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kip
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gravel driveway
01/06/04 12:18 PM
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I'm looking to rake a 450' gravel (3/8" stone) driveway and the only equipment I have is a Scotts (Deere) lawn tractor. I need to attach a rake and wonder if anyone has seen such a rake (nothing on the Deere site) or have any home-made ideas?? driveway is currently getting awfully bumpy and starting to pothole...Thanks!
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beenthere
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: kip]
01/06/04 12:45 PM
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When potholes begin to form, raking the loose stones around on top won't help a bit. At best, it will look better but be only temporary. I've maintained a 600' gravel drive for 35+ years, and there are no shortcuts, IMO.
You need to grade the top layer of gravel, mixing in the fines with the washed stones on top, cutting down to at least the bottom of the potholes, and then distributing the mixed gravel evenly, after which the gravel should be packed (I use the car or truck to do this, driving back and forth until all the leveled gravel mix is packed, before it has a chance to dry out or get rained on).
A lawn tractor won't do it. The best equipment to do the job is a road grader. Minimum is a blade on a tractor, preferrably not a rear blade, but with a lot of time, even that can work. It takes a lot of very careful work to not make a bigger mess than what you start with.
I hope this information helps, and I didn't mean to put down your task or dilemna. I want to pass on the best help that I can.
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kip
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Thanks, I'll give it a shot! No easy fixes in life....
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herbenus
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: kip]
01/07/04 03:33 PM
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Well, and if I didn't have a road grader I might be tempted to buy a small blade. Certainly Deere has something. If they don't, Sears does. I'd probably see if one of the neighbors has a box blade and wants to make a few bucks. This is the right way to do it.
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robertn
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: kip]
01/08/04 10:51 AM
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The best thing that happened on our 600' drive was having a grader go over it while putting extra 3/4-AB down. Then it was rolled with a roller.
There was work going on in the neighborhood, so I had the company add some gravel, which we needed. When they rolled it though, what a difference! IT packed really tight, and is still in really good condition 3 years later!
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egon
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: robertn]
01/08/04 11:47 AM
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One can play at smoothing out gravel driveways but only the large equipment will provide a suitable job.
Egon
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mikell
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: egon]
01/12/04 11:13 AM
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I use a small drag to work it up the made a leveler out of 4x4s.
mikell
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Slyder
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: mikell]
01/13/04 07:05 AM
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A bobcat with a KNOWLEDGEABLE operator works wonders too.
The slower you go, the faster you get there!
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theboman
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: Slyder]
01/23/04 10:52 AM
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I bet Slyder has a Bobcat! : )
Bo McCarty, THE BO-MAN
Bluegrass, Pick It Up!
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chrisjbell
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: egon]
01/28/04 07:50 PM
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Egon's right - to really smooth a gravel drive, the bigger the equipment the better. I use a fairly small CUT to maintain my drive - but to get it into decent shape I had to use bigger equipment. A garden tractor isn't going to be able to fix one up, I'm afraid. I suppose it could be done, but would take a heck of a lot of time - I'd recommend renting a larger piece of equipment (maybe a decent sized CUT with a box blade and top-n-tilt?).
Once you do that and get the drive into good shape, you might be able to get away with using your garden tractor with a small blade to keep it up...
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robertn
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I use my CUT too, although there has been little to do since the road company graded and rolled it(the driveway, not the CUT  )
I would like to eventually get a belly blade for my Farmall-A. I think it would do a better job and the scraper or a blade on a CUT. Here is my theory:
A belly blade would be more like the blade on a grader. It is in the middle, where a rise in elevation by the front or rear of the tractor is minimal.
Compare this rise to having the front of a CUT go over a bump; the front rises, and pivots the scraper/blade at the rear tire center point. Since the scraper/blade hangs off the back of the CUT some distance, the overall affect on the height setting of the scraper is greatly affected.
With a belly blade in the center of the tractor, if the front end moves up say four inches, the blade at the center point would only move up 2".
The blade on the back of a CUT would be opposite. If the front tire rises 4", the tractor kinda pivots on the back tire , and the rear blade wants to gouge in 4"(not totally, since most of us do not have down pressure).
Now, it would be hard to put a belly blade on a CUT. My B8200 Kubota sits too low, even with it's 4wd. That's the beauty of the hi-crop/cultivating tractors like a Farmall-A or Allis-B, they sit up enough to get a blade under there.
Of note though, my Farmall-A is one of the 1940's CUT's. It's the same size as my compact Kubota(length/width), hp wise, and was quite the utility tractor in its heyday. Seems many are still used that was still. I guess it's just a tall CUT 
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GaryM
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: robertn]
02/01/04 08:18 PM
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The amount that the rear blade will drop with a 4" rise of the front wheels depends on the CUTs wheelbase vs. the distance the blade is behind the rear wheels. If there were some way to move the blade closer to the rear wheels the effect is reduced. Or put a set of gauge wheels out behind the blade. The longer the wheelbase the better.
Gary
----------------------------------------------
Hey! Aren't you supposed to be working?
