Land Plane - Yet another build

[jenkinsph]

Looks great and a nice build.:thumbsup:
Making the depth adjustable does add more work.
I did notice that you used unequal leg angle iron for the blade mounts and would suggest that 45 degrees would be the better setting since all the grader blades I have seen are ground on a 45 degree angle and mounted the same. If you set these grader blades at a steeper angle they will wear down too quickly.

 

[Oliver1655]

My batteries died on the camera so no photos at this time.

- Chains for 3 pt: Remember I have a pivoting center post which connect to the top link of the tractor. It lifted without any problems.

- Dragging with a chain: The height of the chain on the tractor versus the drag does make a difference. When hooked to the draw bar it wanted to pull the skids downward which with soft ground made them sink. When hooked to the trailer hitch on the 3 point to where it had a slight upward pull on the skids it pulled great.

- Using it with the forks: I haven't tried it yet but FYI, my forks are only attached at the top with an 1-1/2 in bar going through the tubes welded to the forks so it will be able to allow it to float. I don't fore see any problem. (My tractor is a 70 hp with fluid filled tires. I can pick up a 55 gallon barrel full of calcium water at the end of a 29' boom on the loader or a pallet of shingles.)

- Reference the angle of the cutting edge, I am using a curved blade which will make the point of engagement closer to what you may be use to seeing. However, the point of the cutting edge it to cut. The less surface area making contact will help it to cut in better. Take a look at a road grader & the angle of the place. Most are set almost vertical. Yes a lot of the land planes & box blades have a flatter entry. This is to help it load up with material to add weight. My plane has the weight built into the implement it's self. If you have watched the video "Everything Attachments" did on land planes, you will have noted Tim addressed this.

I haven't dropped the cutting edge below the level of the skids yet but it is still doing the job. I am very happy with the way it is working. I will drop the blade down 1/2" latter this week & go down the gravel road to see how it does filling in washouts & pot holes on harder packed/dryer ground. The road district is slow getting to it & I hate having to dodge them.

 

[ovrszd]

Cutting edge angle. I run my road grader cutting edge almost straight up and down for normal road maintenance. If I am cutting dirt I lean the moldboard back to get a cutting and lifting action.

The angle on the cutting edge of a new blade is cosmetic only. After minimal use it is ground off and you are left with an edge the thickness of the blade and at whatever angle you've been running the blade. Cutting edges are priced and paid for by their size. In my case I run two 7'x7/8"x8" fastened to a 14' moldboard. They have an angle edge on both the useable edge and the bolt edge. Now why would they do that??? To save money. Has nothing to do with the use of the blade. Look how much material they save on a 7ft cutter by shaving the edges. And no one complains. I wear off the sharpened edge in the first couple days because it's thin. Pretty nifty marketing huh....

 

[MtnViewRanch]

My batteries died on the camera so no photos at this time.

- Chains for 3 pt: Remember I have a pivoting center post which connect to the top link of the tractor. It lifted without any problems..

Our concern has nothing to do with lifting the implement. Our concern is that once you lower that front cutting edge and actually work the implement, that the force exerted from that front edge will cause the rear of the implement to raise and you will then loose any use of the second cutting edge.

We will all find out once you do this. :thumbsup:

 

[ovrszd]

He's heavy enough that it might not be a real bad problem. But you are right, if the front blade gets a good bite into some firm material it will lift the rear of the plane.

I would tend to use a rigid 3pt. Idea being the entire weight of the plane is then applied to the area that needs shaved, rather than the plane being able to ride over those areas. But I use a hydraulic top link and can put it in float if I want the attachment to be free to drift.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

He's heavy enough that it might not be a real bad problem. But you are right, if the front blade gets a good bite into some firm material it will lift the rear of the plane.

I would tend to use a rigid 3pt. Idea being the entire weight of the plane is then applied to the area that needs shaved, rather than the plane being able to ride over those areas. But I use a hydraulic top link and can put it in float if I want the attachment to be free to drift.

I have the same float function, my LPGS is 1400lbs, 90" wide and 96" long. The rear will ride up. You could hold the front up in the air and it won't do it, but then not much reason to have that front cutting edge.

I think a lot of things will change for the OP once he lowers that front cutting edge and starts to work the implement. Time will tell I guess.

 

[jenkinsph]

Richard
I would assume you have a lot more experience with grader blades than I do. I will try to give mine a look today and see how they are wearing.

About the landplane hitch I would not bother with making it a tow type hitch the 3pt set up works great and can control how it rides over the ground much better.

 

[Oliver1655]

- The possibility of the plane doing a nose dive is definitely a consideration, especially as the first cutting edge is so close to the front of the skids.

- As Oversized suggested there is a lot of weight on the plane, especially with the hinged back plate which most planes do not have. It is over 300 lbs by itself. This might help offset the tendency.

- If I find it to be a problem, it would be an easy fix to weld or bolt in some tubing where the chains are attached.

- The section of dead end gravel road I maintain has several shelves of rock at the road surface level. This is why I left the blades in the up position. The plane is wide enough that the outer skid reached past the raised area between the ditch I the normal tire wear area. This allowed it to cut & fill while in the up position.

- Another thing I found was when I tried using it right after a good rain thinking it would cut easier, which it did, the road material did not fall over the angle iron very well & loaded up heavily. Once I let the road dry for a few hours then the road material fell over the angle iron just fine. This was not a problem I had when using the old horse drawn grader.

I appreciate all the feedback.

 

[jenkinsph]

A little time to let the ground dry out does make a huge difference and can sometimes be just a matter of hours. Today I am using my 8' land plane to smooth up a field I just graded. Friday it was too wet to work with, today it is powder dry.

 

[ovrszd]

I have the same float function, my LPGS is 1400lbs, 90" wide and 96" long. The rear will ride up. You could hold the front up in the air and it won't do it, but then not much reason to have that front cutting edge.

I think a lot of things will change for the OP once he lowers that front cutting edge and starts to work the implement. Time will tell I guess.

I agree. If, and I say if, I ever build one I'll do a lot of question asking first to try to minimize mistakes in design.

It's only logical that the rear will ride up if allowed by a flexible top link.