It looks like it has hydraulic tilt, hydraulic offset, and manual angle. It looks pretty decent especially if you can get it for a little less than posted.
Fired Road contractor. Build it myself?
- Thread starter WoodChuckDad
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sixdogs
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A road grader would do your road before you finished breakfast. Lots of towns subcontract out grading. I found the guy and for a mere pittance had him cut the ditches and re-crown the road for --I think--$200. Whatever the amount, it was a steal.
You'll never spread big gravel with a tractor. Get someone with a bulldozer and save time and money.
s219
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Is the current road path dry, packed, and stable? Any muddy or soft spots?
I was prepared to lay a bed of rail ballast or #3 for our entire roadway and then top with crusher run (3/4 minus here). The guy doing the initial work suggested only using #3 where the ground was obviously soft or had issues. Four years later, and it looks like he was right. Everything is rock solid and has held up very well to construction traffic and follow-on use (had a cement truck out once each of the following years and no further compaction). I think there was only one small spot where I added more #3.
One thing I did do was put down another layer of crusher run about 8 months after we moved in, as a final smoothing/grading. I am sure that helped, and I think it was smart to wait to give everything time to settle.
I think heavier equipment is needed for spreading large amounts of ballast or #3 (small areas can be done with a box blade with surprisingly good results). For crusher run however, a tractor and box blade is all you need -- provided you can get the truck operator to spread the crusher run on delivery. They can get it about 85% good, and then you follow up with a box blade to finalize things. Both times I have put down crusher run, the results achieved with tractor and box blade were very good and impressive.
If you don't have a lot of experience with a box blade, read up here -- lots of good topics. Angle of attack and angle/bite of the rear cutting edges is the key. Hydraulic top link also key. If the delivery truck can lay down the crusher run, you'll then go over it with a tractor with the box blade angled up in front so that the rear cutting edge is feathered and doing more smoothing than digging. The box blade needs to be all the way down (floating the 3-pt hitch) so that any up/down motions of the tractor axles do not create dips and bumps. A land plane or grader box implement is going to do the same thing but with a much longer frame to eliminate the dip/bump problem even further and smooth even better. While a box blade can actually move material (removing high spots and then depositing the material in low spots) a land plane is more about grading and smoothing and not as capable of moving material. Either will work for your application, but consider long term needs/use to decide which is a better option.
We cut our crown into the original dirt road bed with a dozer and used an excavator to dig the ditches (1-2' deep). For anything more than a shallow ditch, an excavator is the best tool for the job by far. Later on, you can fine tune or re-grade the crown with tractor and box blade on the crusher run top layer. And you can always tweak the ditches with tractor and angled and offset rear blade, or with an angled box blade if it's wide enough (most are not).
I was prepared to lay a bed of rail ballast or #3 for our entire roadway and then top with crusher run (3/4 minus here). The guy doing the initial work suggested only using #3 where the ground was obviously soft or had issues. Four years later, and it looks like he was right. Everything is rock solid and has held up very well to construction traffic and follow-on use (had a cement truck out once each of the following years and no further compaction). I think there was only one small spot where I added more #3.
One thing I did do was put down another layer of crusher run about 8 months after we moved in, as a final smoothing/grading. I am sure that helped, and I think it was smart to wait to give everything time to settle.
I think heavier equipment is needed for spreading large amounts of ballast or #3 (small areas can be done with a box blade with surprisingly good results). For crusher run however, a tractor and box blade is all you need -- provided you can get the truck operator to spread the crusher run on delivery. They can get it about 85% good, and then you follow up with a box blade to finalize things. Both times I have put down crusher run, the results achieved with tractor and box blade were very good and impressive.
If you don't have a lot of experience with a box blade, read up here -- lots of good topics. Angle of attack and angle/bite of the rear cutting edges is the key. Hydraulic top link also key. If the delivery truck can lay down the crusher run, you'll then go over it with a tractor with the box blade angled up in front so that the rear cutting edge is feathered and doing more smoothing than digging. The box blade needs to be all the way down (floating the 3-pt hitch) so that any up/down motions of the tractor axles do not create dips and bumps. A land plane or grader box implement is going to do the same thing but with a much longer frame to eliminate the dip/bump problem even further and smooth even better. While a box blade can actually move material (removing high spots and then depositing the material in low spots) a land plane is more about grading and smoothing and not as capable of moving material. Either will work for your application, but consider long term needs/use to decide which is a better option.
