Land plane question?

[Trintcole]

I've read every thread on every forum I can find on these. I only see people using them to maintain a road.

I have 3 acres of newly cleared land . It's old paper mill land so the ground has rolls and dips. It's generally rough. I've box bladed and landscape raked it to smooth it out, but it feels like that's not working very well.

I've disced the lot and the dirt is soft and uneven.

1. Will the land plane work to flatten it out?

2. I see the angled blade for making a crown on a road, is that going to be an issue when flattening a field?

3. I have a Kubota l3010 30hp Hst. How large of a plane can I pull? I have a new holland tc55da with a back hoe and I plan to sell the Kubota eventually. Just keeping it until I'm done land clearing and remove the backhoe. So the largest the Kubota can handle.

Thanks for your replies in advance

 

[bcp]

You need a float.




Bruce

 

[s219]

If you have access to some pallets, join two together (front-back) with 2x4 on the sides, and then drag them around, top side down. Will do a good, cheap job of leveling loose soil. Heck, if a big enough tractor, use 4 pallets and go twice as wide.

 

[Piston]

You need a float.

View attachment 402116 View attachment 402117 View attachment 402118 View attachment 402119
View attachment 402120 View attachment 402121 View attachment 402122

Bruce

That's pretty cool Bruce, hadn't seen one before.

 

[bcp]

We used larger, heavier, simpler ones than shown here. 3 or 4x12 lumber, 10-12 wide, maybe 20-30 feet long. Usually pulled by a Cat D6. Sides and center board vertical, front and back boards at an angle, X-braces of steel rod.

In the early 1950's they were almost totally replaced with various styles of wheeled land planes.



Bruce

 

[SandburRanch]

As shown by bcp, length is needed just as we would need a long #8 Bailey wood plane rather than a short plane to flatten a piece of wood.

 

[oosik]

I drag pallets with my ATV. Its cheep and works great. This is after the area has been plowed(moldboard plow) and disked.

 

[Rocky Hoffler]

to answer to your question the land plane will work fine remember that weight is your friend.

 

[bcp]

Short drags will smooth the land, long ones will flatten it.

Bruce

 

[aeblank]

I have read about people using them in prep for a yard, so if it'll do a yard I would expect it to do fine in a field.
Don't expect to find a used one though. They do not exist (or at least I can't find one).