Land plane Vs. Harley rake

[Lucky Dog]

I've struggled with keeping my gravel drive smooth for years. I currently use a box blade and back blade, but have discovered I'm horrible at using them.

I see the land planes and Harley rakes on videos and they both seem to give a nice smooth level drive.
My question, is one better than the other? What are the pro's and con's of each?

Thanks for your comments.

 

[dj1701]

I have a land plane, and it works pretty well, but I should have purchased a bigger one for the JD. The one I have is for the Kubota BX and sometimes it's not enough tractor. I don't have a Harley rake, but the guy down the road does and it's amazing. It's many thousands of dollars more but it will do a great job on a driveway.

Dave

 

[old and tired]

I don't have either so I will not comment on either... How do you use your box blade? Adding a little extra knowledge and learn to use them correctly would be my suggestion. Cheaper, too.

Also, what is your driveway like right now? Do you know what the "Base Material" is (and how thick)? Likewise, if you don't have enough gravel in the top section to work with, you are better off spending money on stone instead of implements!!

If you have large rocks or the base material is coming to the surface.... Neither the land plane nor the Harley rake will be of much help!

For me, when I had potholes, just covering them will do nothing. They show back up in the same place... You'll need a stock pile of some Crusher-Run (3/4 minus) so that when you cut out a pot hole (rippers below the hard-pack) you can fill it back up with extra stone (raise it up so water runs off and doesn't pool there).

Finally if your driveway is the lowest spot of your yard, you'll always have problems. The driveway needs to be able to have the water run off of it and not puddle up on it. Tons of threads on TBN about the correct ways to build a driveway....

 

[scootr]

The rake is more of a grooming tool and the landplane is more of a gading tool. I use the LP to cut the washboard off the dirt road and smooth it out again. You can do this with a grader box by changing the angle to cut then smooth the surface. You really need a top hydraulic function on the box to be effective so you can cut or fill as needed as you move along.
Unfortunately the smooth road encourages faster driving which creates the washboard... it's a vicious cycle

 

[BackRoad]

I have both. I have a heavy duty 8' original Harley Rake which is PTO driven. It's an expensive attachment to use on a gravel drive. Though heavy duty, I'd be concerned it would beat itself to death and wear out quickly using it on gravel.

It's spectacular on dirt for grading and windrowing debris like stones and sticks from dirt for final finish for a lawn, but I would never use mine on a gravel drive.

Landplane is my first pick for maintenance on the gravel driveway. It's fast, and made for that type of activity.

1st pic is lawn before Harley Rake, 2nd is after. 3rd is driveway using the landplane...

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I have both. I have a heavy duty 8' original Harley Rake which is PTO driven. It's an expensive attachment to use on a gravel drive. Though heavy duty, I'd be concerned it would beat itself to death and wear out quickly using it on gravel.

It's spectacular on dirt for grading and windrowing debris like stones and sticks from dirt for final finish for a lawn, but I would never use mine on a gravel drive.

Landplane is my first pick for maintenance on the gravel driveway. It's fast, and made for that type of activity.

1st pic is lawn before Harley Rake, 2nd is after. 3rd is driveway using the landplane...

View attachment 3373862View attachment 3373863View attachment 3373864

You do nice neat work with those two implements.

 

[bridge4]

edit: I confused York and Harley this morning. I do not have a harley rake. I consider those more for fresh dirt type scenarios and not established areas or areas with gravel.

I have both as well, started with a york rake but got the land plane two years ago. I find it helps a ton for smoothing out bumps the rake can leave if I am doing a little more than my tractor can weight wise. It also does great ripping out pot holes and keeping the crown where you want it. Another side benefit is the landplane is contained where your gravel doesn't spill all over the yard. Sometimes raking if I go a little wide I have some clean up after. If I was to only own one, I'd probably own the rake as I'm better with it, but I think owning both is where it is at. I use the land plane 1-2 times a year, but the york rake after most big rains.

 

[neilpaku]

I've built and maintained a lot of roads. A road has to be thought of in layers, starting with the route and grades - I say grades because it can/should change depending on the curve, then the sub-base, then the base then the finish cover. Assuming all those are ok, the key area I see people not getting right is not crowning the road. Water is is the cause of 90% of problems if the grade and bases are correct. Potholes and some washboard come from water not being able to drain freely, so get the crown right before finishing the top surface. If you have soft spots, you need to dig them out and backfill with base that is as closely matched to the surrounding base as you can - too soft and it will chop out, too hard and the surround will chop out right need to your replacement. The right tool to set a crown is a grader. You can build a road once correctly and then just have light maintenance, or you can do what most people do : )

 

[Blue Mule]

I use a land plane on my driveway and the 1/2 mile gravel road that serves our "neighborhood" out in a rural area. It works REALLY well. But, I have found that timing is key. I don't want the gravel road to be too dry because then the land plane bounces over the material and is not effective. I don't want the road to be too wet because then the land plane digs in too hard. Grading the road when it's damp, generally 24-48 hours after a rain, gives me the best results.

Having said all that, a Harley Rake would be much much better at removing pot holes and keeping the road perfectly smooth at all times. But it's a lot more expensive. So...

 

[eeleater]

You do not say what happens with the current implements. I am guessing that they dig in, then leave a ridge at the end of the spread. I was searching for solutions for this when removing snow. What I found works for me is a piece of angle iron clamped between the blade and the frame. It works in spreading gravel also. Because the angle iron is a 90 degree bend the overall angle of the attachment is unusual. I may take some flat stock and weld one up with a different angle.

It is an inexpensive solution if it works. Have not tried it with the box blade.

 

[TugHillDog]

Here is another vote for the land plane. I have a quarter mile access road and a couple parking lots that I tend. The box blade and even the york rake were my initial tools. I found that small variations in front tire elevations while driving were amplified through the tractor body to the rear implement [no guide wheels].
When I upgraded to my current tractor, I bought a used land plane from the dealer. After years of road grading, I can tell you that patience and many passes with the top link allowing the front of the plane to dig [not aggressively] will eventually achieve the same pothole removal and running the box blade with the scarifiers. Lengthening the top link will put a fine finish on the surface. Echoing what others have said, be sure to shorten one of the lift arms on the 3point so as to make the road center higher and establish a watershed crown.

Good luck and let us know what you decide and how it goes.

 

[bridge4]

I have found with the landplane, forwards for ripping/crowning and reverse for smoothing anything out.
@TugHillDog I have that same issue with the york rake, but once I get a good set in the spring with the land plan, I can mainly just york rake after small storms and things.

 

[EmeraldCity]

I have a box blade with extra weights on it. If the gravel road is bad, the box blade works great to stir up the top 4-6" if the scarifiers are set low. I then dragged a heavy I-beam to level. BUT, I recently got a heavy duty (meaning heavy) drag harrow that works great when the road needs a little attention. It levels and smooths amazingly well. Maybe you could borrow one to try. BTW, they are designed to use both sides, one digs up the gravel more and smooths, the other smooths more without digging too much.

Rich
Formerly the wet PNW
Currently Central Texas.
1967 Ford 3000 FEL, custom hydraulic 3-point
Kubota BX-24d
Kubota GR2000
Various attachments

 

[BackRoad]

You do nice neat work with those two implements.

I appreciate the comment, especially considering the work you do on your great thread!