What is the best track prep equipment/ technique you have seen used, and why?

I am thinkig of converting an old road grader into a scrapper/roller capable of one pass track prep, and looking for ideas. Track work is taking longer then the pulls i seems.

A buddy of mine waa in Iowa at a truck pull and had seen a Bobcat with a long roller mounted on the front of it,the way he described it sounds like a muchler of some sort or maybe a home made deal. The Bobcat only made one pass right behind the sled.

The best thing I've seen is the operators! If you have a guy running the double V blade and a guy running a self powered roller that know what they're doing, and move out, then the prep doesn't take long at all. A few places I've been run 2 double V blades (not sure what they are called)and 2 rollers. One set for each end of the track. Seems like I see the same type of prep equipment everywhere I've been.

Alan

Best thing I have seen is a couple of our hooks will have a small utility tractor with a 3pt box scraper that as you are pulling down the track he will cleanup the first 100 foot or so and then as the sled is coming back another tractor with a bigger pull behind box scraper and then a tractor with a packer will repair the rest of the track. It seems to speed things up a little and keeps the hole a lot better shape.

I always have somestrange ones.

As I was looking at some scrap, i got to wondering about taking an old bush hog with two wings, and modin it to go under the grader. maybe even weld the blades in place and angle them to stir the dirt that build up underneith, run them slow with a hyd drive.

That would be wide enough to do most of the track.

Them a couple of rows of weighted wobble wheels behibd that to pack it all in?

Flaging on the track all night, you have plenty of time to ponder these things.

The v blades work good, the problem is with the tractors. The blade is so close to the tractor, that when the tractor goes over a mound, it lifts the blade, and misses the key spot every time. You have to stop the grader man and explain to them how to go over and back up to fill. We use volunteers locally for this work, so every week you start over. They are not pullers so dont understandwhat they are doing a lot.

I would like to come up with a one pass self prpelled machine. Follow the sled till it stops, go to one side of it. When the track is clear back up and start agin finishing it off.

What kind of track prep do you mean,building the track or maintaining the track??????

I believe he is refering to the prep. between pulls. He's looking for something to reduce the time to prep the track for the next puller.

Haven't seen you on here before, tell us a little more about yourself. How did you come up with your handle clutch doctor?

Alan

best I have ever seen here is a weighted rear mounted box type scraper with a water sprayer tube on it. The weight being the water tank mounted above it.

So everytime the guy scraped a fine mist of water went on so when the roller went over it, it packed better.