If you have a low spot on your property that needs to be filled, or is a little soft, maybe damp, and you’d like to firm it up, gravel may be the great equalizer you need. This video is all about how to use gravel to fill a low spot and level it using a Frontier BB5072 Box Blade (US CA) and a John Deere 3038E Compact Utility Tractor (US CA).
We’ve added an iMatchTM Quick Hitch to our tractor, which converts your 3-point hitch to fixed hooks and makes hooking and unhooking implements like our box blade as easy as it can possibly be. We’ve also added a 61-inch (155 cm) materials bucket so we can spot our gravel along the low area we’re going to fill in, and also because there are all kinds of chores around the place where a loader and bucket are just indispensable.
The area we’re working in is a low swale along the edge of the parking area behind a barn. It’s pretty soft in there and we don’t want anything to travel into it and get stuck. It’s about 30 yards (27.4 m) long. We’ll use gravel to fill it and then smooth smooth out the gravel with a box blade.
We had a truckload of gravel delivered, and asked the driver to dump it into four separate piles along the edge of the swale. We’ll move gravel from these piles into the swale using the loader bucket. Once that’s done, we’ll smooth it all out with the box blade. As you watch the video you’ll see how the box blade begins to fill with gravel as it moves over the piles. Then as it moves over a low spot, gravel comes out of the box, filling the low spot. After a few passes, the low spots will be filled and the gravel will be all smoothed out.
Frontier has nearly 600 implements that are available only from your John Deere dealer, the place to go for advice and equipment. So remember, for implements that help turn your tractor into the workhorse it was built to be, think Frontier and your John Deere dealer.
And don’t forget to always read the Operator’s Manual before operating any piece of equipment and follow all operating and safety instructions.
Helpful Links:
Frontier Landscape Equipment (US CA)
How To Use A Box Blade: The Basics
How To Fill Your Loader Bucket Every Time
How To Gravel A Farm Road Using A Drawn Box Scraper
Maintain A Gravel Drive Using A 4-in-1 Bucket
Maintain A Gravel Drive Using A Box Blade With Hydraulic Scarifiers