Best attachment for driveway

[ctgoldwing]

I've researched the forum on this question and quite frankly I'm more confused than when I started. . .

Here is my situation. My driveway is gravel (compacted 3/4 stone), 500' long, curvy and has a significant elevation drop. It was created by filling in a lot of earth to build it up as the natural elevation starts high and then drops steeply before it rises near the house. So some parts are 10' above the original elevation. If you go off the driveway into the woods its a 2 wrecker call.

In the past I have used a box blade and added 20 or 40 tons of material at a time to clean up after bad spring erosion.

I finally realized my problem is the driveway is certainly pitched down but it has no pitch to one side or the other. Actually the edges are higher than the center. The result is water grooves it fairly easily. So what I want to do is pull that extra material from one side (make it the low side) and use it to create a pitch to that side all the way down. Water will then tend to run off the side (I'll edge it with larger stone) and not run straight down the driveway.

I'm thinking a 400lb back blade with tilt feature. Is this the right choice and if so what would you recommend? I have an L3800. If not a back blade, what?

This is strictly a homeowner project so I really don't need interstate construction size

Any suggestions would be really appreciated!

oops - have to change my profile - picking up the L3800 today, L3400 gone last year

 

[TerryR]

Others will no doubt differ, but in my view the only tool needed is a back blade and a little patience to learn how to use it. It needs to angle, but even tilt isn't needed or in my experience really useful. Instead of tilt, set the blade to an angle then shorten the top link until the front corner cuts deep enough. Hydraulic top and tilt make adjusting easier but are totally unnecessary. Here's a post on my grading a somewhat similar driveway with a straight manually adjusted back blade: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/299055-grading-interesting-driveway.html

I do question setting the slope to only one side if your driveway is steep. That's the way mine was graded and I found it impossible to keep it flat enough for water to run all the way across in steep sections. It prefers to run down the driveway instead. I have much better results since I crowned all the sections I could.

 

[WranglerX]

Others will no doubt differ, but in my view the only tool needed is a back blade and a little patience to learn how to use it. It needs to angle, but even tilt isn't needed or in my experience really useful. Instead of tilt, set the blade to an angle then shorten the top link until the front corner cuts deep enough. Hydraulic top and tilt make adjusting easier but are totally unnecessary. Here's a post on my grading a somewhat similar driveway with a straight manually adjusted back blade: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/299055-grading-interesting-driveway.html

I do question setting the slope to only one side if your driveway is steep. That's the way mine was graded and I found it impossible to keep it flat enough for water to run all the way across in steep sections. It prefers to run down the driveway instead. I have much better results since I crowned all the sections I could.

Pretty much agree..... But think tilt option could also be positive feature....

Dale

 

[Rebeldad1]

this has had many threads. lots of different answers.

for me.... I have the same as you.
got rid of everything and replaced them with a 7 foot landscape rake. 3/4 and 5/8 " gravel. I pull gravel from the sides easily.

Works great right after a hard rain. 3 passes. up and down each side angled and last pass down the middle.
if you go nice and slow it wont separate fines from the gravel. If I go too deep I can fill the rake with gravel and stop the tractor. Yes.. it works fine

 

[Thomas]

Have you consider rake with drop down grader blade?

 

[mpsmith60]

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.

 

[Scrambler82]

From a Novice,

My Drive is 1/4 mile long steep grade to level, packed DG with Stone added.

I use the front bucket to move the bulk stone fill, smoothed slightly but not finished using the bucket.

Then I use my Grader/Scraper (Land Plane), I set my blade shallow at 1/4" below side panels and run over and over the road until it is the way I think I want it !

Sometimes I get too much in the Scraper and I lift and dump the excess and move the oil with the front bucket.

I find after the road is getting close to level, using a faster speed with the Grader/Scraper give me better results, or at least the results I like.

I drive up and down the road a few time to help pack the material a little but I don't own a roller yet so the Tractor and Truck is about all I have.

I don't have a lot of Attachments and this way works for me.

Ltr

 

[repete]

Nothing touches my 3/4 mile driveway but a landscape rake. I have set with a slight tilt low to the outside to draw the gravel back onto the road.

 

[ctgoldwing]

Thanks for all the responses. I know this subject has literally been beat to death, based on what I turned up in my searching

My takeaway from the various implements suggested is they all can pretty much do the job. It seems its more in the hands of the operator. Just over a yea ago I sold my L3400. Its the driveway issue that has pushed me over the top to get another machine. I found an 2013 L3800 with 260 hours on it and its being delivered tomorrow am. A couple of days to get acquainted and then I have to pick up something.

I've been watching several youtube vids and apparently a qualified operator really knowing his equipment is the most important thing. Thank you all for the suggestions!

 

[oosik]

I have a mile long gravel driveway. Straight as an arrow - fairly steep valley in the middle. I have three implements I can use. LPGS, ROBB & very heavy Rhino rear blade. My gravel driveway is comprised of gravel, sand, silt & volcanic ash. In the summer it turns to concrete.

MY Rhino rear blade( 950 ) - 96" & 1050# - is far and away the superior implement for overall driveway maintenance. Of the three - the rear blade is the most difficult to use properly/learn. It takes - time and practice. I have a Fit Rite hydraulic top link. The top link make any/all dirt engagement implements much easier to use.

 

[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.