What implement(s) to repair and maintain two miles of gravel road?

[In.the.Piñons]

So I 'think' I've bought my first tractor (it's on hold), and now I need implements.

I've read a bunch and watched a lot of videos on the subject of gravel road maintenance, but I'm still unsure what I need. The road is about 14ft wide.

My road is in OK condition (mild to moderate wash boarding) on most of it, but there's a few places where it's steep and there are some really big bumps (6"-8" deep) from 2WD delivery trucks spinning their wheels. In total those section are about 150 yards and are a bit of a mess.

So I'm not sure if a land plane like the Road Boss commercial model 8 (1200 lbs) would be the correct tool to fix those big bumps. The Road Boss does not have scarifiers, but one of the blades is serrated.

People also recommend tow behind graders with wheels, or rear blades with a trailing wheel, but they are hard to find and $$$.

I'm guessing I might need a rear blade or a box blade with scarifiers to reshape the bad bits of the road and then use the land plane to maintain it all. I want to build/rebuild the road crown.

For winter I was thinking of a loader mounted 8-9ft angled plow, but my dealer said they though a rear blade would be better for plowing under 6" of snow. So if I were to get a rear blade to reshape the neglected bits of road, then it would also be of use in the winter (assuming my dealers advice is solid). We don't get a ton of snow here, usually 4-6", but some winters we get 12" dumped on us.

What do you guys recommend? I can get pics of the road if it's helpful.

Road Boss Commercial Graders - Road Boss Grader

he Road Boss Grader Commerical Grader has 24-inch side pans and is 6 feet deep. Road Boss Commercial Graders come in 4 models.

www.roadboss.org

rhino-blades-HDRB-950-1 - RhinoAg

www.rhinoag.com

 

[bmaverick]

So I 'think' I've bought my first tractor (it's on hold), and now I need implements.

I've read a bunch and watched a lot of videos on the subject of gravel road maintenance, but I'm still unsure what I need. The road is about 14ft wide.

My road is in OK condition (mild to moderate wash boarding) on most of it, but there's a few places where it's steep and there are some really big bumps (6"-8" deep) from 2WD delivery trucks spinning their wheels. In total those section are about 150 yards and are a bit of a mess.

So I'm not sure if a land plane like the Road Boss commercial model 8 (1200 lbs) would be the correct tool to fix those big bumps. The Road Boss does not have scarifiers, but one of the blades is serrated.

People also recommend tow behind graders with wheels, or rear blades with a trailing wheel, but they are hard to find and $$$.

I'm guessing I might need a rear blade or a box blade with scarifiers to reshape the bad bits of the road and then use the land plane to maintain it all. I want to build/rebuild the road crown.

For winter I was thinking of a loader mounted 8-9ft angled plow, but my dealer said they though a rear blade would be better for plowing under 6" of snow. So if I were to get a rear blade to reshape the neglected bits of road, then it would also be of use in the winter (assuming my dealers advice is solid). We don't get a ton of snow here, usually 4-6", but some winters we get 12" dumped on us.

What do you guys recommend? I can get pics of the road if it's helpful.

Road Boss Commercial Graders - Road Boss Grader

he Road Boss Grader Commerical Grader has 24-inch side pans and is 6 feet deep. Road Boss Commercial Graders come in 4 models.

www.roadboss.org

rhino-blades-HDRB-950-1 - RhinoAg

www.rhinoag.com

Not knowing the grade steepness of the road, i would be hard to pick between the two postings. Not only the steep grade, what about curves and banking. These all play an important part on one of the two you have listed.

I maintain about 5550FT on my road with a straight blade and where the top link would sit is a 1-ton RAM truck shock-absorber. The impacts of the washboard, holes and loose gravel jounce the tractor around a good deal. With the truck shock, much of it is now gone. I can focus more on grading and driving without needing my neck twisted to babysit the blade.

The blade is set in this postilion for the finish grading. This way, the gravel fills the oles smoothly and not ripping the holes to become bigger.

 

[Thomas]

Rake with drop down grader blade comes in handy.

 

[oosik]

A few things come into play here.

What is the surface material on your road. Screened gravel that grades easily. Or like my mile long gravel driveway. My surface layer is - gravel, sand, silt and volcanic ash. It is hard as 30 year old concrete in the summer.

I have class 2 rear blade @ 1050 pounds - class 2 box blade @ 750 pounds - class 2 land plane grading scraper/W scarifiers @ 820 pounds.

