Large Motor Graders w/Tandem Drive Axles.
These machines work well in large open areas without confinements, obstructions, or a lot of
grade plane transitions. In this case, most likely a smaller grading machine will be required for
finishing the confined and grade transition change areas. Many of the trained and experienced
machine operators for highways, roads, and streets, often make a mess of the grading process
while using these machines, working in confined areas (like parking lots, small driveways etc.,)
and require a lot of extra machine work and hand labor.

Medium to Small Motor Graders with Tandem Drive Axle.
These machines work fair on smaller jobs providing not a lot of obstruction or confinements are
encountered. Also works best with a fine, sandy or granular material (material which will not
segregate when moved with many passes of the motor grader.) If the material is, for example,
(1/2 to 1 1/2 minus crushed,), plenty of water must be added throughout the grading process to
prevent the material from segregating, with part of the finished surface being very rocky and the
rest of the surface, mostly fines. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to produce a high-quality
paving job if using asphaltic concrete. These machines have a problem adjusting the blade depth
when starting a pass because the vehicle has to move forward 6-8 feet before the operator can
confirm his blade depth setting is accurate or needs another adjustment which then requires
another 6 to 8 feet. In small confined areas this is a serious problem. Sometimes (quite often)
since the operator cannot see the leading edge of the blade bit his adjustment to blade depth is
deep, and the resistance caused by the blade will cause the drive wheels to spin out thus digging
a hole in the grade. The operator will now have to fill these holes and reposition the vehicle to
start over. Some of these vehicles have a front-mounted dozer, which helps for filling and
cleaning out corner areas inaccessible by the center mounted blade. The hand labor workers can
finish the required grading in corners and other problem areas. Yes, one to three hand labor
workers with Lute Rakes and shovels putting the material to proper grade. Sometimes the handlabor
crew gets help from a small skip or skid steer loader which adds another machine and
operator to the job site.

Small Motor Graders, Tandem, and Four Wheel Drive.
Some of these machines are known as maintainers. Many of these machines have a front-end
loader installed, which creates a problem for doing finish grading up close to obstructions. The
problems grading with these machines are very similar to the problems with medium to small
tandem drive machines, previously written about, except their blade (moldboard) is smaller and
more limited in rotation about a vertical axis. They have less traction which reduces the amount
of material they can move, and they are more inclined to get stuck and dig holes in the graded
surface. These machines are both inadequate graders and poor loaders.