Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

After applying many approaches to keep my long gravel paths in good shape, I finally found one that is actually effective. I take care of my roads. A box scraper will take care of approximately 90% of your needs. Here are some details on how to use it:

Steps

1. 1 Speed ​​limit on the driveway / road. If drivers stick to below 20mph (32 km / h) (at the 15mph (24 km / h) sign, as everyone is accelerating), then the road will not look like a "washboard" and potholes, but otherwise only at higher road speeds will deteriorate.
2. 2 Take a tractor. The tractor is the most important (and most expensive) piece of equipment you need. A front loader is very valuable if you want to move gravel or mud. It can also be used when clearing snow.
3. 3 Get a box scraper. The tractor needs to have enough horsepower to pull something. You can go with a little less power, however, as long as the transmission is strong enough, the movement will be slow. {Largeimage "Professional" Version - Far smaller ones are available for use behind a small tractor.}
4. 4 Have a chain harrow. The harrow chain is useful for smoothing. You won't need to fiddle with it with every maintenance session, but it is invaluable for smoothing out planting during dry periods. You will be limited as to when you can work on the road - in the event that you do not have professional equipment and must wait for rain or snow to soften the surface. The harrow can help in the dry season, but the box scraper is the main tool.
5. 5 Use a grader. The grader blade is useful for moving gravel or dirt back to the center of the road. Traffic, snow removal, and even a box scraper tend to push material towards the edges of the road. Periodically, if you run the grader blade (set at an angle) along the edges of the road, you will be able to move the edge of the material back to the center. This will reduce your grinding gravel costs. Remove the pin so that the blade rotates along the tractor axis (rear pin on the grader blade).
6. 6 Road / driveway work. If the surface does not free up (loose gravel or soft soil), then you will have to wait for it to become "juicy" (wet soil after absorbing rain). The grader blade can be used to return gravel / soil back to the middle of the road - in case you don't have a lot of gravel or soil on the track / road - this can cut the cost of buying new gravel.
7. 7 Use a box scraper on the surface. The operation of the box scraper will allow about 90% of the road maintenance work to be completed. Leave the prongs up and just use the blade on the bottom to clean the surface.Depending on the width of your box scraper and your road, you just need to run up / down the road until the entire surface is scraped off. It happens that the scraper picks up rubble and debris until the box is full. Then, the material will again be on the road in an even layer. It will scrape off the tops of the gravel pile and fill in where it isn't enough. For the first time, it may be required (optionally) for surface work to be done multiple times - after initially getting a relatively smooth road and monthly maintenance for heavily ridden neighborhood roads and quarterly maintenance of the driveway.
   • The scraper works well when installed flush with the road surface. You can adjust the bite by raising / lowering the top hitch.

Tips

• Stones are not your friends. Ideally, they should have been removed when the bulldozer originally laid the track / road. Small stones are not a problem, but large stones either stop the tractor or bend the equipment (or both). If you have large rocks, you should get rid of them or add enough gravel to mask them.
• Earth is your friend! A little earth mixed with stone gravel stabilizes the surface. You can get more dust from the ground (15MPH - 24 km / h), but the ground helps to reduce its settling, especially when washing.
• The gravel has acquired the name "road gravel". Crushed stone is a limestone mixture of different sizes. If you are buying gravel, use the larger sizes (1.5 inches (4 cm) or larger) as this slows down movement. Most people will prefer more than 1 inch or less.
• Adding a layer of gravel every year or so will be necessary for at least a couple of years. Aim for about 1 inch (2.5 cm) across the entire surface (as new material tends to move towards the edges).
• When buying gravel, make sure the manufacturer knows that it should be used on roads / tracks. Not all truck drivers are good at this. You don't want a pile of gravel to walk on! Even with a front loader, you won't be able to move a lot of gravel.
• The 3-point attachment is very valuable on a tractor. If you do not have a 3-point linkage, you can use ATVs or tractors just by pulling from one point.
• If you buy gravel from John Deere, you get a hydraulic front loader option when you buy it, but even if you don't buy a loader it will be much cheaper.

Warnings

• Follow the instructions!
• The equipment always needs maintenance. Read the instructions.

What do you need

• Speed ​​limit signs 15MPH (24 km / h).
• Small tractor with 20 hp or more and four-wheel drive, three-point hitch and front-end loader.
• A box scraper adapted to the tractor horsepower. Look for less than your horsepower divided by 5.
• Harrow chain.
• Grader blade (optional).