Dura-Grader... a user review...

SonnieP · Sep 15, 2005

I finally got the opportunity to try out our Dura-Grader today. This is the industrial model 18 inches high by 5 feet deep by 8 feet wide. It almost covers the width of our driveway. I probably could have better used a 9' model, but I got what I got.

I'll try to remember to take some pics of the unit itself tomorrow and post them. I was so into to taking pics of our driveway, my parents drive, and our dirt road that I forgot all about the grader itself.

So... how well did it perform? I'll say it's the best attachment investment I've made for my tractor... bar none! Yes that's a bold statement but if you had put up with a bumpy driveway and dirt road that's been graded by a washboard grader for a number of years then used this grader you'd most definitely understand why I'd make such a statement.

In a word... BEAUTIMOUS!

It works as advertised. This is a remarkable piece of equipment (and no... I'm not getting any kickback from the dealer). It takes grass out and leaves the dirt. It pulls compacted rock and gravel out of the dirt and places it smoothly on top. It takes washboard out of the road. It covers up potholes. It makes a road look good.

My dad said that it was by far the best investment I'd made for my tractor. He stated his driveway looks like he got a new load of rocks spread out on it today. It leveled up my parents driveway beautifully... believe me when I say it was awfully uneven, unlevel, no rocks on some parts... it was ugly.

My wife told my daughter when they turned into the dirt road today coming home that someone had done something to the dirt road. My daughter told my wife that it looked like the county had brought in some gravel. My wife stated that there was no way our county workers could have gotten our road that smooth. Then when they hit the driveway my wife told my daughter "Your daddy finally got some rock for the driveway." She just could not believe the grader did all this. Her words, "Amazing, just amazing!"

My sister-in-law... we beeped her and asked her what she thought of the dirt road when she came home from work. She immediately stated the county had brought in some gravel. She could not believe that there was no rock brought in and that the grader had done that good of a job. It's so good that she is going to call the county and tell them to tell pops (the man who grades our road) to leave it be and I'll be keeping up our road from now on. It never fails that after he grades it that it is full of washboard ruts... plus the big grader scrapes the rock away and leaves nothing but clay in so many spots while piling up the rock in others... and it's very uneven.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well the grader worked, needless to say. It's just not everyday that you find a good piece of equipment like this. I cannot see any boxblade doing what I did today... period... at least I can't see it happening. If you are on the bubble on whether or not to buy one, think no more, you will not be disappointed.

The pics... I did take a few before and after pics as well as a few afters that I failed to get befores on because I didn't realize I'd go as far as I did initially. I thought I'd just do our drive and then when I realized how quick it was I decided to do my parents drive and the dirt road. Anyway... you can see the pics at the following website:

http://www.snapbug.ws/duragrader

EDIT: I've now added pics of the Dura-Grader itself to the site.

Wayne_Freeman · Sep 15, 2005

Sonny, It looks like you made a good investment. I followed your purchase thread and bought a unit right behind you. Richard Seal communicated with me several times and the day it was to ship was the day Katrina hit. Looking at the map fo Kiln Ms. I realized that his town got leveled. Yesterday I called his business number and got a recording to leave a message. I told him who I was and said not to worry about my shipment but just to say we hope you are OK. Maybe in some small way we can help him get back on his feet.

SonnieP · Sep 15, 2005

I tried to call them myself as well... just to check on them. I also left a message for them to call and let me know how they are.

The day after (or maybe it was two days after) they delivered my grader was when the storm hit. A couple of days later they called from their cell phone and they were somewhere over in Louisiana trying to get my check cashed because they were out of cash and didn't even have enough money for a motel room, gas, or meals. They had their children with them and she is expecting another child. They didn't have time to get any money up before they left and only had a few hundred dollars in pocket. Their bank was closed from the storm and it's one of those local banks that only has a few branches with none located anywhere else... they were all close from the storm. We finally got my bank and another bank connected so they could get the check cashed. They told me that the last time they spoke with anyone down close to where they lived was during the storm and they didn't know if they had anything left or not at that time. I haven't heard from them since.

