If you see a Pony Grader for sale - Buy It!

[airbiscuit]

I live at the end of a 1/2 mile shared road. Every spring, I have to deal with the spring thaw. This winter had a lot of 12" + snowfalls - usually wet snow. For 10 days, I've been scraping the ice and slush off to the side with my rear blade. Once the gravel started to peak through, to the harsh reality of how unsteady a rear bade is in soft/wet dirt comes bask to haunt me. Every dip and pothole is greatly amplified to the rear blade, and you can end up doing more harm than good.

Mercifully, most of the road has thawed to the point where I can use my Pony Grader. Having those rear wheels set back so far really helps smooth out the whoops and wallows. The blade tilt makes creating/maintaining a crown easy. I just set the desired amount of blade tilt, and adjust how aggressive it digs in with my 3 point drawbar (althought it's pretty much "set it and forget it"). I have a rear blade, a box blade and a Pony Grader. The Pony Grader gets used 10x more often.

They are up for sale around here now and again, and typically go for $500-$750. They are worth every penny.

 

[airbiscuit]

This is mine

 

[airbiscuit]

My father got this over 50 years ago. The front carriage wheels had already been removed. Here is how it attaches to the drawbar on my 3pt hitch

 

[airbiscuit]

 

[sandman2234]

They don't show up for sale around here, but the last one was 5 times that price. I would buy one if I found it for that price!
David from jax

 

[ning]

looks like you could probably make a frankengrader out of a rear blade without too much effort?

 

[airbiscuit]

This was a pretty clever design

 

[zzvyb6]

I used to use a grader just like this one for our dirt road. Neighbors said I did a better job than the Road Commission. But then they started complaining when drivers of all ages drove as fast as they could, kicking up dirt, splashing dog walkers, scaring kids and bike riders, running horseback riders off the road, failing to round a curve, hitting mailboxes, killing the roadside apple trees, and garbage containers. All my fault. So now I've taken up a new hobby: collecting wheel & axle covers. I sell them for $40. I shine them up, of course....

 

[ovrszd]

Here's mine. My Son operating, me pulling. Not a pony though. Originally pulled by a dozer.

 

[ovrszd]

Very versatile. Able to leave the pull vehicle in the center of the road and do slope work or even dig ditches. Cat model 35 if I remember correctly.

 

[i7win7]

modern day version

Hoelscher Commercial Products - GR Grader

Hoelscher is a Bushton, Kansas hay baling equipment and earth moving equipment manufacturer.

www.hoelscherinc.com

 

[airbiscuit]

They really are a simple but functional design. What prices do they fetch where you are?

 

[Peter 315]

I found one it is 7k....

 

[jyoutz]

looks like you could probably make a frankengrader out of a rear blade without too much effort?

Most of the better rear blades offer optional guide wheels that can make it similar to the grader.

 

[jyoutz]

Here's mine. My Son operating, me pulling. Not a pony though. Originally pulled by a dozer.

View attachment 794531View attachment 794533

Nice grader. Especially since it appears complete and still working.

 

[ovrszd]

Nice grader. Especially since it appears complete and still working.

Good frend of mine has a scrap yard. He also will come to your site and load up old iron. He called me one day and said you might wanna come over here. He was 2 miles from my farm. This grader was sitting in a brushed over fencerow. I wnet home and got my tractor. When I got back over there he had it out in the open. I hooked on and pulled it home. I Google searched the machine and got Cat's manufactured weight. Paid him scrap price for it. $400 if I remember correctly.

It has an honored parking spot by the barn.

 

[jyoutz]

Good frend of mine has a scrap yard. He also will come to your site and load up old iron. He called me one day and said you might wanna come over here. He was 2 miles from my farm. This grader was sitting in a brushed over fencerow. I wnet home and got my tractor. When I got back over there he had it out in the open. I hooked on and pulled it home. I Google searched the machine and got Cat's manufactured weight. Paid him scrap price for it. $400 if I remember correctly.

It has an honored parking spot by the barn.

View attachment 794628

A good find indeed.

 

[Garandguy1]

Is that a working payphone I see? Interesting placement.

 

[NoSmoke]

Most of the better rear blades offer optional guide wheels that can make it similar to the grader.

I fabed a mount on the back of the 3PH blade to use the gauge wheels from my 3PH mower - not quite the same as a pony grader but worked much better than the unmodified blade.

 

[JRH02]

I used to use a grader just like this one for our dirt road. Neighbors said I did a better job than the Road Commission. But then they started complaining when drivers of all ages drove as fast as they could, kicking up dirt, splashing dog walkers, scaring kids and bike riders, running horseback riders off the road, failing to round a curve, hitting mailboxes, killing the roadside apple trees, and garbage containers. All my fault. So now I've taken up a new hobby: collecting wheel & axle covers. I sell them for $40. I shine them up, of course....

Dang, isn't that the truth. A grader doesn't work for us as the trail was built for logging access many, many moons before and has bunches of large rocks and boulders throughout that will snag a blade. And I learned in short order to NEVER cut into the road bed but if anything to add material on top and to smooth it by backdragging. And my fill source is 50% shale, 25% clay and 25% larger stones.

Also the roughness is an asset. It forces people to go slow in their rigs. But there are those with ATVs and motorcycles that have to do their cookies and power slides and can really ruin a day's' work. So I don't do anything to my section of the trail. But I did put up a sign saying "Please Use Four Wheel Drive". I have also attached skid plates, plastic under bumper stuff and other plastic jewelry to the tree with the sign. Still, people with their low slung front wheel drive cars insist on taking the train leaving broken pieces scattered behind them. This winter was a rare one as I didn't get anyone stuck sideways asking for a pull out.