Anyone else bend a land plane/grader-scraper?

[drumminj]

Doing some re-grading of the work done around my future barn pad. Unfortunately, snagged a root or stump with the land plane and bent the mount/blade before I reacted to stop the tractor. The rear blade is fine, just the front one is totally fubared and both bent back and down.

I assume this isn't considered "normal operating conditions" for the land plane so don't fault the manufacturer, but it also seems like a common risk if one's actually using it on dirt vs a gravel driveway?

ETA: photos

 

[tacticalturnip]

Oh wow, what's the brand?

 

[drumminj]

Brand is Homestead Implements. Haven't reached out to them yet so can't comment on their thoughts/response, but overall I've been happy with the build of their products (I have grapple, land plane, and landscape rake from them - and I've definitely given the grapple a beating with no ill effects).

Would one normally expect the tractor to stall vs the blade/mount to bend? I honestly don't know what the best failure mode is, but I'd rather the implement get damaged vs the tractor!

 

[tacticalturnip]

I've heard good things about them, I can't think it's shoddy equipment. That must have been one heck of a stump/root.

 

[drumminj]

I've heard good things about them, I can't think it's shoddy equipment. That must have been one heck of a stump/root.

Not really, TBH. Unfortunately in the area I can't be 100% what I got hung up on, but I think it might have been the stump from a small cedar tree (maybe 1" diameter). Obviously not something I could see above-ground, and I didn't have the blade cutting aggressively, but I certainly knew when I snagged it.

 

[Runner]

Sounds like the best fix might be to cut out the bent angle and weld in a new one. If it has a separate cutting moldboard, those are pretty hard to bend/straighten, so might need a new one of those too.

 

[drizler]

PICTURES!!! Without pictures it’s hard to judge. Whenever I’ve bent anything, the usual response is the sledgehammer and maybe a backer. If that doesn’t suffice, it’s a trip to the scrapyard and some 6011 sometimes that 6011 is handy for adding a little extra something to what’s already there because manufacturers have a hard time keeping things light enough for the smaller tractors yet not bending easily.
I can’t imagine the Jurassic roots that you must’ve muck onto to bend a piece of steel. That usually happens with shale outcrops.

 

[Rustyiron]

Steel is bought by the pound basically. The manufacturer has guessed the market and a lot about the end users tractor is pretty obvious by the width of the selected plane.
There's a delicate weight and cost line that they're building to.
It's not hard to bend anything striking an unseen obstruction regardless of the caution in operation or design.
It seems like you understand that.
Without a picture, with most all of the land planes I've seen a non welding repair would be possible as long as the bend is not at the very ends where it's welded to the side plates.
Cut out the angle leaving 6" or more. Then with a fair bit of drilling in the new angle and the stubs that you left on the side plates....just bolt it back together.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Well, if I had one I could most probably say yes. Ya gotta bow em a little to develop maximum strength.

 

[drumminj]

Photos added to original post. Sorry for the delay!

 

[SPYDERLK]

Photos added to original post. Sorry for the delay!

Good. Yeah, a little more bent than yould want to leave - non kinked though. Looks fairly wide .. like six foot? ---- Anyway, you should be able to straighten it by putting a 4 or 5' long 6x6" wood stiffener in front of the rear blade and jacking from it with a squat bottle jack. After straight you could strengthen it with a strut or two from low on the straightened blade, angled back and up to the boxes structural frame. That would give you a little more performance margin.

 

[drumminj]

I can't leave it as-is since the blade/mount also bends down now (has a smile to it). And yes, it's 6'.

 

[sandman2234]

I have ripped welds on the upright (top link) on my 3 pt landplane. I have also ripped the 1/2" x 3" flatbar extensions that hold the lower 2 points on my six foot boxblade. All were done while maintaining the dirt road that goes along side the property across the street. The culprit is an eight inch cast iron pipe that houses the valve for the water supply down that street. It is generally below grade, but sticking straight up and if I catch it with the boxblade or land plane, it immediately stops the 75 HP tractor. Typically something has to give when you immediately stop in excess of 7000 pounds, and the implements are usually the weak link. I decided to add a second layer of 1" flatbar sandwiched up against the 1/2x3 but this made me nervous about what I was transferring the shock towards. I finally moved a large amount of limerock to the area where the valve is, and haven't had issues with it for several years. I know where the valve is, and try not to be on the throttle when crossing it.
David from jax

 

[drumminj]

I have ripped welds on the upright (top link) on my 3 pt landplane. I have also ripped the 1/2" x 3" flatbar extensions that hold the lower 2 points on my six foot boxblade. All were done while maintaining the dirt road that goes along side the property across the street. The culprit is an eight inch cast iron pipe that houses the valve for the water supply down that street. It is generally below grade, but sticking straight up and if I catch it with the boxblade or land plane, it immediately stops the 75 HP tractor. Typically something has to give when you immediately stop in excess of 7000 pounds, and the implements are usually the weak link. I decided to add a second layer of 1" flatbar sandwiched up against the 1/2x3 but this made me nervous about what I was transferring the shock towards. I finally moved a large amount of limerock to the area where the valve is, and haven't had issues with it for several years. I know where the valve is, and try not to be on the throttle when crossing it.
David from jax

So the welds broke before bending the blades or whatever they're mounted to? Hrm...

