Box or Grading Scraper?

[imarobot]

My driveway is overdue for some TLC and I’m thinking of getting a box scraper or grading scraper, and not sure which would be better for my needs. I’ve used a rear blade to do this in the past, but I can’t get a good finish, I always dig deeper in some spots than I want to and thought a scraper would work better.
Driveway is not in real bad shape, just needs mostly grading which is why I’m thinking gravel scraper. There are no big potholes or high spots, just overall needs to be leveled and sloped for better water drainage. Driveway is only about ¼ mile long and 8-10’ wide, with a couple of wider 50’ parking areas, all on flat ground. Or, would a box scraper be better for this?
Also, how wide of a scraper would be better, a wide one to cover more width with one pass or a narrower one to make more precise grading in a smaller area? Tractor has 57 HP.

 

[jimh406]

A grader/scraper is much easier to use. I would get one wide enough to cover your tracks.

There are YouTube videos that show how easy they are to use. Other than leveling them and occasional adjustment to make sure the blades are making contact like you want, you just put them down and drive.

 

[ES44AC-2]

Grader scraper with the scarifiers.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

8' section of heavy C-channel with tractor chains behind does a GREAT job for 'touch up' levelling. Late farmer did that to his 800' driveway for decades, never added any gravel.Only took a few passes every 2 weeks after church, for brunch......man it was a site to behold !
I get the impression very few 'maintain' their driveway ,just use and abuse THEN after months(or years) finally say 'I gotta do something NOW' and it's a real project.

 

[RCW]

Like Ford/Chevy/RAM, every one will have a preference for a box blade versus a land plane.

I’ve had a box blade for years. Others have had planes for years.

Get what works for you. Make an informed decision. Lots of stuff on the internet.

 

[Stewart]

I have a box scraper and find it works best all around. I know the land plane is suppose to work great for existing projects. This is what I was told when I purchased my tractor and implements.

 

[jimh406]

Like Ford/Chevy/RAM, every one will have a preference for a box blade versus a land plane.

More like a SUV vs a pickup. They are completely different tools. There isn't anyone who can finish a gravel road with a box blade as fast as a grader/scraper, and a grader/scraper can't move as much dirt as fast as a box blade.

Similarly, I can haul lumber on my SUV luggage rack, but the pickup bed is easier. I can also haul several people in my pickup, but the SUV does it better.

 

[Vlach7]

A rear angle blade is more vestal. You would probably use an 8', so on angle it would cover your tracks, get the heaviest one you can afford, "more metal". Great for maintaining roads and snow removal. One of my favorite accessories. I finish with my 7', 3pt rake, to make pretty.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Good day.

I don’t have anything to offer on this as I have neither implement…but one of the two is on my list to get. Would sure be nice to see a pros and cons comparison of grading implements (I’m thinking what we need is something similar to the pros and cons of snow removal thread). Unfortunately I don’t know enough of have the experience with them to start a comparison. (Seems like there are at least 4 implements to compare: grader/scraper, back blade, box scraper, and landscape rake, but maybe their are more options such as something simple to drag)

to me it sure seems like the plane / grader would be better suited for maintaining an existing drive vs the versatility of the box being able to move more mater to fill in low spots. But I am not really sure that is correct.

 

[GeoHorn]

A land-plane / grading-scraper…is easy to use if all you want to do is smooth-over existing gravel.

But if you need to actually Move Dirt … I.E., re-distribute dirt or gravel on an existing road…a Box Blade is better for that job.

Angle blades are next to useless in my experience….and I’ve got all three.

 

[Shawn T. W]

A rear blade with trailing hydraulic gauge wheels can do a pretty good job, but I use a land plane, Bush Hog calls it a "Road Grader" which does not have the "ripper teeth" , mine is 60" slightly wider than my 50" tire tracks ... Here is a short video of mine, I went up and back twice on the same side, to kill off the weeds ...

https://rumble.com/v6utmg1-land-plane-in-action.html

Rolls and tumblers the gravel to remix it, the excess rolls over the top of the front blade, then rolls over the second blade, which both are at an angle.

 

[InTheWoods]

...I’ve used a rear blade to do this in the past, but I can’t get a good finish, I always dig deeper in some spots than I want to...