We cut our crown into the original dirt road bed with a dozer and used an excavator to dig the ditches (1-2' deep). For anything more than a shallow ditch, an excavator is the best tool for the job by far. Later on, you can fine tune or re-grade the crown with tractor and box blade on the crusher run top layer. And you can always tweak the ditches with tractor and angled and offset rear blade, or with an angled box blade if it's wide enough (most are not).
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I remodel homes for a living and I've found that the most frustrating thing is estimating when I can start the next job, and even worse, the fourth or fifth one. Clients will often add on to a job, or make changes once the job gets started that totally destroy my timeline. I add to the cost of the job when they do this, but it makes it impossible to know when I can start jobs this summer. Three good examples on the job I'm doing right now. They doubled the size of the deck I'm going to build them, we found original pine flooring under five layers of vinyl in the kitchen that they decided they wanted to save and instead of granite counters, I'm installing red oak flooring. None of this was bid on originally, and it's added weeks and many thousands of dollars to the job. My next job was supposed to start the first of the year, but now I'll be lucky to get to them by the middle of the month. I told them this and they replied with a list of things they want to add to their job. The job after that has also emailed me a list of 15 things they want added to their job. I don't know where everyone gets all the money to do these things, but it's been a pattern that makes estimating a start time very, very hard.
s219
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Eddie, that happens to me too, and it's a mixed blessing. I'm glad for the extra work and like keeping customers happy, but it ends up possibly delaying future jobs and may test the patience of the upcoming customers. I have learned to build in an extra week for every month I schedule out ahead. It's like planning in a buffer and really helps.
Contractors are no different than doctors or any other profession. They are made up of a variety of individuals with a wide range of personalities, work habits, communication and social skills. Just like all of us on here. What if all of us were contractors? I know I would steer clear of some of you, based on what I read here (no names please 
). I would also have a pretty quick short list of people I would start with that I would trust. I think about these things when I'm talking to some doctors, wondering "how the @#$% does he have any patients?".
). I would also have a pretty quick short list of people I would start with that I would trust. I think about these things when I'm talking to some doctors, wondering "how the @#$% does he have any patients?". 
Industrial Toys
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I said calling customers to cancel or re-book was not a good feeling. NOT that I didn't do it. I have been business for 25 years and never spent a nickle on advertising. All word of mouth referals. I just handed a customer an unusually large bill. They complained. Told me to t I should raise my hourly rate. I'm guessing my ideas can't be all wrong!
And yes, you can get the biggest contractors to show up. You will pay through the nose for every minute their employees put on their time sheets. And if the project is quoted, the cost will be even higher.
Trouble is, customers often want everything.
And yes, you can get the biggest contractors to show up. You will pay through the nose for every minute their employees put on their time sheets. And if the project is quoted, the cost will be even higher.
Trouble is, customers often want everything.
adventure bob
Platinum Member
If you have a tractor and the time the satisfaction of doing it would be worth it. If you need it done like now then you should prbly hire someone. If it were mine, Id do it. I just did on of my driveways, about 1000ft but on a very steep grade. Started the ditches as well. Ill get them finished up soon. I have to put in two culverts and get all the feed grade right, but I figure I have a tractor, why pay someone else?
turnkey4099
Elite Member
Amen to that. I sell a round 10 cord a year firewood. I am cutting off one customer due to repeated appointments (he wants to haul his own) no shows, no calls. failure toanswer my messages. Businesses that fail to keep the customers informed should fail.,
sixdogs
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On a recent project where I was going to move a large hill and cut a country driveway down nearly two feet in places, I spent a few calls explaining the timing and process and to reduce angst when a track hoe, dozer and dump trucks showed up on a stately property. Explained potential for delay if it rained too much plus answered questions in advance. We texted several times, mostly on very light things and I kept them informed when things went wrong. Something usually does. Some things were delayed but they correctly blamed the circumstances and not me. It was OK.
They were thrilled with the communication and I have done more things for them plus have been referred. Treat people like you want to be treated, listen to what they say, do quality work, admit it when you are both wrong or right and the world will beat a path to your door. It's not difficult.
They were thrilled with the communication and I have done more things for them plus have been referred. Treat people like you want to be treated, listen to what they say, do quality work, admit it when you are both wrong or right and the world will beat a path to your door. It's not difficult.