Our maintenance dept. has one of these for use on a 1/4 mile gravel driveway at a retreat property. It works as expected, but you should know that the particular design shown in this video is now replaced by an updated design. DR no longer offers the wireless height control key fob either -- ours failed, DR did not offer a replacement, and we had to replace it with a wired switch kit, for which we had to pay full price (a sore point). It does a good job, though, and can make a driveway look like it was freshly graveled after multiple passes. Just make sure you don't try to go too fast. Also, it is less effective if you have to go uphill with a smaller tractor (we have a John Deere x485), since you can't dig as deeply. Just takes multiple passes, and the best solution is to drag downhill when you can.
We have their 48 inch model. It's better for long, big driveways not small ones. If the driveway is small you do a lot of turning around and lifting. I do feel a box blade would do a better job because it's more maneuverable and can dig deeper than this can. It's also a lot cheaper too. It's good if all you have is a lawn mower or quad. Great video!
Our cottage association has the forty eight inch model. When it works it works well but the exposed wiring is constantly a problem and if unused for any amount of time the actuators gum up and must be attended to . In the five years we have owned this machine we have spent more on repair and replacement parts than we paid for the machine.
I have a 48 incher and it works well. Going to buy a box blade now though to go with my new tractor but this has served me well for 12 years. Yes it will fill ruts quite well
Compare this with the ABI Attachments gravel grader. I have the Infield Grader which accommodates tow behind attachments, so I tow either a 6 foot mat or a 4 foot lawn roller behind the grader. I do this behind a 20 year old 15 HP riding mower. Your options depend on how you plan to pull the grader. I also have a box blade on a subcompact tractor that also pulls the grader with a 3 point hitch. DR is not the only show in town, but you can forget about the over sized Tonka toys for sale at big box stores unless you are just detailing between visits by your gravel contractor.
This machine has continued to perform well now for over 7 or 8 years. It's used multiple times a year on the drive. It's NOT a york rake. It's NOT a bulldozer. It's a great tool for minor touch ups on small gravel roads.
Used one of these for many years. Burned out the K46 transmission on several lawn tractors as a result, Be sure to have a better transmission. That said, my 1/4 mile drive took a lot of passes to really get the surface broken up and graded. Deep holes would always come back because the grader simply can't cut down enough. Wasn't uncommon to spend 3 hours out grading and having to spend another hour a week later to finish off the deeper holes. And forget it when its wet. So, you get a week of rain and then wait another week or so to dry out and the roadway is a mess. Ultimately we got an old farm tractor and use a 3-point Land Plane to do the driveway now. Takes 45 minutes and unless there is standing water, I can grade as soon as I want after a wet period. Finishes better and allows the proper construction of road crown.
My guess is you didn't watch the complete video. Check it out again starting at 1:50. Be advised this is not a York rake. It's a tool for light grading.
So just how bad was your driveway to begin with? Hard for the viewer to tell if there is any improvement or not with nothing to compare it to (before & after pics). One thing I know for sure, if your drive has pot holes, it will fill them in, but does not compact them. After just one or two rains, the pot holes will come right back. Does a pretty decent job of smoothing out small ripples and generally leveling the surface though.
+Paul Allen The drive had a few 1.5-inch deep ruts. I try to keep it in good shape. I disagree with you about filling potholes. This machine will fill them, and granted, you'll have to compact them. It's not a multi-purpose machine. What is really great is the ability to wirelessly control the depth of cut of the carbide teeth. This machine works best on a gravel drive that's got a good 2-inch cover of ledge pack or similar mix of fines and 3/4-inch angular stone.
+Ask the Builder We have about 1200 ft of driveway. The first 200 ft or so we share with the farm next door which gets a lot of daily use. There's well over a foot of gravel base in that section so not as many pot holes as ripples. We grade it with a blade. We grade the rest of the drive with a home made belly grader blade. Works pretty good but still have to compact the pot holes. Even then they still come back after awhile. Our neighbor across the highway has a DR
I believe you'll get an improved model over what's in this video. PLEASE come back and give a report how yours works after you've used it for several months. Thanks.
It looks like a gimmick to me. Try it on a packed driveway with huge ruts two feet wide six feet long and eight inches deep. Not a smooth already graded surface.
