OP
texasranger556
Platinum Member
I have never liked using a power rake for fixing potholes. It seems to me the rake will just rake lose rock into the pothole and the rock never seems to bind to the roadbed. A few trips thru the pot holes with a vehicle and all that loose rock is beat out and the pot holes reappear. I have taken the time to rake and smooth the holes down to a grade below hard pan and then re-smooth it out with the rake, but it just seems a scrape blade will do the work much faster and easier, then take the rake to dress everything and the work will last longer.
Does your rake have the bars or nubs?
The gravel drive was built long before I moved in. It is shared by 4 homes and gets a fair bit of traffic each day, UPS, Fedex, etc. It has a very solid base I believe built of CR6 which is also what I've been adding over time. The pot holes only appear in certain places and it is all flat. That is probably part of the issue as there is no crown to speak of. In places, there is no gravel showing, just the fines which are packed down very tight. I've tried dumping several bucket loads of gravel and spreading it 2" deep over the bad area. It will last several months then the pot holes show back up. I've also tried filling the holes by hand with with gravel and lots of fines then driving over it with the tractor. It packs down nice and lasts about the same length of time, so that is what I've done the last year or so.
When I started looking into power rakes for the yard is when I saw guys using them on gravel, so sort of became a two birds one stone type deal. Maybe I'm expecting too much, we will see. For now I'm gather ideas and opinions, so keep them coming!