Grading--what am I doing to cause this?

[OzarkChris]

I agree with the weight aspect, add some boards on top & stack blocks, rocks, steel, etc. The other thing I haven't seen yet (maybe I missed it), is dropping the back of the box grader (Use the top adjuster on your 3ph) so you are Not digging in but just "smashing"/finishing the ground with the rear blade (assuming you have a double blade in the back - one for cutting forward and one for cutting in reverse). I'm sure I'm not using the correct terminology, but hopefully you can figure it out - been a really long night .

 

[VoyagernOK]

A three point hitch on most tractors does not typically have power down. You can lift the hitch arms with one hand when they are in any lower position. Thus, anytime they hit an imbedded rock, or even a hard root, the blade pops up over it.
The only way that grading a HARD surface with rocks gives you a smooth surface free of these ripples is if you have really heavy blade (like on a grader) that will either shear rocks or pull them out. This leaves a very smooth appearing surface with small pits where the rocks came out.
But that's impractical for most of us with tractor blades of whatever kind. So, our key to smooth roads is loose material spread evenly. You do this, as indicated above by adding weight... lots of it, and by pulling material to the center then coming back and respreading. This will maintain your crown and give you loose material which will grade evenly without the skipping. You need to both tilt and slope your blade... have it 1" lower on the outside for every 8' of blade (not sure how wide your blade is and 1" might be too tilted for a 5' blade) and tilted back to the inside. And add as much weight as you can. After you have loose material windrowed in the center, go back and spread it with a straight blade. The slope you created earlier should now remain the same as you spread the loose material with a straight blade.

 

[mechtheist]

Try a land plane. Two blades are better than one! Notice they are angled for a reason. Angling the box blade will help if a land plane is not an option.

I'm afraid it's going to have to be the box blade, it's just not really something that would get enough use for the $$ and benefit gained.

 

[DavisHollow]

I don't have a lot of experience doing this basic task. See the photo, I've used both a blade and box blade and keep getting these ripples and have no clue why. I've tried it with the lift arm float mechanism in and out and the slow-return lift adjustment loose and nearly off and nothing gets rid of the ripple. The tractor is a Branson 3520 and it doesn't have draft control, not sure if that would help. I'm in cenral Texas hill country, v hard ground, very rocky, I usually try to do any grading when the road is just a bit wet. Anyone have any ideas? Is it something obvious and I'm just too much a noob? Thanks for any suggestions.
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You need a grader, not a box blade. Also in Tx Hill Country. Box blades make hills/valleys worse. They dig as you climb and dump at the top of the hill. The more you use it, the worse it gets.

The ripples are explained by the other posts.

 

[mechtheist]

I agree with the weight aspect, add some boards on top & stack blocks, rocks, steel, etc. The other thing I haven't seen yet (maybe I missed it), is dropping the back of the box grader (Use the top adjuster on your 3ph) so you are Not digging in but just "smashing"/finishing the ground with the rear blade (assuming you have a double blade in the back - one for cutting forward and one for cutting in reverse). I'm sure I'm not using the correct terminology, but hopefully you can figure it out - been a really long night .

Yep, been mentioned and theyu're the first two things I'm going to try when the conditions are right. I realy like the box blade angling thing, I can see how that would do really well. I have these short very large Ibeams that weigh over 200 lbs that would be fairly easy to throw on the box blade, a little trickier on the blade but I think I'm gonna try that for initial attempt. I often use 50 gal barrels filled wiith water for weight but that needs a good place for them and not so likely a bumpy ride.

 

[mechtheist]

You need a grader, not a box blade. Also in Tx Hill Country. Box blades make hills/valleys worse. They dig as you climb and dump at the top of the hill. The more you use it, the worse it gets.

The ripples are explained by the other posts.

Yeah, that's a positive feedback kind of thing it's hard to get around. I don't have but wouldn't draft control help with that?

 

[Varmintmist]

Angle the blade harder by bringing the left side farther forward. Then play with the top link angle to get it to cut like you want, and the side elevation to get your crown.
Even a road grader will cause ripples if you repeatedly run the same angle over a road, or at least they did when I ran them. I will guarantee that there is more down pressure than you will get out of a cinder block. You will never get compaction using a lawn roller that amounts to anything. You are better off getting into the argument with the wife about getting off the throttle in the driveway for a couple weeks and use the tractor as a rubber tire roller.
You dont have to go crazy if you are just taking out the crown and/or pulling the edges in. I do it every year pre snow season to get something more level to work with. I only do it when it rains because if you do it dry, the fines in the stone will fall out. If it is wet, they will stick to the heavies better. Cut the crown, roll the outsides to the middle, then roll them back out leaving winrows on the sides, then back blade the winrows on the sides towards the middle.

 

[mechtheist]

County road maintenance never intentionally tear's up compact soil any more than required to fill low spots.
That's exactly what I'm proposing with the ripper shanks going an inch or two at the most.

Yeah, the rut thing brings back old memories of the two miles of mud road and five miles of gravel we had to get to school back in the fifties. The problem was when the ruts were so deep that the bottom of the vehicle would drag. I recall using the tractor to navigate those two miles. Yes, it was winter in Kansas and there was no cab.

Oh, it was uphill both ways.

Much of the summers of my high school years was spent sitting on Case Tractors pulling auger carts for my rice farmer neighbor southwest of Houston, that's a lot of July and August, on an always runnning but often sitting still hot tractor and without umbrellas. Never had to worry about snow though.

 

[mechtheist]

My opinion: slow down, put weight on your blade (several cement blocks, wired on), angle >30 degrees. As mentioned in several posts, the rocks are making the ripples occur. The other thing you mentioned was digging in. That might be that your tractor is "falling" into a slight dip that you cannot so easily see, and then the blade is inherently lowered. Hope this helps

AHA! That's what it has to be, kinda obvious, but I just didn't see it. I wasn't ready to throw Euclid under the bus, that seldom works out well.

 

[kyryder]

This is why I don't like box blades, although considering where you are that actually doesn't look too bad. If you really want to get that road smooth maybe see if you can borrow a neighbors land plane. That'll do a far better job.

Yes the land plane. Built to groom driveways and dirt arenas. So easy to use and great results. I sold mine when I didn't have road to maintain any longer. Will get another if my situation changes.