Gravel drive attachment recommendations??

[dingleberry]

I am getting ready to purchase a 3 pt attachment for grading leveling and maintenance of my gravel drive and barnyard. I do not want to mention what I am considering purchasing so as not to taint anyone's recommendation. My tractor is 25 hp 4wd and am thinking of a 5' blade. What is best box blade, regular blade, york rake etc.

I may want to use it for other chores such as pushing snow, (currently use FEL), or grading dirt in new yard etc.

Thanks for the input.
D

 

[BigAl]

Hey Dingleberry ,
If moving snow is one of its major uses then I would vote for the angle blade attachment . If I am going to be using it mainly for grading my drive , grading the front yard and so forth ,I would want a box blade . I like to be able to grab a pile of gravel or dirt with the box blade and spread it to where I want it .Some guys on TBN swear by a landscape rake for grading a driveway ,but I don't own one yet .
Oh, by the way . Welcome to the club ! The new guy is suppose to buy the first round of drinks ! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Big Al

 

[LMTC]

I maintain 300' of gravel drive and about 10-12,000 sq ft of gravel lot. Box blade. Now for removing snow a grader blade is top dog, but it doesn't carry excess gravel from high places to low places nearly as effectively as a box blade.

 

[dingleberry]

Good advice, I was going to go with a box blade with the ripper shanks that can be moved up out of the way. I currently use my FEL for moving snow, (works decent) so I am not in dire need of this attachment for snow removal. I just wanted some other input on what some of you guys think is best. I have used a regular back blade in the past, and the ability to drag gravel and not have it run off in the grass sounds great. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif.

Hey Big Al thanks for the welcome, I am always willing to buy the first round as long as someone else buys the rest of them /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. Let's meet halfway, maybe Nebraska??!! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

D

 

[Indydirtfarmer]

To maintain my gravel drive, I like to run over it a few times a year with my 7' "pulverizer". It really does a slick job of leveling and somewhat packing it back down. If and/or when it needs serious attention, NOTHING takes the place of the box blade! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[bellweather]

I use a LandPride rake with flip-down blade, and gauge wheels. The wheels are a must is you want to get smooth results. As for snow removal, I believe the grading blade is the best and most economical choice. I have no experience with box blades, but I am very satsified with the resuts I get with the rake. Good luck and don't wait too long on your purchase...a whole lot of snow is on the way!

 

[deereman63]

i recently tried to grade my gravel drive with an angled back blade and it was disaster. Far to aggressive I wrote in another thread that the drive looked like a World War 1 battlefield, trenches et al.

so im in the process of purchasing a box blade. The rear blade will still be useful in pulling material back into the drive but to get a level surface the box blade i understand is the way to go.

 

[BubbaJr]

First of all, welcome to TBN, neighbor. I use a box blade, back blade and loader to maintain my gravel driveway. It depends on what you are trying to accomplish as to which tool you use. I also have a rake, but I don't use it anymore. I think I'm going to get another couple of loads of gravel this spring for the drive, and I'll probably use all 3 tools to smooth it out.

Good Luck /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[chriswheeler]

I have a 5' box scraper and a 5" rake. After the snow melts off, the rake seams to bring the gravel back to the top and smooth things out. I use the FEL and the box for clearing the snow being carefull not to contact the drive. Setting the rake at a angle takes care of the edges and setting in the center takes care of the crown of the road. I have about 425 feet of drive. Box scraper would work if I had more gradeing to do, more holes to fill, I find it is more than needed for now. So far 5' of snow here. Think the 7' compaction roll I'm makeing will be a nice finishing tool in the spring. 24" pipe, 7' long, water filled, 2300 lbs. Should be finished for use this spring, see what happens. Locals have said that care is necessary, overworking will drive the gravel into the dirt if overworked or to much traffic for the surface thickness. End up buying fresh gravel every summer that way when all turns to mud. I'm new to this, this is my second winter here, lots to learn.
Chris

 

[tim_s]

There are many uses for all three attachments mentioned here. I've found the box blade the most all around useful. The other thing that I have found that works good to finish the gravel is a big ole heavy chain harrow. Almost hate to drive on it after using that....

 

[KennedyDiesel]

If the gravel is not yet frozen, you need to use skid shoes OR flip your rear blade around backwards so it does not cut in. This greatly lessens the effectiveness of the blade. I also flip the blade around for light finish grading the gravel.

I have a 54" front blade for my 455 that works well so long as the shoes are set properly.

For light finish work, and weed ripping in the gravel I still like my home built floating drag behind my 455 with a couple of cement blocks for weight. The front arms are like this: \ / only less angle, and the rear about 3' behind and is straight. I made this about 10 years ago. I also plan to try a box blade

 

[KYMike]

I have used my angle blade to smooth my gravel drive, but always turn it backwards. Smoother than that, though, is to use the FEL backwards in float position. Adjust bite with the bucket angle. Since I got a FEL, I don't use a box blade anymore.

 

[tomrscott]

I've got around 1000 feet of gravel, some of it VERY steep.

I've got a 30hp 4wd, with a 65" Frontier box blade. As others have said, the box blade with adjustable scarifier teeth works great for re-distributing gravel, but I think I am going to make a back blade too. I need to cut some drainage on the sides and rebuild the crown. I think an angled and tilted back blade will do that job better than a box blade.

I have an old water softener tank that I am thinking about cutting up to make a blade with.

 

[beenthere]

The closer you can get to a 'road grader' design (long distance between the support wheels and the angling blade), the better will be the attachment for grading, leveling, and distributing gravel.Nothing on the 3pt will really do the job as well, but something with gage wheels and the ability to angle will likely be your best bet. In combination with a box blade (too bad they don't also angle as well), the angling blade with wheels would work pretty good.
A Harley Rake also works good to distribute gravel.
After getting the gravel well mixed, smoothed out, and distributed evenly, then packing the gravel before it dries out is what I found to give the best results.

 

[KennedyDiesel]

I saw a Kubota at the dealer with a belly blade that looked pretty cool. I seem to recall multiple control valves for various tilting and angling operations.

 

[beenthere]

I think a belly blade would be great for dressing a gravel driveway.

 

[tiltbed]

well my drive finally dried out enough that i could do something with it...what i have is ...a... well i don`t know what to call it..but it does a beautiful job on drives..it is an I beam...aprox 8" heighth by 12" with by 6'...looks like 12 railroad spikes in the front and 12 on the rear.exceptially heavy.my drive was getting so pot holed that i almost have to lock the hubs in on the old F150....it took about 4 or 5 swipes untill the teeth(spikes?) worked their way in to the gravel...but once they broke through the packed top and brought up fresh...thats when it started looking like an interstate...wife came home from work while i was waxing the tractor and asked if i finally broke down and brought some gravel.... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif...now that cold beer i was drinking really tasted soooooooooo much better. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif...any how i don`t believe this thing is home made...there is an old tag on the side but can`t be read...any one know what in the world i have?...Sid

 

[Jrrcorp]

I have probably spred 1000 tandem loads of bankrun gravel, crushed stone, and eveything in between over the last 25 years using my 5' grader box and FEL. If your a good machine operator and have a good feel for your machine, you can do a great job with this combination. It's slower than using a dozer but you can fine tune things easier. Also, if your lucky enough to have a top-n-tilt 3-point hitch it's even easier. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif