buying a "land grader"/"leveling blade"/"bionic blade"

[UncleBuck1]

I have about a mile of gravel road I need to maintain and I'm really butchering things up trying to do it with my box blade so I've decided to purchase what everyone in my area refers to as a "bionic blade," although I understand that the correct name is a land plane or leveling blade.

Anyway, I don't have a lot of knowledge with this implement and I really need some guidance on what to look for, brands, etc. before I buy one - they aren't cheap!

The one obvious difference I see between the different brands is that some blades are straight across, while others are anged. Is there a difference in how the straight and angled blade versions perform? Is one better than the other?

Also, I know that with a box blade heavier is always better- is it the same with graders?

Any guidance or advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Gordon Gould]

Re: buying a "land grader"/"leveling blade"/"bionic blade"

The bades on my LPGS are straight and it works (cuts) just fine. I have never ran one with angled blades but the general concensus here seems to be that angled blades make very little difference compared to straight blades.

One thought I have concerning angled blades is that the blades will not lie in a plane parrellel to the road if you adjust your top link so you have more pressure forward or back which I do all the time. If you put more pressure forward as the blade angles to the back it will have less cutting pressure. Maybe that would be useful. With a straight blade you get the same cut all the way across the blade.

You are right. Weight is the most important spec. The heavier the better. If there are scarifiers you can get away with a little less weight maybe.

 

[Rustyiron]

Re: buying a "land grader"/"leveling blade"/"bionic blade"

Tractor Models
I can recommend this unit.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Re: buying a "land grader"/"leveling blade"/"bionic blade"

Weight is definitely your friend when it comes to just about any type of grading. If you are willing and can find a unit that weighs about 200lb per foot width, you will be in good shape. Rodd Boss units use to be considered one of the better units and they can weigh in at the 200lbs per foot width. Seems like most units weigh in between 125-150lbs per foot. They ALL work good, just some better than others. Angled blades are the norm, some are adjustable. I personally have never seen a unit that is mass produced that had straight blades other than the units that have adjustable angled-straight blades.

The longer the sides (runners) the better the end result on your road will be. Tough to find anything long now days, probably because of shipping matters. You might want to think about getting a hydraulic top link if you don't already have one, they make making fine adjustments much easier.

A lot of us on TBN call these implements land plane grading scrapers or LPGS for short.

Good luck.

 

[jenkinsph]

Re: buying a "land grader"/"leveling blade"/"bionic blade"

Good advice from the members above and would only add make sure the lpgs is rigid without any flexing.

 

[john40981]

Re: buying a "land grader"/"leveling blade"/"bionic blade"

I have made my own with angle blades. They are suppose to move material from one side to the other being angled but the angle doesn't let it move much but I do think it makes it cut good. The moisture content of the soil makes a big difference to how it works. As said before a hydraulic top link would be very handy, I don't have one would like one. Mine is 7' wide and 8' long and it will still lift at the back without good solid pressure from the top link. Great product for road maintenance you will love it when you get one. Does a great job smoothing off in reverse also.

link to my build if you want more info-
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/287452-land-plain-blade-height-help.html

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Re: buying a "land grader"/"leveling blade"/"bionic blade"

I think the theory behind angled blades is that they are supposed to move material from the "short" side to the "long" side of the blade, thus allowing you to grade the road in two passes and move material to the center of the road for a crown.

 

[john40981]

Re: buying a "land grader"/"leveling blade"/"bionic blade"

I think the theory behind angled blades is that they are supposed to move material from the "short" side to the "long" side of the blade, thus allowing you to grade the road in two passes and move material to the center of the road for a crown.

That's correct but in practice, with mine any way, there is not a lot of sideways movement of material but how damp the material is also makes a difference whether it flows over the blades, along them or builds up on them. You would be surprised how much material can build up and be carried on those little blades.

 

[oosik]

Re: buying a "land grader"/"leveling blade"/"bionic blade"

I have a Land Pride Grading Scraper - GS2584 - that I use to maintain my mile long gravel driveway. I tried for years to do the job with a rear blade but could never get the hang of it. The GS has allowed me to level and smooth the driveway so it is almost like new. With the scarifiers the unit weighs 800#. I've not found that I need additional weight. I have a 400# concrete casting that I can set on the GS if I ever do need additional weight.

 

[8N Ren]

Re: buying a "land grader"/"leveling blade"/"bionic blade"

Learn how to use your box blade and it won't butcher things up, they do a fantastic job if used properly. There is a thread here in the attachment section about how to adjust your top-link to get the nice finish we all love. It's lots cheaper then going out to buy another implement that already does what your box blade will do. Just my two cents.