Another road question

[ovrszd]

Use the blade with tail wheel, not the box blade. Too hard to control the box blade. Blade with tail wheel will be very easy to control. Make half a dozen passes driving in the existing tracks. Center hump will disappear. Repetition is your friend. You don't want to cut the center hump loose in one pass. Too much material to deal with. Repetition.

Then when done, drive on it for a couple weeks and see where you end up.

 

[aarolar]

If your doing it your self with compact equipment, spray round up on the vegetation two weeks ahead of time. Will make it much easier.

I don't exactly have compact equipment but I do agree with your idea however it would require me to wait till spring.

 

[ovrszd]

I don't exactly have compact equipment but I do agree with your idea however it would require me to wait till spring.

Repetition. Thin cuts. It'll all fall apart.

 

[jenkinsph]

I would follow Richard's advice with the repetitive thin cuts. I would also look at the shoulders to see if you can pull some gravel to the middle..

 

[aarolar]

Since it's looking like they aren't going to find my lost loader in time for it to show up for the long weekend I think I'm going to go see about getting the blade from granddaddy and work on messing up a perfectly good road. Pics to follow

 

[check]

Since it's looking like they aren't going to find my lost loader in time for it to show up for the long weekend I think I'm going to go see about getting the blade from granddaddy and work on messing up a perfectly good road. Pics to follow

DON'T do it! Follow bcp's advice and just put more gravel in the tracks. I bet that middle section is muddy and full of bio matter that will just mess up the tracks road and make a big mess. Or is there lots of gravel in the middle?

 

[beowulf]

It is likely that many of us have had success - more at times and less at times - utilizing different methods. I have tried many different ways to maintain our 850' graveled drive way, which has had 3/4 minus gravel added a few times over 30 years, this is what has worked best:

- I maintain a nice crown - very important in my opinion to let the road drain and remain stable and firm.
- I use a rear blade which I set at an angle and run up each side to create a small ditch and to throw up any gravel, which has migrated, back to the crown.
- After I have redistributed the gravel with the angled rear blade and created a small ditch and crown, I set the blade straight and smooth out the gravel I have just put back on the road. Then a little touch up here and there - good for another year.
- I don't care if there is a bit of dirt also tossed back on the road with the gravel as it will settle in and lock the gravel.
- Over the years the gravel has packed down and we have a very thick and very solid road base with a nice crown for drainage.

I have tried other methods - believe me - many other methods, including dragging a chain link fence gate, a bed spring, home-made drags of different kinds, a box blade, back dragging the FEL bucket as a shallow angle and more. The rear grader blade has worked best for me.
-

 

[aarolar]

DON'T do it! Follow bcp's advice and just put more gravel in the tracks. I bet that middle section is muddy and full of bio matter that will just mess up the tracks road and make a big mess. Or is there lots of gravel in the middle?

We are going to find out soon enough.

 

[aarolar]

It is likely that many of us have had success - more at times and less at times - utilizing different methods. I have tried many different ways to maintain our 850' graveled drive way, which has had 3/4 minus gravel added a few times over 30 years, this is what has worked best:

- I maintain a nice crown - very important in my opinion to let the road drain and remain stable and firm.
- I use a rear blade which I set at an angle and run up each side to create a small ditch and to throw up any gravel, which has migrated, back to the crown.
- After I have redistributed the gravel with the angled rear blade and created a small ditch and crown, I set the blade straight and smooth out the gravel I have just put back on the road. Then a little touch up here and there - good for another year.
- I don't care if there is a bit of dirt also tossed back on the road with the gravel as it will settle in and lock the gravel.
- Over the years the gravel has packed down and we have a very thick and very solid road base with a nice crown for drainage.

I have tried other methods - believe me - many other methods, including dragging a chain link fence gate, a bed spring, home-made drags of different kinds, a box blade, back dragging the FEL bucket as a shallow angle and more. The rear grader blade has worked best for me.
-

This is what I'm planning for now knock the middle down and then pull the edges back up in a crown wish me luck.

 

[aarolar]

 

[two_bit_score]

Looking good so far!

 

[ovrszd]

Yeah, he has the perfect tool to fix that road.

 

[teg]

Yeah, he has the perfect tool to fix that road.

That's what I was thinking... awesome rear blade!

 

[aarolar]

Yeah, he has the perfect tool to fix that road.

I knew you would like that Richard.
It's about everything my tractor wants though.

 

[aarolar]

I need to do a little more crown work but after 4 and a half hours on the tractor in the 39* 10mph winds I'm officially done for the day. Blade works real nice but it's almost more than my tractor can handle without a goodly bit of front weight. All the steering was done using the brakes on the turn around.
From house end


From road end


Middle looking both ways

 

[ovrszd]

Oh Yeah!!!!! Now drive on that for a couple weeks. Never drive in the same track. Then decide if you need more gravel.

Congratulations on a very nice job of rejuvenating a roadway!!!!! :thumbsup:

 

[jenkinsph]

Looks good please post pics after driving on it for a while.

 

[aarolar]

I want to say I never really disturbed the road bed itself, I took Richards advice and went super slow with my adjustments till I gradually knocked that center down then I angled the blade and pulled the edges back to the center. I want to work the ditches/edges a little more yet just to clean the ditches out some more and get more crown.