I hope all is well with them and that they didn't lose his shop and such as to prevent them from making a living.

Bob_Skurka · Sep 15, 2005

First, I just looked at the photos and it looks like it did an awesome job. For driveway grading, it looks like it would be the best tool to use based on the photos. Not sure about how it would do to 'build' a driveway if none existed, but for grooming it seems like a hot ticket.

Second, I noticed you have the unit with blades that run perpendicular to the road (90-degrees to the sidewalls) but I also believe that there are some similar units (different manufacturer, and maybe also from Dura-Grader?) that also offer an angled blade unit. What is the difference in how those work? I'd guess the angled blade units would move the stone from one side to the other. Thoughts?

SonnieP · Sep 15, 2005

I'll let you know how well it will form a new road after I fix a drive for my sister-in-law. They just have grass right now that they are driving on with a couple of big potholes... we're talking a foot deep my 3' in diameter potholes too. I'm also going to cut another drive from the back of our property down through another field to the woods just for the heck of it. It's kinda the path we travel to our junk pile.

Richard Seal (owner) claims it does a good job on bare ground with grass. This thing actually moves a lot of material... it stacks up to the top of the side walls. I noticed as I was pulling through my driveway there was a lot of sand and grass piled up inside the walls of the unit.

Yes... they make an angled unit as well... plus a 4 in 1 unit that I originally was considering. The angled unit is more for building a crown. For instance... my driveway is ~9' wide. I could purchase a 4 or 5' angled blade unit and grade down one side and back the other side to build the crown in the middle.

An 8' angled unit would put a nice crown in a flat dirt road. Since our dirt road is ~16-18' wide and already has a crown, I simply pull down one side and back up the other, and it leaves the crown as is.

An angled unit might also cut a little better being that it is cutting into the dirt at an angle... sort of slicing it.

Ray2210 · Sep 15, 2005

Nice piece of equipment and it looks like it does a real nice job. I'm curious as to how far the blades hang below the sides of the unit. Do they or are the flush with the sides?

Bowhunter · Sep 15, 2005

Do they make a 4' model that a BX would pull, or would it end up being too light to do the job right?

JimMorrissey · Sep 15, 2005

Sounds great. I'll be using my boxscraper to assist in making my drive and will likely end up with something like the Duragrader for maintenance. Thanks for the update.

SonnieP · Sep 15, 2005

The blades are ~2" below the skids (sides). They basically have to be a little below to cut properly. The skids keep it from going any deeper and they also keep it from dipping in ruts and washboards.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">(
Utility
MODEL--SIZE---MIN.HP.REQ.--- WT. lbs.
40 ----------- 4' --------- 24 -------------- 320
50 ----------- 5' --------- 30 -------------- 390
60 ----------- 6' --------- 35 -------------- 470
70 ----------- 7' --------- 40 -------------- 570
Industrial
Model
600 ---------- 6' -------- 40 -------------- 830
700 ---------- 7' -------- 45 -------------- 970
800 ---------- 8' -------- 55 ------------ 1,120
900 ---------- 9' -------- 65 ------------ 1,260
1000 -------- 10' ------- 80 ------------ 1,440
1200 -------- 12' ------ 110 ----------- 1,730
"B" series *
700 ---------- 7' -------- 60 ------------ 1,440
800 ---------- 8' -------- 75 ------------ 1,730
900 ---------- 9' -------- 85 ------------ 2,060
1000 -------- 10' ----- 100 ------------- 2,420

*"B"SERIES HAVE BOLT-IN CUTTING EDGE SUPPORTS AND HYDRAULIC TOP HITCH.)</font>

Personally I would think weight would make a difference, but I cannot testify to that. If you wanted to cut into clay I think it would need to be heavy and I cannot see 320lbs being heavy enough to cut it. If you just have sandy top soil with rock then I think it would work fine.

I went up to my sister-in-laws today and fixed up her driveway. It did a remarkable job on it. I took some before pics but haven't went back down there to take some after pics. It took several passes to cut into that grass with it being so dry, but I think if you cut say a day or so after a good rain it would be no problem making a good road in any material.

I'll post some pics tomorrow.