Landscape rake or rear blade for gravel driveway?

[PHPaul]

I'd disagree. As the owner of a steep gravel driveway, I think you are going need to move the gravel back to the center to maintain the crown, not move gravel along the driveway. A back blade is the tool for this. In a steep driveway maintaining the crown is critical because the water wants to run down the driveway, creating ruts, rather than off to the side.

See https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/299055-grading-interesting-driveway.html?highlight=interesting+driveway for an illustration.

True, but I can crown with my box blade too. Granted, it's easier with a straight blade, especially if a LOT of material needs to be moved to the center.

 

[Geotech]

My driveway is over 1/2 mile long & pretty steep in 2 areas. Got some loads of crusher run yesterday & was talking to the delivery driver & he said I should rake as little as possible since it allows the fines to go through the rake tines & that a rear blade is better b/c it moves all the aggregate & doesn't separate. Once separated the it doesn't pack as well & the fines can was off easier, especially on the hilly parts. I've only had this place a little over a year now so I'm still new to DW maintenance, does this sound right?

The advice is correct.

Not to side track too much here...I have sand soil that eats up the aggregate. Does raking help to bring the aggregate back to the surface better than box blading?

 

[Egon]

Not to side track too much here...I have sand soil that eats up the aggregate. Does raking help to bring the aggregate back to the surface better than box blading?

It all depends on deep the tines will go, their spacing and the size of the aggregate. Chances are only large pieces of aggregate will be brought up. The box blade may not do much as it may not get deep enough.

You need a piece of equipment that allows you to move the soil sideways and allow you to get to the aggregate. Then move it all back while mixing it.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Every implement has a main purpose. I'm not going to go into what you need, I happen to have 4 different types (1000lbs or more) for maintaining my drives and fence lines.

My advice as far as any ground shaping implement, get the best and heaviest unit you can afford. All the built in weight makes the implement very strong and the implement, what ever type it is simply works better.

Light weight implements may have their place, but it IS NOT shaping a drive. :thumbdown:

 

[fried1765]

True, but I can crown with my box blade too. Granted, it's easier with a straight blade, especially if a LOT of material needs to be moved to the center.

Can you angle adjust your box blade ?

 

[Halftrack]

Since Coolbrze did not mention what implements he had available, I concur with Thomas and would suggest a combo- rake/blade. My typical maintenance involves using the blade to pull edge gravel to the center, 2 passes each way. Then with the blade at 90 degrees, grade the center pile to both sides to cover the wheel tracks. This leaves the center relatively undisturbed and maintains the crown. With the gauge wheels, the critical part of the rake/blade is the chain top link which allows small adjustments to the blade depth. The rake will pull up the gravel, but I seldom utilize it. The combo's weak point is your are not going to cut a ditch with the blade.

 

[RoyKing]

If your drive is all aggregate no grass then you mainly want to get the tire ruts out, so tilt the box, put the cleats down on the outside edges, leave middle blank float the box at neutral angle and it will move the edge and the middle into the rut. then pull all cleats and float it back to straight. 6 passes and your done.


If you've got a grass runner down the middle and two ruts then you've got more work because you got to bring dirt to the ruts because the water and wear have moved the soil somewhere. Now you have to fill the box and straddle the ruts dumping the box as you go. That's why I put speed humps in because the washed fill lands in front of the humps. Less distance to move it.


I find a box scraper will move more dirt over greater distance than a blade will, I lower the draft with a moderate dig angle and when full I raise the draft until it no longer digs but doesn't dump, then when I get where I want the dirt come up on the draft a little and the draft will cause it to start dumping. And repeat as necessary.


After you get hang of it you won't be sitting sideways on the seat but the draft handle will always be in one hand, lucky my unit has hand adjustable stops, but only one so I bought another so I have float and dump settings and dig is just down.


I sure hope my new M7060 can do the job as well as my old 1966 ford 3000. Between the drop rate screw and the three position top link my draft control can be very sensitive or in different with the sod buster.

 

[Paystar]

1. The advice, as noted, is correct.

2. I'd vote "neither" and go with a box blade. MUCH more generally useful for moving dirt than a straight back blade. Not, however, particularly useful for moving snow if that's a consideration.

I agree.....box blade. It helps pack it too. And you can put a crown on......just adjust your 3pt lift arm.

 

[oosik]

I have always used a rear blade on the driveway. Current rear blade - Rhino 950 - 96" & 1100 pounds. It will clean the ditches, maintain the crown and clear snow. I use my roll-over-box-blade (ROBB) to repair pot holes - it has tines. My driveway is a mile long gravel.

 

[AGTtactical]

I'd disagree. As the owner of a steep gravel driveway, I think you are going need to move the gravel back to the center to maintain the crown, not move gravel along the driveway. A back blade is the tool for this. In a steep driveway maintaining the crown is critical because the water wants to run down the driveway, creating ruts, rather than off to the side.

See https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/299055-grading-interesting-driveway.html?highlight=interesting+driveway for an illustration.

It think this is correct. We have a nice half mile driveway with no ruts, either on or adjacent to the road despite the road rising nearly 200' to the house site...mainly because we crowned it correctly, something I could never do as well with a box blade (at least I couldn't). The grading blade also lets me offset almost two feet, so I can pull gravel back onto the road where I want it without getting into the soft ground off the road. Water runs off to the sides of the road, and we have several turnouts to keep the water from running along the road as well...the turnouts were fairly wide, so you can't even tell they are there today unless you are looking for them. We have no speed bumps and no ditches either...everything sheet flows away from the road into the woods. It really helps to have a good base...we put 22 loads of #34 down.
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