Ensuring Towed Leveling Works Well
Posted on: 10 October 2022
A towed gravel-leveling grader is beautiful in its simplicity and efficiency. Set the grader as close to the surface of the ground as you want it to be, hitch it to a vehicle, and pull it along, raking up and leveling gravel and dirt along the way. As simple as that is, however, the gravel and any rocks stuck in the surface of the ground under that gravel can make it harder for the grader to do its job. If you're about to buy a grader, you must ensure you get one that will work well considering what your property is like.
Make Sure the Grader Can Work When the Ground Is Wet
When heavy rains upset the level surface of your gravel driveway or of a gravel or dirt road on your property, you want to re-level the surface as quickly as possible. If the rains end quickly and the ground dries completely, you can take almost any grader and get to work. But, if the ground hasn't dried out – maybe it's very humid, and the ground isn't drying as fast as you would like, or maybe there are still spotty showers each day that leave the ground damp – a lot of graders won't work that well. If you live in an area where damp ground or spotty rain showers are frequent issues, you'll want to be sure you get a gravel-leveling grader that can work in damp conditions.
Weighing Down and Stabilizing the Grader
Some graders have a horizontal platform in the middle, often with short but raised sides. This platform is the perfect place for a cinder block, used to weigh down the grader if you're dealing with a surface that needs a steadier "grip" as you tow it along the road. Others do not have that surface, which means they need to provide some way for you to increase the stability of the grader so it doesn't leap up over stubborn rocks.
Note How Long It Takes to Rake and Fill Holes
You may want to start off by renting some models and testing them out. See how many passes you have to make to get the surface level and ensure that holes left by rocks you raked out are filled properly. You may see that a few days after filling them, they start to reappear as the dirt settles; this is common, but you want to make additional passes as little as possible (in other words, you want a grader that will fill in those holes with loose dirt well enough to avoid having to make too many extra passes in the following weeks; it's just a matter of efficiency and saving time). When it comes time to buy a grader, look at those models that did a good job of filling in the holes quickly and thoroughly.
Once you have a grader of your own, you'll be able to keep gravel and unpaved roads on your property looking a lot better and allowing for a smoother drive. You'll be happy you have this tool when rain or heavy vehicles upend that previously level road.
Reach out to a supplier if you want to learn more about towed gravel-leveling graders.
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