Desperately need to fix driveway

   / Desperately need to fix driveway #91  
A man who has mastered the box blade is like the man that can catch a fly with chop sticks...He can do anything...!

Box blades are dynamic GRADING tools...it's what they do...their only imperfection is the lack of ability to angle...

many operators do not get the desired results after the first few attempts and give up...there is a learning curve...conquer it and be proud...

About the only time you see even a full sized tractor on a commercial road building job is doing the final clean up and maybe grass seeding after the actual job is done...
box blades and rear blades are implements made for tractors that emulate what the big boys use...

In my part of the country, a tractor is a routine piece of equipment on new road construction once trees and rocks have been removed. May not been everywhere. They show up about the same time as earth movers use pull scraper boxes. They are one of the last to leave as they can do so many different jobs simply by changing implements.
 
   / Desperately need to fix driveway #92  
Graziaka, I don't recall anyone posting this link but I'd recommend reading it thoroughly

Box Scraper Beginners guide to using a box blade

It isn't a quick read, but well worth it since NONE of the recommended implements are gonna help if you don't know how to use 'em -

Another thing others tend to "poo-poo" if they haven't used them - Top and Tilt hydraulics. If you can swing it, especially considering all the projects you're gonna get into, IMO that addition to your tractor will save you a LOT of frustration when you're trying to get things just right... Steve
 
   / Desperately need to fix driveway
  • Thread Starter
#93  
Graziaka, I don't recall anyone posting this link but I'd recommend reading it thoroughly

Box Scraper Beginners guide to using a box blade

It isn't a quick read, but well worth it since NONE of the recommended implements are gonna help if you don't know how to use 'em -

Another thing others tend to "poo-poo" if they haven't used them - Top and Tilt hydraulics. If you can swing it, especially considering all the projects you're gonna get into, IMO that addition to your tractor will save you a LOT of frustration when you're trying to get things just right... Steve
Thank you Bukit. I'll see if I can convince my husband on the top and tilt. Is it expensive and/or difficult to install if you're handy?
 
   / Desperately need to fix driveway #94  
We have a rear blade, box blade, and York rake. I've only used the York for 10+ years. ~1/3-mile stone driveway
 
   / Desperately need to fix driveway
  • Thread Starter
#95  
Welcome back, Graz. I think your listed out plan is pretty solid. The choice of what single implement to purchase is not an easy one. Personally I find a rear scraper blade and box blade to both be essential tools with different functions. The land plane is really only for gravel driveway maintenance or other loose-material smoothing; a one-trick pony, if you will. Some people like a landscape rake for driveway work, and I don't doubt that they can pull gravel around, but I could see one struggling to be effective with the large stones you have. They just aren't very heavy or strong tools.

Your location of SE presumably means south east, where you don't have snow to deal with in the winter.

For me: the box blade is on almost all summer long. I do my landscaping stuff in the summer, and otherwise it makes for quite compact and heavy rear ballast, keeping the tractor maneuverable and the loader work safe.
The rear scraper blade is on all winter long, for any snow plowing duties, and in the late fall and early spring is when I find I need it to dress my driveway and re-shape the crown. A box blade can only pull forwards - the lack of side-to-side angling makes it less productive for some driveway work, like fried1765 likes to so often point out.

I would try to get both implements. Kind of surprised you don't have either already, with the type of work you need to do. If you search your local craigslist and facebook marketplace, you can probably get a solid rear blade for a few hundred bucks, and a nice box blade for several hundred or so.
Thanks Deezler.

Do you know how long I've been asking to get a box blade? I think my husband finally realized how bad the driveway is when he drove my car a couple of times. He also saw how bad the skid plate looked when we changed the oil. Final factor was that we needed to fix the driveway if we were going to sell or house in the next year or two.

So I want to get an order in next week, but just undecided on the size of the box blade or land plane (72, 78, 84?) (EA or Woods or?) and what size landscape rake (possibility since this is something we'll use at the next house).

Sorry Fried, getting a back blade is not worth the "discussion" we would have. It may be something we purchase in the future.
 
   / Desperately need to fix driveway #96  
We have a rear blade, box blade, and York rake. I've only used the York for 10+ years. ~1/3-mile stone driveway
If you don't like to keep any sort of meaningful crown on your driveway I am sure the York rake works just fine.
 
   / Desperately need to fix driveway
  • Thread Starter
#97  
Weeds will continue to grow in the gravel atop the geo textile.
Once over yearly with a Glyphosate solution will take care of the weeds.
I hate driveway weeds also.
I maintain my white shell driveway free of all weeds, using Treflan herbicide, and/or Glyphosate.
It would be a bunch cheaper to spray it. I'll put that in my driveway notes. Thank you!
 
   / Desperately need to fix driveway #98  
Thanks Deezler.

Do you know how long I've been asking to get a box blade? I think my husband finally realized how bad the driveway is when he drove my car a couple of times. He also saw how bad the skid plate looked when we changed the oil. Final factor was that we needed to fix the driveway if we were going to sell or house in the next year or two.

So I want to get an order in next week, but just undecided on the size of the box blade or land plane (72, 78, 84?) (EA or Woods or?) and what size landscape rake (possibility since this is something we'll use at the next house).

Sorry Fried, getting a back blade is not worth the "discussion" we would have. It may be something we purchase in the future.
Of course!
Is the "Civil & Highway Engineering" degree on parchment, hanging on the wall behind me, more "fake news"?
If only I knew just a little bit more about grading methods.
I surrender.
I have said my piece!
 
Last edited:
 
 
Top