Awesome machine BUT...... God forbid if you EVER need to get hold of customer service because it ain’t happening, if you need something for your equipment you will be on the phone for hours without help, you are on your own. I own a DR Power Grader 48” model and the only reason I deal with these people is because I by mistake bought one, it will never happen again!!! EVER WONDER WHY THE COMMENTS ARE TURNED OFF IN ALL THE OTHER VIDEOS????
Don't over grade your driveway with one of these if it is heavily used! Once it gets soft and it rains it will get packed and basically get hard and slick like asphalt. Don't ask me how i know lol
I would say yes. You know the best person to ask, right? The person that makes the tool. NEVER EVER rely on answers from people like me who don't honor the warranty. Force DR to convince you that their tool WILL work for your situation. Get back with what their answer was. GL as we say in Morse. www.W3ATB.com
I beg you NOT to buy. Actuator broke and the new one needed a retro fit. I thought since the old one only had a few components I figured an easy fix. Not by a long shot. The retrofit had about 25-30 items which all needed to be used. Their customer service is the worst I have ever encountered. It took a month to get all the components and I spent over 2 1/2 hours on the phone with customer service. I would not buy another DR product ever again.
Junk if your gonna do this buy one for a 3 point there cheaper and way better I do gravel driveways and roads for a living and love my land pride grader
I'm wondering how you arrived at your opinion? Did you buy one and use it? This grader has now been used for three years quite a few times a year and it's done a great job of keeping the driveway looking fantastic.
You are smoking crack. That thing is a turd. 1. Way too light 2. Buy a cheap box blade. This video was funny as hell. He said with a straight face it did a good job. If you have a tractor the box, or rear blade would do 100% better. Tractor towing a DR power grader must be a city thing.
Take another toke. Actually, after seven years, this grader is still doing a really good job. Is it for everyone? No, just as many don't need to wear a fanny pack. Unlimited tips like this are in my FREE weekly newsletter. Subscribe at: www.AsktheBuilder.com
You should probably go to the manufacturer's website and compare the weight to a standard York rake instead of just making an assumption. Plus, you can add concrete blocks on top of this unit to increase the weight.
Then we shall agree to disagree. If this is unacceptable, I'll summon my fellow NH wizards and cast a hex on whatever brand of road grader you have so it clogs up with mud and locusts.
Actually after about six years, the contraption still is working well. The electric up and down thing did break after one year so we adjust it by hand with a block of wood to hold it in position.
![[Full Episode] The Restaurant War Thailand ศึกพ่อค้าซ่าแม่ค้าแซ่บ Episode 2 | 29 ก.ย. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/r3lfLNH6Ke4/mqdefault.jpg)
Our maintenance dept. has one of these for use on a 1/4 mile gravel driveway at a retreat property. It works as expected, but you should know that the particular design shown in this video is now replaced by an updated design. DR no longer offers the wireless height control key fob either -- ours failed, DR did not offer a replacement, and we had to replace it with a wired switch kit, for which we had to pay full price (a sore point). It does a good job, though, and can make a driveway look like it was freshly graveled after multiple passes. Just make sure you don't try to go too fast. Also, it is less effective if you have to go uphill with a smaller tractor (we have a John Deere x485), since you can't dig as deeply. Just takes multiple passes, and the best solution is to drag downhill when you can.
We have their 48 inch model. It's better for long, big driveways not small ones. If the driveway is small you do a lot of turning around and lifting. I do feel a box blade would do a better job because it's more maneuverable and can dig deeper than this can. It's also a lot cheaper too. It's good if all you have is a lawn mower or quad. Great video!
YW as we say in Morse. Start watching my LIVE streams. Get my FREE newsletter at www.AsktheBuilder.com
Our cottage association has the forty eight inch model. When it works it works well but the exposed wiring is constantly a problem and if unused for any amount of time the actuators gum up and must be attended to . In the five years we have owned this machine we have spent more on repair and replacement parts than we paid for the machine.
Be sure you subscribe to my FREE newsletter at www.AsktheBuilder.com and start watching my LIVE streaming videos here on my channel.
I have a 48 incher and it works well. Going to buy a box blade now though to go with my new tractor but this has served me well for 12 years. Yes it will fill ruts quite well
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Compare this with the ABI Attachments gravel grader. I have the Infield Grader which accommodates tow behind attachments, so I tow either a 6 foot mat or a 4 foot lawn roller behind the grader. I do this behind a 20 year old 15 HP riding mower. Your options depend on how you plan to pull the grader. I also have a box blade on a subcompact tractor that also pulls the grader with a 3 point hitch. DR is not the only show in town, but you can forget about the over sized Tonka toys for sale at big box stores unless you are just detailing between visits by your gravel contractor.