The rear blade clears winter snow and cleans out the driveway ditches. This HD rear blade wants to be a road grader - but IT IS NOT. I have 40+ years trying to grade my driveway with a rear blade. It just does not work well. Front of tractor goes up - rear blade goes down - and visa versa. I even have a hydraulic top link and with all my experience I still can not counter the up/down motions of the tractor.

I have not used the box blade even five hours - since I bought it eleven years ago. It sits out in the orchard, on a pallet, collecting dust.

Ok - here comes the land plane grading scraper, with scarifiers ( LPGS ). It does a fantastic job of keeping the driveway smooth. The scarifiers are used to rip open pot holes. Rip them open so the added material will stick and not get beat out. Works good fixing the washboard coming out of my valley - on both sides. It will not move dirt from here to there. If I ever had to do that - then the rear blade would come into play.

For pot holes -- rip the hell out of the pothole with the scarifiers on the LPGS. Then when I need to add material to fill - switch over to the rear blade. However - I have found that 100% of the time - I will find more than enough material in the driveway ditch. I switch to the rear blade and bring this material up and out of the ditch. The rear blade will drag it to the pothole - fill and level the pothole.

FWIW - my driveway is so darn hard - it seldom gets any potholes or washboarding.

 

[In.the.Piñons]

Here are some pics that show the road/materials and current condition. I also have a profile pic of some of the road that shows the gradient (it's not to scale though).

There are a few curves but nothing too sharp. A medium duty semi and trailer can get in without having to go too far off the road to make the sharper corners.

The road appears to be constructed from gravel (the wrong kind) over silt/clay soil and under the road in some places there is a soft sandstone bed rock. Other places the soil is deeper before you get to the bed rock.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

The Road Boss that you have linked to would be the unit that I would be getting if I needed another one. You don't need scarifiers for your type of road and the weight of that LPGS. (landplane grading scraper) Mine is a 7-feet wide and 8 feet long and has worked well for me.

When you are looking for a rear blade, I highly advise that you get a 9-footer. Be sure to look at the specs, while all the manufacturers of these (true heavy-duty rear blades) at 1000lb plus are similar and all of them should work well, they DO NOT all articulate the same amount. Some tilt more than others, some offset more than others, and some don't even angle 45*.
All things that should be considered when shopping.

My Land Pride RBT45108 angles 45*, tilts 15* and offsets 35".I have never used the blade tilt, ever. I use the 3pt hitch side tilt and have never needed anything more.
You might want to consider getting a top & tilt set for the 3pt hitch.

I have skid shoes on mine and am very happy that I got them.
You definitely need to have all the ballast that you can reasonably get on the tractor. My tractor is about 12,000lbs and if I take too big of a bite, I can end up with the tail wagging the dog syndrome.

Learn how to make use of the draft feature and all of your grading will be much much easier.

Good luck with your decisions.

 

[TerryR]

A rear blade does indeed do will with snow up to 6 inches. It's also great for pulling gravel out of the ditch. That's all I've used to maintain my driveway, which seems a bit like yours, for the past 25+ years. You can see what it looks like here: Grading an "Interesting" Driveway

It does take a bit of work to learn how to use it effectively. I suppose hydraulic top and tilt would make it a bit easier, but I've never found then necessary. Unless you get something really heavy it doesn't cut well in dry conditions, but I find waiting for a little rain solves that and helps pack it down when you are done.

 

[jyoutz]

A rear blade does indeed do will with snow up to 6 inches. It's also great for pulling gravel out of the ditch. That's all I've used to maintain my driveway, which seems a bit like yours, for the past 25+ years. You can see what it looks like here: Grading an "Interesting" Driveway

It does take a bit of work to learn how to use it effectively. I suppose hydraulic top and tilt would make it a bit easier, but I've never found then necessary. Unless you get something really heavy it doesn't cut well in dry conditions, but I find waiting for a little rain solves that and helps pack it down when you are done.

I just run with my loader bucket about 3-4” above the road, then clean up by following with the rear blade turned 180 degrees and floated on the road. Doing it this way I have plowed 18” of snow. Yes you do have to periodically push the loader bucket snow off the side of the road as it gets heavy to push.

 

[oosik]

Those pics help a lot. A LPGS would make quick work of that road. Your topsoil is loose enough to respond well. You could also use a rear blade. Perhaps a rear blade would be best. Especially if you live where you will need to clear snow.

