8' wide LPGS for a CUT

[Piston]

I understand that an 8' wide grading scraper isn't the 'proper' size for my little tractor, but do any of you use an 8' LPGS (or whatever your choice of term is for them )

My tractor weighs 6,000lbs, has R4 tires, and is a tad under 70" wide. I have been using a heavy duty 7' box blade and a heavy duty 8' rear blade to maintain my driveway and dirt road. If I was buying a brand new grading scraper I wouldn't purchase an 8', I'd buy a 7'. However, if there are guys with a similar weight tractor as mine, using an 8'er for finish work, then I might buy a used Landpride GS2596 that is for sale near me.

I already know that most people who haven't used one will say not to (as would I) but I'm really looking for people who have experience with the 8' wide versions. I will be using it for dressing up the gravel road/driveway, if there is major work to be done I will use the other implements.

 

[JerryK]

Depends a lot on how you work your land plane. As you make each pass the cutting blades dig deeper into the roadbed. This fills the high sides of the land plane with a large pile of gravel [ or whatever your road consists of ] heaped up just above the cutting blades, with the weight of all this gravel pressing down on the blades. Your traction tires are usually on loose material by this point, and she quickly pulls like a disk sunk in all the way to the frame in a sandy garden. If you try going up hill at any point, that adds to the traction problem. The land plane does not have to cover the width of your rear tires, and really only has to be no more than half the width of your road, or less. I went with a 6' with about the same 'tractor' that you have [fits out in the woods trails], but I would think you would have enough tractor to go 7'. But 8'... that is a lot to pull.

 

[BukitCase]

Given your stated intentions, and (especially) if your 4610 has the (optional) DRAFT control, it might be worth a try - both of my 45 horse tractors weigh about the same as yours, and they run my 7' Gannon box OK - I can stall 'em out in heavy dirt with a full box, and both liked to pull serious "wheelies" when I popped the Gannon up to empty it (again, dirt NOT gravel) - (BEFORE I found more front end weights, that is)

I think it was Mountain View Ranch that mentioned using DRAFT control; I haven't tried it on my stuff yet, but intend to. Makes sense, rather than having to ride the position control full time, let the draft control do it FOR you.

I bet it'd take a bit of tuning to get rid of your "automatic wash-board creation" tho :laughing:...Steve

 

[/pine]

...I will be using it for dressing up the gravel road/driveway,...

Just curious, how wide is the road/driveway ?...is it at least 16' wide ? with a crown?

 

[Piston]

Unfortunately I don't have draft control, but I do have pretty good hand/eye coordination so I make my own draft control :laughing:

Just curious, how wide is the road/driveway ?...is it at least 16' wide ? with a crown?

The road itself is probably right around 16' wide, I've never actually measured my road But it takes multiple (overlapping) passes with my 7' box blade. It does narrow quite a bit at the end to considerably less width, I'd guess 10' or so. My driveway is maybe 8' to 10' wide.
I'm also in the process of clearing more land, and one of my main uses for this will be leveling off newly cleared land. I'd like to use it on my woods trails I'm creating as well, and understand it will be pretty cumbersome in the woods. (Pretty much all my work is in the woods, I don't have anything resembling field/farmland, and certainly nothing flat/level)

 

[oosik]

Good morning Piston - so, you are looking at a 8' LPGS. Well, I have a Land Pride GS2584 and by the way I can pull it with my tractor - you could certainly handle it with your tractor. Granted my tractor is bigger and heavier but you can make substantial changes with the top link and drastically alter the pulling characteristics of the LPGS.

Pulling a big 'ol LPGS is similar to using a 3-point snow blower. If things get tough - just take a narrower bite. With the LPGS - if it gets too tough - simply raise the front, ever so slightly, and you are back pulling again. If you get a LPGS with scarifiers, like mine, you might have to make two passes to get the ground torn up - rather than a single pass. Big deal - speed is not all that its cracked up to be.

Another thought - depending upon ground conditions and what you are wanting to do with the LPGS - you could find that you would have to pull in 4WD rather than 2WD.

 

[BMan2005]

I have a 8' LP that weighs 1275lbs and it works my tractor harder than any implement I have. The more moisture the soil has the harder it will be to work it because it doesn't flow out as easily and loads up in the LP. If the deal is right though, buy it and try it. If it turns out to be to much you can always resale it and know what you need.

 

[bdog]

I don’t think it will work. No way. I have a 7’ wide LPGS. I have never pulled it with my tractor as I use it with my skid steer. My skid steer has tracks, 100hp, and weighs 13,000lb. The LPGS will stop my skid steer under the right conditions and I would guess it has more tractive force than a comparable hp tractor due to its weight and tracks.

 

[oosik]

WoW! I don't understand why your LPGS's should be so hard to pull - bdog & Bman. I pull mine down my gravel/dirt driveway - skim an inch or so and its not that hard to pull. Granted if I drop the scarifiers down all the way - its a totally different matter - but I never do. I only drop them when repairing pot holes and the like.

