Go Bottom Go Bottom

Road grading

View my Photos
dutchhenry
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 49 TOMBSTONE, AZ
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-11          168521

I live off a dirt road that has not been graded for 3 years now. Last time it was worked a neighbor was able to bring home a blade from the company he works for. I just bought a Montana 3644HST tractor with a 6' box blade and 6' rock rake. How should I start working on the road? Besides getting the grader back in here!!!! We have rocks,washboarding and ditchs from the water running across the road. I guess my first question should of been will this Montana tractor do the job? The road is not crowned and no drainage ditch on either side. I will stop here and see what you all think about this project. Yes or No.

Thanks much.

Bill


Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-11          168522

Bill,

Your tractor will do the job just fine, but I think you'd be better off starting with a 3-point mounted grader blade.

You'll want to start by filling in the deep washouts so that you don't have to drive through them.

After you have a good firm base to drive on, you can angle your blade by raising or lowering one of your lower lift arms. Doing that will allow only one end of your grader blade to bite. Put the low end in the ditch....or where the ditch should be......and then begin moving the gravel to the top and center of the road. Do the same on the other side of the road.

Once you get a good crown formed, you'll then want to use your box blade to level the road surface and remove the dips and bumps.

Leave a good crown, but don't make it too steep, as the fast moving rain water runoff will cause washouts. Rear grader blades don't work well for this job.

With just a few passes down both sides, you'll begin to see a very noticeable improvement.

Hope that helps.

Joel ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
dutchhenry
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 49 TOMBSTONE, AZ
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-11          168523

Thanks Joel, at least it seems I am on the right road....ok not so funny. The dealer I bought the tractor from has a real heavy duty rear blade. I was going to buy the cheaper one but I think now I will bite the bullet and go with heavy unit. This road would eat the lighter blade I think in no time at all.

Thanks much.

Bill ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-11          168525

Bill,

I think you'll find that the heavier blade will do a better job, but you may still need to add some weight to it.

Adjust the length of your top link to provide for the proper amount of bite on the blade. If the blade is standing verticle, you'll find that it won't cut very well. If the blade is angled too steep, you'll find that your rear tires will be pulled toward the edge of the road.....tracking straight will be a problem.

Get the angle of the bite adjusted so that you can cut as much as the tractor is able to handle comfortably.

Don't get discouraged. The first pass down each side is going to move very little soil. The following passes will eventually fill the entire blade. You may need to adjust the blade's bite angle with each consecutive pass.

In my case, I found the third pass down each side moved a tremendous amount of gravel to the center of the drive. The progress made on the first pass was very disappointing to me. I don't want you to find yourself in that position.

Let the blade do the work. If you find yourself struggling to keep the tractor straight, or the wheels are spinning and you're having to adjust the cutting depth too much....stop the tractor and adjust the cutting angle of the blade. Carry the necessary tools with you on the tractor. You'll be making frequent adjustments, unless you have a hydraulic top link. :)

Hope that helps.

Joel ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-11          168526

Many jurisdictions prohibit "civilians" from altering public structures such as roads. The intent is to prevent customizing (like widening it at your entranceway), and the insurance implications if there's a collision or you fall off the tractor or whatever. And if their employees are unionized, just hope they don't find out. (At a new school near me, I volunteered to mow their grass during the fast-grow month. From the paperwork required you'd think I proposed performing brain surgery on the kids.)

Also, a short-wheelbase unit with a power-up-only rear blade can't stabilize the blade like one in the middle of a long-wheelbase grader with six-way power to it.

You could ask the authorities for permission to do what you want. If they accept, try it. If not, I'll bet they'll speed up their schedule to tend to that area. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
Mitchb
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 8 Fairbanks, Alaska
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-11          168533

Take a look at an article called "A Ditch In Time". It has a lot of helpful info.This article was presented here in another thread a while back. enjoy. ....


Link:   A Ditch In Time

 
Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
dutchhenry
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 49 TOMBSTONE, AZ
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-11          168534

Auerbach, we are off the beaten path out here. The county does not grade out here at all. I would like to have a grader come out and do the job right the first time. And then maybe I could just keep it up after that. But I am looking at around $1K and that is if I can get somebody to come out here. Plus the other people on this road will not donate to the project. And most of them use the road as a race track. So I have more time than money so I will give it a shot and see what happens. Maybe I will get an "E" for effort????

Thanks much.

Bill ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-11          168535

Dutch, 10 years back we moved where we live. There is a dirt easement across our land. The one person who lived past it had old Cub tractor who did what he could to keep it smooth. Then I moved in with larger tractor and blade and even though all I put on it was tractor began to help work it for his benefit. Funny thing happened, came home one day and it was very obvious pro with grader had worked the "dirt easement". One day I called and asked why they were working it just wondering to which they told me they were suppose all the time. Realize a lot of that varies not only state to state but also county to county.

