Grading Driveway Repair w/ Box Blade and FEL?

[Johnjan]

Hoping ya'll could describe your techniques for filling and leveling driveway potholes. I spent the weekend repairing a driveway with 6" deep or so potholes. I'd use the FEL to drop some recycled road asphalt (ground up old road) into the hole and then use the box blade to level it out. Eventually I'd drive back and forth over the area to tamp and compress the material. Took some practice to raise the area without scraping the area deeper and having to add more material.

Any tips or tricks to use next time?

john

 

[wushaw]

Back drag with your FEL in float or lengthen your 3pt top link completely so as the ft. cutter in the BB is not touching the ground and pull your BB utilizing the back side of the rear cutter of the BB to drag.
A hydraulic top link in this application is faster and lots easier.

 

[Highbeam]

I have had better results by dropping the BB rippers and tearing up the pothole before refilling and packing the spot to level. Without ripping first, the old hole would always reappear.

 

[SFish]

Regardless of how you repair the hole (I agree with Highbeam), you need to add water to make your repair compact properly.

EDIT: I should add that the primary source of potholes is standing water. Running through a puddle splashes water and material sideways and slowly digs a hole. If you get potholes in the same place, what you actually need to do is to regrade the surface so water runs off.

Steve

 

[Rara Avis]

I have had better results by dropping the BB rippers and tearing up the pothole before refilling and packing the spot to level. Without ripping first, the old hole would always reappear.

Highbeam's got it right...you have to rip the ground all the way down below the bottom of the pothole...

TR-3 Rakes do the job nicely...

 

[DMW]

Every driveway is a little different, stone type, drainage, length, hills, curves etc. Mine is a 250 foot straight, flat, drainage at both sides , 3/4" gravel with fines. I use the scarifiers on the box blade extended almost right out to rip up the entire surface of the driveway along with the potholes. Add material to the low spots and spread it out with the FEL. I then retract the scarifiers only enough to dig in a little, and do a level pass down the center with the blade of the box blade scraping the high spots. There has to enough material in the BB to drop off material in the low spots. Excess material at the end is fanned out with the FEL. Then tilt the BB so that one side is a couple inches lower. Drive down the side of the driveway so that you create a cown in the center of the driveway. One pass on 1 side, turn around and back up the othe sider. Any small ridges are backdraged. Without a crown, the water will collect again and the potholes will back after the next heavy rain. I find it's easier/faster to do the whole driveway than small sections. It took about 10 tons of gravel, and 3-4 times doing it to get the driveway "just right". Now I usualy do it twice a year

 

[Cacinok]

Highbeam's got it right...you have to rip the ground all the way down below the bottom of the pothole...

TR-3 Rakes do the job nicely...

ditto on highbeam's comments.

paul how long have you had a tr3? is it a solid piece of equipment?