It's almost that time of year, blading driveway question

We have a long drive with a very steep hill leading up to the road. I have a ton of money in gravel the last two years. How can I get the snow off without loosing gravel. Some say blade just above gravel but then it packs and gets icy. We have 4x4 trucks for both vehicles but wife leaves for work at 2am and also have to get feed truck in and out.. Any good ideas?
 
In a good year, I make my snow pile on one side only and DO NOT push it off the drive. When the snow melts there is a line of piled gravel on the one side that I blade back to the center. In winters like the last one, all bets are off. I pushed a lot of gravel into the ditch last winter. No choice.
 
Some people have suggested bolting a round pipe on your cutting blade. It will pull the snow, but ride on top of the rock.
 
Get the largest diameter metal pipe, bigger is better. I took (3) 3x6 1/4 inch metal plate. Drilled holes a little larger than the bolts holding the edge on blade in metal plates. Got everything fitted up before I welded the plates to pipe. Works good. You need to level drive before it snows or you will still remove grave. I keep pipe a good inch sor so above gravel. You can hear when pipe hits gravel too.
 
All good ideas said below. Butt......I had to break down last year and buy a Toro Snowthrower, it was a life saver. What I did last year is get the snowthrower going and take off the top 5 inches of snow, then run the tractor blade over the last 3 inches or so and plow it to the center and make a pile that was 8 inches deep, by a foot wide then run the snow thrower again over the long pile (with the snow thrower skids 2 inches off the ground) and then throw this remaining part off to the north with the first batch. I never saw that much snow in my lifetime fall in 1 winter.
 
I put in $8000.00 worth of concrete and still have a long ways to go!
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If you have recently added alot of rock to your driveway, it is pretty likely the rock is farely loose. I wonder how it would work to use skid plates or pipes as suggested, leaving say a 1/2 inch of snow, and then drag a section of drag harrow over the rock mixing the remaining snow into the rock and working some rock back up to the surface. Once some rock is back to the surface you should regain your traction and not end up with a compacted icy sheet of snow. I think it would work pretty good depending on how loose the rock is. Once the rock gets really compacted, the harrow would likely not do much good. If thats the case, maybe loosen the rock up with a blade or something before the snow flies. Just a thought.
 
You said gravel, but didn't say if it was ROB, or crushed gravel. Crushed gravel/lime stone with lots of fines will pack in tight, with a rented plate compactor or vibratory roller. Better yet moderately, spread some bag cement over the fine crushed surface, moiston it, and then compact it.
Loren, the Acg.
 

There are ways to minimize gravel losses, many mentioned above..
When possible, I pull my rear blade Backwards, so it will not cut in..cleans the snow away nicely..BUT, if it is going to turn icy, I keep a Spike-toothed Harrow handy and drag that over the drive a few times to rough it up before it freezes smooth and slick..
I only use the "Cutting Edge" of my blade if the snow has gotten Hard-Packed and then, it is only a mater of reversing direction..

Ron.
 
12" + of blacktop millings. Compact with sheepsfoot roller, fill voids compact with smooth drum roller DO in hot weather and it will tighten up like blacktop. Never worry about again.
 
Wait for a good rain then roll it with a heavy roller while its soft. The weather has to cooperate and you need a heavy roller to hook on to at the right time so it's not as easy as it sounds. I got a couple loads of 1" crushed limestone early in September. We had a good rain after I spread it out so I took a roller that's five feet wide and weighs somewhere in the area of 6000 pounds and rolled it several times while it was still wet. When it dried it was packed fairly hard, not like concrete but it was compacted pretty good. If it freezes that way before the snow falls I don't anticipate much loss from pushing snow. If we have snow before it freezes all bets are off. Jim
 
I have had that problem too and it really bothered me. I now try not to plow it if I don't absolutely have too. If it's really too deep to drive through with the car/truck I have actually packed it with the tractor just using the tires and driving in and out a few times. That worked fine. Before people/governments plowed roads they packed them--course they used sleds more then too. :)
 

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