I agree with Joel, a rear blade will work better than a box blade and also a grader will work much better than that. If you have the rear blade rotate it so your ditch end of the blade in closer to the rear wheels and lower than the other end. It is a balancing act for me but I rather cut less and have some speed so the dirt is flowing. Now I have only worked with dirt with some small gravel on it. No serious rocks. Also dry is better with dirt so it will flow or spread. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
dutchhenry
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 49 TOMBSTONE, AZ
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-11          168536

Good evening KT, well the guy that put this little piece of heaven together way back when. Supposedly told the county that he did not want them grading the road. Not sure how that works but there is a big yellow sign at the entrance that says NOT COUNTY MAINTAINED one of those offical county signs you see. They grade all around us but not around here? I am going to buy the heavy duty rake blade that the dealer has and give her a try. I do not think I can hurt what is out there now that we call a road? Well maybe I can but what the heck will not be the first time I have screwed up and will not be the last!!

Thanks

Dutch Henry ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
dutchhenry
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 49 TOMBSTONE, AZ
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-12          168541

Good morning Mitchb, wow what a great read The Ditch in Time. Thank you very much for posting it.

Dutch Henry ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-12          168544

Dutch, OK, now I understand. I do a lot of grading, and found a few mods that can make the work more efficient.

1. Replace one of the two vertical hitch arms with a crank arm. Not sure of the proper name, but it allows you to reach back while moving and turn the crank to adjust the length of that arm (to adjust the horizontality of the blade, which you need to set the crown). Doesn't cost a huge amount, and worth it.

2. If you have power-up only, attach some weights over the blade so it's a little closer to power-down too.

3. The other blade adjustment is the angle (whether it's perpendicular to the tractor or the side-end is fore or aft). On some you can add an extra hole for the lock pin that will increase the angle. Sometimes the material mostly gets pulled along instead of being slid to the outside, and increasing the angle gives better control.

4. Where the surface is rough you can be more effective grading in reverse because the four wheels are on graded rather than ungraded surface. Here you want a maximum blade angle to reduce the strain on the hitch, which is designed to pull rather than push. You might also look to adding a little reinforcement to the blade mount for back-pushing.

5. Re the skid plate on the blade bottom, if you took a grinder to the outside few inches to slightly round the bottom, you're less likely to leave a gounge-line where the right-angle corner tends to dig in.

Hope those ideas get a good grade. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-13          168563

I maintain a half mile of private road year round. It's crushed limestone which packs like concrete after being wetted and dried. I have a road grader. Even though it's a 10 footer, leaning-wheel type the grader would slip sideways trying to scrape the hardened stone. It was slow. The grader would only fill in holes---not ideal. Ideally the entire roadbed needs to be fluffed up right down to the bottom of the holes. Otherwise you'll get uneven densities which lead to potholes.

Then I bought a 6' wide power rake aka harley rake/power box rake/soil conditioner/pulverizer for my 33 HP hydrostat. The grader has sat idle for 8 years now. The power rake can fluff the stone up to 6" deep in one pass. Usually just a quick grooming of the top inch and a smoothing with box blade is all that is needed. Sometimes just a scraping with the box blade works. Driving with the blade down in reverse leaves a nice look as a final pass. I find the day after a heavy rain works best to loosen the stone. You can rent the power rakes, but I bought mine (about $7-8K). I use it to smooth everything from dirt to hard packed clay to asphalt grindings.

By the way the neighbors on the other half of the road used to pay me $600 to regrade in the spring. But one of the uppity ones who has a dozer does it now. (Neighbors on my side prefer my method far more. The oldtimer who put the road in 40 years ago told me it has never been smoother.) In fact the dozer did so poorly getting rid of pot holes---most 8" deep by 5-10' long that they gave up and spread $10 grand worth just in new stone and now that is sinking into the holes.

For sale: one slightly used road grader. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2010-02-13          168566

EW;
If you lived a bit closer and I was bit younger I'd hitch hike over to Detroit and drive the grader home. I used to hire guys with dozers to rebuild field waterways after they had silted in over the years. Then a local guy bought an old grader from the county, he stopped by looking for work redoing waterways. He told me to kill the existing sod with Roundup a couple weeks ahead then the sod wads didn't make such a mess, they just fell apart. Took him half the time, left an undisturbed bottom of the "V" shape waterway that didn't wash away with the first rainstorm. It was easy to reseed it with a very light harrow and a cultipacker. This method worked really good so long as you kept the brush and trees out, if you let them get away then the dozer came back.
I really wish I would have bought an old grader 40 years ago. I did run one on a road gang I worked for after high school over that summer. It was kinda fun except it was the old non hydraulic that busted your knuckels jsmming the levers to adjust things on the go.

