Anybody got tips on how to do this? I have a contract grading some rural roads and about a half mile or so is a certain class going thru private properties where Im supposed to maintain a 10 foot only access road.No ditch. Grader is a Champion 740A with 14 foot moldboard.The area does not have a lot of ups and downs and corners which helps. Material is kind of a pit run gravel not too bad stuff actually. Most of my grading has been on 12 to 20 foot wide roads which are of course a piece of cake. Thganks for any suggestions.
Is the road crowned? Shouldn't matter if the blade overhangs the ditch.
I spent two summers grading roads in a tree nursery.... 10ft. Was a pain until learned a way to do it. Set your blade at angle that allows it to fit. Then never discharge off the end. No windrow, set your moldboard so the material runs out b4 reaching the discharge end. Good luck and have fun. Unless the roads are soddy, the get a jug of whiskey a couple packs of smokes,,, 3/4 cans of fresh copenhagen cause thats about the only way you'll enjoy your day... even if you don't drink, smoke, chew or cuss, you learn it all.
No ditches. That's an issue too. Seems like I'm going to have to cut deep on first passes to deal with potholes That'd pretty much guarantee a windrow.Maybe after those passes I can go with the no windrow idea,which sounds better than most of the ideas I've had to date.tried snuff once god it was awful.
Could you angle the blade enough so it is only 8' wide? That would leave your windrow on the working surface for a second pass.
Grading is about controlling drainage and it sounds like you might have a lot of water to direct. The vehicles that use the road probably straddle the center and those tracks are gonna wear faster making their own ditches with the crown getting higher. Have you considered running a ditch where the crown usually goes? Let'em strattle that for awhile while you make a berm on either side to keep the water from flowing across the "right-of-way". Be great for dirt biking too. I have some roads like that too on a thirty ft. ROW. Last time I did some grading off the "road" some of "members of the association" came close to having heart attacks. Hope you don't have to turn that machine around on one of those 10 ft. sections. Nothing like having to backup for a couple of miles to give you a twisted spine to go home with.
Cut edge fill crown both sides if you can roll blade over so you won’t carry a lot of material. With crown filled make pass down center to spread material to the quarters . Keep corners off ground 8-9 inches depending on crown . Next cut quarters to fill to edge . Remember you will only have part of the blade touching at any time Or you could cut 2 feet off each end of blade
The water is not real bad. Its thru an old kind of river fan I guess youd say so its pretty gravelly and well drained. theres a couple of reasonable turnouts so not bad there. Biggest PIA is the residents who kind of like to think the road is an infringement on their rights and of course to boot every one of them has a college degree in grading so to speak.The brushing limit is also 10 feet so its a challenge even seeing what youre doing. Oh well.
No windrow.... give it a try, you will simply be amazed at the quality of it.
Set your blade so that it delivers the windrow between the tandems. Make a pass down one side and then the other. Reposition the blade and square blade the crown out to the specified road width.
I don't think he can square his blade.. ten foot road with a 14 foot moldboard and brush on the sides.
Any way to swap for a narrower blade?
Cut four feet off the moldbroad? Be sure to emove two feet from each side so people won't think you don't add up...
Terrific answers guys. Im going to give it a try. Grandpa and bmb i think your suggestions will do it. Not keen on cutting blade off. Resale value etc.
Hmm... 10ft rd 14 ft mouldboard no ditches just couch foreman's and peoples lawns coming out to the edge, road has potholes with some gravel, I take it there isn't any crown in the road, probably never was,....well I would side shift angle blade and put material between the tandems, if you have float.. just float the end that is between the tandems, the out side mouldboard end along the lawn edge leave out of float, the floated end will follow the on floated end and will act as a shock absorber when your machines front wheels fall in the pot holes as your going along and your mouldboard will not leave a fingerprint in the road, once road is cut and material is to one side take mould board out of float just spread it back leaving a bit more in the middle, taper rest of to the side than run over for a bit, there's your tip for the day!!
Coastlogger, do you mean to tell us a Champion motor grader has resale value?
My favorite is the person with the road to the cottage. Basically 2 wheel ruts in the grass. Couldn't you just do it in one pass?
Put two five or six foot cutting edges on the centre and leave the ends bare
If it was me, and no one was checking, I'd make it a bit wider every time I grade it. I do a cottage lane every year.when I started, it was only ten feet and less. After five years, it's fourteen plus