? for those with BB wheels

[ninefinger]

Read all I could find in search but what I did not find out is do the wheels make the blade work well enough that a rake is not necessary. I do not yet have a rake so dragging a pallet with a couple of concrete blocks in it is doing well enough for small areas right now, sort of embarrassing but it is seat time. This is after I have done the best I can with the box.

 

[Tig]

I use a BB with gauge wheel and TnT to grade and maintain my lane. I'm happy with the result. I do not have a rake. On comment on my setup is I would make the gauge wheel three times as wide next time so it does not sink in soft material.

 

[ninefinger]

Tig, do you have solid tires or inflated ones? Looking around for materials most of what I have found is 2" wide tires. I am not sure how wide a bushhog tail wheel is, that may be an option. Thanks, Bill

 

[Tig]

I have a 10" solid wheel that is 2" wide. It it much too skinny for most jobs. Two, 3 or 4" wide wheels would work much better.
I made a grader mod for my BB and I use that now. It has 3" wide tail skids instead of gauge wheels. It works great for grading and leveling.

 

[ninefinger]

Tig I had thought about skids, I have access to some that were too worn for a large flail mower. Are your skids rigid mounted or did you mount a rocking pivot. Also is there a problem with them digging in when you make a turn or do you just lift the box until you get back in the proper position to work? Thanks, Bill

 

[Tig]

Here is what I meant by tail skids. They are made from 3" angle and are turned up slightly in the front like skis.

They are part of a "grader blade" frame that I bolt under my box blade.
I find that the top n tilt is essential for getting things done. I can have both blades of the grader digging or I can taper off the material in the box at the end of a run.

 

[Tig]

With the grader frame on, the BB cutting edge is an inch higher than the grader blades. It's function is to spread loose gravel as evenly as possible after the grader blades dig it up. Here is a pic of the frame off of the BB.

It does a pretty good job of tumbling the gravel to mix in the fines as long as there is no grass or sticks in the mix.

 

[ninefinger]

Tig, thanks for the pictures, your set up is nothing like I had pictured in my head. Very clever design. I am beginning to think I may not need a rake, not sure that is a good thing. I will have to experiment with some different modifications.

 

[Tig]

Thanks ninefinger. The design is inspired by information and ideas I gathered here at TBN.
I like to work the lane after it has rained but not when there are puddles. Makes it soft for my small tractor and it packs well afterward. Ideally the gravel should be dug up and tumbled into a wind row in the center of the road. Then tumbled back and spread out evenly while restoring the crown. It also would be nice to have a roller to pack the lane after it has been graded while the moisture content is still high.
I'm still planning my roller.
I've heard lots of good things about rakes, but I have no experience with them.

 

[ninefinger]

Tig, cheap way out on your roller would be a 55 gallon drum with plates welded to the ends and a modified Y that you could hook to a draw bar. Fill the drum with water and you should have plenty of weight. Just not sure what to use to hook the Y to the plates.