Grading different soil a

[Welder Dave]

Can it be a little tricky to level an area that has different types of soils? The infield of my oval track has hard packed clay, some black dirt and some sand in spots. I've already stripped the sod. Seems I need to have a little more down pressure for the hard material but then I have to raise the moldboard on the sand and looser dirt. I got it pretty close but wondering if there's a certain technique to it?

 

[56wrench]

Cut it all down a bit and re-lay it all

 

[Welder Dave]

The infield needs to come down about 1 1/2 feet after putting a bank on the track. Better to have the infield wet after heavier rain than the track.

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

Have you tried ripping it first? Makes the cut a lot faster. 1.5' is a lot to cut with a grader, imho. No skiddy on the site?

My blade is only 10' but it will just skip if I try to dig into hard stuff. We have this limestone around here in Central Texas that only a tracked skiddy or dozer can cut.

But when I am pushing aggregates it's really just a function of traction at the wheels. Pressure downward isn't a factor. It's depth of the cut.

 

[Welder Dave]

I'm not trying to cut 1 1/2ft. all at once. I'd guess I'm taking about 4 inch cuts. It's quite a bit of material considering I'm pushing about 300ft. I'm usually making the cut about 1/2 the moldboard. It makes the grader work in the harder soil. I'm sure an experienced operator would be able to do a better job much faster but it's not that bad.

 

[bigrus]

In my early days of operating, I was told a grader "treats dirt doesn't shift it"
Just keep chiseling away

 

[ovrszd]

I've moved a LOT of dirt with a grader. Patience is required.

Wish you were nearby, I'd loan you my 95HP FWA tractor pulling a 5.5 cuyd scraper.

So what's the size of the infield in sq ft? You mentioned 300ft but not in a descriptive enough way to discern the size of field we are talking about.

 

[cuttin edge]

The thing about a big cut. Your 730 is a 16 footer? A 730 has it's a$$ full with a 14, they really should have had a 12. Even trying to take a couple inches across a 16 foot MB is a lot of material. I have taken 3 foot cuts in shale rock without ripping. I would love to have a rear mount scarrifer on my Volvo, the mid mount one is just a tease. In situations like that, I use the corner of the blade. It is a lot of work, but if it's all you have. If you want to carry material to pile it up, stand your MB up straight. A grader and a loader working together can move a lot of stuff.

 

[ovrszd]

In Missouri if you can make a 2" cut in undisturbed clay you are a champ.

I've also used the end of the sloped blade to gouge soil loose then flatten the moldboard and push it away. Doable but painfully slow.

Once I get a full load I roll the moldboard fully back to get under the material and carry as much of it as I can, then push the rest. In optimum soil conditions I can push material forward of the front tires.

 

[cuttin edge]

We had a highway job once that was a stay away from home all week deal. They had rented a big 6 wheel drive Volvo grader, and an old fella that graded woods roads since he was a kid was running it. They took my 730 Champion over so I could fine grade the base for a box culvert. While I was there, the super asked if I could give the old fella on the Volvo some pointers. He had run an Austin Weston grader mostly, and thought the Volvo, even though older was pretty nice. We talked for a bit. I tried to explain grade stakes. He had a concept of the grade mark, but having a grade 2 education, he had no interest in learning metric cut an fill, so I told the surveyor he might have to put it in inches for him. I helped him float some of the subgrade, and told him his dump man could help him when they were putting the gravel on Monday. The float came for me and my old grader, so I got ready to leave, and he went grading. The super, an old road builder from way back remarked how different experience could be seen while the 2 graders worked together. The 6 wheel drive, came up front rolling a few rocks in the blade, while my old 730 with near bald tires has a full blade rolling off into a windrow. The old fella had never had a grader with a hydraulic pitch blade, and as he didn't plan on working much longer, he had no interest in me explaining how to use it.

