Operation and Proper Use

Evaluate the condition of your gravel driveway before you begin. This is probably the most important aspect of getting good results. The weight distribution, angle of the blade, vehicle start direction, and use in a bi-directional or single direction mode should be determined before you start to get the best results on the first use. Usually, the first use of the Gravel Driveway Groomer is the most difficult and time consuming. Once you get the driveway to the shape and cut you want, future gravel maintenance will be straightforward and easier. The following instructions are only guidelines. You will have to make subtle adjustments for your specific conditions. With practice, the job will be easier each time and the results will constantly improve the function and look of your GRAVEL DRIVEWAY.

Consider the following questions:

Shape in cross section:

1) Is the entire driveway crowned like this?

2) Do ruts int the gravel wash out after a heavy rain like this?

3) Does the GRAVEL DRIVEWAY a hump in the middle like this?

Grade:

• Does it have a flat at the top and/or bottom like this?
• Are there high spots and bumps in the GRAVEL like this?
• Is the DRIVEWAY a straight slope?
• Is the Gravel pitched at all?
• Is it relatively flat?

Surface:

• Is there a lot of loose aggregate on top of the GRAVEL DRIVEWAY?
• Is the aggregate in the gravel small, large or mixed?
• Is the surface hard such that a rake will not dig into it?
• If sloped, is there a lot of loose GRAVEL at the bottom?
• Is it sandy?
• Is the aggregate (rocks) primarily sunk in the driveway surface?
• Are there areas where the GRAVEL is hard and areas of the driveway that are soft?
• Are there large areas of weeds?
• Are there areas where the GRAVEL DRIVEWAY gets muddy?

PROPERLY USING THE GRAVEL DRIVEWAY GROOMER

If you have a driveway in the "A" shape crown of # 1 above and just have ruts in the gravel from washout like # 2 and maybe bumps and weeds, you have the easiest job of all the situations described. The only caution is to not make the possibility of gravel washout worse. What you want to do is be sure to do each side of the DRIVEWAY separately. NEVER drive just down the middle fully weighted or you will ruin your crown and cause possible washout of your GRAVEL DRIVEWAY.

HELPFUL HINTS: Before we move on. Grading gravel driveway surfaces, especially hard pack, is most easily done after a rain and it makes a lot less dust!! 4" blocks are better to use as they are less likely to break and supply a lot more force to the GRAVEL DRIVEWAY. And probably most important: THE SLOWER YOU GO, THE FASTER THE GRAVEL GETS CUT! You can control the amount of cut of the gravel as much by speed as weight.

This is OK for really packed GRAVEL DRIVEWAY surfaces but notice that the center is cutting more than the edge.	Shown from opposite side, this is a better way to go. The edge of the driveway is being cut the most and moving the gravel toward the middle. Note that the cutting stops just past center.Adjust weighting, angle, and speed for the gravel driveway conditions is the rule. This is also best for weed removal. With a little practice, you will get better results

# 3 situation in cross section is probably the most common situation. What we want to do is get as much gravel from the edge to fill the rut as possible and try to reestablish a crown.

If you end up after a few passes looking like this, you are doing it right. Notice that the edge gravel is filling the rut and the higher center of the gravel driveway is just barely scraped. With practice, you will find the best combination of weighting, speed and angle to do the best job of cutting, leveling and smoothing your GRAVEL DRIVEWAY.

This is what you don't want to do. More Gravel is being removed from the center of the driveway to fill the rut than the edge. If you weight to one side, or partially to one side and angle slightly like above you will use mostly edge gravel to fill the rut. If you have a very flat GRAVEL DRIVEWAY, this is not so important. But if you have a sloped one, the GRAVEL may washout next rain if you make the middle lower than the edges of any GRAVEL DRIVEWAY!!

Lets move onto Grade:

If you have some big bumps or want to move gravel in one direction, this is the best way to do it. BEFORE it is weighted, take up enough slack in the chain to completely lift the one end off the gravel a few inches. This is best done by putting a block under it and aligning the blade directly below the pin hole. This would apply in situations 1 and 2 under grade. Normally, you want to start using it this way at the bottom of a hill to bring the GRAVEL back up the driveway that washed down if it is a long section. In the top picture, a bump was just removed. In the bottom picture, there was a large rut in front of the garage. Look in your mirror and position the digging blade just over the center of the bump in the gravel and drive a few feet and repeat until the bump is gone. You should start at the furthest bump in the gravel driveway and work you way backward, leaving the piles of loose GRAVEL in the low spots to be smoothed out later. The higher you lift one end, the higher the gravel piles will be. In the top view it is shown fully loaded but in most cases it is most effective with 4- 4" blocks in the pockets closest to the cutting blade as shown in the lower picture. This is also a great way to bring a gravel driveway to the same level as an asphalt road. Just watch in your mirror and pull the pile of GRAVEL right to the edge of the asphalt. Since one side is lifted, it will not hit the road. If you have a straight slope or flat. Is all we have to do is get the right weight and speed together to smooth it out.

Lets move on to the GRAVEL DRIVEWAY conditions:

• If you have a lot of loose GRAVEL on top, very little weighting will be required. Holes and ruts should be filled with the larger aggregate in the gravel. When it rains, smaller material will fill the voids between the stones in the gravel and prevent future washouts of your gravel driveway..
• Extremely hard packed gravel driveways will require full weighting to cut or full weighting on one side as shown above. If your Gravel driveway is in bad shape, it will be a lot easier to cut right after a rain.
• If you have muddy sections of gravel, try to get the largest aggregate to fill them. Just putting more dirt back in may look great but it will just end up deeper mud when it rains.
• If you want to remove weeds in your gravel driveway, fully weight one side as shown above and angle it. Some weeds are to deep rooted to come out of a driveway. If you routinely use the groomer, you will keep them in check and keep your gravel driveway looking great.
• After using the Driveway Groomer, it is best to drive over it in a different position so that the GRAVEL gets packed evenly. Especially over the soft sections. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!! A lot of people drive over the same exact spot all the time and wonder why they get ruts in their gravel driveways! If you get washout regularly, be sure to check the weather and don't do your driveway just before heavy rains are expected because you won't have a chance to drive the GRAVEL DRIVEWAY back to a packed state.

Our GRAVEL DRIVEWAY GROOMER has been used succesfully on hundreds of driveways. We wish we could but it is impossible for anyone or any product to detail the best way to fix any particular problem with a GRAVEL surface. Every situation is different and requires different weighting, speed and technique. We believe in our product as the most versatile, effective and easy to use way to maintain your GRAVEL DRIVEWAY. Compare us to the little things you can get for a garden tractor or Atv and you will find that dollar for dollar, and performance, you can't beat our Gravel Driveway Groomerproduct with anything other than a real expensive piece of commercial equipment.