How to grade a road that has "ripples"

[airbiscuit]

I have a rear blade and a box blade, but here are my two preferred weapons for maintaining a 1/2 mile drive:

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Sorry, don't know what a LPGS is.

14% ?? I was told my paved drive was 24% and that's why he refused to pave it but I do believe he was full of it. My pickup even in 4wd will dig it up and we've had many commercial snow plowers refuse to price it.

btw, I was finally able to find a paver who does the interstate but he got $16k for 400ft back in '04.

The pictures show a heavy duty 5' LPGS. This type of implement will make short work of wash boarding. :thumbsup:

 

[rekees4300]

The pictures show a heavy duty 5' LPGS. This type of implement will make short work of wash boarding. :thumbsup:

Bingo that's the proper tool for the job. Good ones are available at Dual Edge Land Leveler Land Plane Utility Grader V2.0

 

[IHDiesel73L]

My Grandfather used Water Bars to control wash boarding on gravel roads... that and making sure people drive SLOW.

+1 on water bars. My neighbor and I maintain our 1/2 mile gravel road which is only flat for about the first 600' or so from the county road. The rest of the road has a gentle downslope for the rest of the way and we have water bars probably every 30-40 yards or so.

 

[CalG]

I have a rear blade and a box blade, but here are my two preferred weapons for maintaining a 1/2 mile drive:

View attachment 570372

Ha Ha!

When we first got into this place 30+ years ago, the neighbor had one of those pull behind graders.

I hooked on with the Fordson to service the road. It worked a treat on the way down hill, but was just too much to pull up again with the blade carrying any material at all. I wanted to preserve the crown on the road, and making adjustments after making an empty pass was just tiring. Then the big sector gear that sets the blade angle broke and the old implement was hauled off into the woods.

We tried though!

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

+1 on water bars. My neighbor and I maintain our 1/2 mile gravel road which is only flat for about the first 600' or so from the county road. The rest of the road has a gentle downslope for the rest of the way and we have water bars probably every 30-40 yards or so.

Yup, when you're steep and straight down, it's the only way to avoid washouts.

 

[LouNY]

I have a steep driveway also, 14-16 degrees which comes to 25-29% slope, with an "S" curve in it.
I don't use a crown I do water cuts instead of water bars, when I dress mine I turn my back blade around and pull it backwards with it set at an angle it will move material sideways and fill and pack the low spots after a few passes the ripples "washboards" will clean up.
the following video is mine in the winter

 

[/pine]

FWIW...Grades cited as a percentage are a rise/run ratio...since percentages use a factor of 100...whatever the grade is (in the OP's case 14) the cited figure is the difference in elevation in 100 linear feet...so a 14% grade changes 14' in 100... a 100% grade would be a 45* angle...

As for the wash-boarding remove the gauge wheels and set the rake on an angle...make a pass or three and then make whatever adjustments to the attitude and angle of the rake to increase efficiency...

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

I have a steep driveway also, 14-16 degrees which comes to 25-29% slope, with an "S" curve in it.
I don't use a crown I do water cuts instead of water bars, when I dress mine I turn my back blade around and pull it backwards with it set at an angle it will move material sideways and fill and pack the low spots after a few passes the ripples "washboards" will clean up.
the following video is mine in the winter

Assume a "water cut" is just a ditch running cross-wise, whereas a water bar is a "speed bump." Mine are both, a shallow ditch plus a small speed bump.

Agree a crown is of limited use on that grade. The only reason I do a very slight crown is to avoid the water sluicing down the center.

 

[airbiscuit]

So, when you use your York Rake, do you have it set straight across, or set at an angle?