Best attachment for driveway

[Gem99ultra]

I maintain my driveway with a combination of a box blade and a landscape rake. With a tilt on it, the box blade can maintain and crown and evenly distribute the gravel and dirt to shave of the high spots and fill in the low spots. The landscape rake set at a angle and tilted toward the edge of the driveway is a good way to reclaim gravel that has strayed from the path of righteousness. Also, I turn the rake around backwards for a final pass or two and it makes a very smooth finish.

For anyone interested, I have a video of how I use the box blade and landscape rake and the results.

However, I plan to get a back blade for grading projects and will certainly try it on the driveway.

If I could only have one attachment to maintain the driveway it would be a box blade. You can do an awful lot with one.

Very good video mpsmith60. Good example of how just a little patience and lots of tractor skills can do a job with the equipment on hand.

I have a similar driveway with similar problems as you've handled, and will be reviewing your video as I make progress in cleaning mine up. Thanks for your comments and the time to make this very good demonstration.

 

[Frankenkubota]

From my landscape guy........he said

You must keep a crown in the middle, most people knock it down....don稚.

 

[ededic]

I used a 5 ft landscape rake (no grader attachment and no guide wheels) for 7 years and found myself out after every rain cleaning up washouts. I started using a 5ft heavy duty box blade and am not just relocating stones anymore but also pulling the fines back. After 3 years, I very rarely need to go out and clean up due to washouts even after the hardest rains.

Now this flys in the face of reasons to get on the tractor so I get that. You need to use the right tool and process to feed your addiction proportionally. However, I volunteer my time and tractor to maintain roughly 3.5 miles of gravel roads with lots of hills and valleys surrounded by protected dune lands. We use a lot of asphalt millings and I bring loads in to keep roads crowned. The road widths range from 12’ to 25’ wide.

Potholes are the main reason of tractor time these days. We also use calcium chloride to keep the dust down and it does a good job if binding the millings.

On your slopes you may consider a washout drain. I engineered one and had a contractor install it. It is a 25’ x 12” plastic culvert to take water down the slope with a large concrete curb/collector at the top. All buried except the curb/ collector even with the road for run off.

What ever you end up doing, be sure to balance a reason for tractor time with permanent solutions that don’t require a tractor at all. Happiness is somewhere in the middle.

 

[Egon]

I used a 5 ft landscape rake (no grader attachment and no guide wheels) for 7 years and found myself out after every rain cleaning up washouts. I started using a 5ft heavy duty box blade and am not just relocating stones anymore but also pulling the fines back. After 3 years, I very rarely need to go out and clean up due to washouts even after the hardest rains.

Pretty well says it all on maintenance. The crushed gravel should be well graded and mixed well for proper adhesion & compaction. A back blade rolling a windrow does this well.

 

[mikester]

I welded tag along wheels behind my blade and wings on the sides to act as a box blade. Added a hydraulic top link and now get very fine control and ability to feather out the gravel without washboard effects.

 

[Cat_Driver]

I used a lot of things to level a gravel drive and the best, in my opinion, is the landplane. If you want the pitch you need to add a hydraulic lift on one side.
Since I put mine on It's never come off because no matter what I do with the tractor I need to smooth out all the tire ruts I just made and a land leveler does the job beautifully.

 

[mpsmith60]

Very good video mpsmith60. Good example of how just a little patience and lots of tractor skills can do a job with the equipment on hand.

I have a similar driveway with similar problems as you've handled, and will be reviewing your video as I make progress in cleaning mine up. Thanks for your comments and the time to make this very good demonstration.

Thank you Gem99Ultra! It's been about a year since I did the driveway maintenance and I'll be doing doing it again soon.

 

[airbiscuit]

This! .......

 

[airbiscuit]

Or this ...

 

[Thomas]

This! .......

View attachment 667344

We had one almost the same but with seat when I was tadpole,also work good removing snow more so when dirt road begin to thaw in spring.