Are small graders like lee boy or a Royal 80 a viable option for gravel road maintenance? I know bigger is better but bigger is a lot higher. Realistically what are these smaller graders capable of? Thanks, Roddyo
For large and long roads are bigger graders better, but for smaller streets or surfaces are smaller grader good enough I think.
There are some posts on smaller graders here: HeavyEquipmentForums Bigger is not necessarily better. Depends a lot on what you want to accomplish. For simple road surface maintenance you will need to be able to put enough weight on the moldboard to cut through surface irregularities such as potholes and washboards. This would depend on moisture content and type of surface. Ditching and back sloping requirements might be a factor also. I could have purchased a 770 series Deere for less but I opted for the smaller 570 series machine for the roads I deal with.
the only difference is that with the smaller grader's you can't cut as much so you have to make more pass's if you are trying to pull major ditches that can be a problem but if you are just doing lite maintenance they work fine.
I think you can find an older larger unit a lot cheaper than you can find a modern small unit. I know there is a Austin western pacer 300 available locally for 1800, in running condition. A lot of gallion 503's go for 3x that. Had a running gallion a500 offered for 2500 etc... Friend bought a clark or a gallion unit about the size of a 12 f cat for 6k at auction, drove it home.
Unless you have enough work at a good enough rate, buying a new production class grader is not worth it. Sometimes it is possible to find a well maintained grader for a good price, but in my experience by the time someone gets rid of a grader it is well worn. Brian Abernathy, and I think he is on here builds a 110 Champion. It is in between compact and production class graders.
I don't know anything about the Royal but just from the looks of them I would prefer the Lee Boy. It has been around for awhile. Like everyone said it is light and you will be limited as to how much you can do. You did indicate for gravel road maintenance. You could take a small grader like that and put serrated cutting edges on it and it would help you on cutting hard base rock. But then again it works a lot better if you do have a damp road to start off with. And yes you would have to make a pass or two more. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Only do a mile of road at a time, that way you can spread it all out before it dries too fast. Serrated cutting edges are nice but they have their downfall as well. They will tend to dry things out a lot faster. Good luck with your venture.
Thanks for the replies. i really want something semi modern. Early 90's up. We have a lot of dirt farm roads I could grade thru the summer with a little one....I think. And I think the little would would be better on these 12 foot straight dirt farm roads. But...if I go to the hills we are talking a clay gravel base and chat or gravel on top. I don't know if there is enough money in the hills to pay for a bigger grader. Most of these roads will be a 1/4 of a mile to a mile and a half in length so breaking it up sections isn't a problem. The county used to hit these private roads once or twice a year for individuals but that's coming to an end so I'm thinking there's a need
Well if you can find a good balance of what to charge customers and the cost of the machine it may be a good investment. Good luck and keep us posted of the outcome.
A FiatAllis 65B or C would be a nice sized capable machine. Check Machinery Trader for one that might be close to you.