How To Gravel A Country Lane

Welcome to "How To Gravel A Country Lane" by John Deere Tips Notebook.

How To Gravel A Country Lane.

If you have a dirt track on your property that you’d like to make useable year-round, then gravel is the way to do and this video is for you.

For this video on how to gravel a country lane we matched a Frontier LP1207 Land Plane (US CA) with adjustable scarifiers with a John Deere 4052M Compact Utility Tractor (US CA). It packs 51.5 engine horsepower (38.4 kW) and comes with a hydrostatic transmission for ease of use. We’ve also added a D170 Hydraulic Loader (US CA) to this tractor that can lift over 2,000 pounds (907.18 kg), along with a 73-inch (185.4 cm) material bucket because there are all kinds of chores around the place where a loader and bucket are just indispensable.

As you’ll see on the video, we had about 150 yards (137.16 m) of bare track that ran from a pond on the back of the landowner’s property, all the way to the top of a hill. Erosion had taken its toll. So this country lane on the back of his property had become a lane full of ruts and bumps we needed to smooth out and firm up before we could spread any gravel.

The scarifiers on the land plane do a great job of churning up bumps and dips caused by erosion. Once we churned and flattened out those heavily eroded areas, we came back and smoothed everything out using the land plane’s blades, creating a smooth, level surface all the way from the top to the bottom of the lane. No wonder a lot of people call this tool a driveway leveler.

After we scarified and smoothed the surface with a few passes of the land plane, we were ready to lay gravel. Now, we could have spread the gravel ourselves with the hydraulic loader and bucket on our tractor. But with a lane this long, having the gravel truck spread it was a much better idea. So we had the dump truck driver back down our lane, then gradually spread the load of gravel as he traveled back up to the top. Then once the gravel was down, we used the land plane to smooth it out for a firm, even surface.

When finished, we had a graveled country lane that was better-equipped for handling all kinds of traffic. And the landowner will give it a little maintenance every year to keep it that way.

Talk to your John Deere dealer about which Land Plane is right for you and your tractor.

As always, remember to read the Operator’s Manual before operating any piece of equipment, and follow all operating and safety instructions.