dual grade rotary laser

[3Ts]

There was a thread a little while ago about rotary lasers and there were 2 favorites with Topcon being one of them. The ability to set the grade seemed to be important, but all the ones mentioned were a single grade. There is one from Johnson Level that claims dual slope.

Is the Johnson level any good? and does a dual slope really help? I can see where a single slope is useful, but a dual slope only if you're doing a field. Any thoughts?

https://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Level-Tool-99-028K-Electronic/dp/B074N1B1VY/ref=sr_1_18?keywords=grade+laser+level&qid=1564802787&s=gateway&sr=8-18

 

[Complete Turf Care]

I have the Spectra Precision GL 422. A big part of my business is laser grading football, soccer, and athletic fields. It has served me well.

GL422N Grade Laser - Spectra Lasers

 

[Redlands Okie]

How do you know the grades being set on the model linked ? No screen with info that I can see. Having to set grades with out the screen can be done but is a process to do so.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have a Spectra laser level and highly recommend it, but it's not duel grade. What are you using or going to use the grade for?

When setting drain lines, I set up my laser level and figure out the math on how far down I want it to be at different distances, then I just measure it to see where I'm at. It's very simple and easy to do. Mostly I use mine for building up the dirt for a foundation and I can figure out where I need to add or remove dirt every couple of feet over the area. I then mark each spot with some ground marking spray paint to know how many inches need to be added or removed. Then I use it to set my forms for the concrete foundation. Once the forms are set, I figure out where my toilets are going to be for my main drain lines, and start digging. Depending on how far down I need to be to tie into the septic, or city sewer line, I do the math and figure out how many inches I want to drop over that distance, then divide it up to every 20 feet or so and measure the depth as I'm digging. The entire process only takes a couple minutes to set up, so I've never felt any need for anything else.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I bought a Topcon RL-H4C Single slope from Tiger Supplies. Great people to deal with and great pricing.

 

[Fallon]

That was my thread... the CTS/Berger laser was a good deal & worked great level (H or V) but painful to setup for slope (and only single slope).

It went back & I got a Dewalt. One of the new ones with bluetooth. Probably a little gimmicky for some functions & definitely a lot more expensive. But I can plug in a grade or slope in X or Y on my phone & get it set in under a minute. A hair more fiddly than you'd expect, but straight forward & you can set it straight without math, measuring or trying to figure out if the remote is working.

It didnt come with a tripod or grade rod like the CTS/BERGER did, so it's definitely a lot more expensive. None of the Topcon lasers would do vertical, which I need for a few projects. They were even more than the Dewalt though. I'd actually recomend the CTS/BERGER one if you can live with the single slope grade stuff that's tedious to setup. It was good value & a good price point. All the Johnson lasers I saw looked like they would have the same guess & check setup for grade.

Also, how often do you need grade in 2 different directions at different angles? I can do most everything by just rotating the laser in the right direction. Although by some of that logic I could just have spent the time fiddling with the remote on the CTS unit setting grade too I suppose.

 

[3Ts]

Thanks, I'll check out the dewalt also. As for how often I need grade in 2 directions? I don't think very often, but my immediate need could make use of it, but after that, probably not. I've actually been trying to determine if I really need a laser at all since everything I've ever done has been with a long board and a level which works fine for 10 or 20 feet, but I've got a lot more area to sculpt with complex slopes and a lot more dirt to move than ever before.

What I've been doing was moving some dirt, waiting for the rain and see how it flows and puddles. When it dries out, I do some more grading and repeat. Now we're in our dry season and I'll have to do something different if I ever expect to get done.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

How do you know the grades being set on the model linked ? No screen with info that I can see. Having to set grades with out the screen can be done but is a process to do so.

If this question is for the GL 422, it does have a screen on the unit. I can set grades to hundreth's of a percent. In other words, I can set either, or both, the X and Y axis to 0.01% or more. I also have a remote control that I use to adjust the slope from inside my tractor.

I need the dual slope model, because I will often set my laser in the middle of a football field and slope it towards the goal, and towards the sideline. This will allow me to create a "pyramid" shape where the peak is at the 50 yard like and the lowest point is at each corner of the field.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Can someone maybe explain how the dual slope works? Single slope I am guessing, just means the whole thing is just off of vertical, at some angle, right? I have never even used my single slope function.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

Can someone maybe explain how the dual slope works? Single slope I am guessing, just means the whole thing is just off of vertical, at some angle, right? I have never even used my single slope function.

Dual slope allows me to slope in 2 directions. If I point my laser due North, I can slope it to the north or south, depending on if I set a positive slope percentage or a negative.

At the same time, I can slope it to the east or west, again depending on if I set a positive or negative slope.