And yes, agree that something has to give and I'd rather it be the implement. Far cheaper! I'll give the manufacturer a call on Monday and see what they have to say. It looks like they've changed the design since I've bought, so seems unlikely I can get replacement parts from them. Will have to find a local welding shop...

 

[sandman2234]

So the welds broke before bending the blades or whatever they're mounted to? Hrm...

And yes, agree that something has to give and I'd rather it be the implement. Far cheaper! I'll give the manufacturer a call on Monday and see what they have to say. It looks like they've changed the design since I've bought, so seems unlikely I can get replacement parts from them. Will have to find a local welding shop...

In my case, I had a friend who was getting behind on some bills and needed a small influx of cash to make it to payday. I offered to let him put all the pieces that I had accumulated to build my landplane. I wasn't aware that he had sold his stick welder and only had a 120v mig. On the size metal I used for mine, a lightweight mig welder doesn't have the penetration for good welds. When the upright brace broke, and the weld at the bottom of the upright cracked, I grabbed my 4" grinder and ground those welds down, then went over all of them with 6011 rods. Even my welds at the bottom of the upright cracked, so I put a square piece across the front of it to give it more stability.
Being able to weld has been a blessing to me, in order to keep implements maintained.
David from jax

 

[macdoesit]

Not really, TBH. Unfortunately in the area I can't be 100% what I got hung up on, but I think it might have been the stump from a small cedar tree (maybe 1" diameter). Obviously not something I could see above-ground, and I didn't have the blade cutting aggressively, but I certainly knew when I snagged it.

Very hard to believe a 1" diameter stump could do that. I have lots of cedar trees and small ones I run over and pull out of ground 2 and a half inch cedars all the time. You hit something else.

 

[AndrewT]

It's fixable if you have access to or own torches and a welder. A way to pull forward and up from the front brace and heat will straighten that first angle iron making the bent blade up. If needed carefully unbolt the cutter blade (It'll be under tension!) and straighten each piece separately.

Those cross pieces are likely too light for a 6' span. I have 4x4 1/2 wall angle for the 6' land plane I'm planning on making. I'd find some 1/4" flatbar that fits, and weld it in, to box in the open V of the Angle iron, as well as bracing back from your front crossbar where the scarifiers go through. Preferably tagged in to where the upper link brace ties to.

A 30 pound rock just sticking out of firm dry dirt is sufficient to bend that Landplane. We just had Fibre run to the house and the trencher popped a rock about that size to the surface on our driveway. It would stop our 860 with the blower dead catching that 1/2" protrusion, clearing snow.

 

[Fetch_21]

From a long-time farmboy / welder, that doesn't look too bad. Take the cutting edge off first - should just be a few bolts on the back. That'll make it easier to bend back. Once off, just get a chain & ratchet binder (not ratchet strap...ratchet binder). You can probably raise the plane to drawbar level & just use that to anchor to. Crank on it, bearing in mind that you'll have to overbend a little to allow for it to come back. You'll probably need to reposition the chain some a time or two. But, it should be pretty quick. For the cutting edge, you may just be able to bend it by hand. Wedge the bent portion into something solid & pull. If not by hand, a come-along or the ratchet binder would do it. Again, you'll probably need to reposition. No sledgehammer, etc. It should match back up & bolt back on without much trouble. Start all the bolts before tightening them. A half-hour to an hour should have you in good shape. That's a whole lot easier than cutting & welding in another one - and free. You can probably pull it out with the cutting edge attached, but might be worth at least loosening the bolts to allow it to slide. Decoupling them cuts the thickness of what you're bending in half. Hope that helps.

 

[Dunno]

Cheap chicom steel. Something like that needs to be extra-heavy duty, not lightweight. Same thing happened to a cheap back blade I got for free. Invest in quality, US made gear. I thought about fixing bent back blade, but figured since it was just junk to begin with, it wasn’t worth my time to do so. I just cut blade off of 3-point hitch and made a trailer ball hitch out of it.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Cheap chicom steel. Something like that needs to be extra-heavy duty, not lightweight. Same thing happened to a cheap back blade I got for free. Invest in quality, US made gear. I thought about fixing bent back blade, but figured since it was just junk to begin with, it wasn’t worth my time to do so. I just cut blade off of 3-point hitch and made a trailer ball hitch out of it.

That is a U.S. made product, Homestead Implements.