Ranch Road Maintenance

[Triangle Bar]

I'm in need of something to repair ranch roads with, to take out the washboard, ruts and the like. I've been looking at this product from Landpride,http://www.landpride.com/products/83/gs25-series-grading-scrapers, but I have no experience with box blades or scrapers.

I've also been considering a 3 point blade. The thinking being it would be a multipurpose implement and maybe a snow moving tool in the winter. (that is if it ever snows again in this country )

I'd be using a JD 4440 2wd tractor to pull it.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.
You can even tell me to take a flying leap at a rollin' donut, if you want to. :lol:

Thanks.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

I have been using a heavy Offset disk. I don't go in very deep but a couple passes and it smooths things out pretty nice.I have done old roads that have a huge grader ridge along side that I try to work down and I have gone over some prairie trails and it take out the ruts and makes a decent fire guard.
Mine is a 14 ft Bush hog which I find a bit wide. a 8 or 10 ft would be really nice. Fit though some of the narrow gates better.

 

[burnt]

BMr, if I wouldn't know better, I'd say you've been bending the elbow a bit much, going by your typos!

Well I think they're typos!!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[HAY MAKER]

I'm in need of something to repair ranch roads with, to take out the washboard, ruts and the like. I've been looking at this product from Landpride,http://www.landpride.com/products/83/gs25-series-grading-scrapers, but I have no experience with box blades or scrapers.

I've also been considering a 3 point blade. The thinking being it would be a multipurpose implement and maybe a snow moving tool in the winter. (that is if it ever snows again in this country )

I'd be using a JD 4440 2wd tractor to pull it.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.
You can even tell me to take a flying leap at a rollin' donut, if you want to. :lol:

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I would get the heaviest 8 foot box blade with rippers preferably hydraulic I could find, if that JD has a bucket you can really dress a ranch road up nice, if it's not on an incline. Forget about open end blades on a 3 point.
Good luck

Ps. Take my advice............Don't listen to big dummie
Good luck

 

[Larrry]

If that blade you had pictureds would have cross blades that set on an angle I would think they would do a better job on washboards. Like the county road guys say in order to get rid of washboards..slow down, and hope you have good moisture

 

[Triangle Bar]

Hey BMR, that's an idea... I could plow & plant my driveway and then I'd just have to stay home.

Thanks Haymaker, I do have a loader with 7' bucket on the front.

 

[Triangle Bar]

If that blade you had pictureds would have cross blades that set on an angle I would think they would do a better job on washboards. Like the county road guys say in order to get rid of washboards..slow down, and hope you have good moisture

Hey Larry, I looked up the spec sheets and there is a 5 degree angle to both cutting blades and they are spaced 20 inches apart. That's a pretty shallow angle with no further adjustment. Vertically there's an adjustment from level to 1 1/2" below grade.

Thanks

 

[Larrry]

You caught me, I didn't look at the specs. Sorry

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

Hey BMR, that's an idea... I could plow & plant my driveway and then I'd just have to stay home.

Thanks Haymaker, I do have a loader with 7' bucket on the front.

Just of the money you would save not leaving home.

 

[jodywy]

county used to run down to our corrals when they went by with the blade, but thats a big no no now. I know a few guy they will run thier grader down it if they are going by

 

[rancherfred]

A three point blade is really difficult to get set just right in order to not gouge too much. Most of the time it isn't hardly doing anything and then when you bump it down just a tad it sucks itself in and you have some major divots to repair. They also aren't that great for snow removal. We have had the best luck with a box scraper. It takes some doing, going around in circles but it can make a pretty nice drive without a lot of difficulty.

 

[Larrry]

How would it work to use a box blade and then chain one side forward to the tractor so it pulls at a slight angle and hits the ruts at an angle

 

[flyingS]

What ever you do stay away from any kind of 3pt attachment. Every time it is very difficult to do a good job because it always moves up and down with the tractor if you are trying to be precise. There are several counties in our area that have drags with a series of blades placed at angles with a final blade that put on the finishing touch. I think there are four cutting blades that angle toward one another, they are offset and overlap so that the dirt is moved from one side to the other until it gets to the finishing blade. A box scraper work nice as well, sometimes it is tuff to build a crown on your road but it is better than most anything else.

 

[flyingS]

Here is a link to a drag that is similar to what I am talking about. They work really well. http://www.bonnell.com/category/2/3/30

 

[leanin' H]

Take a couple 10 foot pieces of railroad rail. Put a 2 foot or 30 inch pipe spacer between the rails but don't weld them solid. I took a piece of cable, torched a hole through about 1 foot in from each end of the rail, slid the pipe spacer over the cable and then used the cable to tie the rails together with about 4 inches more cable than the length of the spacer. Then i used a long chain to drag them with and set it up so it drug on a diaganol using a clevis. It works great if ya have a little moisture on the road. I will try and take some pictures.

 

[Triangle Bar]

Here is a link to a drag that is similar to what I am talking about. They work really well. http://www.bonnell.com/category/2/3/30

Wow, that's a serious machine. I'd bet that would sure do a terrific job, even the smaller version weighs in at 3100 lbs.

Thanks to all for the info and your sure right that anything 3 point is a real challenge to use.

 

[Triangle Bar]

Take a couple 10 foot pieces of railroad rail. Put a 2 foot or 30 inch pipe spacer between the rails but don't weld them solid. I took a piece of cable, torched a hole through about 1 foot in from each end of the rail, slid the pipe spacer over the cable and then used the cable to tie the rails together with about 4 inches more cable than the length of the spacer. Then i used a long chain to drag them with and set it up so it drug on a diaganol using a clevis. It works great if ya have a little moisture on the road. I will try and take some pictures.

You've piqued my interest H. I'm sure not opposed to building something and I've got a friend who has some railroad iron. He tried to get rid of it at the scrap yard a few weeks back and they wouldn't take it. Apparently the dopers have been prying out the spikes and removing full length rails from the tracks and trying to sell it for scrap... therefore this particular recycler has adopted the policy of refusing all railroad iron scrap. The lengths some will go to.

 

[George]

How much road and how much use?

I have a grader and I do several priviate roads in the area - - - I charge a reasonable fee and that helps cover the cost of ownership - - - besides it's fun to run , I love seeing the finished road after the job is done!

These graders can sometimes be picked up cheap at county auctions.

 

[Silver]

The old tried and true in this area is a real heavy piece of H-Beam about 8 or 10 feet long with the ends of a a D-8 rail fixed to either end of the H-beam. A chain from either end of the beam to the draw bar and the deal is complete.