Land Plane adjustments

[Sierraau]

I picked up a land plane for my mile-long driveway and since we haven't gotten any snow here at Lake Tahoe this year, I have been working on my driveway trying to crow it with my rear blade but the downside of using the rear blade is the woop-dee-doos created by not having a longer side rail so I figured I'd throw on the Kioti 9foot land plane to see how it does. Our driveway is covered with asphalt grindings taken off of I-80 during their many road improvements, so with the fines, it packs pretty nice, but I found if I use the land plane right after the road gets wet, the asphalt grindings that I am planing end up clumping up and traveling over the 2nd bar and making a mess of the driveway with little clumps all over the place.

It's been a while since we got the grindings (over 10 years ago) so the driveway is pretty packed, but over the summer some of the asphalt moves to the edges and the road loses it's crown, so I have to touch it up occasionally. I've looked online for any sort of instruction on how high to adjust the blades of the plane, so I just adjusted them so they were level with the sides, but upon thinking about it, thought that maybe I wanted to have the outside edge of the road side of the blade at the level of the side and perhaps have it a bit lifted on the crown side (center) of the road, as I am thinking it would help reposition the grinding from the side to the center as some of them could go under the blades on the crown side. I'm also thinking that by having it raised on the crown side by maybe an inch I could cut down on the clumps that rise over the back blade.

Any ideas?

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

How you described what you were "thinking" would probably work well.
I lift the inside (crown side) edge of the plane up about an inch+, to pull the loose edge material towards the center. My cross blades are angled towards the "inside" on the left, helping to pull the material. I go down one side, back up the other, then level the plane and go down the center.

It takes some getting used to, and making many adjustments to get what you want. Trial, rinse and repeat....

 

[Ricn]

Mine is set flat with the ground. Go down one side back up the other works great for knocking down the bumps and filling in holes. Twice each year I recut crown using the trac hoe and blade.

 

[oosik]

I have a mile long gravel driveway also. It's over 40 years old and packed pretty darn hard. In the beginning - the top layer was crushed pit run gravel. Now there is dust, silt and volcanic ash added to this top layer.

I use both my HD Rhino rear blade and my Land Pride LPGS to maintain the driveway. After 40+ years - I've gotten pretty good at maintenance. There is a real trick to learn - getting a "short connected" implement to NOT follow the whoop-T-do's. All I can suggest - practice, practice, etc. OR - get some type of commercial road grader.

I really don't have to worry much about the crown of the driveway. We so seldom get any rain - what we do get will usually just soak right into the driveway.

My LPGS is set with the two "blades" about an inch below the side rails. I also will use the scarifiers on the LPGS. The LPGS is my tool to fix pot holes, riffles and my one muddy area( when it dries out).

I use the rear blade for snow and if I need to move a little material from here to there.

If and when I ever might need to move a lot of material - I have a roll over box blade.

 

[rob in ore]

I have skids on the grader set the same on each side. If I want to dig deeper on one side I use the 3 point arms to make the adjustment. Also, If I have material spilling over the second blade it means I'm trying to move too much at once and I need to make another pass with a shallower cut.

 

[sandman2234]

The road past me is a dirt road, and one of the guys down near the end has been getting millings to add to the dirt. Unfortunately when the millings harden, they tend to come out in clumps when the LPGS tries to grade the road. My experience is millings are not like gravel!
My LPGS is homemade, but copied from a well known source. I have pretty much quit trying to level it out due to making a bigger mess than what it started with. He has been in road building for years and has tried to correct the issue, but nothing we do can fix clumps being pulled out of the dirt.
He just keeps filling the potholes...
I am glad I live on a paved road, instead of that dirt road. I just try to help him!
Millings work great, but almost have to be spread continously like asphalt to work correctly.
David from jax

 

[Sierraau]

I have a mile long gravel driveway also. It's over 40 years old and packed pretty darn hard. In the beginning - the top layer was crushed pit run gravel. Now there is dust, silt and volcanic ash added to this top layer.

I use both my HD Rhino rear blade and my Land Pride LPGS to maintain the driveway. After 40+ years - I've gotten pretty good at maintenance. There is a real trick to learn - getting a "short connected" implement to NOT follow the whoop-T-do's. All I can suggest - practice, practice, etc. OR - get some type of commercial road grader.

I really don't have to worry much about the crown of the driveway. We so seldom get any rain - what we do get will usually just soak right into the driveway.

My LPGS is set with the two "blades" about an inch below the side rails. I also will use the scarifiers on the LPGS. The LPGS is my tool to fix pot holes, riffles and my one muddy area( when it dries out).

I use the rear blade for snow and if I need to move a little material from here to there.

If and when I ever might need to move a lot of material - I have a roll over box blade.

