best landplane

[Engineer42]

You need to clarify...are you talking about an actual land plane that is towed behind a big tractor, has a grader-type blade and is used to level uneven fields?

View attachment 1995924
Or a driveway scraper like posted above in photos by MtnViewRanch?

 

[nyone]

What you end up purchasing will depend upon several factors. Weight and price being very important.

I have a mile long gravel driveway. Straight as an arrow with a deep valley in the middle. I use three implements to maintain my driveway.

My Rhino 950 rear blade is 96 inches and 1050 pounds. Clean out the ditches - maintain the crown - clear snow. This implement takes lots of practice if you plan on using it to smooth, level and maintain the crown. It's because of the design of a rear blade. Picture a teeter-totter. One side goes up - the other side goes down. That is how the standard rear blade works. Even with my hydraulic top link - crowning my driveway can be a real PITA.

My Land Pride LPGS ( land plane grading scraper ) does a great job of smoothing everything out. It will NOT create or maintain the crown. It does nothing for ditches or clearing snow.
It weighs - 820 pounds.

My Land Pride ROBB ( roll over box blade ) is used to move material from here to there. Example - I pull gravel up and out of the driveway ditches with the rear blade. I use the ROBB to collect this material and move it down the road - to low spots. It weighs - 800 pounds.

How heavy does the implement need to be. Depends upon what the surface of your driveway is. If it's loose gravel - a lighter implement might do a fine job. If it's like my driveway - rocks, gravel, sand, silt & volcanic ash - think concrete when it's dry - then you need the heaviest implement you can afford and that your tractor can handle.

With my first tractor - I had a lighter Land Pride rear blade ( around 400 pounds ). It did great on clearing snow - struggled to clear the driveway ditches - was USELESS on smoothing the driveway or maintaining the crown. It just skipped along and created sparks while being pulled down the driveway.

In 2009 I bought my new Kubota M6040. I also bought the Rhino 950 rear blade. This blade is heavy enough to cut thru the surface "crust" on my driveway. Being heavy does not "fix" the teeter-totter effect though. Every time I use it to smooth or work on the crown - it's a fight between the teeter-totteer effect and my hydraulic top link.

So..... it was either get a rear gauge wheel for the Rhino rear blade or get a new LPGS. I choose to get a new LPGS.

There is so many attachments needed to maintain a proper crowned driveway.

I found that a landscape rake works well for mine. I angle it and pull all the stone in from the edge. I have s turn in my driveway so stone tends to migrate out. I did this with a rear blade once and made a mess.

 

[oosik]

Three or four years ago I saw one implement that did most all the needed summer maintenance on a gravel driveway. Required a bigger tractor than mine - as I remember. Cleaned the ditches and brought this material up onto the roadway - like a rear blade. Ground up the surface and laid it back down - much like a LPGS. Blades created a "half crown" as it passed down one side - like a true grader. Heavy rollers in the rear pack it all back down. Up one side and back down the other. I only remember the discussion and the photos. Think is was made in Sweden and cost a king's ransom. I don't remember what it was called but it was weird looking and appeared to do a great job.

My biggest challenge is after 40 years of use and maintenance - the surface material varies quite a bit over the course of the driveway's length. This is mainly due to ME. I'm somewhat of a cheap 'ol fart and keep dragging ditch material back up onto the driveway. I should be buying new gravel and laying it down. At least in a couple places.

However - I've been able to keep the mile long driveway in reasonable condition without the expense of new gravel. If I had more traffic - I would not be able to get away with this.

As long as I drive at a reasonable speed - 15 mph - everything is just fine.

 

[sandman2234]

Engineer42, that is one nice land plane! Probably a little bit big for my driveway!!
David from jax

 

[Ricn]

Have the 60 inch land pride, does a good job too. Get the heavy duty model, weight is important.

 

[hosspuller]

Another Road Boss LP owner here:
Using a Land plane to crown the road is a two step process. Mounting Adjustment on the tractor is key. Adjust your drag lift arms so the left side lifts before the right side moves. My Road Boss LP angles the blades right to left rear. As LP works, gravel wants to move over the blades and to the left. Just a little bit of lift on the 3 point, leaves gravel in the middle of the road. Each pass moves gravel from the side to the center. After a pass in each direction my road is crowned.

 

[oosik]

I have to use the scarifiers on my Land Pride ( LPGS ) just to break the crust on my driveway. Yes - I suppose the surface material MIGHT be moved a tiny bit in the horizontal direction with each pass. If I only had the LPGS - it would take days and uncounted passes to maintain or improve the crown. That is why I use the rear blade for crowning. It breaks the crust without scarifiers. No question - the rear blade moves material horizontally.

Getting the heaviest implement you can pull and afford has another advantage. The heavier frame of a heavier implement will allow you to add weight - without damage to the frame.

I have a cast concrete cube that can be added to any of my implements. This 400 pound cube is seldom used but is available if necessary. And as another has mentioned - maybe Scooter - you can add a 55 gallon drum with any specific amount of water - for added weight.

 

[Smokeydog]

Bought a 6’ EA Landplane years ago. Game changer on maintenance on our 1/2 mile, 300’ elevation change, curvy driveway thru the woods. Easily paid for itself in few years by saving gravel and time. Road is more durable. They had a good video detailing advantages of their design and construction.

Had tested a cheaper competitor landplane. Didn’t perform nearly as well. Angle of the blades and side length makes a big difference.

High praises for their wicked grapple and land plane. About got bit buying a tree puller before their problems. Smelled fishy. Got my money back but soured the relationship. Prefer my equipment drama free.

 

[oosik]

Smokeydog is nuts on. There is enough drama, excitement and even anger in just successfully using an implement. Sure don't need to get this when trying to make a purchase.

 

[sequoyah101]

I have been searching the web for the best landplane. I had settled on the everything attachments model due to the heavier materials used. I sent 2 emails and no answer. I got suspicious and did a consumer complaint search and found some pretty facts, guess they had to close their doors and some paid but never received their attachments. Today I got an answer from them and they made it sound like they are still in business, anyone know for sure what the truth is?

So I am still searching, anyone have a strong opinion on which landplane is the best and an experience to show why? A Video of your plane?

Kind Regards, Joe

Old thread. I have a 12' unit we call a fresno. A box blade with a drawbar tongue and two rear wheels lifted with a hydraulic cylinder. Mine has two, one for lift and one for tilt. It is made by an outfit I guess in Mexico, Industrias Americas, see their stuff everywhere. I pull it with a 100 hp tractor and can move more dirt faster than with a D6 if it is not too hard or rocky. I even run it across pastures as fast as I can stand to go knocking down gopher piles. They come in smaller models. Seem indestructible so far in 5 years of hard work.