Have given up on my Land Plane

[shooterdon]

I bought a unit last year to try to level my driveway. I have gentle rolling humps I call "whoopity-dos". It feels like riding a little roller coaster. I created most of the problem trying to initially use a back blade. Once a hump is introduced, it just makes the problem worse with each pass.

Over the last year, I have spent about 12 hours going up and down the drive (300 yards) and the land plane has helped a bit but not enough. Disconnected the hydraulic top link and used a chain hoping it would help but that did not work that well either.

The land place works well on the rest of the drive that is flat but not where I have the undulations.

Thought about adding 10 ft runners to the land plane to help. Two PT 2x8's will cost $35 but mounting them will not be easy. My neighbor has a box blade but his driveway is not much better, so not sure how well it will work, plus I hate borrowing stuff.

I have a contractor coming in to look at getting the job done next month.

Any advice?

 

[Diggin It]

Sounds like it needs to be cut down several inches and re-graded and packed. Not sure most consumer tools can do that. Kind of like a pothole that gets filled a hundred times, but is still there. The subsurface needs to be fixed.

I there any kind of water problem leading to erosion?

 

[LittleBill21]

land plane doesn't fix whoops, learn that as well with mine. it simply follows the path. you have to cut into the whoops with the loader, or you can drop rippers with the blade up and do that a bit as well

 

[Jchonline]

Sounds like it needs to be cut down several inches and re-graded and packed. Not sure most consumer tools can do that. Kind of like a pothole that gets filled a hundred times, but is still there. The subsurface needs to be fixed.

I there any kind of water problem leading to erosion?

Exactly. You must cut at least as deep as the deepest rut/dip in the road...then you will be level. Then you need to regrade it. OP just isnt going deep enough to get it initially graded properly.

 

[shooterdon]

No water issues to deal with.

LB21, I did not get the rippers when I bought the land plane as I did not have pot holes to deal with, so ripping up the surface did not seem necessary. Hate to spend another $300 for them and still have whoops to deal with.

 

[workinonit]

Find someone with a motograder and pay them to make a couple of passes down it. Short of tearing your entire drive up that's the best way there will be. When I start to get them in mine draft control seems to work very well for me. But I'm not sure if that will solve it if you've let them get too bad.

 

[deezler]

How long are the "dip" sections? 10 ft? 20? 50ft? And how deep are they? 4", 8" a whole foot? (pics would help)

All you need to do is cut hard on the high spots, then pick up the land plane just a tiny bit in the dips, to empty it out. Same technique would work with a box blade. You need to cut out the peaks, and deposit material in the low spots. Possibly you will have to quick empty the land plane into a small pile, and use your front loader to scoop and redistribute. It might be a little lumpy once you do all this.

THEN, then you can land plane the entire thing and it'll be perfect.

 

[shooterdon]

How long are the "dip" sections? 10 ft? 20? 50ft? And how deep are they? 4", 8" a whole foot? (pics would help)

All you need to do is cut hard on the high spots, then pick up the land plane just a tiny bit in the dips, to empty it out. Same technique would work with a box blade. You need to cut out the peaks, and deposit material in the low spots. Possibly you will have to quick empty the land plane into a small pile, and use your front loader to scoop and redistribute. It might be a little lumpy once you do all this.

THEN, then you can land plane the entire thing and it'll be perfect.

The dips are about 20-40' apart and average about 6".

 

[Citydude]

Try extending your top link out so the box blade is just riding on the rear cutter. That works for me.

 

[Doughknob]

Bulldozer