Grading--what am I doing to cause this?

   / Grading--what am I doing to cause this? #91  
mechtheist said:
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.
View attachment 725180
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   / Grading--what am I doing to cause this? #92  
mechtheist said:
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.
View attachment 725180
Click to expand...
 
   / Grading--what am I doing to cause this? #93  
The two grader operators do a terrific job keeping all of the gravel roads in our RM in good shape. They do the road in 3 sweeps - once down one side to get the gravel to the centre, then the other side on the return sweep, winding up with a pile of gravel in the centre of the road. The final sweep is down the centre of the road, so the road is close to level in the centre, but lower on the edges.
While I don't particularly like driving on the road just after it's been done, because it's like driving on marbles, with a bit of traffic, which is sparse around here, two smooth tracks develop, and it becomes almost like driving on pavement, but there are a couple of places where I normally drive where there's always been the "washboard" road you describe.
I'm not sure why it's only, and pretty much always, in the same spots. I don't think it has all that much to do with the weight. Not only is the blade itself very heavy, but it's solidly attached to a very heavy grader, not floating, like my snow blade. Other than the final sweep, which is only for spreading the gravel, instead of scraping the road, the blade is always angled.
I realize that I'm not providing you with a solution here, more like an explanation. Maybe the road bed itself is different in those spots, and yours may have a similar problem.
 
   / Grading--what am I doing to cause this?
  • Thread Starter
#94  
Paul40 said:
The two grader operators do a terrific job keeping all of the gravel roads in our RM in good shape. They do the road in 3 sweeps - once down one side to get the gravel to the centre, then the other side on the return sweep, winding up with a pile of gravel in the centre of the road. The final sweep is down the centre of the road, so the road is close to level in the centre, but lower on the edges.
While I don't particularly like driving on the road just after it's been done, because it's like driving on marbles, with a bit of traffic, which is sparse around here, two smooth tracks develop, and it becomes almost like driving on pavement, but there are a couple of places where I normally drive where there's always been the "washboard" road you describe.
I'm not sure why it's only, and pretty much always, in the same spots. I don't think it has all that much to do with the weight. Not only is the blade itself very heavy, but it's solidly attached to a very heavy grader, not floating, like my snow blade. Other than the final sweep, which is only for spreading the gravel, instead of scraping the road, the blade is always angled.
I realize that I'm not providing you with a solution here, more like an explanation. Maybe the road bed itself is different in those spots, and yours may have a similar problem.
Click to expand...
I think the rippling is only going to happen when the road is pretty hard, softer ground would not support the kind of forces needed to move the blade fast enough, at least that's my poorly-informed thinking.
 
   / Grading--what am I doing to cause this? #95  
mechtheist said:
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.
View attachment 725180
Click to expand...
I see several problems. 1: tractor only has position control. Front wheels go over a ripple the blade mounted behind the rear wheels go down. Then back wheels hit the ripple and come up causing the blade to exaggerate and go even higher. 2: blade too light 3:blade behind the back axle exaggerates tractor movements.
I had added draft control to my Ford 1320 which helped but not enough. I added a gauge wheel out back so tractor rear axle went over ripples etc the blade only moves up half the distance. Someone mentioned 100lbs per foot of blade width. IMO that is not enough but would depend on soil being graded. For my soil at least 200lbs per ft or down pressure on the 3pt hitch which I don’t have. Using rippers may help. I don’t know.
 
   / Grading--what am I doing to cause this? #96  
Add a lot of weight, slow down, put blade parallel with rear axle, don't go fast. You must 'cut' the ripples and valleys off. Scarify if possible several times.
 
   / Grading--what am I doing to cause this? #97  
mechtheist said:
I've never tried the blade backwards, others have mentioned it and it's a simple obvious thing I should have thought of. Turning the blade around I have done but for going backwards. 'Floating', does that mean you have a hydraulic top link in float?

Edit--your link isn' working for me, says I don't have permission. Would pretty please help?
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Yes I have a hydraulic top link but what I mean is by turning the blade backwards it floats over the ground and will not cut in. I can't get the link to work either. It was a picture of my blade, not important
 
   / Grading--what am I doing to cause this? #98  
You can float a box blade too by extending the top link out.
 
   / Grading--what am I doing to cause this? #100  
Paul40 said:
The two grader operators do a terrific job keeping all of the gravel roads in our RM in good shape. They do the road in 3 sweeps - once down one side to get the gravel to the centre, then the other side on the return sweep, winding up with a pile of gravel in the centre of the road. The final sweep is down the centre of the road, so the road is close to level in the centre, but lower on the edges.
While I don't particularly like driving on the road just after it's been done, because it's like driving on marbles, with a bit of traffic, which is sparse around here, two smooth tracks develop, and it becomes almost like driving on pavement, but there are a couple of places where I normally drive where there's always been the "washboard" road you describe.
I'm not sure why it's only, and pretty much always, in the same spots. I don't think it has all that much to do with the weight. Not only is the blade itself very heavy, but it's solidly attached to a very heavy grader, not floating, like my snow blade. Other than the final sweep, which is only for spreading the gravel, instead of scraping the road, the blade is always angled.
I realize that I'm not providing you with a solution here, more like an explanation. Maybe the road bed itself is different in those spots, and yours may have a similar problem.
Click to expand...
Washboard is usually at intersections where traffic speed changes dramatically and/or on steep inclines where wheel slippage gets them started.

The OP's problem is blade chatter.

Interesting to read all the posts and theories. All must be taken with a grain of salt. My roadbed type isn't like the OP's or like most of the posters. We should always consider that. What works for me might not work for the OP.

I've maintained 16,000 miles of gravel roads in NW Missouri over the past 32 years. But I don't know how to maintain his Texas road. I know theories and can offer suggestions that would work for me.

My first is to do the maintenance when the roadbed is damp. In the pic the roadbed is wayyyy too dry.

Interesting discussion though. :)
 
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