 

[Welder Dave]

It was last year and if I recall I tilted the blade so I wasn't pushing the whole moldboard. It wasn't all super hard material so some scraped up a lot easier. That's why I asked how to get it level when the soil has different consistency. Harder ground needs more down pressure but then you hit a sandy section and it takes a deeper cut. I remember seeing a big Cat grader using the moldboard like a 1 bottom plow in hard clay. The harder parts I did tilt the blade some and made a few passes with the blade corner to break it up. Then I could push it easier. I got really lucky last weekend. A guy came out to see my MX track and turns out he has run several different graders as well as other heavy equipment. He said he could grade the oval track with banked corners and give me some pointers so I could learn how to do it myself. Great!

Almost forgot. The infield is about 65 feet wide x 300+ feet long.

 

[ovrszd]

We had a highway job once that was a stay away from home all week deal. They had rented a big 6 wheel drive Volvo grader, and an old fella that graded woods roads since he was a kid was running it. They took my 730 Champion over so I could fine grade the base for a box culvert. While I was there, the super asked if I could give the old fella on the Volvo some pointers. He had run an Austin Weston grader mostly, and thought the Volvo, even though older was pretty nice. We talked for a bit. I tried to explain grade stakes. He had a concept of the grade mark, but having a grade 2 education, he had no interest in learning metric cut an fill, so I told the surveyor he might have to put it in inches for him. I helped him float some of the subgrade, and told him his dump man could help him when they were putting the gravel on Monday. The float came for me and my old grader, so I got ready to leave, and he went grading. The super, an old road builder from way back remarked how different experience could be seen while the 2 graders worked together. The 6 wheel drive, came up front rolling a few rocks in the blade, while my old 730 with near bald tires has a full blade rolling off into a windrow. The old fella had never had a grader with a hydraulic pitch blade, and as he didn't plan on working much longer, he had no interest in me explaining how to use it.

When I started I had no idea how to run a grader. But I've always been mechanical in thought. I was 35 yrs old. A man 25 yrs my Senior was a good friend and a Township Grader operator. I visited with him a few times with basic questions. At that time he was running an old Champion grader. I was on an old Cat 12.

The second year my Township bought me a new JD Grader. He came to look at it. Immediately said "you'll never be any good in that machine". I asked why? He said "you can't stand up in that short cab and you can't expertly run a grader sitting down".

A couple years later his Township bought him a late model slightly used JD Grader. Short cab. He'd been running it about six months when I had a conversation with him about it. I asked how he was getting along running a Grader sitting down? He said "why the hell would I want to stand up!!!"

I kinda went thru something similar with AWD. Over the years it was a $25K option. I told my Township I didn't think that was a good value for something I'd rarely use. Four years ago we traded for a new machine and was able to get AWD for $10K. After running it a couple months I apologized to my Township Board for my opposition to this expenditure. Should have bought AWD 25 years ago.

So now my goal is to not be that old operator you described and stay too long. I just got a new Township Board of young guys. I lectured them about their responsibilities. Primarily I lectured them about me. Don't let me stay too long out of loyalty. When I'm past my time politely replace me. And I told them my responsibility in that is to leave just before that time comes.

 

[ovrszd]

It was last year and if I recall I tilted the blade so I wasn't pushing the whole moldboard. It wasn't all super hard material so some scraped up a lot easier. That's why I asked how to get it level when the soil has different consistency. Harder ground needs more down pressure but then you hit a sandy section and it takes a deeper cut. I remember seeing a big Cat grader using the moldboard like a 1 bottom plow in hard clay. The harder parts I did tilt the blade some and made a few passes with the blade corner to break it up. Then I could push it easier. I got really lucky last weekend. A guy came out to see my MX track and turns out he has run several different graders as well as other heavy equipment. He said he could grade the oval track with banked corners and give me some pointers so I could learn how to do it myself. Great!

Almost forgot. The infield is about 65 feet wide x 300+ feet long.