One simple thing to try if your rear blade supports it, is to simply rotate the rear blade 180 degrees, so the cutting edge becomes a 'dragging edge'. It will pretty much prevent undesired digging.

 

[imarobot]

One simple thing to try if your rear blade supports it, is to simply rotate the rear blade 180 degrees, so the cutting edge becomes a 'dragging edge'. It will pretty much prevent undesired digging.

I've done that but the blade tends to just ride over the dirt unless it is soft.

 

[Bearcatrp]

I've done that but the blade tends to just ride over the dirt unless it is soft.

I do this for snow removal. You have to adjust the top link out far so the blade almost looks straight down. Put a few sand bags on it for more weight to keep it from floating over.

 

[imarobot]

I do this for snow removal. You have to adjust the top link out far so the blade almost looks straight down. Put a few sand bags on it for more weight to keep it from floating over.

I also do this for snow removal if my driveway isn't frozen and can't use the snowblower.

 

[Blue2Orange]

Do not own and never have used a grader scraper. One of the shop mechanics at the dealer uses one to routinely maintain his driveway. He noted it is a quick and easy process. Saves money on adding gravel to the driveway.

Back blade and box blade user. Box blade is nice for moving material around. I needed to tilt it up with the box blade ~1/4" elevated resulting in the rear facing blade acting like a reversed back blade. Worked, but still required 3pt height management. Not the best at removing the high points and filling in the valley. Found out best to just be gentle and patient with how much of the hump is taken down with every pass. Better multiple light passes vs. making a mess requiring multiple passes to fix. Why I think for just routine maintenance a land plane is the way to go and why it's next on the list of implements.

 

[trikepilot]

8' section of heavy C-channel with tractor chains behind does a GREAT job for 'touch up' levelling. Late farmer did that to his 800' driveway for decades, never added any gravel.Only took a few passes every 2 weeks after church, for brunch......man it was a site to behold !
I get the impression very few 'maintain' their driveway ,just use and abuse THEN after months(or years) finally say 'I gotta do something NOW' and it's a real project.

Amen! Regular maintenance prevents future big repairs. I have a box blade and rear angle blade but they are reserved almost exclusively for bigger repairs were more material needs moved or a crown needs to be re-established. Similar to the C-channel and chains above, I use a 5ft wide drag harrow with aggessive ⅗" tines to do my regular maint. One pass with the tine points down to loosen the compacted gravel and then flip it over to the "smooth" side for a final pass to redistribute and smooth it all out. Works great!

 

[Old Machinist]

I use my box blade most of the time. A landscape rake does a good job on gravel if you don't want to move a lot of material and just want to shape and smooth.

You can make do with a box blade, grader blade, or landscape rake. Your description sounds like a landscape rake would be a good choice.

A drag can do some smoothing but you can't use it for shaping or crowning. Using a drag will eventually remove any crown. Same goes for driving in a straight line with a level box blade. I have some neighbors that do that. Every so often I have to go reshape the road for drainage.

I can shape with my box blade by driving diagonal passes then going back over in straight lines to smooth.

 

[chim]

I have used scraper blades, York rakes and a few different DIY land plane types of implements for gravel driveways and parking areas. I briefly owned a box blade, but only used it for turning a cornfield into a yard. A land plane-ish implement is my first choice for leveling out gravel.

The left picture is one we built from decent-sized I beams in the shop at work The leading edges that look a little like toboggans are pieces of 6"? schedule 40 steel pipe. It did well, but since it didn't angle, material couldn't be cast to one side or the other to crown a road for example.

The middle picture is the current version of a drag I originally built about 22 years ago. It is more user-friendly than the first rendition (last photo). It can be angled to move material to the side by dropping the pin in different holes. It's much less complicated to use than the original.

The right picture is from '03 when the original was pulled by the B7500. Lifting was via the boom pole and angling was done by adjusting the length of the two chains that were used to pull it. Unlike the most recent design it couldn't be used effectively in reverse.

 

[Shawn T. W]

If you have a box blade, and more time than money ... You can drill a few holes in the sides of the box blade, and bolt on some 3' long pieces of angle iron which will act as runners, to prevent digging it too deep, and will smooth out a driveway better than the box blade alone, it still will not tumble and mix the gravel like a land plane will ...