This machine has continued to perform well now for over 7 or 8 years. It's used multiple times a year on the drive. It's NOT a york rake. It's NOT a bulldozer. It's a great tool for minor touch ups on small gravel roads.
Used one of these for many years. Burned out the K46 transmission on several lawn tractors as a result, Be sure to have a better transmission. That said, my 1/4 mile drive took a lot of passes to really get the surface broken up and graded. Deep holes would always come back because the grader simply can't cut down enough. Wasn't uncommon to spend 3 hours out grading and having to spend another hour a week later to finish off the deeper holes. And forget it when its wet. So, you get a week of rain and then wait another week or so to dry out and the roadway is a mess.
Ultimately we got an old farm tractor and use a 3-point Land Plane to do the driveway now. Takes 45 minutes and unless there is standing water, I can grade as soon as I want after a wet period. Finishes better and allows the proper construction of road crown.
To get unlimited free tips each week like this, be sure to sign up for my FREE newsletter at www.AsktheBuilder.com
Love my DR. But you could have done some"Before/After" shots.Basic Logic ?
My guess is you didn't watch the complete video. Check it out again starting at 1:50. Be advised this is not a York rake. It's a tool for light grading.
So just how bad was your driveway to begin with? Hard for the viewer to tell if there is any improvement or not with nothing to compare it to (before & after pics). One thing I know for sure, if your drive has pot holes, it will fill them in, but does not compact them. After just one or two rains, the pot holes will come right back. Does a pretty decent job of smoothing out small ripples and generally leveling the surface though.
+Paul Allen The drive had a few 1.5-inch deep ruts. I try to keep it in good shape. I disagree with you about filling potholes. This machine will fill them, and granted, you'll have to compact them. It's not a multi-purpose machine. What is really great is the ability to wirelessly control the depth of cut of the carbide teeth. This machine works best on a gravel drive that's got a good 2-inch cover of ledge pack or similar mix of fines and 3/4-inch angular stone.
+Ask the Builder We have about 1200 ft of driveway. The first 200 ft or so we share with the farm next door which gets a lot of daily use. There's well over a foot of gravel base in that section so not as many pot holes as ripples. We grade it with a blade. We grade the rest of the drive with a home made belly grader blade. Works pretty good but still have to compact the pot holes. Even then they still come back after awhile. Our neighbor across the highway has a DR
I live in central New Hampshire too! Can I borrow this from you to do my 500-foot long driveway?
What did Shakespeare's characeter Polonius say? "Neither borrower nor lender be."
Just placed my order. Cant wait to give it a spin.
I believe you'll get an improved model over what's in this video. PLEASE come back and give a report how yours works after you've used it for several months. Thanks.
Good luck if you ever need to speak with customer service
It looks a little light. I think more beef would make it do a better job but I've never seen one work just this video.
It's not supposed to be a bulldozer. You can put rocks or concrete block on it to add more weight.
Just picked one up used, at auction, hopping the remote works, been to busy to try it yet
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Nice grading music.
YW as we say in Morse. Start watching my LIVE streams. Get my FREE newsletter at www.AsktheBuilder.com
Would this work on a hilly gravel road
Yes. But read all the other comments. A york rake is probably the better tool if you have a machine with a three-point hitch.
It looks like a gimmick to me.
Try it on a packed driveway with huge ruts two feet wide six feet long and eight inches deep. Not a smooth already graded surface.
You can see the tool do just that if you go to the manufacturer's website. I don't let my driveway get in bad shape like you describe.
If you have the tractor why not a land plane?
Answer: If you have a hammer, why not a Paslode framing nailer?
Awesome machine BUT...... God forbid if you EVER need to get hold of customer service because it ain’t happening, if you need something for your equipment you will be on the phone for hours without help, you are on your own. I own a DR Power Grader 48” model and the only reason I deal with these people is because I by mistake bought one, it will never happen again!!! EVER WONDER WHY THE COMMENTS ARE TURNED OFF IN ALL THE OTHER VIDEOS????
