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A drag for leveling a driveway


dlsven

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I think I read about someone making a drag out of chain link fence but I couldn't find anything doing a search. Does anyone have any information on doing this? Thanks.
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May have been a post I made last spring. Nothing sophisticated, just a 4’x6’ section of chain link fence to drag after seeding. It works well for that, just the right amount of jiggle. Don’t think it would do much on a driveway.
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It's heavy, but taking a cut piece of a railroad tie (4-6 ft long) and nailing the chain link to it works well. Have the ropes hooked to the crosstie with the chainlink nailed to the front of it using fencing staples. The chainlink should wrap under the crosstie and drag behind it. A 2x4 or landscape timber can be added on top of the chain link at the rear for additional weight. It will also work pretty well on newly torn ground by pulling out sticks, limbs, and small rocks.
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The problem with trying to get a driveway level is there are high spots and low spots. Dragging will only smooth a surface. Dragging will not cut or fill to any extent. What you will wind up with is a smooth rollercoaster. Before I mounted a grader blade, I used heavy weight and brute force to cut and fill. The grader blade actually does a better job since the front and rear wheels of the tractor straddle the low spots while the blade cuts the material.
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Thanks for the responses. I think I'll try the railroad tie and see how that works. I'm not trying to level the driveway as much as I'm trying to smoothly distribute some gravel so it might work pretty well.
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We used to drag the dirt roads around our home when I was younger. We used a couple of pieces of I beam and some pipe welded together. The I beams were about three feet apart with the pipe welded between. The front beam had a cutter blade attached, similar to that on the bottom of a grader blade. There were two chains attached to the ends of the front beam. By hooking the chains at different lengths you could set the drag at an angle. As you pulled it, the front blade would cut off the high spots. Adjusting it at an angle made the dirt move from one side to the other as you pulled it, thus filling up the low places. I made a similar drag from 4x6 timbers to level my lawn after filling up some low spots. Didn't have a cutter on this one. Rod H.
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Go to a local fence installer/supplier and ask for a section of used chain link fence. They should have some. My local fence company does not charge for this. Many folks around here use a chain link drag mat to groom paddocks, and riding trails, most of these folks have horses. The first pass will not do much, but after multiple passes you will get the desired effects. I also have a drag mat made of plastic snow fence. I actually like this one better than the chain link version ( I have both). You need to add some weight to the drag mat. Pressure treated 2 x ? is what I use. Just scraps. A concete block or two would get you where you need to go on the drive way. Like someone already said, this will level the drive way to a point. You will need to bring in some fill for the low spots. Best to not wait until the road is deeply rutted, but to drag it once a month, or so. The drag mat works great for putting in a new lawn! Mark Balding
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I think this subject has been hashed over before. I want to add this.... If your driveway is flat, and you have decent drainage, simply dragging and/or scraping it will do fine. However, if your driveway is on a HILL, such as mine, take the time fo fill the holes then drag. And, a sloped drive needs to be crowned, (humped in the middle) or your dirt, class 5, rip rap, whatever will end up migrating to the end of the slope everytime it rains. You want to keep a sloped dirt type driveway packed as much as possible, never use a harrow or spring tooth to level it unless you have something heavy enough, like Herbs mega-roller, or a tracked vehicle to pack it back down. The first time you get a heavy rain the loosened material washes away. So if you drag a sloped driveway, drag on either side of the crown. Scraping on either side towards the center works to. I fuss over my driveway alot, i get ribbed by my smart boy neigbor now and then, however, its 350 yards long, to re-surface with class 5, cat time, is anywhere between 700 to 1200 dollars. If it goes unattended, it has to be done every 5 years. Something to think about... Doug
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Doug, In case new members don't know what "Herb's mega-roller" is.......... Just got done with reseeding the lawn. Didn't even put any water in it.
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I found a good drag for dirt and sand, a wooden pallet. I worked great for leveling my new yard. It picks up the rocks and sticks as well. And is really cheap. Not sure that it would work in gravel though.
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Herb, sorry i gave it a name without consulting, i thought it was a good one! i cant view the pic, i dont know if others can either. just a little box with a red "x" in it. without searching the old posts, what did you guess the estimated weight would be if the mega roller was full of water? Doug
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Doug, No problem........ People even give ME "names" without consulting. The roller is about 300 lbs. empty 1500 lbs. full.
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I made one for a fellow several years ago in the following manner. For the front section I welded two pieces of 5 inch H beam together at 90 degrees, welding the ends together. The long side of triangle (where there will be no metal was 60" in length. This was the front section and pushed the material outward. I made the back section the same except the Long side of the triangle was 85" in length. By the back section being longer it will pull the material back in and you'll end up with a level surface. Weld the two section together with a framework that accomodates your pulling chain and a weight box. The front section "should point toward your tractor (forward) and the back section should point away from your tractor (backward). Make the frame so the ends of the sections are about 30" or so apart. Use a chain as a triangular shaped drawbar. I made ajustable mounts on the front side of the front secton H beams so you can have the front dig deeper or float a little higher, depending on the height of the tractor drawbar.
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To clarify just a little more. The leveler drag will look like to "V" in opposite directions. < > With the back one being wider.
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