DR Power Grader

[mechanic]

Anyone try pulling the dr power grader with a lawn tractor? Looks like a good machine if you have the equipment to pull it. They claim it will fix all ruts in a drive way.

 

[GaryM]

Looks really nice on their video they send out. But I do see a slight problem if you want to use it on a road. No way to put on a crown! At least it's not mentioned in the literature or video. On a road you'd want the center higher than the sides so water runs off.

Other than that it appears that it would work as they advertise. I just can't justify it for my personal use, and I can't get my subdivision trustees to buy it. And I'm one of the trustees!

 

[RonR]

I've looked online at those machines. WOW is about all I can say.

I can't imagine that you can't find someone with welding skills and using a few hundred $$$$ in iron, build something that you can use as a drag.

Heck, you could probably buy a welder and the iron and still be less than 50% of their price...........

But that's only me talking...........

ron

 

[turnkey4099]

I can't picture any grader that can be pulled with a garden tractor being heavy enough to do a good job grading. Fill in the ruts with loose stuff yes, cut down the hard stuff?

Harry K

 

[Fast2home]

I have bought the DR power grader and it does live up to it's billing. You do need something bigger than 16 h.p.... I too would recommend 20+ horsepower.
The actuator and remote control is well worth buying the real thing instead of making one in the garage. The company is extremely good at replacing any part that breaks...even if it was my fault.

 

[sarti]

My brother and I bought one last year to grade our lane. It does a great job of bringing the gravel up to the top and smoothing things out . After a while the fines come back again but it saves a ton of money on rock. I agree it doesn't put a crown in the road.. I use my 2630 to pull it and haven't tried a lawn tractor. One thing I do is drag the lane with a screen rake I made when I'm done grading to smooth out the ripple effect. I think it is well worth the money.

 

[ttkeeler]

I have been using one for a couple of years now and it works great. You are right about the crown of the road but if the road already has a crown you can still maintain that crown if you run the grader correctly, in other words do not run it down the middle of the crown. Mine has more than paid for itself in the savings of buying rock every season. I was also skeptical but with a 6 month money back offer what did I have to loose, if it didn't work for me it was going back...I still have it.

 

[ttkeeler]

Save your money, they don't work as advertised. Constant Battery problems and only work on loose gravel

Mine has more than paid for itself in saved rock purchases so I did save money.

A good battery charger like a 'Battery Tender' is left on mine anytime it's not being used and I have replaced the battery once in 4 years and that was due to my negligence in not keeping the battery charged. I don't recommend the charger that is supplied with the grader as its not intended for continuous unattended charging.

The grader works great for my application and just as it was advertised. I just used it on a driveway covered with 3/8 minus quarry crushed rock that was packed down like concrete, it works best if the ground is damp or wet.

At the time I got mine they offered 6 months trial with money back if not satisfied, I kept mine.

 

[budgie9]

I have had mine 4 years, and had to replace the battery after the original; charger fried it. Even so I have had excellent service from the unit and the company.
Having read all the comments here I think you would be wise to buy the unit.

I have used/ towed the unit behind my 21 hp JD Sabre and a my small engined quad.

 

[usnavyvet]

I've owned the grader for about 4 years. I bought it after my driveway rock had been down for about 3 years and was looking pretty ragged with several minor to intermediate washouts. The grader was being offered at the time with a 6 month trial, so I decided it would be worth a try.

The driveway is 400+ feet long and the grader, towed by a UTV worked like a dream. I loaded the weight basin with bricks and after about 10 passes, the drive looked like it did when the rock was first put down. No kidding, I was amazed.

Since then I've used it once a year for about 5-7 passes and until this year never had occasion to add additional rock. The scarifiers look new and there have been no frame, mechanism or tire issues. I did have to buy a new battery this spring, but only because I neglected to put it on the charger last fall. There is no cure for dumb.......

I am currently selling the grader, but only because I had asphalt laid this spring. I wish my mowers, which are not from DR, were as reliable.......

 

[MossRoad]

I've owned the grader for about 4 years. I bought it after my driveway rock had been down for about 3 years and was looking pretty ragged with several minor to intermediate washouts. The grader was being offered at the time with a 6 month trial, so I decided it would be worth a try.

The driveway is 400+ feet long and the grader, towed by a UTV worked like a dream. I loaded the weight basin with bricks and after about 10 passes, the drive looked like it did when the rock was first put down. No kidding, I was amazed.

Since then I've used it once a year for about 5-7 passes and until this year never had occasion to add additional rock. The scarifiers look new and there have been no frame, mechanism or tire issues. I did have to buy a new battery this spring, but only because I neglected to put it on the charger last fall. There is no cure for dumb.......

I am currently selling the grader, but only because I had asphalt laid this spring. I wish my mowers, which are not from DR, were as reliable.......

Welcome to TBN! :thumbsup:

 

[reded658]

I've got the 48" model. I use a modified Craftsman 21 HP hydrostatic yard tractor (YTS3000) to pull it. Does fine so long as you use common sense in setting the depth control. My road is 7/10 mile long and has an average 12% grade on the 400' climb up the mountain to my house. I can put the teeth full down in hard or loose material going down. I do have to limit the depth when coming up the mountain on loose material. I modified the tractor to handle a snowplow and snowblower on this grade. The same modifications are what enable me to handle the grader reasonably well. I have all four tires loaded with liquid. I have rear wheel weights. And I carry 75# of weight above the rear hitch. That's about 50# less than what I use to push my snowblower up and down the mountain on snow and ice. I use chains in snow. I haven't seen the need for them with the grader. This combination replaced the 85 HP 4WD tractor with 8' box blade that I used on this road for 19 years until I got tired of keeping that monster up just for road maintenance. The Craftsman and grader and snow equipment do the same job for a LOT less operating and maintenance expense. It doesn't take all that much longer to do the same jobs. And I can do SO MUCH MORE on the rest of my property with my yard tractor. So, yeah. You can pull it with a lawn tractor. And pull it well. But you'll probably have to do something about traction by adding a lot of weight first. I don't think you could do much with most lawn or garden tractors without doing that.

