Not Garden Tools: There's A Better Way To Maintain Long Gravel Driveways

If you have a long gravel driveway that must be kept looking fresh, you already know that it would need a different approach than simply using a rake or shovel. Yes, rakes are great for tidying up a small patch, but for a long driveway, especially one where potholes and washboarding have appeared, they're just not efficient enough. And that's where a scraper blade comes in — if you have a tractor, that is. 

A video from Fuller's Outdoor Country shows us how using a tractor with a three-point scraper blade can even out raised areas and redistribute gravel, especially after rainfall. The reason this is such a useful move is because some gravel driveways can be hundreds of feet long; if that's your situation, then fixing damage with hand tools can take hours of backbreaking work and yet still leave an uneven finish. Attaching a scraper blade to a tractor will even out large areas at once and create a much smoother driving area, and is actually one of the simplest ways to stay ahead of wear before small dips turn into potholes you need to fix.

To use a scraper blade with the best results, it is recommended to get to work when the gravel is slightly damp rather than bone dry or soaking wet; the day after rainfall is best. This is because some light moisture can help the material settle once it's been graded (the term for leveling a driveway out). Additionally, doing several slow passes over the driveway is usually better than trying to do it all at once, as this also helps maintain the driveway's crown — the slight rise through the middle that encourages rainwater to run off down the sides and prevents potholes.

Now of course, a tractor and scraper blade aren't practical for every property, and not everyone even wants to get behind the wheel of a tractor. Maintaining a gravel driveway that's short is often a lot easier than maintaining a long one; the former can be kept fresh with nothing more than a landscape rake or by hiring someone to grade the surface for you once or twice a year. But for anyone with a long gravel driveway that takes a regular beating from weather and traffic, these tools can save hours of labor while helping keep the surface smoother for longer. If you own a riding mower or lawn tractor, you also have the option of attaching a tow-behind grader, which can also do a similar job of leveling gravel, but nothing compared to a blade on a full-sized tractor.