gravel driveway

[Ray2210]

I just bought a 48" box blade for my 2210 and couldn't be happier. I drop the rippers to the first notch and angle the front of the blade up so that the front blade only catches the high spots. A little gravel collects in the box and drops right out when I find a low spot. After a few passes I pull up the rippers and tip the front up a little more. The back cutting edge then works like a spatula further smoothing the gravel and packing it back in a bit. It's like a freshly frosted cake when I'm done.

 

[bg71361]

While I don't own a box blade, I am quite happy with my 7' rear blade, sometimes I pull forward sometimes backwards. Seems to work well.

Good Luck,
Bill

 

[daveinnh]

I use a 7' landscape rake behind a Kubota L4310. It works best about 2 events after mud season (~ mid April) when not too sloppy and again in Nov before frost gets in the ground. Our drive is about 700 LF, 8% slope for 500 LF, and is about 4-5" deep of crushed gravel over a woven geotextile. The drive subgrade is sand.

Our contractor who graded the road (town road discontinued in the 1920's) paid special attention to divert surface water off the road.

I use a rear blade to plow snow.

 

[rico304]

hi all. i have a gravel driveway about 500 feet long. once a year i would like to smooth out the ruts and bumps, sort of "grade" it. i back dragged it with my bucket, and the results were acceptable, but seemed like quite an effort. which implement would do a better job, and why - a york landscape rake, a back blade, or box blade? i have a L3130, HST. thanks.

So, what did you decide on? Did you try both?

 

[bbirder]

Anyone have a "twin path"? Two lanes of gravel or stone with grass down the middle. I would be interested in any ideas to grade or level out the potholes in one of these. I have one about 600ft long that is hard to control.

 

[headleyj]

similar question here so I'll tack onto this thread:

have 1/4 mi drive, semi-established gravel drive. 7's on it now, fairly comapcted, but mud is pushing up through upon thaws. Have a load of 2's on site I'm using to "fill in" low spots and where the mud is pushing through. (I'll try to cut drainage ditches on teh side of the drive with teh yard box too)

Do I continue to fill with 2's, compact them, then top coat with 7's?

How do I get rid of bumps? Do you jsut continue to drag and drag....and drag? Do you drop the teeth at all? New to all this.

 

[dqdave1]

Guage wheels on a rake will keep it more uniform and level. The wheels act like a road grader.

 

[sixdogs]

I lived north of Bngor for 25 years and understand the "bank run" gravel you are likely dealing with. While it won't work in other places, you can fill those holes, probably because the soil is mostly gravel anyway.
I tried all of the above and the rock rake wins many times over. You do not need gauge wheels but do need a heavier rake. weights will help. If you want a crown tilt to the sharpest setting and rake inward on each side. Then make a straight pass down the center without setting it all the way on the ground. Draft control on the tractor makes a big difference.
I did mine in the spring after things had dried out and the frost was gone. Maybe late May. Sometimes did in fall as well. Is a quick job and don't be afraid to order a load of bank run gravel.
I had a 500 ft drive plus, at times, the 3/4 mile road the town was slow to grade.
Good luck.