Why do I want gauge wheels?

[topshop]

I am hoping to make trails that are smooth and suitable for easy walking and pleasant golf-cart passage for elderly folks. My NH 34DA with FEL has been useful in creating and rough-smoothing trails through the woods. However, there are limits to how smooth I can level and smooth I can make the trails because the backblading bucket rises and falls as the wheels of the tractor rise and fall on unlevel areas. Even backblading in float position can only do so much under those circumstances--at least in my hands.

What have users found to be most useful for making level, smooth trails? I had thought of a box blade or tiller, but someone has suggested using gauge wheels with a landscaping rake or box blade. How do they work and is that what I need to smooth trails? Naturally, in the woods there are quite a few roots to contend with not far below the surface; I would rather leave undisturbed for the sake of the trees and for the sake of the work involved but I'll dig out the bothersome ones with the FEL as needed. Thanks for any tips and advice you can give.

 

[greg_g]

I can't determine from the NH website whether or not the 34DA has draft control. That makes a difference to your question. Draft control is significant if you use a box blade, pretty much making gauge wheels redundant. Besides that, you'd have to fabricate them yourself. I've yet to encounter a manufacturer that offers a BB gauge wheel option. Between draft control and a HTL, I have all the control over my BB that I need.

I do have gauge wheels on the rake. But I never lower them anymore, because they defeat the ability to change the angle of attack with the HTL. But I suppose if you were just smoothing loose gravel, or skimming debris off an already smooth surface, gauge wheels would be the way to go.

//greg//

 

[Raddad]

When using draft control the blade goes up when the front wheels go down. When the rear wheels go up the box blade goes up. Draft control is in no way a substitute for gauge wheels unless you want to constantly change the impliment height to compensate for elevation changes the tractor drives over. This constant adjustment forces you to drive at a very slow speed. Position controls value is oversold by tractor salesmen. It just lets you set the height of an impliment without looking backwards and nothing more.

The key is letting the blade float between the rear wheels and the gauge wheels like a road grader. Let it float and drive at a moderate speed. (5MPH) No looking backwards. No slowing down. No backing up. It cuts down the high spots and drops it in the low spots. The only skill required is setting the top link length to set the depth of cut. You can add a drop down blade with end plates and a scarifier making it a box blade with gauge wheels. One impliment does it all and does it faster with no skill required.

The angle of attac is adjusted by raising or lowering the wheels in relationship to the teeth. I use spacers on the support that holds the gauge wheel and changing the length of the top link, on my Land Pride. On the York it's a clamp down bolt that sets the wheel height. All rakes have adjustable gauge wheel height for the pourpose of adjusting the angle of attack.

Watch the video on the York rake site.

York Landscape Rakes, Rotary Brooms, Stone Rakes, Sweepers and Scarifiers, Manufactured by York Modern Coporation

 

[john_bud]

I agree with Raddad. I know of no tractor automatic control that can correctly adjust for simple things like hitting a pot hole, cresting a hill, taversing from down hill to up hill.

Gage wheels work best when they are separated at greater distances from the tractor. Simple geometric advantage. So, if you are making yours, try and put them a ways back if you can. Don't get me wrong, wheels directly behind the back blade are much better than no wheels! But wheels 3' farther back will help make it even smoother and less sensitive to bumps and such. Adding the side end plates to keep the soil on the blade is very helpful too!

If you don't want to grub out roots and such, dump a lot of soil or gravel on top of them and then blend that area smoothly into the path.

jb

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

In reading your reply Greg, I think I have learned that my tractor should be in draft control while using a boxblade. That makes very good sense. The part I don't understand is the reference to HTL. In fact, I'm not sure what HTL stands for. Please explain for me and possibly some others like me that are uninformed.

 

[cmhyland]

I think he's referring to Hydraulic Top Link.

With the rake you can adjust to create crown in your paths. Run one side lower than the other and run up one side and back down the other.

Regards,
Chris

 

[greg_g]

When using draft control the blade goes up when the front wheels go down.

I think you misconstrued my intent. I personally use draft control to prevent the boxblade and rake from digging too deep. Once the scarifiers or tangs exceed my preset depth, draft controls pull them back up to my selected setting. Gauge wheels would inhibit either one from any serious digging at all. That's why I qualified my statement with "But I suppose if you were just smoothing loose gravel, or skimming debris off an already smooth surface, gauge wheels would be the way to go ".

//greg//

 

[greg_g]

In reading your reply Greg, I think I have learned that my tractor should be in draft control while using a boxblade. That makes very good sense. The part I don't understand is the reference to HTL. In fact, I'm not sure what HTL stands for. Please explain for me and possibly some others like me that are uninformed.

Hydraulic Top Link. It's a hydraulically actuated toplink to physically replace the manually adjusted toplink that comes with most tractors. Instead of getting off the tractor to make your toplink longer or shorter, you simply do it with a lever from the operator seat

With respect to how it works to advantage with a boxblade or rake, you shorten the HTL to minimum length for transport. Extending the HTL changes the angle of attack of the BB and of the rake. Let's take the BB first. When pulling the BB forward, I extend the HTL to a length that will make the BB parallel with the ground at the depth I have selected it to work (with the draft control lever). But if I want to use the BB to push something in reverse, I extend the HTL even further to put the BB into a more aggessive posture. It's the convenience of being able to do this on the fly that makes the HTL so indispensible. Shift into a forward gear, pull the hydraulic lever and shorten the HTL stroke again. Dead simple

Using a HTL with a rake is somewhat similar, but it's simply not as aggressive an implement as is the BB. But I really should knock this off, cuz I just remembered this is a gauge wheel topic.

For that I apologize to TopShop

//greg//

 

[topshop]

Thanks for all the good advice--a lot to absorb for a newcomer. I am beginning to conclude that a York-type rake with accessories might be the best approach, usable not only on trails in the woods but also for lots of landscaping purposes and driveway maintenance. Is there something that a boxblade can do that a good landscaping rake with accessories cannot?

Topshop

 

[Raddad]

Push backwards with a cutting edge without getting off your tractor.