 

[Williy]

I use a land plane no rippers and glad I didn't get any this
usnit will dig deeper than I want its an LS scroll down for
the video

Land Graders - LS Tractor USA

Land Graders are Ideal for leveling out those rough surfaces—expect durable and improved grading with these land grader attachments.

lstractorusa.com

willy

 

[Too many Kubotas]

If only getting one implement at first, I'd definitely start with a heavy 3-way blade. I really like my Bison NVHL 270XHD, which is probably borderline too heavy for the M6040, but works really well.

Looking at the photos I'm pretty sure that dragging the blade angled at 30-40 degrees several times over those highs and lows, and in opposite directions, would minimize or eliminate them.

 

[In.the.Piñons]

Thanks guys, your responses are very informative and helpful!

Looks like a Road Boss LPGS and a rear blade it is. That beaver valley unit at 1,300lbs looks like a beast!

Also that top and tilt kit looks like a winner, but I may have to hold out on that till next year. Also nice work on that truck strut on the top link. Might have to try that out.

 

[In.the.Piñons]

A little update. I've ordered a C8 Road Boss LPGS (1200lbs). Unfortunately it's a 4-5 week wait on that. Hopefully it will get here before the snow does!

Also, just purchased a used Bison 270 XHD 9ft rear blade with tail wheel kit. It has hydraulic height adjustment on the tail wheel and hydraulic tilt on the blade. The blade angle and offset are manual, but they do sell a cylinder kit for it if I feel the need. It is indeed a beast of a blade at over 1,800lbs with the tail wheel kit.

The only catch is the dealer wanted $2800 to freight it to me, just one state over (650 miles). Ouch! That's almost as much as the blade itself, so I guess I'll be going for a drive. But..... I have to wait until my tractor (and pallet forks) arrive, so I have a way to unload the blade off the rental trailer when I get it home.

So things are slowly falling into place. I can't wait to tackle this project. Time to start clearing out the barn to make space.

This is just a stock photo, but it looks a lot like this.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

If only you had a trailer....oh, never mind.

For the blade angle and offset, look at what Surplus Center has with the correct strokes, or close to it. Ideally also with the correct ends, but those aren't too hard to modify if you have a welder.

It may not be for a couple of days, but I could measure the ones on mine.

 

[In.the.Piñons]

If only you had a trailer....oh, never mind.

I knew you were going to say that lol.

 

[paulsharvey]

There is a pretty detailed thread started by Forest Man, using a much smaller tractor, but I'll try to find it and copy a bit od it here

 

[paulsharvey]

"So best bang for the buck; box blades are cheap and readily available used. They are relatively easy to use effectively, although not quick to master; they can do a lot; I would say they are either the Goldilocks or the 'neither fish nor fowl' of the list

Easiest to use; rear land plane scraper; most expensive probably, and kinda the least versatile

Most versatile; a rear grader blade with tilt, pivot, and slide. Probably hardest to master"

Thats what I posted in Forestmans thread. There is also another option, but I don't think it what you need; a loader mounted 6 way dozer style blade. It can do a Ton of things, but frankly, it's takes a lot of skill to grade with.

 

[In.the.Piñons]

"So best bang for the buck; box blades are cheap and readily available used. They are relatively easy to use effectively, although not quick to master; they can do a lot; I would say they are either the Goldilocks or the 'neither fish nor fowl' of the list

Easiest to use; rear land plane scraper; most expensive probably, and kinda the least versatile

Most versatile; a rear grader blade with tilt, pivot, and slide. Probably hardest to master"

Thats what I posted in Forestmans thread. There is also another option, but I don't think it what you need; a loader mounted 6 way dozer style blade. It can do a Ton of things, but frankly, it's takes a lot of skill to grade with.

Hopefully between the LPGS and the rear blade I ordered, I can get good results with a bit of practice.

 

[2manyrocks]

Now that you have the equipment sorted out, I have found these technical "how to" guides at the Center for Dirt and Gravel road studies to be very helpful. https://dirtandgravel.psu.edu/general-resources/technical-bulletins/

Mainly, it's a matter of figuring out how to divert water off your roadbed.

Some years ago, a number of guys built adjustable guide wheels for their rear blades to help them achieve a crown and more evenly grade their roads, but that doesn't seem as popular as they once appeared to be.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Hopefully between the LPGS and the rear blade I ordered, I can get good results with a bit of practice.

Even with the rear gauge wheel addition, I still think that you should get the skid shoes. They help prevent gouging and after all, that gauge wheel is only in the center.
And again, learn how to use the draft control feature. Read the owner's manual and fully understand how to actually set the draft control feature. It will make the grading so much easier and better.