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Nordneg57
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: kip]
02/20/04 03:30 PM
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If you have a vehicle with a receiver hitch. You may want to try a driveway groomer.
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fax
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Where can you get one of them there groomers?
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BigAl
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: kip]
04/01/04 11:53 PM
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For years when I hardly had two nickles to rub together  I made up a drag to pull behind my old pickup to do our gravel drive that was 1/2mile long . It was a hunk of steel I beam that I found about 8 feet long . I attached a chain to each end and hooked it to that old truck . If I wanted to roll the gravel back and forth to remix it, I just lenghten one chain out a little and angled the drag . I got so good at it that it looked like a road grader had done it . We were poor ,but I had the best looking driveway you ever saw in my county.
Big Al
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NHRich
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: fax]
09/17/04 08:39 AM
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Try here: http://www.drivewaygroomer.com/
The fellow who makes these lives about 15 minutes from me, and I just bought one for my driveway, which has developed a few potholes and a bit of erosion gullying on the steep parts. I haven't tried it out yet, but when assembling it, I was impressed with the quality of the design and construction, and the theory seems sound. The assembly instructions aren't the greatest, but anyone who knows how to put things together shouldn't have any trouble with it.
The website has a lot of good free information about driveway maintenance and grading as well. The groomer is, like most useful tools, something that looks like it will take some time and practice to get right.
One thing to point out is that if you have drainage and/or grading problems, resurfacing is at best a temporary solution. If you've got perpetual low points, bowls or gullys due to drainage issues, you can add gravel or shuffle it around forever, and the problems will keep coming back. You may need to drain or regrade (put in a good crown, etc) to fix the root problem.
Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. --Mark Twain
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NHRich
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: NHRich]
09/23/04 07:02 AM
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I ran across this, too. I don't have any first-hand info, but it looks like a reasonable design. Looks like the guy who designed it is about an hour from me. Something about us New Hampshurites and gravel road maintenance...
--Richard
Whenever you find you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. --Mark Twain
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Nordneg57
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: NHRich]
03/04/05 07:58 PM
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How did it work for you?
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: NHRich]
04/01/05 09:52 PM
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You know, I happened to buy one of these driveway groomers and it worked like a charm. I have delayed putting in a new driveway now for the 2nd year in a row because I've been able to maintain the holes and bumps with this groomer. It fits on the trailer hitch of my Jeep and works incredible. It takes me less than 45 minutes to complete my 100+ foot driveway with a turnaround at the top.
Found it on drivewaygroomer.com . Check it out, it really works!
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jdowns
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: kip]
04/07/05 07:26 AM
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I bought a driveway groomer and just love it. Friends say they thought I just had a load of new gravel when all I did was go up and down my 700 foot drive way a few times. I find it relaxing and therapeutic to attach the driveway groomer, turn on the radio and go up and down the driveway very slowly.
One of the best purchases for the money I have made.
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mkoumas
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: kip]
04/24/06 07:23 AM
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Kip,
I recently purchased the DR Power Grader. http://www.drpower.com We have a 1000 foot gravel driveway on our property as well as about 1/3 mile shared gravel drive to the road. The road had potholes and washboarding pretty bad. Prior to getting the powergrader, every year the neighbors and I would have gravel put down to "cover" the potholes, etc. (which didn't really work very long before the washboarding came back) and with the cost of gravel going up rapidly, this gets quite expensive. After using the powergrader, which I pulled behind my JD Gator, the gravel drive and road is SMOOTH. Potholes and washboarding are GONE. This unit really works! It costs more than the other options that some of the other folks are suggesting, but this thing is built like a tank, and I expect it to last many years. What's nice is that you can adjust the depth of grading into the gravel drive with the electric actuator while on the move. This gives you ultimate control in moving the gravel around. Definitely check this thing out. I swear by it. Michael
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zzvyb6
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: kip]
01/10/07 09:23 PM
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I use my 60" Yanmar pto rototiller after a rain to loosen up my drive. I run it backwards to attack the stone+dirt. That way it doesn't just bounce all over the place. Then I use a narrow tined rake (Arps 8') at high angle to comb the edges and then flatten the top. It goes very quickly once you are convinced that the tiller won't complain. I use low range selector and reverse gear to get the jpb done at crawling speed. Works like a charm.....
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weldingisfun
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Re: gravel driveway
[re: kip]
01/12/07 06:03 AM
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gravel driveway
01/06/04 12:18 PM Edit Reply
I'm looking to rake a 450' gravel (3/8" stone) driveway and the only equipment I have is a Scotts (Deere) lawn tractor. I need to attach a rake and wonder if anyone has seen such a rake (nothing on the Deere site) or have any home-made ideas?? driveway is currently getting awfully bumpy and starting to pothole...Thanks!
Look into the DR Power Grader. They have them on sale now. http://www.drpower.com/TwoStepCategory.aspx?p1Name=DRPowerHome&Name=PowerGrader2Step&BC=0%3aHome&LinkType=2 I have one and it works great!
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archangel
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With a few pictures (quite nicely supplied by the producers) any mildly talented country boy should be able to fab up one in no time!
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