My M6040 with the Land Pride GS2584 will weigh right at 9800#. On the driveway I will be pulling bone dry - gavel, sand, ash, dirt mix. You guys are working in some heavy, damp clay type soils AND pulling a deeper cut.

BMan - you have a BEAST of a LPGS. Mine is 84" and weight 796# - yours is 96" and weighs 1275#. That is a SIGNIFICANT difference. A foot wider and almost 500# heavier.

 

[RickB]

If the price is right it doesn’t matter what others think. Buy it, try it. If YOU can’t make it work for you, resell it and buy a smaller one.

 

[oosik]

RickB - EXACTLY.

 

[aczlan]

WoW! I don't understand why your LPGS's should be so hard to pull - bdog & Bman. I pull mine down my gravel/dirt driveway - skim an inch or so and its not that hard to pull. Granted if I drop the scarifiers down all the way - its a totally different matter - but I never do. I only drop them when repairing pot holes and the like.

My M6040 with the Land Pride GS2584 will weigh right at 9800#. On the driveway I will be pulling bone dry - gavel, sand, ash, dirt mix. You guys are working in some heavy, damp clay type soils AND pulling a deeper cut.

BMan - you have a BEAST of a LPGS. Mine is 84" and weight 796# - yours is 96" and weighs 1275#. That is a SIGNIFICANT difference. A foot wider and almost 500# heavier.

Also, if he's using it on the front of a skid steer even if he has a skid steer in float, he's adding the weight of the skid steer arms to the weight of the LPGS.

Aaron Z

 

[BMan2005]

WoW! I don't understand why your LPGS's should be so hard to pull - bdog & Bman. I pull mine down my gravel/dirt driveway - skim an inch or so and its not that hard to pull. Granted if I drop the scarifiers down all the way - its a totally different matter - but I never do. I only drop them when repairing pot holes and the like.

My M6040 with the Land Pride GS2584 will weigh right at 9800#. On the driveway I will be pulling bone dry - gavel, sand, ash, dirt mix. You guys are working in some heavy, damp clay type soils AND pulling a deeper cut.

BMan - you have a BEAST of a LPGS. Mine is 84" and weight 796# - yours is 96" and weighs 1275#. That is a SIGNIFICANT difference. A foot wider and almost 500# heavier.

Mine is set up to cut a 1/2" below the skids, but if the dirt has a little moisture it won't flow good and builds up big time adding a Ton ( literally) of weight. I just learned to be friends with draft control in those conditions, set and forget it.
Yeah your soil type probably helps your plane front loading up bad.

 

[Piston]

I have a 8' LP that weighs 1275lbs and it works my tractor harder than any implement I have. The more moisture the soil has the harder it will be to work it because it doesn't flow out as easily and loads up in the LP. If the deal is right though, buy it and try it. If it turns out to be to much you can always resale it and know what you need.

What make/model land plane do you have BMan? That sounds like a beast. I know weight is always your friend, that's the thing I don't like about the Landpride land planes, they are pretty light compared to the what I consider "heavy duty".

I don稚 think it will work. No way. I have a 7 wide LPGS. I have never pulled it with my tractor as I use it with my skid steer. My skid steer has tracks, 100hp, and weighs 13,000lb. The LPGS will stop my skid steer under the right conditions and I would guess it has more tractive force than a comparable hp tractor due to its weight and tracks.

What make/model do you have bdog? Why haven't you tried pulling it with your tractor? I wouldn't think you can really compare pushing an implement with a skidsteer, to pulling it with a tractor? Those forces are really applied very differently. I'd be interested to hear how your tractor pulls the 7 footer, it seems like most people are able to pull a 7' grading scraper with mid sized tractors. I don't have a problem pulling my 1250 pound 7' box blade, so I'm surprised that the land plane would be so much harder? Then again, there are two blades instead of one, but I can take a fair bite with my box blade. I really don't have any doubt I could handle a 7' land plane, it's just that going up to 8', now that's getting questionable.

If the price is right it doesn稚 matter what others think. Buy it, try it. If YOU can稚 make it work for you, resell it and buy a smaller one.

I think this is what I'll do, assuming it's not sold before I can get there.

Good morning Piston - so, you are looking at a 8' LPGS. Well, I have a Land Pride GS2584 and by the way I can pull it with my tractor - you could certainly handle it with your tractor. Granted my tractor is bigger and heavier but you can make substantial changes with the top link and drastically alter the pulling characteristics of the LPGS.

Pulling a big 'ol LPGS is similar to using a 3-point snow blower. If things get tough - just take a narrower bite. With the LPGS - if it gets too tough - simply raise the front, ever so slightly, and you are back pulling again. If you get a LPGS with scarifiers, like mine, you might have to make two passes to get the ground torn up - rather than a single pass. Big deal - speed is not all that its cracked up to be.

Another thought - depending upon ground conditions and what you are wanting to do with the LPGS - you could find that you would have to pull in 4WD rather than 2WD.

Thank you Oosik! your reports give me some hope that this might work out okay. I'm not looking to drop all the scarifiers and rip my way uphill a hard packed road, I'm just looking for finish grading and dressing up the road/driveway and clearings that I will make by removing trees to make fields/lawn.

