Leveling my dirt drive way and filling in holes

wsmm · Oct 23, 2018

What's the best way to level a dirt drive way and fill in holes. I'm trying to do it with a Ford 2N and a back blade. Have tried it more than once over the years and can never seem to get a smooth driveway. Any ideas and help would be appreciated. Might add this is a sandy drive way in Mid Michigan and it seems every time the sand is disturbed it takes for ever and some times never really sets back up.
Thanks,
Bill

Bob Harvey · Oct 23, 2018

Add some 'crusher dust' as a top coat.

neverfear · Oct 23, 2018

Find an old pull type grader. Most townships around here used to have one anyone could use. I suppose that may have gone the way of the Dodo bird in a lot of places so, you might have to go find one yourself. You could always offer your grading services for hire to the neighbors after that though!

Russ from MN · Oct 23, 2018

Some class 5 gravel on top and then back blade it with the blade angled.

CLYDE MASON · Oct 23, 2018

i have did a few over the years. i start by cutting 3 or so inches down and winrow in center then go over with the draf controll set very light and level it out. im not sure about your sand, but that is the way we do it with our gravel. i would try small section first

M-MAN · Oct 23, 2018

Friend of mine uses his riding mower with a short angled log behind it. Said it takes quite a few trips but he's happy with the results.

fixt · Oct 23, 2018

Angle your blade so the tha tailings roll off the blade to the center. Don't cut too deep at one pass as you want to cut the hills and fill the valleys, in other words, not full down on the lift arm.
Do this in both directions for your width of the driveway. Once you think you have enough tailings to spread flip your blade around for the backblade and go down the pile of tailings you made the length of the driveway. Repeat as necessary to work it smooth.

It is better if you have a slight crown in the center so water runs to the edges. If you try to cut to much the blade will "skip" making it bumpy, that up and down of cutting then not cutting.
If there's any big rocks or stuff in it the blade will skip, doing the same thing. Raise the blade just enough to barely cut for several passes until you get the tailing pile in the center of the drive for back blading.
If you can get some road bond (gravel and rock dust) to top it with it will likely hold. The rock fines will help it bond together.

At the end, walk it with the tractor tires though this won't help compact much it does help some. It takes a while to do all this.

jeffcat · Oct 23, 2018

Several good tips already. That crusher dust works great if you can first make everything level and smooth as silk. Then spread it thick and even as possible. Lastly.....you will not want to hear this. Get a regular company to come in and spend a couple of grand. You will have little trouble maintaing a GOOD road rather fighting with an unstable goat trail. Here is a shot of my road warrior machine. My dad years ago had a guy and his crew do the lane correctly. As long as you touch it up every now and then it is fabulous.

Brendon-KS · Oct 23, 2018

Since buying a box blade the only time my regular blade gets used on our gravel driveway is for snow removal. I find the box works much better for smoothing and filling in holes.

2510Paul · Oct 23, 2018

Like Brendon-KS my box scraper with teeth works really well. I first put the teeth down and work up the surface as deep as any pot holes or wash-board. Then I put the teeth up. If I need to move any material to certain places I do it once I have this loose material. Then I tip my box scraper back so it feathers rather then digs. I feather to taste.

It is harder to get a good crown with the box-scraper. Raising or lowering the right or left links helps. I usually do some diagonal grading to pull more material to the center if a lot is needed.

If your driveway is up or down hill you may want to put a couple shallow water diversions in.

Having said all that I don't know how this will work in your sand but I have to believe most will apply.

Ya, my blade mostly sits.

Paul

Leroy · Oct 23, 2018

Is it just a corderoy surface or do you have holes and high spots. Corderoy tilt blade as far forward as you can and take as small a bite as you can. Now if holes and bumps a back blad will never smooth that out. If holes and the front end hits a hole it will raise the blade to go over a pile and next time it will be worse. Canyou somehow make an attachment on the back of plade that will stick out back about 4' and put a caster wheel on it. Ford years ago made a blade like that. I will get rid of the drop downs that keep getting deeper and with the blade riding onlt on the caster wheel with the lift letting it down as much as the caster wheel will it will smooth out the holes-dips and hills-high spots. The box blad works on the same principle being a lot longer the holes-high spots do not thro it off like the short back blade does. The tractor acts as on a piviot on the rear axle that makes the blade want to dig deeper where you don't want it to and not hit what you want to drag out. I have A 2N Dad bought new when I was 9 months old and am now 75. And I have graded many a mile of gravel drive. Mi gets so bad I have to use something to dig the dirt-gravel loose to the bottom of the pits before I can smooth it out.

MarkB_MI · Oct 23, 2018

I maintain my driveway with a landscape rake. Mine is an eight footer with wheels.

Your road will need much less maintenance if you can bring in a few loads of crushed limestone, rock or concrete. After hauling in a couple hundred tons of crushed limestone, my driveway only needs a pass or two with the rake each spring.

David G · Oct 23, 2018

I have actually found my rear blade works well with draft at about half

gab · Oct 23, 2018

Your old road warrior looks like it's got a number one back fill blade hanging on the back.

casecollectorsc · Oct 23, 2018

Pull dirt from both sides towards the middle. Without a crown the water sits on the driveway and each time you drive thru it you cause a pothole. Water will run off if the center is higher.

SweetFeet · Oct 23, 2018

If my husband has ruts/bumps to fix, he'll use the back-blade the regular way. Next he will actually turn the blade completely backward for smoothing, so it's not biting-in. As a final touch he'll drag around a long steel tube with a heavy chain looped off the back side of it. It turns out really nice.

Traditional Farmer · Oct 24, 2018

Heavy Bush Hog blade with a tail wheel will do wonders on a driveway but I think your 2N might be a little under powered(LOL)

Ultradog MN · Oct 24, 2018

X2 on the landscape rake.
They work good on gravel driveways and don't leave lumps and clumps like a backblade does.

grizz02 · Oct 24, 2018

like has been said spin your blade around and angle it down in the front so it wont dig in , I spin my land scape rake around to groom my driveway gravel

Geo-TH,In · Oct 24, 2018

wsmm,
Drainage is the key to any driveway. If water collects in a hole, the hole will only get bigger.

Remove the dirt from the edge of driveway and crown the road. You can angle and bevel your back blade to remove the dirt from edge and put it in the middle of drive. That will also fill your holes.

The problem I see with driveways are people drive in exactly the same place producing two ruts for water to collect.

You will always be repairing a dirt driveway. You'll
need rock or gravel to pack in your dirt.

showcrop · Oct 24, 2018

Lots of good suggestion.

You need to add some CRUSHED gravel in order to have any stability and longevity. Not a whole lot but mix it into the top four inches at one part gravel to three parts sand. You need to CUT to below the potholes in order to have the job last. Otherwise the material that you fill the holes with will flush right out when driven over in the next rain. To keep potholes from forming CROWN it so that the water runs off. To grade it smooth use a blade with a GAUGE WHEEL or two. I added one out the rear of my blade as another poster said.

Southern Ray · Oct 24, 2018

maybe this will work?
DR Grader

jeffcat · Oct 24, 2018

You are correct! It has enough miles and age that the time has come to flip the cutting edge. Gonna need to tourch them bolts out!!

John B. · Oct 24, 2018

You can never pack sand. When it gets dry it's loose.

Leveling my dirt drive way and filling in holes

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