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The Gravel Dog is much better quality and USA all steel. And no weights needed .. The Gravel Dog is amazing and Affordable.
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Don't over grade your driveway with one of these if it is heavily used! Once it gets soft and it rains it will get packed and basically get hard and slick like asphalt. Don't ask me how i know lol
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Will this work with road pack lime ?
I would say yes. You know the best person to ask, right? The person that makes the tool. NEVER EVER rely on answers from people like me who don't honor the warranty. Force DR to convince you that their tool WILL work for your situation. Get back with what their answer was. GL as we say in Morse. www.W3ATB.com
With a tractor like that I’d use a box blade. If my driveway looked like that I wouldn’t need a grader.
Word. Thats a decent tractor, and a box blade would seem to be cheaper and more useful in many cases.
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It's fantastic, especially when you lower the teeth and then the wireless stops working and you cant raise it back up.....
They make one with a manually operated lever
Yep. Electric part is a POC. For unlimited tips subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter at www.AsktheBuilder.com
Get the handozer from home depot. Works better and is cheaper
Maybe not! Unlimited tips like this are in my FREE weekly newsletter. Subscribe at: www.AsktheBuilder.com
I beg you NOT to buy. Actuator broke and the new one needed a retro fit. I thought since the old one only had a few components I figured an easy fix. Not by a long shot. The retrofit had about 25-30 items which all needed to be used. Their customer service is the worst I have ever encountered. It took a month to get all the components and I spent over 2 1/2 hours on the phone with customer service. I would not buy another DR product ever again.
Thanks for this update. I did also have an issue with up/down actuator after about one year.
Explains why they've got their comments turned off. Thank you, you've saved me time and money with these clowns.
you are "leveling" an already leveled surface., WTF???
Video cameras convert 3D reality to 2D images on your device. Are you aware of that?
It wasn't level. To get unlimited free tips each week like this, be sure to sign up for my FREE newsletter at www.AsktheBuilder.com
Can you tow this with a car?
Yes, or a pony or an ox, or a group of pesky neighborhood children who've been attached to a yoke.
Check out the Gravel Dog! ATV land planer.
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I would not be caught dead using that cheap piece of junk.
No one cares
Thank goodness you took the time to share your opinion.
It's still working well after five years. Watch my NEW live stream videos! Subscribe to get my FREE newsletter here: www.AsktheBuilder.com
Junk if your gonna do this buy one for a 3 point there cheaper and way better I do gravel driveways and roads for a living and love my land pride grader
I'm wondering how you arrived at your opinion? Did you buy one and use it? This grader has now been used for three years quite a few times a year and it's done a great job of keeping the driveway looking fantastic.
You are smoking crack. That thing is a turd. 1. Way too light 2. Buy a cheap box blade. This video was funny as hell. He said with a straight face it did a good job. If you have a tractor the box, or rear blade would do 100% better. Tractor towing a DR power grader must be a city thing.
Take another toke. Actually, after seven years, this grader is still doing a really good job. Is it for everyone? No, just as many don't need to wear a fanny pack. Unlimited tips like this are in my FREE weekly newsletter. Subscribe at: www.AsktheBuilder.com
Sorry Have to disagree looks very light. Simple landscaping rake attachment is much better and as i said SIMPLE.
You should probably go to the manufacturer's website and compare the weight to a standard York rake instead of just making an assumption. Plus, you can add concrete blocks on top of this unit to increase the weight.
No I don't agree. Timmy boy
Then we shall agree to disagree. If this is unacceptable, I'll summon my fellow NH wizards and cast a hex on whatever brand of road grader you have so it clogs up with mud and locusts.
Just get box blade
Yes, they work well too. Be sure to sign up for my FREE newsletter at www.AsktheBuilder.com
Sounds rinky-dink
It would be if you used it at an ice-skating rink. For unlimited FREE tips each week, subscribe to my newsletter at www.AsktheBuilder.com
Works well, but don't buy , it has broken down every year and cost too much to keep fixing.
Sorry to hear that. I agree about the electric-lift function. That broke within a year. That part is a POC. Otherwise, I've not had an issue with it.
Junk
Actually after about six years, the contraption still is working well. The electric up and down thing did break after one year so we adjust it by hand with a block of wood to hold it in position.
Looks cheap and will brake. The driveway really was not that packed down at all.. Total JV peace of crap
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