Advice on buying cheap tractor to grade driveway

[PILOON]

For drive maintenance all U really need is a drag.
A decent drag consists of 3 blades, the first chops bumps, the 2nd spreads topping around and the 3 rd finishes the job.
A drag can be towed behind any vehicle be it a tractor ATV or PU.

We maintained 4 kms of gravel road for 10 years with such a unit with but 2-3 passes/yr.
Road was much used by 75 residents and all their guests.

Our drag was 8ft X 8ft with the 3 'blades' set at different angles, idea being the one angle would counteract the side force of the other.
5 pieces are needed, 3 for blades and 2 for the frame that holds the blades.
3 chains/cable from front corners attached to vehicle bumper corners.

With the angled blades humps and bumps are sheered and the topping slide over to fill the dips.
By the time the 3rd blade has passed you have a finely graded roadbed.
3 blades helps minimize dips as there is always 2 acting as a base while the 3rd chops the tops.

This is not a new ides as I recall back in the '50's the local gov't graded all the county roads using a team to pull such a rig.
I have made 2 such drags over the years, first 8 X 8 ft for the road and the current one a mere 5 X 5 for a private drive.
A couple of passes and you do as great a job as a huge grader can do.

 

[Tennsawdust]

So, my questions are:
1. How much HP do I need to use a box blade and land plane to grade my driveway? You can smooth out the gravel with almost any tractor, but if you ever need to move dirt or gravel around you will need some power to do it. I would say 35 hp is the bottom end for that task. (Both of my tractors are in the 45-50 hp range and they work well. My driveway is about twice as long as yours.)
2. Is a 2WD tractor fine for that task? Even though my driveway has some really steep grades I have no problem using a 2WD tractor. A lighter weight tractor would be a problem on the steepest parts though.
3. Can someone like me who at this point is completely inexperienced with grading, safely use a fully manual transmissioned old tractor for this purpose? I don't see why not. You will be selecting a gear (I generally use 3 low on mine) and go. You will basically be driving up and down the driveway dragging the box blade behind you.
4. Do I need a tractor with power steering or is manual steering not a problem for grading? It would be more convenient, but not at all required. As long as the wheels are rolling any it isn't a problem to steer.
5. What tractor brands and models/series should I look at that would be most reliable and have the best parts availability? Any Ford 600 series or higher (so long as it does not have the Select-O-Matic transmission), Massey Fergusons 35 or higher (you should be able to find solid examples of both for $3,000 or less) or conventional geared John Deeres. Parts should be readily available for any of those. The Fords, especially, sold in large numbers so there isn't much you can break on it that isn't available as a replacement part. Other brands are also out there, but make sure you are buying a good example if you get one. Don't worry much about something being a 50-60 year old tractor as long as it is the right size and in good working condition. You probably won't even put 50 hours a year on it so don't worry much about hours either. Obviously you could spend a lot of money on a tractor, but any decent utility tractor will do that job well enough.

 

[goeduck]

Another old tractor that is on my bucket list is the old Red Farmall Cub, or the models slightly larger. Just cool looking tractors to have around. Good condition ones can double as a parade tow vehicle if you are into that.

 

[airbiscuit]

 

[nyone]

I did the grading around two houses, a garage and did my 500-600ft gravel driveway with an old ford 851. Its 2wd and has no PS. Doing the driveway is easy. Grading around the house with a box blade was a bit more tricky. I was able to find a loader for it so that helped a ton.
I paid $1800 for this old ford 851 about 7 years ago. Sadly its time for it to go as i bought a kubota b8200 4x4 last month.

Its for sale so if your local contact me.

 

[dfkrug]

Dumb question...If the linkage is made of unobtanium, can it be fabricated locally for less money?

Yes! I made some 3-point hitch arms for my loader using sway links, lift links, and heim joints all from AgriSupply. The arms themselves, I welded up from some 3/4" x 4" steel bars. The shape of the arms does not have to be exactly the shape of the OEM arms. The heim joints and Cat 1 pins are surprisingly inexpensive.

As for removing the hoe off an L48, I find the Kubota QA hoe attachment mech to be a delight. I had a B21 and it was easy.

 

[dfkrug]

Sadly its time for it to go as i bought a kubota b8200 4x4 last month.

Interesting. I just sold a late-80s B8200 4x4 with loader for $4800. It was rough, but I got it running well. No power-steering and crash-box transmission. Not for everyone.

Once you have HST and PS, it is hard to go back.

 

[shovelmike]

I would have added the Ford 1720/1920 to the list if they could ne purchased for $3,000.

To me, the Ford 8n has a 3 speed transmission:

Too Fast
Way Too Fast
You've Got To Be Kidding!

The 3 speed is the 9N, 8N has 4. A better option would be a Ferguson 35, has high and low range, which yields 6 gears forward and two reverse. I paid $2,000 for mine 39 years ago, you should be able to find one for around that price, keeping within your budget.

 

[airbiscuit]

I would have added the Ford 1720/1920 to the list if they could ne purchased for $3,000.

To me, the Ford 8n has a 3 speed transmission:

Too Fast
Way Too Fast
You've Got To Be Kidding!

The 3 speed is the 9N, 8N has 4. A better option would be a Ferguson 35, has high and low range, which yields 6 gears forward and two reverse. I paid $2,000 for mine 39 years ago, you should be able to find one for around that price, keeping within your budget.

Okay, so I left off road gear Would anyone want to brush hog on rough ground in any of these gears?

 

[windy acers]

a 1964 super dexta or just dexta 1958 to 1963 is a poor mans massey furgeson 135. Both have 3cyl perkins 35 h.p. diesel and many parts are interchangeable. they go for around $3000.00