With the blades set below the rail, you'd always be cutting the road- except- the rails woiuld be riding on the surface- please further explain your thinking on this. My road has lots of woop to doos that are maybe 8 feet long then a little dip of 4 feet then another 8 foot woop. I figured the only way fo fix it would be to put a grader on the road with a "wheelbase" longer than 15'. I'm curious about the adjustment levels and what you experienced.

 

[oosik]

Sierraau - Yes, with the way my LPGS is set - it IS always cutting. And many times I will lower the scarifiers also. I ONLY use the LPGS where it is needed on the driveway. I've never had the occasion to drag it down the entire length of the driveway.

There are only a couple spots where I use/need it. One is my everlasting 120 foot long, seasonal mud hole. The other has some woop-de-doos and is about the same length.

The remaining mile of my driveway is always in pretty good shape. Using something like the LPGS would simply stir up what is already hard and flat.

If it ain't broken - it doesn't need to be fixed.

 

[oosik]

rob in ore - when I use my LPGS - surface material is always spilling over the first AND second blade. I will use the scarifiers to aide in this over spilling action. In this way I will get double action to cut, granulate,
smooth and redistribute the surface material.

Many times the scarifiers are needed to loosen the surface. My top layer on my driveway is a combination of - crushed rock, rock dust, plain 'ol wind blown dust and volcanic ash.

When it dries out - after spring wet season - it is as hard as old concrete.

I've had folks do burn outs on the driveway. All that is left - black rubber marks from their tires.

My driveway is over 40 years old. It has withstood the demands of time. It is hard as concrete and serves me well.

 

[workinonit]

If you don't have the blades set below the skids the LP won't do anything but knock down any high spots it straddles. When I built mine I set my blades an inch lower than the skids.

 

[shooterdon]

With the blades set below the rail, you'd always be cutting the road- except- the rails woiuld be riding on the surface- please further explain your thinking on this. My road has lots of woop to doos that are maybe 8 feet long then a little dip of 4 feet then another 8 foot woop. I figured the only way fo fix it would be to put a grader on the road with a "wheelbase" longer than 15'. I'm curious about the adjustment levels and what you experienced.

I have the same problem with "woop to doos" far apart and I cannot figure out how to cure it. I have a land plane but do not have the skill/knowledge to solve the problem. Bought it because it was supposed to be "easy to use".

I have thought about getting a box blade to knock down the high spots and fill in the low spots, but I have read a box blade is even tougher to use than a LP. The cheapest 72" box blade I have found is about $1500. Very reluctant to make the investment. My drive is only 250-300 yards long. Wish I could find a unit to rent or borrow.

Following with interest!!!

 

[oosik]

I've worked on my woop te doos with some success. With the LPGS - scarifiers down - I loosen the surface. Then with the rear blade - drag the loose soil into the low area. Then drive over and compact the material in the low spot.

What really works best - compact the low spot after a gentile rain.

This only works about 50% of the time. When the driveway dries out - it's hard as old concrete. Difficult to get the dirt in the low spots to be that hard. But I keep trying.

 

[lilranch2001]

I've worked on my woop te doos with some success. With the LPGS - scarifiers down - I loosen the surface. Then with the rear blade - drag the loose soil into the low area. Then drive over and compact the material in the low spot.

What really works best - compact the low spot after a gentile rain.

This only works about 50% of the time. When the driveway dries out - it's hard as old concrete. Difficult to get the dirt in the low spots to be that hard. But I keep trying.

Years and years ago, I had a dump truck driver that did me no favors as he spread seven loads of stone in my driveway, at each start and stop point I had a large hump and I wasn’t smart enough to level that hump out before I started spreading the stone out to even it out
That being said, I had a Whoopty do at each point and it’s been so many years later that I’ve almost got the Whoopty Doo all worked out but it’s been a chore

Land planes do a nice job on a pre-existing flat drive, but it doesn’t deal with the front of the tractor raising and lowering very well.

Only using it once or twice a year even on 1000 foot driveway doesn’t give you very much practice or experience

 

[workinonit]

Use the draft control.

 

[shooterdon]

Use the draft control.

I tried that and it did not work well but I do not have scarifiers on my LP. Plan to add them this year and try again.

Thinking about using a chain instead of a solid connection to the top link as well.

 

[workinonit]

I don't have tines on mine either.

 

[lilranch2001]

I have tines, and not sure if a Bobcat CT235 has draft control

 

[scootr]

Similar road here with concrete grindings. With the box blade set level use the top tilt control to lift the back end for cutting the high spots and then push the back end down to spread the material in the lows. Don't try to fix it all at once. Just an inch at a time will get it done. You can try using the draft control but it takes more practice to know when it is cutting and filling.
The land plane will have similar results when using the top tilt.