Just to smooth and level my driveway I got a 5’ land plane. It has 2 blades set at an angle. The first one cuts the high spots and the second fills in the low spots. Any loose material just flows out the back.
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Advice - DIY dirt/gravel driveway maintenance
- Thread starter Lightning8
- Start date
I used my 24 hp branson tractor and a boxblade. I drop the teeth all the way down and it pulls the gravel back to the top. It also takes the high spots down by dropping gravel in the low spots.
I own a small Tractor business and driveways are my bread and butter. I use a 25hp tractor, but it is a full size framed machine, not an overgrown lawnmower. A box blade (I use the a six footer ) is the best tool for repairs and the box needs to be the heaviest available and not one a dealer throws in on a package deal.
Most of the driveway damage I see is due to the driveway being lower than the land on both sides, no ditches and people throwing loose rocks ( or worse - sack crete) into potholes without pulling up material and releveling the entire area of the pothole.. filling it in doesn't last and actually makes it worse in time.
Once the driveway is good a landplane by far is the best maintenance tool, but they are designed for flat, not a crowned surface. I use my box blade for both grading and maintenance, but there is a learning curve over the landplane.
A standard three way rear blade is best for keeping your driveway side ditches cleared out but again I use the box blade or front end loader.
The HP of your tractor is much less important than the weight of the tractor. You will lose traction long before you can bog the engine out.
I live in the mountains and most driveways have significant pitch or are downright steep. Many people order up a spreader truck and have 2 inches of washed stone spread via truck on top without grading, so what they end up with is a bad driveway 2 inches higher. The loose stone spreads easy, but doesn't pack down and washes away in heavy rain or pushes to the sides under the vehicle weight and builds a ditch for the driveway. I try to get people to put down Crusher run which packs down well and makes a nice surface after grading, but it doesn't lay out well with a spreader truck.
If you are going to buy a tractor for general property maintenance, I strongly suggest a front end loader. I would never buy a tractor without one unless it is for farming. Get a true third function kit installed (or do it yourself ) and get rear remotes from the factory or dealer installed. Driveway work or any grading work is much easier with a hydraulic top link and having the rear remotes to run one already in place are a big deal.( you can add the hydraulic top link later yourself, as they are generally not a factory option on less than 45hp tractors) the third function for the loader is primarily used for a grapple, which you don't need right up front, but once you have and use a grapple you won't understand how you did property maintenance without one.
Since you asked about driveways, I will recommend a HST transmission over gear drive as you will change directions often and for loader work ( there will be a lot of it ) the HST is a clear advantage. I would also recommend 4x4 and a three range HST over the only high and low. Since most people have a kubota dealer near by, I would start looking at the L series tractors or the equivalent from other manufactures. In my opinion the B series is too light, the BX worse although both excellent machines. I will say up front I don't have anything to do with kubota and my machine is a different make, but they have many dealers so they are easy for most to see locally. There is nothing wrong with Deere either, but they cost a good bit more and you don't get much more for the money IMHO.
I've tried to include a good bit of info here, but feel free to PM if you have more questions.
Most of the driveway damage I see is due to the driveway being lower than the land on both sides, no ditches and people throwing loose rocks ( or worse - sack crete) into potholes without pulling up material and releveling the entire area of the pothole.. filling it in doesn't last and actually makes it worse in time.
Once the driveway is good a landplane by far is the best maintenance tool, but they are designed for flat, not a crowned surface. I use my box blade for both grading and maintenance, but there is a learning curve over the landplane.
A standard three way rear blade is best for keeping your driveway side ditches cleared out but again I use the box blade or front end loader.
The HP of your tractor is much less important than the weight of the tractor. You will lose traction long before you can bog the engine out.
I live in the mountains and most driveways have significant pitch or are downright steep. Many people order up a spreader truck and have 2 inches of washed stone spread via truck on top without grading, so what they end up with is a bad driveway 2 inches higher. The loose stone spreads easy, but doesn't pack down and washes away in heavy rain or pushes to the sides under the vehicle weight and builds a ditch for the driveway. I try to get people to put down Crusher run which packs down well and makes a nice surface after grading, but it doesn't lay out well with a spreader truck.
If you are going to buy a tractor for general property maintenance, I strongly suggest a front end loader. I would never buy a tractor without one unless it is for farming. Get a true third function kit installed (or do it yourself ) and get rear remotes from the factory or dealer installed. Driveway work or any grading work is much easier with a hydraulic top link and having the rear remotes to run one already in place are a big deal.( you can add the hydraulic top link later yourself, as they are generally not a factory option on less than 45hp tractors) the third function for the loader is primarily used for a grapple, which you don't need right up front, but once you have and use a grapple you won't understand how you did property maintenance without one.
Since you asked about driveways, I will recommend a HST transmission over gear drive as you will change directions often and for loader work ( there will be a lot of it ) the HST is a clear advantage. I would also recommend 4x4 and a three range HST over the only high and low. Since most people have a kubota dealer near by, I would start looking at the L series tractors or the equivalent from other manufactures. In my opinion the B series is too light, the BX worse although both excellent machines. I will say up front I don't have anything to do with kubota and my machine is a different make, but they have many dealers so they are easy for most to see locally. There is nothing wrong with Deere either, but they cost a good bit more and you don't get much more for the money IMHO.
I've tried to include a good bit of info here, but feel free to PM if you have more questions.
