# Dipped Drive.



## oldmanfarmer (Mar 24, 2016)

Hello all:

My driveway is long about 7/8 mile with curves that go up, down, twist at angels. I have a Blade with sides I added to keep the gravel in the blade area but my problem is that the blade scrapes below the set height when the tractor hits an incline. 

Does anyone have any suggestions?

I cant afford a land scrapper the best i can do is figure a way to add tires to my blade. 
But I cant figure out how?


----------



## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

To a certain extent, the blade should float unless you have hydraulic draft control. I just carefully regulate the control as I go. Another thing I do is back blade with the loader, going slowly.


----------



## oldmanfarmer (Mar 24, 2016)

No loader and the blade does float till the tractor starts going up hill then the blade hits the ground until the tractor and blade are level again. 

I'm learning about draft control as i go but off or on, high or low setting is not going to matter till the blade comes into contact with the ground correct?
When the blade hits the ground its to late, the Gravel is removed from the area the blade came in contact with so draft control wont matter. 
Correct? 
or am I using it wrong?


----------



## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

If you have draft on your 3 point, it means that it applies hydraulic down pressure as well as hydraulic lift. Most smaller tractors are just hydraulic lift, and gravity down. 

You speak of the blade hitting the ground and removing gravel, and perhaps I'm not understanding you correctly but I get the impression that you are grading your road and it digs in more in some spots than in others relevant to the terrain, or is it that you have the blade up and traveling down your road and upon going up hill the blade hits the ground and removes the gravel?

You have a lot of adjustment in the top link and also the right hand lift arm for blade tilt as in crowning your road, but if you are dropping the back blade, it should be floating and not fixed in a spot so that if you were to hit a large rock in the road, the back blade should lift up and over it. The same when you encounter a hill, there should be a fair amount of play in the linkage where it should be lifting the blade up to an extent rather than gouging the road unless the dirt is super soft. To put it in even simpler terms, if you had nothing on the 3 point at all, and you lowered the links all the way down, you would be able to lift the links up by hand. Does this make sense? If you can't lift the links, then you have either a draft control or down hydraulics or something is wrong. Unless of course I'm not following you, which could be the case! (laughing)


----------



## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

Maybe have a look at one of those pickup truck snow plow dealers and see see what they have in the way of shoes or get some ideas. 
You can also get wheels and wheel forks for farm implements, but you'd need to figure out a mounting arrangement.


----------



## oldmanfarmer (Mar 24, 2016)

tractor beam said:


> If you have draft on your 3 point, it means that it applies hydraulic down pressure as well as hydraulic lift. Most smaller tractors are just hydraulic lift, and gravity down.
> 
> You speak of the blade hitting the ground and removing gravel, and perhaps I'm not understanding you correctly but I get the impression that you are grading your road and it digs in more in some spots than in others relevant to the terrain, or is it that you have the blade up and traveling down your road and upon going up hill the blade hits the ground and removes the gravel?
> 
> You have a lot of adjustment in the top link and also the right hand lift arm for blade tilt as in crowning your road, but if you are dropping the back blade, it should be floating and not fixed in a spot so that if you were to hit a large rock in the road, the back blade should lift up and over it. The same when you encounter a hill, there should be a fair amount of play in the linkage where it should be lifting the blade up to an extent rather than gouging the road unless the dirt is super soft. To put it in even simpler terms, if you had nothing on the 3 point at all, and you lowered the links all the way down, you would be able to lift the links up by hand. Does this make sense? If you can't lift the links, then you have either a draft control or down hydraulics or something is wrong. Unless of course I'm not following you, which could be the case! (laughing)





tractor beam said:


> If you have draft on your 3 point, it means that it applies hydraulic down pressure as well as hydraulic lift. Most smaller tractors are just hydraulic lift, and gravity down.
> 
> You speak of the blade hitting the ground and removing gravel, and perhaps I'm not understanding you correctly but I get the impression that you are grading your road and it digs in more in some spots than in others relevant to the terrain, or is it that you have the blade up and traveling down your road and upon going up hill the blade hits the ground and removes the gravel?
> 
> You have a lot of adjustment in the top link and also the right hand lift arm for blade tilt as in crowning your road, but if you are dropping the back blade, it should be floating and not fixed in a spot so that if you were to hit a large rock in the road, the back blade should lift up and over it. The same when you encounter a hill, there should be a fair amount of play in the linkage where it should be lifting the blade up to an extent rather than gouging the road unless the dirt is super soft. To put it in even simpler terms, if you had nothing on the 3 point at all, and you lowered the links all the way down, you would be able to lift the links up by hand. Does this make sense? If you can't lift the links, then you have either a draft control or down hydraulics or something is wrong. Unless of course I'm not following you, which could be the case! (laughing)


Its a 1969 Ford 4000 tractor. I have read the manual but not sure if it has power(3pt) power down. Ive all ways had some implement on it when lowering. I will have to check/test it today. From frezzing yesterday to 50* today. a good day for tractor testing.

Im not sure i explained it correctly. My driveway has gravel that is uneven and i am trying to level it. I set the blade about 2-3 inches above the compacted ground and start moving, on flat land not a problem, on the begining of a incline the blade digs in to the compacted ground and i get spot that has no gravel on it about 3-6 feet long. when i get to a down point i have an excess of gravel build up where the blade is in the air(more the 2-3 inches) for a few feet. the blade(lift) does not move.


----------



## HarveyW (Sep 15, 2014)

OMF, a Ford 4000 does not have power down. 

When your tractor starts to go up a slope, the blade is not on the slope yet. Your top link puts extreme down force on the blade till it is on the slope at the same angle as the tractor. Mark the areas where this occurs, and simply lift the blade so it doesn't dig in there.


----------



## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

In addition to what Harvey is saying, drop your speed down as low as you can go, so that you can make those adjustments on the go.

Also, sometimes a tractor can't do things perfectly, and a rake is needed! (laughing)


----------



## oldmanfarmer (Mar 24, 2016)

thanx y'all


----------

