Land plane questions

[fried1765]

I have a mile long gravel driveway. My tractor is 2009 Kubota M6040. I have a heavy duty rear blade, LPGS, roll-over-box blade. The heavy duty Rhino 950 rear blade @ 1100# is used about 99% of the time to maintain the driveway. Summer & winter. It will plow the snow, maintain the ditches, maintain the crown, grade the surface & to a lesser extent - move material from here to there.

The roll-over-box blade ( ROBB ) is used to scarify the potholes and move material to fill & repair the potholes.

The LPGS is used to smooth everything out and will "fix" small ripples. The LPGS WILL NOT create a crown. WILL NOT move material horizontally.

Obviously - the heavy duty rear blade is the most universal implement to maintain my driveway.

YEP......yet SO many will recommend the land plane.
I have never understood why.
I would guess it is because the land plane does generally smooth things out, and does not not require any expertise.

 

[Professor Marvel]

YEP......yet SO many will recommend the land plane.
I have never understood why.
I would guess it is because the land plane does generally smooth things out, and does not not require any expertise.

that's why i use mine
it's idiot proof and i rarely have to look back
i don't care about the crown because as soon as a bunch of vehicles get on it it doesn't matter
actually you can drop your right lower arm and angle then grade to the left (or any configuration you want) but to me it isn't worth the bother.
i have to do it often and it is easier to just drag it and be done with it
if you don't have much traffic or the traffic is just you and you drive so as to keep your gravel where you want it it would be different

 

[450]

The LP is not the cure all but it is a great tool to have. I built mine instead of buying because of shipping prices to Alaska but building things is fun to me.

 

[oosik]

The LPGS is a GREAT implement if your driveway is in good shape anyway. You need little or no experience to drag it down an otherwise smooth driveway.

I think it gives a lot of folks a good feeling to be able to use an implement and not cause problems to an otherwise acceptable situation.

Not so very easy to do with a rear blade.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

YEP......yet SO many will recommend the land plane.
I have never understood why.
I would guess it is because the land plane does generally smooth things out, and does not not require any expertise.

Simple, TIME. I have miles of road and fence line to maintain. For general road maintenance, I can maintain the 1 3/8 mile of road in less than half the time it takes with either my ROBB or my rear blade. And I am quite good with them all.

Another reason might be that even a light weight LPGS works fairly well compared to a light box blade or rear blade.

Weight is only part of the equation, (I believe that oosik will confirm that) and everyone can't afford the heavy implements as well as the tractor being used may not be capable of using a heavier implement.

 

[oosik]

No question - when time is a factor - the LPGS is the tool. It's just that - being retired, I have all the time in the world to work on the driveway. With this one implement - rear blade - I'm able to do most everything needed on my driveway. But the rear blade is a "slower" implement - for sure.

And my driveway is NOTHING like the pics MT VIEW RANCH shows. Summer time - it's concrete. I've priced a 6"deep x 20'wide X mile long layer of crushed rock. I spent the money on my new Ram Power Wagon instead.

 

[Professor Marvel]

The one thing i have not heard here that is a definite plus also for me is that the land plain reclaims previously lost gravel. Using a back blade on about a mile of road for years i never got the results i get with the LP. I have saved myself a lot in gravel. My neighbors even noticed it and when i started using the land plane they kept thinking i had gotten more gravel. Obviously it pleased them because they didn't have to worry about coming up with gravel money.
Has no one else had this experience?

 

[Tompet]

that's why i use mine
it's idiot proof and i rarely have to look back
i don't care about the crown because as soon as a bunch of vehicles get on it it doesn't matter
actually you can drop your right lower arm and angle then grade to the left (or any configuration you want) but to me it isn't worth the bother.
i have to do it often and it is easier to just drag it and be done with it
if you don't have much traffic or the traffic is just you and you drive so as to keep your gravel where you want it it would be different

Exactly on point.

 

[Tompet]

The one thing i have not heard here that is a definite plus also for me is that the land plain reclaims previously lost gravel. Using a back blade on about a mile of road for years i never got the results i get with the LP. I have saved myself a lot in gravel. My neighbors even noticed it and when i started using the land plane they kept thinking i had gotten more gravel. Obviously it pleased them because they didn't have to worry about coming up with gravel money.
Has no one else had this experience?

Very true. And to the ops original question #3, yes, rippers very worthwhile.

 

[wagne223]

The one thing i have not heard here that is a definite plus also for me is that the land plain reclaims previously lost gravel. Using a back blade on about a mile of road for years i never got the results i get with the LP. I have saved myself a lot in gravel. My neighbors even noticed it and when i started using the land plane they kept thinking i had gotten more gravel. Obviously it pleased them because they didn't have to worry about coming up with gravel money.
Has no one else had this experience?

I mentioned it in post #4 as one of the tasks the LPGS is good at.