Grading--what am I doing to cause this?

[mechtheist]

I don't have a lot of experience doing this basic task. See the photo, I've used both a blade and box blade and keep getting these ripples and have no clue why. I've tried it with the lift arm float mechanism in and out and the slow-return lift adjustment loose and nearly off and nothing gets rid of the ripple. The tractor is a Branson 3520 and it doesn't have draft control, not sure if that would help. I'm in cenral Texas hill country, v hard ground, very rocky, I usually try to do any grading when the road is just a bit wet. Anyone have any ideas? Is it something obvious and I'm just too much a noob? Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Have tractor did travel]

My guess - the grader blade is perpendicular behind the tractor. Change the angle to about 30 degrees.
Remember to keep the road crowned in the center. You want water to run off to the side, not follow the road.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

By only looking at the "after" picture, and not being able to watch the process, my first thought is that your blade(s) are too light in weight, and you are just bouncing along at every bump in the road.

Try adding some weight to the blade. Does your box blade have scarfiers? If so, put them down a couple inches below the blade depth and have at it again.

 

[Hay Dude]

Slowpoke Slim is right. Each time your blade encounters a rock, it jumps up slightly, causing the rippling effect.

A heavier blade will dig those rocks just below the surface out and make a smoother job.

Another thing you can do is get a pile of screenings or rock dust at the top of your driveway and drag it in front of your blade to fill in between the ripples.

 

[mechtheist]

Thanks, I'll definitely try that, not sure what angle it's been set at but I have varied that to some extent but not paying enough attention to it. That reminds me of another thing I can't understand, I try to set it so it's just barely touching the surface and take off, it's doing fine and then it's digging in enough to grab a lot of dirt, go back to where I was and it's barely touching the surface and go again and it's digging in again. Once it's reasonably flat, how does that happen, it seems like it ought to be a fixed geometry? It's like there's a gravity anomaly in one section of my drive.

 

[mechtheist]

That was to 'Have tractor will travel', didn't see the next two.

So add some weight, that's a good idea, makes sense, lower the resonant frequency kinda thing, thanks.

 

[Tx Jim]

What MPH are you utilizing for grading? My guess is too fast.

 

[LD1]

Blade too light for how hard the ground is.

You need at LEAST 100 pounds per foot of blade. And even that will still ripple if its really hard.

Heavier the better....and possibly gauge wheels or skid shoes to keep from digging TOO deep

 

[Egon]

Put on some gauge wheels or skids.

 

[Rockbadchild]

dragging a diamond harrow would help for making loose ... put all your loose material in a windrow then re spread it ... that's how graders do it. like don't try to make a nice job right away ... put all the loose material on the center of the road then spread it back to the side.