Rough driveway needs to be smoothed

[smfcpacfp]

My addition to my driveway is pretty rough after last winter. My driveway is gravel. I have a box blade but that would make bigger adjustments than I need. My neighbor drags a set of box springs with a few cement blocks for weight to smooth his.

Does anyone sell, does some ingenious person here have a better way to smooth a driveway? I am looking for ideas.

 

[brin]

Why not use you box blade and put your scarifcers down just a little bit and run all over it and it should smooth and even it out nicely...that is all I have ever done on our farm road which is 1/4 mile long and all gravel.

 

[djradz]

A landscape rake, preferably with guage wheels, is what many of us prefer for general maintenance of a gravel driveway. You can get a relatively nice King Kutter 6 foot one for a little over $500, and a 7 foot one for about $50-$100 more.

 

[a1elcamino]

Steve, nice setup. I use my box blade with out the scarifiers on it and it won't tear it up. I use a #8 stone though, don't want much bigger because it will move to much, but box blade should work ok. Do you have ruts or holes or just from winter snow removale. My wife thinks she is Danica Patrick and and I have to keep the turn in the driveway graded or I'll have ruts. Tony

 

[Crusty Nut]

For my driveway, I put the box blade scarifies up as far as they go and chain a piece of real heavy gauge expanded metal to the bottom of the whole box blade. The weight of the box holds it down good and it smooths everything nice.

 

[beenthere]

To do the job right, you need to stir it all up and mix it well, then smooth it out and pack it down (before it dries out). Need to get the fines worked in well, and the marbles from rolling around on top.
A bed spring on top will only move the marbles into the depressions (ruts or holes) and be only a temporary fix.

 

[Jaylegger]

Does anyone sell, does some ingenious person here have a better way to smooth a driveway? I am looking for ideas.

I've heard some use this and swear by it.

 

[schmism]

I like my rear blade

but others swear by the driveway scraper thingies....

 

[Dartagnan]

My drive is only about 300ft long. I use the rake on it about three times a year to knock of the high spots and fill the lows. Every two years or so, usually after some heavy rain days, I'll use the box blade on it and totally tear it up and regrade, then repack with the dually with a about a ton of fert in the bed. That said, if the addition is really new, what did you put down to begin with? I started with just 3/4 on top of subsoil, after six months of sinking that in, I added another load, gave that another six, then dropped crusher run on top of that so the fines would "lock" everything up. After 5 years it's almost time for another load of crusher run, but times are tight so I'm just going to box it this year.

 

[beenthere]

Dartagnan
You the man. That is the way to make a driveway. :cool2: