converting old horse harrows for tractor

blunosr · Jul 14, 2015

Hi, I got a set of old horse-drawn harrows that I thought I would use to maintain my roads. They drag on the ground, and have replaceable skids that are still in reasonable shape right now. I'm considering modifying it to have wheels and to be rigid across. Right now they are designed to flex in the center, which I suppose allows for a crown, but I want the road flat.

Have any of you guys done something like this? Or is there some other way of maintaining flat roads?

Should I just get a box blade?

Thanks for any advice,

Troy
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jon f mn · Jul 14, 2015

Without a crown in the road you will soon end up with puddles ans washouts. A back blade works best if
you have a tractor, that way you can maintain the crown. If you don't have a tractor watch for an old
road maintainer to pull, but get ready to spend some money on one, they sell high.

Billy NY · Jul 14, 2015

Ditto to what Jon said. While the spring tooth harrow works in a similar fashion, in a hard packed road material or gravel, you will accelerate wear on the ground engaging parts more or less designed for top soils, which I have to believe unless its sand, are far less abrasive than road gravel.

The tool of choice for scarifying a road wear surface so that it can be re-graded would be a multi-shank ripper or scarifier to loosen up the wear surface material. These are commonly found on rear box blades which will have both the scarifiers or rippers with much thicker steel, likely with hardened wear parts to resist abrasion, and a moldboard. It is set up to contain material as you handle or grade. Ideally, you just need the rippers to scarify, and a commonly available open (no sides like a box blade) rear scraper type blade that you can angle and tilt; to grade, windrow material, cast to one side to make a crown in the center, or pull up material from the sides that may get pushed there over time.

Dean Olson · Jul 14, 2015

I used a box blade to maintain about 1000' of my lane for years. I did ok with it but never quite happy with it. I have a blade but it's just not heavy enough.

I recently bought a Land Pride grader scraper, similar to a Road Boss. About 2 passes and my roads perfect. Highly recommend one over any other implement.

Janicholson · Jul 14, 2015

A back blade with a tail wheel (adapted or fabricated to control depth) is way better. I also agree with the others in that a flat road (especially one in continuous loose surface caused by that spring tooth drag) will be a rutted and puddled mess. Across 10 feet you should have 4 inches of crown. The use of road base material in a 4 inch depth is best as it will pack and resist shifting/rutting, and washboarding. Good roadbase consists of crushed rock (not river gravel) from 3/4" down to 1/4' and fines including clay and some sand. Each of these in about the same proportions. Stiring the top with your tool is OK only once every 5 years (maybe) Jim

Dick L · Jul 14, 2015

I have maintained my factory gravel lime stone mix drive that I put in in 1982 with a Glenco field cultivator and a back blade. I dig it loose the depth of the pot holes in the spring. I use the back blade to maintain the crown. I then drive the tractor up and down the drive to pack it then use my heavy large truck to pack it more. The semi's take it from there. It gets real hard and lasts all summer and some times I make it last for two even though pot holes start to form. I didn't work it this spring and it is still in fair shape even with all the rain.

pburg · Jul 14, 2015

You need something like this. It's got tilt capability,

but you need hydraulics.

converting old horse harrows for tractor

blunosr

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jon f mn

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Billy NY

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Dean Olson

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Janicholson

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Dick L

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pburg

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