Driveway maintenace

[CJONE]

7 words that make ALL the difference in the world. Honestly, pretty much all the implements talked about can and do work for maintaining and sometimes even building a drive. Some are a bit easier to use than others, but they all will work good "if you know how to use it"

+1 I know in my case using a FEL is second nature to me, so I would say a adjustable back blade to set the crown and a FEL. I have put in 4 drives and just fixed one 2 days ago since getting my tractor and the only thing I mainly use the box blade for is the scaifers [sp] to rip up the Aften/Gravel to level it out with the bucket. I tried adjusting the box blade angle to set the crown and it kinda worked but without being able to angle it it was tough to get the dirt/gravel where you wanted it. CJ

 

[wschapinjr]

Just got a ratchet rake for my B2620 to use on my 300+foot drive. Took a bit to get used to feathering the bucket so that material build up wouldn't cause a ridge between sections. After digging out over 2000 lbs of big rocks/boulders I finally have a fairly smooth drive....that is until we get the first snow and the ground isn't frozen and my blower digs it up! Oh well, more seat time next spring after mud season!
Sure wish whoever built this place used real gravel instead of "fill".

 

[/pine]

I have a long granite driveway and I am looking for 3 pt equipment that could be used for maintaining it. I have a small 26 H.P. Kubota BX 2660 4x4 with cat 1 3pt hitch. Does anyone have suggestions? Thanks

When you say "granite" I am assuming you mean gravel?... If the drive is existing and in moderately decent shape...a landscape rake will give you the most satisfying results with the easiest learning curve...

Of course T&T will make a huge difference regardless of the attachment when it comes to road work...

A "crowned" drive usually requires ditches on both sides and culverts where the runoff needs to cross...IMO, A pitched drive to the low side will be easier to maintain but there will be some gravel migration down-hill...

A box blade with scarifiers is paramount to repair extreme areas (pot-holes, high humps etc...)

Again...there is virtually no way to state how much easier grading tools will be to use satisfactorily (without years of experience) than at least having a hydraulic top link...once your crown or pitch is set...you won't need much "tilt" capability...

 

[TerryR]

A "crowned" drive usually requires ditches on both sides and culverts where the runoff needs to cross...IMO, A pitched drive to the low side will be easier to maintain but there will be some gravel migration down-hill...

I think that depends on how steep the drive is. Ours gains about 170 feet of elevation in a quarter mile - that's an average of 13%, with some areas noticeably steeper than others. It was built sloping all to one side, but I found that impossible to maintain. You can't keep it flat enough to get water to run across both wheel ruts into the ditch, so much of it goes down the drive, cutting the gravel as it goes. I found re-working it to a crown makes it much easier to keep draining properly.

I find I have much more trouble with gravel washing and being thrown by tires toward the ditch than it being washed down the hill. So a rear blade works well for me to get it back on the road and to work out the ruts and washboarding (which occurs only on the corners, all of which are on fairly steep places). As several stated, experience helps a lot.

I grade it only after a rain that's enough to soften it, so I've never needed more than the blade to cut in as much as I need.

Terry

 

[/pine]

I think that depends on how steep the drive is. Ours gains about 170 feet of elevation in a quarter mile - that's an average of 13%, with some areas noticeably steeper than others. It was built sloping all to one side, but I found that impossible to maintain. You can't keep it flat enough to get water to run across both wheel ruts into the ditch, so much of it goes down the drive, cutting the gravel as it goes. I found re-working it to a crown makes it much easier to keep draining properly.

I find I have much more trouble with gravel washing and being thrown by tires toward the ditch than it being washed down the hill. So a rear blade works well for me to get it back on the road and to work out the ruts and washboarding (which occurs only on the corners, all of which are on fairly steep places). As several stated, experience helps a lot.

I grade it only after a rain that's enough to soften it, so I've never needed more than the blade to cut in as much as I need.

Terry

Ideally the water is supposed to run across the road and not down the road/hills...a single pitched road has to be cut steep enough to allow this...The OP stated he was using granite which with enough fines will pack down hard enough to prevent the double rut effect... normal maintenance usually just requires moving any center build up to the high side...

 

[TerryR]

Ideally the water is supposed to run across the road and not down the road/hills...a single pitched road has to be cut steep enough to allow this...

Yes, I understand the theory, but I couldn't get the side-slope steep enough to work given the grade of our drive, so I found that just a little rutting from traffic defeated the runoff to the side. It seems to be much easier to keep it working with a crowned road. And once the grass got established on the down-hill side, there was no issue letting the road drain off both sides.

Terry