Land plane questions

[borisvonf]

After reading many land plane discussions, I still have a few stupid questions. I plan to buy not build.

Background. I have a 1/2 mile gravel drive with 1 really steep section, don稚 know grade, and the rest is incline up and then back down with very few flat sections. I知 in the piedmont of SC so clay sub soil with lots of rocks in dirt and a few rock outcrops poking though road. Will pull with 4wd 80 hp jd 5500.

Questions
1) I see angle on these blades to move rock to center for crown, but they all move rock to the left from what I see. If I have to grade uphill, how do I get crown on the left half of the road as it seems it would move rock form right to left? If the road were flat I understand you would just pull in opposite direction and make crown but if I can only grade in one direction how does it work?

2) Width of grader should be 1/2 of road width plus 1 foot to give 6 overlap on each side?

3) Are rippers really worth extra money not to have to change from box with rippers to lpgs?

4) Does it require feathering hydro top link or just let it follow contour with no top link connection?

5) I have enjoyed so many of the EA videos. Should I buy from them and get a great product never having tried one or get a lighter J-bar at 1/2 the price to see if I like it? Will I love it from the start?

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Smokeydog]

With your size tractor I would not go lighter. EA makes a good land plane for sure.
Don’t need a hydro top link or PHD to operate. Drop and go. I have a slight tilt for my 1/2 mile winding steep driveway and a little has to be pulled the other direction. Grade flat and lower to the side you want most drainage. Driving on it makes a crown. Ted’s video explains it well.
The rippers were not needed for my driveway. Maybe handy for some future yard work.
I’ve got 6’ land plane behind a a 60hp 4x4 tractor and I would not want wider. Some of driveway is 25’ wide.

 

[bcp]

If you watch the many videos on YouTube, you will see very little sideways movement of material. The main benefit of angled blades is on washboard roads where blades can be on two or three bumps at once and not ride up and down as a single straight blade may do.

Bruce

 

[wagne223]

The LPGS is not designed to shape or create a crown. In fact if you are not careful you will remove the crown with a LPGS.

LPGS are designed to turn over the surface of gravel drives bringing the gravel back up from being buried in the fines.
They also smooth and fill dips and remove washboard from dirt roads.

They do not move material in any measurable amount. They are great at smoothing.

For washouts, pulling ditches or reshaping (repairing or creating a crown) you will need a box blade or rear blade or both.

I would suggest a lot more research. Road maintenance can be frustrating.
There are many threads on here related to roads and the equipment to maintain them. For a lot of us it is a neverending task.

But it is a good excuse to get in some tractor time!

 

[MidTn Mark]

With your size tractor I would not go lighter. EA makes a good land plane for sure.
Don’t need a hydro top link or PHD to operate. Drop and go. I have a slight tilt for my 1/2 mile winding steep driveway and a little has to be pulled the other direction. Grade flat and lower to the side you want most drainage. Driving on it makes a crown. Ted’s video explains it well.
The rippers were not needed for my driveway. Maybe handy for some future yard work.
I’ve got 6’ land plane behind a a 60hp 4x4 tractor and I would not want wider. Some of driveway is 25’ wide.

Anyone else wonder at first why Smokey was talking about a post hole digger?

 

[metalbender]

PHD is one of them university things " Piled Higher and Deeper" Seems that folk that have that bit of paper are smarter than those who work for a living.

 

[PaxMan]

After reading many land plane discussions, I still have a few stupid questions. I plan to buy not build.

Background. I have a 1/2 mile gravel drive with 1 really steep section, don稚 know grade, and the rest is incline up and then back down with very few flat sections. I知 in the piedmont of SC so clay sub soil with lots of rocks in dirt and a few rock outcrops poking though road. Will pull with 4wd 80 hp jd 5500.

Questions
1) I see angle on these blades to move rock to center for crown, but they all move rock to the left from what I see. If I have to grade uphill, how do I get crown on the left half of the road as it seems it would move rock form right to left? If the road were flat I understand you would just pull in opposite direction and make crown but if I can only grade in one direction how does it work?

2) Width of grader should be 1/2 of road width plus 1 foot to give 6 overlap on each side?

3) Are rippers really worth extra money not to have to change from box with rippers to lpgs?

4) Does it require feathering hydro top link or just let it follow contour with no top link connection?

5) I have enjoyed so many of the EA videos. Should I buy from them and get a great product never having tried one or get a lighter J-bar at 1/2 the price to see if I like it? Will I love it from the start?

Thanks for the advice.

I was really leaning towards an EA Land Plane, but ended up purchasing a 6ft. Woods last weekend. Very well built, heavy, and the price was $600 less than what an EA was going to cost me w/ scarifiers. I'm very happy with my purchase. Good luck with your decision.

 

[shucksters]

I was really leaning towards an EA Land Plane, but ended up purchasing a 6ft. Woods last weekend. Very well built, heavy, and the price was $600 less than what an EA was going to cost me w/ scarifiers. I'm very happy with my purchase. Good luck with your decision.

Same thing here..bought the 84" Woods which my dealer had in stock. Knocked my 100 yard driveway out in no time. My wife thought I had bought a bunch of gravel!!

 

[Fallon]

Anyone else wonder at first why Smokey was talking about a post hole digger?

Took me a minute as well.

 

[oosik]

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.