Thanks for the thoughts guys. :thumbsup:

 

[oosik]

OK - Piston. Lets cut right thru all the BS. Since my LPGS is a Land Pride 2584 - my Op manual is the same as for the GS2596.

The Land Pride GS2596 weighs 864 pounds and is recommended for tractors with 40-90 engine hp.

Unless Tractor Data is wrong you L4610 has 47 hp.

BTW - should you purchase that GS2596 and need a copy of the Operators Manual. Send me a PM( + your email address) and I can easily send you a copy via email.

 

[BMan2005]

What make/model land plane do you have BMan? That sounds like a beast. I know weight is always your friend, that's the thing I don't like about the Landpride land planes, they are pretty light compared to the what I consider "heavy duty".



. I don't have a problem pulling my 1250 pound 7' box blade, so I'm surprised that the land plane would be so much harder? Then again, there are two blades instead of one, but I can take a fair bite with my box blade. I really don't have any doubt I could handle a 7' land plane, it's just that going up to 8', now that's getting questionable.

Piston, I made my own LP & yeah I really like the weight, it bites and cuts without skipping over hard surfaces.

It's not as much the weight of the plane compared to your box blade that will make it hard to pull, It's that it has a second cutting blade and mostly because of the surface area it has inside the plane to fill with dirt. It's going to be holding probably twice the dirt if the material is not flowing and all that weight is not only being pulled, it's also applying down pressure on the two cutting blades making them bite very hard. My tractor is 9,000lbs without anything hooked to my 3pt and I can drop my plane and truck right along, if I hit some dirt with a little moisture I can automatically feel it slow my tractor because the LP starts filling up instead of the material flowing out freely. It'll be a traction issue, not power with this big of a LP. You will see what I mean about moisture in the dirt and learn to use it according to the conditions to make it work much easier and use that 3pt lever . Like I mentioned earlier, if it's to big and you don't like it then sale it and you'll know exactly what you need. But odds are you'll learn how to work it and be just fine with it. Too heavy an implement (within reason of course) with a skilled operator is always better than to light of one.

Don't forget to share pictures of it on here and how it works!

Here is one of my home built LP

 

[Piston]

Oosik,
Thanks for the offer to send the manual. I was able to download it right from the Land Pride website. I’ve always loved Land Pride equipment but I wonder why they don’t make a heavier duty 35 series of these land plans. Almost all their other equipment is available in heavier duty versions. I’ve always thought of the 25 series as a medium duty line, especially regarding all their grading equipment.

Piston, I made my own LP & yeah I really like the weight, it bites and cuts without skipping over hard surfaces.

It's not as much the weight of the plane compared to your box blade that will make it hard to pull, It's that it has a second cutting blade and mostly because of the surface area it has inside the plane to fill with dirt. It's going to be holding probably twice the dirt if the material is not flowing and all that weight is not only being pulled, it's also applying down pressure on the two cutting blades making them bite very hard. My tractor is 9,000lbs without anything hooked to my 3pt and I can drop my plane and truck right along, if I hit some dirt with a little moisture I can automatically feel it slow my tractor because the LP starts filling up instead of the material flowing out freely. It'll be a traction issue, not power with this big of a LP. You will see what I mean about moisture in the dirt and learn to use it according to the conditions to make it work much easier and use that 3pt lever . Like I mentioned earlier, if it's to big and you don't like it then sale it and you'll know exactly what you need. But odds are you'll learn how to work it and be just fine with it. Too heavy an implement (within reason of course) with a skilled operator is always better than to light of one.

Don't forget to share pictures of it on here and how it works!

Here is one of my home built LP

You did a great job on that build BMan! I’ve always thought that this is the type of implement I would certainly build myself.

As you suggested, I will probably be fine with it and use it as is, but if for some reason I think it’s too big then I will use it as a model to build one off of. (Like I’ll ever get the time to do that)

I’ll certainly post pics when I get a chance to use it. I should be picking it up early next week.

 

[Rustyiron]

You should be fine Piston, especially just "dressing up" your road. If necessary, smaller bites just like a D-11 vs a mountain.

 

[BMan2005]

You did a great job on that build BMan! I’ve always thought that this is the type of implement I would certainly build myself.

As you suggested, I will probably be fine with it and use it as is, but if for some reason I think it’s too big then I will use it as a model to build one off of. (Like I’ll ever get the time to do that)

I’ll certainly post pics when I get a chance to use it. I should be picking it up early next week.

Thanks man. I've been wanting to buy or build one for a year and kept finding other implements to make priority. But I had something come up with my job that made this priority so I broke out the grinder & welder. Lol

Pretty sure the Landpride LP has adjustable height blades. One thing that could help to work it easier and I've read several actually like is to set up the blades level with the skids. The skids will actually dig in just a bit so at level the blades will still cut and dress any ruts. Either way you'll love how it works for road maintenance.

Looking forward to see your new LP

 

[jenkinsph]

Piston I don't think you will have a problem with an 8 ft lpgs. If the ground is too wet or slippery that would be an anchor. My bb1284 is harder to pull than my 8ft lpgs. Hope this helps you decide.