Auer;
I don't like to rain on anyone's parade but I did own a couple rear blades one a cat. three hitch for a big farm tractor and one for the baby Deere, sold them both. Your patience must strech a lot longer than mine. I adjusted the pitch, the angle, hung tractor weithts on them, nothing helped much. They just kinda scraped along the surface doing nothing, that was before I had a box blade or a landscape rake. Doing what you guys are wanting to do I'd lower the teeth in the boxblade all the way down so I din't carry any soil along, go over it a couple times to loosen it up good. Then to my surprise a landscape rake is a pretty neat tool to level things back up, build a bit of a crown, then spread and level crushed rock. The dealer had bragged up the landscape rake about why it was better than a common blade, I kinda chuckled but he said take it home and try it out, if it don't work bring it back, no questions asked. I never took it back, just mailed him a check. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-13          168567

Frank I'm with you on the rakes and back blades. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-13          168575

Dutchenry, again realize a lot varies from area to area but here that would have meant the road is private and was not turned over to the county or accepted by them. Some advantages there along with some disadvantages such as maintance. It might be possible to get the county to take it over or accept it depending on what is required.

I think you said people like to race on this road, when putting in a gravel drive ay a family house was recommended to place humps (speeed bumps) in to prevent that. Not sure the best idea but does get your attention. No, did not paint the gravel yellow so it kinds of sneaks up on you.

Frank, landscape rake does move loose dirt right well and would say if loose gravel even better. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2010-02-13          168589

KT;
Yup, I should have said pre loosened soil or fresh dumped crushed rock. An undisturbed dirt or gravel road is not landscape rake territory. They just dance along making a squeaking scraping sound, that's it, nothing else is accomplished only maybe a bit of dust stirred up. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
dutchhenry
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 49 TOMBSTONE, AZ
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-13          168596

EW, I watched the video of the power rake on the company site. Boy that is what I call a RAKE. The price is a little steep for my blood. I am just going to give it a try with what I have on hand. I will follow the suggestion from you all.

Thanks again.

Dutch Henry ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-14          168608

Dutch Henry, how are you winters? With Old (or is Ole) Jeffery being in Michigan he might be willing to do it for warm weather. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
dutchhenry
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 49 TOMBSTONE, AZ
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-14          168611

Well KT, he just might we are hovering around the 70's today. I just came in for some lunch been out giving the new tractor a work out. Cutting in a new driveway to the new east gate I just put in the property. Working out in my t-shirt and working on my summer time tan????

Dutch Henry ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-14          168618

Dutch Henry,

I just spent two hours on the tractor with the loader and the rear grader blade, clearing snow from the driveway. It was 8 degrees with a wind out of the north at about 15 miles per hour. My grandson was playing on the snow piles.

The rear grader blade works great when it's turned and pulled. Using the rear side of the blade, I can pull snow across the lawn without digging it up. If I really want to cut into the packed snow, clear down to the gravel, I put the tractor in reverse and push with the leading edge of the blade. It works great.

You'll get the hang of it. Work with it for about 4 hours. Pretty soon you'll be doing great work with it.

Joel ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-14          168620

Turning the moldboard around on a rear blade is good way to get a smooth finish on material, but I'd be really careful about pushing in reverse with the blade reversed.

Neither the 3pth nor the geometry of the blade is designed to take a load in that direction. Add to that the potentially massive shock loads of hitting something and you're just asking for trouble.

It's also a really good way to pull muscles in your neck & shoulders or give yourself a good knock on the head against the ROPS if you stops suddenly while turned around backwards.

Not worth the risk to me or my equipment.

Best of luck. ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo



Road grading

View my Photos
candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 1932 North Dakota
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster  View my Photos  Pics

2010-02-14          168625

Murf,

I agree with you. The three point hitch isn't designed to be a pusher. The 3-point hitch is meant to be a puller. It's very strong when pulling any implement.

I try not to make a habit of pushing in reverse. As you say, it could mean big trouble.

Over the years, I've seen some hitches that were totally detroyed when a guy was pushing the blade in reverse and hit a parking curb with one end of the blade. It's not a pretty sight.

Good advice.

Joel ....

Reply to | Quote Post Reply to PostQuote Reply | Add PhotoAdd Photo


  Go Top Go Top

Share This
Share This







Member Login