Land plane questions

[Professor Marvel]

I mentioned it in post #4 as one of the tasks the LPGS is good at.

Why I stand corrected. You most certainly did.

 

[/pine]

...lots of rocks in dirt and a few rock outcrops poking though road....

Anything like the above that will make any grading etc. type implement/ blade raise up...will allow the implement to lose whatever gravel, earth etc. and leave it sitting in pile...doesn't matter if it's a box blade, rear blade, plane or rake...if the implement rises the payload will be dropped.

Rocks ("rockbergs") that are mostly buried can be extremely frustrating and either have to be dealt with or lived with when it comes to road maintenance...

 

[DKCDKC]

Interesting thread. I've got a mile gravel drive with a third of it quite steep, a third sloped and a third flat. I have used a standard box blade on it for years, with occasional touch-ups with a rear blade. I have found that the BB performs quite differently depending on how you angle it - rotation - not one side higher. It has been outstanding for recovery of gravel and, of course, filling in potholes. But I also use an implement not yet mentioned here - a ratchet rake on my FEL. The RR seems to eliminate wash-boarding easily and can also be used to reduce bumps and other imperfections. Since I carry the RR on my tractor almost all the time for brush removal, etc., I can pop it down as I travel the drive to stop issues before they get big. BTW the RR is also good at loosening gravel in dry times when I'm using the back blade. I put both RR and blade down and it seems to find all kinds of gravel. I'm super careful, but plowing snow off the drive is still the biggest cause of problems. As several folks have observed, maintaining a long gravel drive is almost a work of art as you learn new things about implements, try different gravels, and gently remove snow. It's a challenge to put off new gravel as long as possible.

 

[Professor Marvel]

Interesting thread. I've got a mile gravel drive with a third of it quite steep, a third sloped and a third flat. I have used a standard box blade on it for years, with occasional touch-ups with a rear blade. I have found that the BB performs quite differently depending on how you angle it - rotation - not one side higher. It has been outstanding for recovery of gravel and, of course, filling in potholes. But I also use an implement not yet mentioned here - a ratchet rake on my FEL. The RR seems to eliminate wash-boarding easily and can also be used to reduce bumps and other imperfections. Since I carry the RR on my tractor almost all the time for brush removal, etc., I can pop it down as I travel the drive to stop issues before they get big. BTW the RR is also good at loosening gravel in dry times when I'm using the back blade. I put both RR and blade down and it seems to find all kinds of gravel. I'm super careful, but plowing snow off the drive is still the biggest cause of problems. As several folks have observed, maintaining a long gravel drive is almost a work of art as you learn new things about implements, try different gravels, and gently remove snow. It's a challenge to put off new gravel as long as possible.

It sounds like this is a regular chore for you as it is for several of us. I would suggest you get one that is 6" wide with scarifier teeth. You may not use the teeth much but I don't think they cost much and it is nice to have them.
After 15 years of using a rear blade and a box blade on a couple different tractors I borrowed my neighbor's friend's for a couple days. The next day i bought one myself. When I looked at the price i was thinking (something like) 1600 for a rear blade?? But then I thought about how much easier it made the road work, I just ordered it. I have not regretted it at all.
I see some people disagree so please consider this just my opinion

 

[DKCDKC]

It sounds like this is a regular chore for you as it is for several of us. I would suggest you get one that is 6" wide with scarifier teeth. You may not use the teeth much but I don't think they cost much and it is nice to have them.
After 15 years of using a rear blade and a box blade on a couple different tractors I borrowed my neighbor's friend's for a couple days. The next day i bought one myself. When I looked at the price i was thinking (something like) 1600 for a rear blade?? But then I thought about how much easier it made the road work, I just ordered it. I have not regretted it at all.
I see some people disagree so please consider this just my opinion

Thanks. The BB I use has scarifier teeth - that's what I use - turned up - to hang weight on. I had a 7 foot BB but sold my big JD and traded it for a 6 foot then - after trials - traded again for the 5 foot. My JD 3038e is a nice little CUT but can't pull a loaded 6 ft BB up my steep hills. I do use the scarifiers, but rarely. I think they pull up dirt with the rocks and foster potholes in some areas. I have a 7 ft heavy duty rear blade for gravel and snow, and the great little ratchet rake on my bucket. Using all three in a symphony of rock seems to keep the drive in shape. I have to put 3 or 4 loads of gravel on the drive every 2 or 3 years, but that seems pretty light compared to others around here.
I like the look of the land plane / land leveler equipment but can't see going that much money when I'm getting by now. It would certainly make things a little simpler and perhaps smoother, but - unless I run into a cheap used one - I don't think it'd make sense for me. Then again, all my attachments have been bought used - I'm Scots genetically and by preference.

 

[canoworms]

PHD is one of them university things " Piled Higher and Deeper" Seems that folk that have that bit of paper are smarter than those who work for a living.

In Oz it stands for "Push here dummy"

Cheers

 

[shucksters]

Here is my driveway after attacking it with my Woods GSM84P. I did not need to use the scarifiers at all. Also, I added NO new gravel...

 

[GrumpyJoe]

I take care of about a mile long road and driveway. For quick fix and general maintenance I will use the landplane. But because I have some pretty good hills and after some heavy rains were the gravel will end up at the bottom of said hills I will use my BB to drag gravel back up the hills. Don"t have scarifiers on the landplane. Never needed them. The only time I use the scarifiers on the BB is when I need to get rid of potholes. It's also easier to drag gravel back onto the road from the side with a BB.

 

[PaxMan]

Someone mentioned you can not build a crown with a LP. This can simply be done by lowering your 3pt. linkage and not dropping your LP all the way down. I don't know how much of a crown some of you put on your driveways, but I only drop the right side by 1/2in.-1in. Sometimes I'll run with it level, then go back over the driveway a time or two with only the right side touching the ground, which will then cut your crown. If you keep up on your driveway maintenance, it's a lot easier to maintain. In the areas where my driveway is built up quite a bit higher, I do use my rear blade to bring that rock that has been pushed "out" off the driveway, back to the driveway. I mainly bought my LP to bring the packed down gravel back to the surface. Which after all, that's what they are made to do along with smoothing things out. It does a great job. My wife even approves.

 

[crazyal]

I use my LP to create a crown. I even move material with it. Sure it doesn't move as much as a BB but it moves enough where I don't need to switch when we get a big rain and I need to drag the gravel back up the hill.

To me a LP is an easy tool to use but the more you play with it the more you can do. I have a BEFCO because no dealers around here even heard of a LP so I had to order. The BEFCO was cheaper and heavier. As for rippers, that's a tough one. I wouldn't buy one without them but my gravel isn't like yours. In the middle of summer the gravel gets baked so hard it's like cement. I have taken my backhoe to rip up the ground when nothing else will break it up. If we get a few days of rain or in the spring the rippers are more than enough to get it done.

My neighbor has the BB that I was borrowing but I haven't used it in years. In fact it's now at his father's house. If I was going to buy anything to complement the LP it would be a simple back blade or york rake. Something that would work well to maintain the ditches on the side of the driveway. Right now I just use the loader.