Road and Driveway maintenance

[N80]

I think a BB with a TnT would be fine for maintaining a road but most people don't have a TnT. For moving gravel and light dirt around, crowning and such, a rear blade seems like the cheapest option.

For renovating a badly worn or very old road I think a BB would be very useful, but still hard to make a crown without a TnT.

The graders shown above look great for flat level roads, but I'm not sure how you'd make a crown and or ditches with them unless the crown was already there.

When I can afford new gravel for my cabin drive, I will dig the current drive up and level things out with the BB and then hope to get a rear blade to crown and ditch and spread gravel. But man is gravel ever expensive!

 

[schmism]

id agree with other posters about a BB blade being good for cutting new roads, and or rehabing old worn out roads that need pot hols cut out with scarafiers etc.

but when it comes to maintaining a half way decent road bed, a rear blade is going to SO much more quicker and usefull.

 

[Renze]

It might be an option to buy a box blade and add one or two extra lower link arm brackets, to mount the whole thing under an angle when needed. that would give you the versatility of both. Though limited, it might be a fair compromise between overall versatility of the box blade, and the crowning ability of the grader blade.

I have the moldboard ready for the grader i want to build. I was just thinking, i have stainless saw blades of an old silage block cutter, which i could weld on as a wear edge. If it was sharp enough to cut silage for 20 years with no visible wear, it must hold up as well when it is used to maintain farm roads every spring (before the manure spreading season) and late summer (before the rain season)

 

[Egon]

Box blade -- rear blade ??

Both work very well in their intended usage.

Box blades are terrific for small confined spaces. As soon as you get long distances the back blade with gauge wheels will shine. The significant thing is being able to roll a windrow of material back and forth on long distances. This action usually lays down a little material as each pass is made and also keeps segregation to a minimum. In the process of rolling the windrow back and forth the low spots are filled till you have an even surface. Box blades are not designed for this function.

Now for the final answer?? a grader will do the best job, especially if the operator is willing to talk back cause that means he's good and has a job in waiting.

 

[kcook]

I have got to ask, what is TnT?

KC

 

[patrick_g]

+++Can you explain how the box scraper will work spreading out a pile of limestone dumped in one place? Do you use the FEL first, THEN use the box scraper? +++

If the gravel is dumped by an end dump in one compact pile then the FEL is a good way to start spreading it.

If it is dumped by a belly dump (better for you and a load is larger and it is usually more economical. Then I drive along the elongated pile and can use FEL, box blade, or both to knock the top off the elongated pyramidal pile in one or more long passes. As soon as can be done with an acceptable degree of safety I drive on top of the long pile, again with FEL, box, or both. and remove the top of the pile. As soon as the gravel fills the box and or bucket it flows sideways (desired action) and begins to get wide instead of tall. Depending on the size of the gravel and % of fines etc. I may or may not have the HP or traction to use both the bucket and the box simultaneously. This works very quickly and does a good job. Once I have the gravel relatively well scattered I use the box mostly. After the job is well started I do some back dragging with the bucket. It is an experience thing, which end of the tractor to use when.

+++Does your Box scraper tilt by hydraulics to angle to create the crown in the middle? I know I can do this with the adjuster on my rear 3-point, just takes a few more minutes to get off and monkey with the arm.+++

Frankly I'd be hating life if I didn't have hydraulic Top and Tilt (TNT) I adjust the blade a lot while working and I can't imagine being able or willing to get on and off the tractor dozens if not hundreds of times to make adjustments. I'd have to find a different way of working and probably would be posting about how I don't like the box blade and don't find it so useful. I have three independent hydraulic adjustments of the blade: 1. left and right tilt, 2. "curl", i.e. angle of attack, and 3. raise and lower the whole thing. Having a blade on the back so I can back up and use it like a mini-dozer is also very nice.

+++ a back scraper blade would probably work best for snow removal.+++

I find that backing up to it with the Box Blade is nearly as good as a variable back blade and I don't have to change implements AGAIN! I have done some minor snow removal with the FEL and it works ok for me. If climate change brings south central Oklahoma lots more snow then I will likely look for a way to mount my adjustable angle back blade up front on the FEL which I feel would be a superior snow handling system.

+++ The box scraper with a little adjusting will do all the road maintenance well EXCEPT the snow removal.+++

Used while backing up, the box blade can do pretty good with snow. My angle blade can be reversed and used backing the tractor up too. Snow removal always works better if you don't have to drive through the snow with the tractor for the implement to get to the snow, i.e. better if the implement hits the snow first. This is why I recommend backing up with the box or the angle blade and why I think an angle blade mounted on the FEL wild be the best of all the stuff mentioned.

++Did I sum this up correctly?+++

Except for minor differences you did fine, Dave

Pat

(Gratuitous extra characters to please the post processor.)

 

[Tig]

I have got to ask, what is TnT?

KC

Hydraulic top link and hydraulic side link on a three point hitch. Top and Tilt. T&T or TnT

 

[patrick_g]

Kcook, TNT is a terrific thing. It lets you easily make repetitive adjustments that you would never make with manual adjustments as it is too time consuming. With the box blade I can adjust the angle of attack and spill out gravel in a thin steady stream wth much better control than raising and lowering the 3PH. Likewise for scraping in the dirt. A back blade really works well with hydraulic tilt control which lets you react to varying conditions as they occur, sometimes gradually not all at once. There is just no way anyone is going to make fine continuous adjustments to a manually adjusted top or side link as they are moving along.

There is virtually no comparison to manually adjusting 3PH vs TNT. Of course, if you are row cropping in a well smoothed field or just mowing a "putting green" lawn and only make one set of adjustments per day then TNT is no big deal.

The difference between TNT and manual adjust is at least 1000 times the difference between a manual and an automatic tranny in a car. It would be more like the difference between hand cranking and electric start on a car that died every couple minutes.

Pat

 

[darkviper]

Hoelscher Commercial Products - GR Grader

this would be the best for roads both grading and touching up. However i have not priced it yet but looks very expensive. But would give you the most flexability I just like the expensive toys so i had to throw this in here

of course if you were real serious then go all the way with the one pass solution
Caterpillar: Products>Machines

go for the cat 24 M now you are playing with power)

 

[patrick_g]

I just like the expensive toys so i had to throw this in here

Be sure to post pix of you on your copy of any of these expensive toys you are using on a project. It is always good to see a concrete example of a tool in use.

Pat