disc harrow for ice

[jpm]

Has any one used a disc harrow to brake up ice on a gravel driveway? Or what else has any one used?

 

[beenthere]

Salt, ashes, or cinders is what I have used.

I found that ice on gravel usually wasn't a 'layer' that could be broken. It seemed to be integral with the gravel, and everything was frozen together. Once that snow layer melted into the gravel, it was there until the gravel warmed up enough for everything to melt.
For traction, I found out ashes was best. Coal cinders helped attract the heat from the sun and would melt down into the ice and make holes, which helped weaken the ice layer. Salt did somewhat the same thing. Both seemed to give more surface area to melt when the temps came up enough to turn the ice to water.
If a disc would work, we'd like to hear about it, for sure.

 

[jpm]

what i am getting is a 1+ inch layer of snow/mush/freezing rain,mist,ect
that i can't get to for a week or two, 200 feet up hill that at this time
of year the sun does not really get to that i'm trying to brake up. Last year 100 #s of salt did nothing so i keep trying new ideas

 

[Banjo]

Ashes work well, except make sure you're burning clean wood. A long time ago I needed to do something about the thick ice at the end of the driveway. Figured hot ashes would do the trick, and they did. The problem was I forgot that the red hot nails mixed in with the ashes, would work even better /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif. I was a long time with the ice chipper getting them all back out /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif.

"Experience is what you get ... right after you needed it" /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[rambler]

Back in the very early 90's I think we had an inch of rain in January, wind blew out of Canada than night & it was minus 8 that night, never got above 5 degrees for the next week.

Chemicals & gravel just blew off the roads, never stuck long enough to sink in & melt anything. The highways were just long skating rinks.

To get the main highways flowing again, they brought in a heavy duty disk and ran it down the highway. This made grooves the chemicals & grit could stick to, & got things freed up.

However, it was one heck of a disk, you would need 150 hp or better to run it, and it did not do the highway _any_ good at all.

I doubt anything you are thinking of using would have enough wieght or blade strength to acomplish anything.

--->Paul

 

[djradz]

We have pretty good luck with wood-stove ashes.

 

[phd]

I too can have a problem with packed snow or slush freezing that can be treacherous on my 500' gravel driveway with 17% grade in places and about 14% average. So far and in most cases traction sand and/or ashes and studded 2wd car tires work most of the time. I suppose discs would work but the grooves would be longitudinal to the driveway. What I'm currently thinking of however, is an implement resembling a water and/or concrete filled lawn roller, with 1/2" metal projections radially from the circumference of the roller perhaps at 1 inch of arc spacings and running laterally with the driveway. Attached to the drawbar, I visualize this on packed snow and pre-frozen slush providing a roughened surface (Not sure if this would be effective on ice, but may if the downward force could be applied over a fairly small area). Then, I'm thinking of suspending a hopper above with an agitator/spreader slightly behind and geared to the rotating axis of the main roller. Anyone seen or heard of an animal like this or any thoughts on its potential effectiveness?
Peter

 

[jpm]

sort of like a pluverizer?that is not a bad idea.any thing to brake up or rough up the ice /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[DDT]

If I remember right a few years ago there was alot of talk about useing a tiller. Run it in slow as you can and at a idel, just set the tines to nick the top of the ice. If you have a steep grade /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif I would make sure I would work up hill.

 

[jwstewar]

What I did last year when we the gravel driveway was a solid layer of ice was used my subsoiler on it. I didn't let it go down very far, but at least it broke the ice up so that it wasn't a solid, smooth sheet. I was then able to move some of the chunks away. I also allowed the sun to melt some of the chunks as well as the wind to evaporate (yes ice does evaporate) a lot quicker than had it been a solid piece. The rougher area also allowed the hard to get something to bite on to.

Hope this helps.

Merry Christmas to All.

 

[RockRapidsDeere]

I was told to get chicken grit from the local elevator. It's basically small crushed rock. That is great for the traction, but to melt the ice I got a bucket of potash. It's a granular also from the elevator, and works well. It doesn't track in the house like ashes do.

 

[jeff3590]

Has any one used a disc harrow to brake up ice on a gravel driveway? Or what else has any one used?

I know this is an OLD post, but I had the same question. Until today when I used my disc harrow on my driveway and road. About a quarter mile. It helped but didn't break up the ice. So, for context, my parking area between buildings is 80x80, plus or minus, and flat. Couple feet of snow, cleared, and then it rained. 3 inches or so of slush. Plowed it off and over night it froze solid. Parking, driveway, road to the house all gravel and frozen solid, and as smooth as a hockey rink. Road's crowned so vehicle wants to slide to one side if you're not on top!! I disced the whole enchilada and it helped a bunch. It didn't break up the ice but it grooved it nicely and flaked a bunch of small stuff out. When I went out later the flake had frozen to the old ice and gave me some traction. I DON'T have access to enough sand or salt so this was my only real alternative. It's not a great solution. If there were any hills or other problem areas it might not work at all, but for me it makes the difference between getting out safely or not getting out at all. It worked well enough that I'm going to do it out to the main road.
My harrow is an old set, only about 500 pounds, and the discs have rounded, worn edges.
I have snow tires on my vehicles, but don't want to have to chain up just to get to the well maintained, paved main road coming and going. Not the best solution, but it does help. The attached pic shows one side of the driveway disced, the other slick ice.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

I know this is an OLD post, but I had the same question. Until today when I used my disc harrow on my driveway and road. About a quarter mile. It helped but didn't break up the ice. So, for context, my parking area between buildings is 80x80, plus or minus, and flat. Couple feet of snow, cleared, and then it rained. 3 inches or so of slush. Plowed it off and over night it froze solid. Parking, driveway, road to the house all gravel and frozen solid, and as smooth as a hockey rink. Road's crowned so vehicle wants to slide to one side if you're not on top!! I disced the whole enchilada and it helped a bunch. It didn't break up the ice but it grooved it nicely and flaked a bunch of small stuff out. When I went out later the flake had frozen to the old ice and gave me some traction. I DON'T have access to enough sand or salt so this was my only real alternative. It's not a great solution. If there were any hills or other problem areas it might not work at all, but for me it makes the difference between getting out safely or not getting out at all. It worked well enough that I'm going to do it out to the main road.
My harrow is an old set, only about 500 pounds, and the discs have rounded, worn edges.
I have snow tires on my vehicles, but don't want to have to chain up just to get to the well maintained, paved main road coming and going. Not the best solution, but it does help. The attached pic shows one side of the driveway disced, the other slick ice.

You might ballast the harrow and give it another try. More point load on the discs might break it up.

 

[jyoutz]

In my region volcanic cinders are available. The highway department spreads those on the road and they stick in the ice and provide traction. The only problem is if you follow another vehicle too closely, you are likely to get a chipped windshield.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

In my region volcanic cinders are available. The highway department spreads those on the road and they stick in the ice and provide traction. The only problem is if you follow another vehicle too closely, you are likely to get a chipped windshield.

When i was a kid in Wyoming, there were huge piles of coal dust, and clinker from the old steam engines. The city and county used to use them to sand the roads. It made the filthiest mess I have ever seen. It was half way through the summer, and a few rains before it all went away.

 

[jyoutz]

When i was a kid in Wyoming, there were huge piles of coal dust, and clinker from the old steam engines. The city and county used to use them to sand the roads. It made the filthiest mess I have ever seen. It was half way through the summer, and a few rains before it all went away.

Since volcanic cinders are basically very small sharp stones, they just end up providing gravel to the road shoulders.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I have two old spike tooth harrow sections welded together into a 3 point hitch implement. I use it to bring the gravel up in the driveway in spring. One time I just for the fun of it tried the harrow going backwards on an icy driveway. Since I usually pull it going forwards there is a sharp edge on the rear of each tooth. Going backwards shaved the ice enough that there was good traction on it after. The shavings froze to the ice and left a rough enough surface that most of the danger of slipping was gone. It was a cheap, easy and fast solution with an impliment I already had.

 

[npalen]

Raiko | Team Eagle

The Raiko Icebreaker breaks up hard, compacted ice layers on road surfaces with no damage to the pavement/surface below. An enviornmental sustainable method for ground maintenance.

www.team-eagle.ca

I don't even want to know the price!

 

[jeff3590]

I know this is an OLD post, but I had the same question. Until today when I used my disc harrow on my driveway and road. About a quarter mile. It helped but didn't break up the ice. So, for context, my parking area between buildings is 80x80, plus or minus, and flat. Couple feet of snow, cleared, and then it rained. 3 inches or so of slush. Plowed it off and over night it froze solid. Parking, driveway, road to the house all gravel and frozen solid, and as smooth as a hockey rink. Road's crowned so vehicle wants to slide to one side if you're not on top!! I disced the whole enchilada and it helped a bunch. It didn't break up the ice but it grooved it nicely and flaked a bunch of small stuff out. When I went out later the flake had frozen to the old ice and gave me some traction. I DON'T have access to enough sand or salt so this was my only real alternative. It's not a great solution. If there were any hills or other problem areas it might not work at all, but for me it makes the difference between getting out safely or not getting out at all. It worked well enough that I'm going to do it out to the main road.
My harrow is an old set, only about 500 pounds, and the discs have rounded, worn edges.
I have snow tires on my vehicles, but don't want to have to chain up just to get to the well maintained, paved main road coming and going. Not the best solution, but it does help. The attached pic shows one side of the driveway disced, the other slick ice.

Update. Remember. My issue is on all relatively flat ground. My experience has been relatively successful. It's not like driving on well maintained gravel or blacktop road, but it's NOT like driving on a sheet of ice, even though I am. At 10 and 15 mph I'm not sliding around looking for my tires to find purchase. I even had a couple of neighbors give me a thumbs up. Next time I'll churn it up before it freezes and see if that works. And there will be a next time!!
The latest iteration...

 

[dirttoys]

I have a couple of spots on a half mile driveway that are genuinely dangerous with a half inch of ice on them. I run a harley rake over them, sounds terrible, but works very well. I assume enough passes with disk or tooth harrow would work if they were heavy. Curious as to how the disk will hold up?

Best,

ed