Hopefully your new friend will pass on some tips in grader operation!!!!

My question concerning infield size was to determine how much dirt we are talking about. So 65 x 300 x 1.5 = 29,250 cubic feet of material that needs moved. That's 1083 cubic yards. That's considerable.

Gonna require patience.

Take some pics of this project Dave. I'd love to follow along as you build the track!!!!

 

[Welder Dave]

I had 2 pretty big piles at each end after I piled it up with the track loader. I haven't gone down the full depth yet. I want to leave the infield a little higher so it's not a big water hole. There will be small ponds dug deeper on each end though. This gives a place for water to run and is easily pumped out. The ponds can also be used for watering the track. Simple to put a pump in each one. Most of the dirt from the infield can be used outside the banked corners to make a more gradual slope down to normal ground level. This would help stop cars from rolling over if the went over the bank. It doesn't need to be 90% clay. I'll take some pics. when I go out there this week. So far it looks like 13 cars might be coming out on Sun. to try it out and get their cars dialed in for the start of their race season. Hopefully a few more will make it out too. Last year lots of drivers that said they were coming but never did. It would be nice to have a good turnout and get some of the money I spent on diesel back. Digging and hauling the clay to bank the corners was probably 500 yards or more. The dump truck has proved to be a great asset. 1 bucket at a time would take all year. I had to fill the fuel filter to get the dump truck to prime last Sat. and thankfully it ran good after that. I need to try and figure out why it loses prime.

 

[cuttin edge]

When I started I had no idea how to run a grader. But I've always been mechanical in thought. I was 35 yrs old. A man 25 yrs my Senior was a good friend and a Township Grader operator. I visited with him a few times with basic questions. At that time he was running an old Champion grader. I was on an old Cat 12.

The second year my Township bought me a new JD Grader. He came to look at it. Immediately said "you'll never be any good in that machine". I asked why? He said "you can't stand up in that short cab and you can't expertly run a grader sitting down".

A couple years later his Township bought him a late model slightly used JD Grader. Short cab. He'd been running it about six months when I had a conversation with him about it. I asked how he was getting along running a Grader sitting down? He said "why the hell would I want to stand up!!!"

I kinda went thru something similar with AWD. Over the years it was a $25K option. I told my Township I didn't think that was a good value for something I'd rarely use. Four years ago we traded for a new machine and was able to get AWD for $10K. After running it a couple months I apologized to my Township Board for my opposition to this expenditure. Should have bought AWD 25 years ago.

So now my goal is to not be that old operator you described and stay too long. I just got a new Township Board of young guys. I lectured them about their responsibilities. Primarily I lectured them about me. Don't let me stay too long out of loyalty. When I'm past my time politely replace me. And I told them my responsibility in that is to leave just before that time comes.

The fella in the story has passed away. He was a twin. Both he and his brother graded roads in the woods for logging operations. If I remember correctly, he said they started grading when they were both 13. When I met him, his twin had been dead for a long time, some sort of accident in the woods. I think at the time of the story, he was well into his 80s.

 

[Georgia Iron]

Interesting info here. I am constantly having to grade materials at different compaction.

My system adjusts in 10ths of a inch. Typically I must under cut it all then bring it back to grade, in order for it to lay in the same. The trick comes in when you are bringing it to final grade and need it all to compact to the Same height.

A lot of jobs a foreman walks behind me with a stick and will make me regrade it, if it is not correct. This can be a real pia when i am already late for the next job.

 

[ovrszd]

The fella in the story has passed away. He was a twin. Both he and his brother graded roads in the woods for logging operations. If I remember correctly, he said they started grading when they were both 13. When I met him, his twin had been dead for a long time, some sort of accident in the woods. I think at the time of the story, he was well into his 80s.

Sounds like he had a positive impact on you. That's something we should all shoot for. Someday soon we'll be that 80 year old impacting someone much younger.

 

[pedrocar]

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