 

[Cacinok]

I've got the 48" model. I use a modified Craftsman 21 HP hydrostatic yard tractor (YTS3000) to pull it. Does fine so long as you use common sense in setting the depth control. My road is 7/10 mile long and has an average 12% grade on the 400' climb up the mountain to my house. I can put the teeth full down in hard or loose material going down. I do have to limit the depth when coming up the mountain on loose material. I modified the tractor to handle a snowplow and snowblower on this grade. The same modifications are what enable me to handle the grader reasonably well. I have all four tires loaded with liquid. I have rear wheel weights. And I carry 75# of weight above the rear hitch. That's about 50# less than what I use to push my snowblower up and down the mountain on snow and ice. I use chains in snow. I haven't seen the need for them with the grader. This combination replaced the 85 HP 4WD tractor with 8' box blade that I used on this road for 19 years until I got tired of keeping that monster up just for road maintenance. The Craftsman and grader and snow equipment do the same job for a LOT less operating and maintenance expense. It doesn't take all that much longer to do the same jobs. And I can do SO MUCH MORE on the rest of my property with my yard tractor. So, yeah. You can pull it with a lawn tractor. And pull it well. But you'll probably have to do something about traction by adding a lot of weight first. I don't think you could do much with most lawn or garden tractors without doing that.

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you're getting your moneys worth out of that Craftsman.

 

[rmryanjr]

[I am currently selling the grader, but only because I had asphalt laid this spring. I wish my mowers, which are not from DR, were as reliable.......[/QUOTE]

Is it still for sale?

 

[joetech]

Hey Everyone,



I work for DR in Tech Support. Thanks for all the good replies! Glad to hear you people are enjoying the Power Grader. Just wanted to thank you and offer some tips.

The Battery should be disconnected when not in use. The Wireless Receiver will drain the Battery because it is always looking for the Transmitter signal. The Battery should be charged every 1-2 months when not in use to maintain the charge and you should top it off after using it. Like ttkeeler mentions using a good quality Battery Maintainer is a good idea for any Battery.

ttkeeler and sarti also mention it won't make a crown. They are correct, but the Power Grader will maintain one. Who knows, maybe we can make it "Crown Capable" in the future?

Towing the Power Grader should be done at no faster than 5 mph. A good, heavy Tow Vehicle that can maintain a constant speed and give good visibility is optimum.

It's great when owners talk amongst themselves and figure out how to best use their equipment. I will be randomly monitoring this site as well as others to see how our machines are getting used and we are always open to suggestions on how to improve them!

Thanks again for the good words.

Trent

 

[Dogscape]

Hi Trent, from DR.
I sent a private message to you.

Steve, with a DR, from MA.

 

[MasseyWV]

I've looked at the DR Power Grader and my impression was that it's far too light to do any serious grading and the price was too steep. That said, I've looked into the possibility of constructing a similar grader, with power up/down, and found it to be a much more viable option for my needs. Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of the DR Power Grader, but it leaves a lot to be desired.

Also, I watched several videos of the DR Power Grader in use, and it appeared that the material it was being used in was rather loose. How well would it work when used on a packed gravel road?

 

[joetech]

Here is what another member, mbrun, on the site has to say in another thread,

"It is easy to be skeptical about the DR Power Grader, I certainly was. The unit does however work as advertised. My first use of the grader was on a hard packed gravel drive, 600' + long. Pot hole ridden but otherwise hard packed like concrete, and only a token loose stone. 40 minutes of work and the potholes were all filled and the driveway looked like new. Now with just 4 maintenance passes every month or two and it continues to look brand new.

Yes, if the gravel is already loose it saves a few passes. But when the gravel is hard packed that is where the carbide tipped teeth earn their keep. With each pass the teeth break up more and more of the surface and soon the whole top is loose. If the gravel was loose you would not need the carbide tip teeth."

Thanks mbrun! :thumbsup:

In our videos, all the roads started as hard pack. Some were very hard packed! You just need to make a few more passes.

I hope this answers the question for you.

Trent

 

[phiferpharm]

Sorry, I've had mine for several years and while it is built well, it will NOT properly grade my dirt road. I have ended up getting a Ratchet Rake and BB on the tractor to do what I need. I pull it with a 4WD Rhino, which has plenty of power to move it, but even with as much weight as the plastic bucket will hold, it won't knock down the high spots on my packed-down road. I'm going to post up pictures later to show what it does after 8-10 passes on the same area.

 

[Pete Judd]

I also thought that the DR was to spendy for me. I like their products, as I have an older walk behind brush mower. Here is what I built out of a chunk of Kenworth frame. I cost me less than a hundred bucks, including the welding rod and wire. I have it set up to pack up to 8 concrete blocks for weight, but the 6 is way more than it needs. The blades have a slight angle, and it will take the crown off in a New York minute.