Grading Thoughts on using subcompact for gravel drive grading ?

[Code54]

I and my wife used the B series to mow (Mid mount mower) our yard and it worked great. Didn't have any rutting or damage. I normally would run it in 2x4 while cutting so the fronts didn't scrub at all and only used 4x4 on our steep hills and it worked out great. I also used it to install our gravel driveway and maintained ¾ mile of gravel road here in WV.
At the time we needed a much larger machine for lifting tasks and a wider machine for the hills in the woods but I was giving up using the new machine in the yard and I knew it. Maybe worth a look....

 

[Jchonline]

Oh I can attest to using multiple mowers...my parents have about 2 acres enclosed on their farm. They have a ZT and 4 ( yes four) JD riders. We have a big time all getting on one and mowing the place in about 15 min!

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I use my LS mt125 SCUT to grade my 1/3 mile drive. It's more than a driveway, basically the access road for 6 additional houses. I maintain the front 1/3 of a mile. The drive / road gets really packed with all the traffic. When it's dry, about the only thing I can do is the sides, bringing up the loose stone, thus maintaining the crown. After a light rain and some moisture gets into the whole road, I can lower the scarifiers on a box blade and do a better grading job. I'm using a 54" heavy box blade and a 60" blade. The MT125 weighs almost 1700lbs with the loader and box blade. I never had any problems with loss of traction with R4's. When doing the drive it's always in 4wd.

 

[fried1765]

The driveway gets pretty hard in the hot N.C. summers. The Oliver is plenty heavy to dig with the box scrape. But a box scrape is not really the best tool to build a crown on a gravel drive. No angle adjust and does not throw gravel from the driveway edge back to the middle crown. A scrape blade would work better to build crown (for drainage) but I have not yet purchased a scrape blade. My post is really about ability of light weight subcompact to dig sufficient into hardpack gravel to maintain the gravel drive. Will a 1,700 lb tractor dig well enough to pull the gravel back up?
Related to tearing up yard, we mow about 4 acres mostly yard that was previously pasture. So it is a mix of field grasses, clover, etc. . . my wife loves to spin around the Z-turn so she has already created a lot of bare spot divots in the yard. Not trying to have golf fairway yard. My thinking is that a subcompact would do less rutting and tracking in the yard that the heavy Oliver tractor. The Oliver bare weight is 3,750 from TractorData - - mine has filled tires and my 200 lbs - - I am easily well over 4,000 with the aggressive Ag tires. Hoping a subcompact with R4 would do less rutting and tracking in yard.

Before you buy another tractor, or a blade ......
You should jump in your car. Get on I-40 and head West for exactly 100 miles.
You will be in Newton, NC., the home of Everything Attachments.

They build the PERFECT blade for your needs.
You can see their video on: Tractor Attachments And Skid Steer Attachments For Any Tractor Or Skid Steer
They call it their "Deluxe Scrape Blade", and for whatever size tractor you choose, they make the exact size blade you will need, with excellent offset and angle features.

I have 3 different rear blades, and also have a KK box blade.
For the money, the EA "Deluxe Scrape Blade" is absolutely the best.

EA prices include "free shipping" within 1000 miles.
If you can pick it up in person, perhaps they could shave as much as $200 off their listed (with free shipping) price. You would, of course, then, need to pay NC state sales tax.

 

[Texasmark]

Years ago I bought an Allis Chalmers 18 hp, 2wd diesel tractor, would qualify as sub-compact. I tried to use it with a 4' rear blade to help a neighbor cover up a ditch he made to bury a water pipe...pretty narrow, depth about 10". The tractor couldn't maintain steerage with the blade at about a 45 degree angle in an attempt to roll the soil back into the ditch.

Today 4wd diesel is what's out there and FELS are popular. The MMM will get in your way if you have multiuses planned for your sub contact unless you are a put it on, use it, take it off, and do other chores.....look at what that takes and you may change your mind on that.......I opted to use my Zs for mowing and let the tractor do tractor work. The MMM for my 2400 was listed at $2500 so price wasn't the problem.

I really doubt that you will have the problem I had and besides you can put something in your bucket on your FEL and install wheel weights on the rear to maintain traction. So my vote is go for it!

 

[Rock Crawler]

I was doing driveway work with my BX and to get the box blade or rear grader blade to really work I had to have my father drive the machine while I stood on the box/grader blade. It had the traction to do the work, but the tools were not heavy enough to break into the super hard packed surface. Add my 200 lbs to the tool and things start working. I had a Titan 60" box and a 50+ year old 72" grader blade.

 

[Diggin It]

^^ Wouldn't three 80# bags of concrete have been easier and safer?

Or maybe one of those big multi-drawer toolboxes. Then you could have tools along for the ride too.

 

[Rock Crawler]

^^ Wouldn't three 80# bags of concrete have been easier and safer?

Or maybe one of those big multi-drawer toolboxes. Then you could have tools along for the ride too.

There really isn't a place to stack things, you stand on the top edges. It would take fabricating a shelf type of thing. It's really easier to just jump on. It's now my preferred way of doing gravel road work.

 

[W8BYA]

I have about 1/4 mile gravel drive, some flat, some gentle slope with a couple of sharp almost 90 degree turns. Have been using an old Oliver 550 diesel with 6 foot box scrape to grade. Does not do well for keeping crown . . . but it works for now. The Oliver 550 is a little larger and heavier than a Ford 8N. The old tractor sits a lot because all I really use it for is driveway maintenance. Thinking about replacing the old tractor with something that I would utilize more. Considering a subcompact with midmount mower and FEL. Already have a nice Z turn for mowing . . but both wife and myself could mow with subcompact that would not tear up the yard. Could also use the subcompact for other general chores around the yard, moving firewood, moving mulch, general cleanup. Hope it would obsolete the old wheelbarrow. My concern is the ability of a subcompact to maintain my gravel drive. I know I would probably need to get rid of 6 foot box scrape and move down to a 4 foot box scrape and 4" scrape blade - - but taking the time for additional passes is not an issue. Also, would I be better with turf tires or R4 ? Anyone have good experience using subcompact for gravel drive maintenance ?

I am hoping this will help you decide. 3 homes share a 1000' long gravel driveway and since I was the only one with a TC25D and 6' rear blade I did all the maintenance for over 20 years. The 25D NEVER had any issues breaking up the compacted clay/gravel mix we have here. I welded on a pair of 10" wide x 3' long I-Beams to the back of the rear blade for extra weight which helped a lot and when needed I can drop in 300 pounds of extra weights right inside the I-beam. This extra weight might hurt some rear blades but mine is heavy duty enough that is shows zero signs of extra wear or tear or issues due to the extra 500 pounds I have added.

In any event, move forward 20+ years we got a new neighbor behind us and he fell in love with the 25D and wanted something similar. He settled on a 1025R with a land plane. Let me tell you right off the bat......that 1025R and plane beats the living snot out of my very heavy 6' rear draw blade as far as being able to churn up and break free all the tons of gravel we have spread over the years. What he can do in 1/3 the time is simply amazing. Yes he has to run it in 4x4 but he has never once spun a tire dragging that JD brand plane.

It was the 1st time I had ever seen a plane and now seeing it work on our dry or wet muddy road it is an amazing very, very efficient way to grade a gravel road. My blade still has advantages as I can angle my blade & pull back gravel from the sides etc and of course get rid of deep pot holes etc it just takes me a lot longer.

So to answer your question based on actual data from the last 1/2 year something like a 1025R and plane will have zero trouble keeping your road looking like new in a very short amount of time.

 

[skipperbrown]

If you go with a new tractor and already have a zt, I strongly suggest you look at a bigger b over the bx. The b will give you much, much more ground clearance and work area in the 3 pt hitch area. The bigger tires will get you more traction and a smoother ride. Lastly, a b can do more damage on your yard if you are twisting and turning as you navigate landscaping, but you have the zt for that. The b can swiftly handle the bigger areas. I have both sizes and I love the little bx for mowing, but the b excels in everything else.