photos will not cause a dozer to slip it's tracks!!!! Also I'm not very knowledgeable on industrial equipment but does your dozer have true draft control similar to what the OP inquired about??? I doubt you slipped the tracks at every ripple in the soil either.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I think moving the dirt as illustrated in your last two photos will not cause a dozer to slip it's tracks!!!! Also I'm not very knowledgeable on industrial equipment but does your dozer have true draft control similar to what the OP inquired about??? I doubt you slipped the tracks at every ripple in the soil either.

The dozer does not have draft control. The very fine ripples are actually because of the grousers and the blade moves, that is how much the tractor moves. If you look at the picture, there are a few larger ripples, that is where the blade was raised to continue on. I have no idea why you think that in those pictures, that dirt won't stop the tractor, but oh well.

I only brought the dozer into the discussion to use as an example that the blade does not have to be raised much so that the machine can continue on. This is the same exact thing that draft control does, just automatically.

If the OP does some more research away from this thread, he should be able to find out how to adjust his system and with a little practice do a very nice job.

I wish him luck.

 

[Tx Jim]

OP asked if he should use draft position for grading road. From my many yrs(60+) operating a tractor,being employed by a ag dealer for 21 yrs in both sales & service dept's, plowing 1000's upon 1000's of acres,grading gravel 1/2 mile driveway numerous times with a tractor & rear blade I'll state draft control isn't designed or intended to be utilized grading(attempting to smooth) a road. One may achieve satisfactory results utilizing draft control but draft control isn't designed for LEVELING!!!!!!!!!
Happy Trails,Jim

 

[beenthere]

100% agree with Tx Jim on that. Anything else is just "messing with Sasquatch" to get a job done.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

100% agree with Tx Jim on that. Anything else is just "messing with Sasquatch" to get a job done.

I have a question for you and Jim, have either of you ever even tried to use draft control for grading? I'm guessing that you figure that I'm lieing or something, and that the guy in the thread that I linked too is lieing. Well I am not and it works quite well for me and many others. I agree that draft control was not designed to be used for grading, that does not mean that it can't be used for that purpose though.

Again, this has all been hashed out many times here on TBN, some have great success and others do not. Just like everything in life, some people can do things while others can not, just they way that it is. Probably time to move on.

 

[MossRoad]

I have a question for you and Jim, have either of you ever even tried to use draft control for grading? I'm guessing that you figure that I'm lieing or something, and that the guy in the thread that I linked too is lieing. Well I am not and it works quite well for me and many others. I agree that draft control was not designed to be used for grading, that does not mean that it can't be used for that purpose though.

Again, this has all been hashed out many times here on TBN, some have great success and others do not. Just like everything in life, some people can do things while others can not, just they way that it is. Probably time to move on.

No one's calling you a liar. They're just passing along their personal experiences, like you are. Its up to the OP to give it a try, figure out how the features on the tool he owns works, and decide if it will function well of him or not.

From my own experience, on my IH2500b, the draft control would not work well in the OPs situation trying to smooth out a ridged road with a blade. The blade would hop too much and make the situation worse. Draft control did work well when ripping new areas with a box blade and scarifier teeth, as we had very soft sand, strong tree roots, and losing traction was frequent. If the teeth hung on the roots, the draft control would pick up the box blade and then lower it back to the original height if it came off the roots or broke them. I tried using the box blade without teeth and with draft control to finish smooth the area, and it did a far worse job than just leaving the box in float, letting it ride on its skids, and making several passes.

Everyone has different experiences and different equipment.

 

[beenthere]

Another good way to level a drive or other area using just the rear blade is to set it at an angle and windrow the dirt or gravel going back and forth several times.
Found this out when faced with a long gravel road that had dump truck loads of gravel spread (not very well spread either) and only had a rear blade to work with. Found out real fast that lifting and lowering the 3 ph to knock down the high spots and fill the low spots was near impossible.
Angled the blade and drove up and down the road, filling in the lows while knocking down the highs. Fairly quickly the roadway became quite level with a windrow down the center that then allowed for turning the blade around to backdrag that windrow out to the sides. Left a nice crown, had the fines mixed in with the bigger stones, and was smooth. Packed it down with a heavy truck and had a near perfect road. All with a rear blade.

 

[sdef]

Per some instructions MtnViewRanch posted some time ago about how to setup and use draft control, I created a new driveway in my property I am clearing using a ROBB (6', 725#) and a rake with gauge wheels (7', 725#), along with TnT.

In my scenario starting from scratch, draft control and the ROBB worked wonders for this neophyte for the main grading. I have very rocky property and the ROBB and draft control made the bulk of the job far easier. And to this inexperienced hand, indispensable.

However, for the finish work of spreading and leveling the slag surface, I just could not get the ROBB to do what was necessary and was only successful in creating a mini motocross track. I am sure a more experienced person could have done better.

So I attached the rake with gauge wheels, no draft control and finished the driveway. It came out extremely well and I always get compliments on how professional it looks.

Before, during and after photos:

 

[MossRoad]

Exactly. Cutting in a new road is a lot different than leveling a finished road.

BTW, I also put in a slag driveway on our tree farm. My father introduced me to slag on his driveway many, many years ago. Our lot is mostly sand. However, I found a pocket of gravel. So I dug a foot deep driveway, put down 6" of gravel, then 6" of slag. Great stuff. Locks together and doesn't move, unlike gravel. :thumbsup:

 

[Tx Jim]

Exactly. Cutting in a new road is a lot different than leveling a finished road.

Leveling(smoothing) is what I was trying to state that position control was better than draft control. Yes if using a box blade to carry material draft is fine until final smoothing operation then position control. I apologize if I did not make myself clear.