3pt settings for LPGS

donconnery · May 11, 2019

So after months of trying to get my hands on a Land Pride LPGS I finally got my 48'' home today. Eager to try it out, I hooked it up and off I went. It is definitely easier than using my BB to maintain the road...but I think I missed something. When I would use my BB to smooth the road, I would hold the 3pt down to "float" it since I was just trying to smooth it over. Should I still do this with the LPGS? Or should I set it and forget it? If so, where do I determine the height? To me it seemed to be working better if I dropped it all the way down and then lifted it up just a whisker. Also, I am getting windrows, not nearly as bad as with BB but they are still there. As far as road conditions go, dry or damp?? Everything is a little damp right now. Last time I used my BB was in July and the material seemed to move much easier and had a much different look to it. This was the first year in a while that we had the road sanded over winter, so there is some dirt mixed in with it as well. Kinda lost here after reading just about every LPGS post there is on here, I don't think I'm getting the results I should.

Thanks!!

jenkinsph · May 11, 2019

Most of the time running with the 3ph down all the way works best. You may need to adjust the top link to get the best trim between the front and rear blades. Also check to see if it is leveled left to right as this will reduce the skids tracks. Avoid tight turns when attempting finish passes to get the best results.

donconnery · May 11, 2019

jenkinsph said:
Most of the time running with the 3ph down all the way works best. You may need to adjust the top link to get the best trim between the front and rear blades. Also check to see if it is leveled left to right as this will reduce the skids tracks. Avoid tight turns when attempting finish passes to get the best results.

Maybe I need to adjust top link some then. I was bogging down a little. How about conditions. The druer the better or what?

jenkinsph · May 11, 2019

Damp is okay if not sticky. I prefer slightly damp over dry ground because it holds the shape longer. That said I have had good results with various soil conditions.

LPGS are very handy for smoothing and averaging. I prefer a box blade for leveling and precision grading. I built a 48 inch lpgs several years ago and still use it for tight quarters work on lawn projects. I recently started collecting materials for a new 14ftx8ft lpgs hope to build this late summer.

donconnery · May 12, 2019

Im trying to do a 80x50 area and still not getting good results. Is there a certain patter I should try? When I get to the end I either have to make a tight turn and it gets all messed up, or I'm left with whats left in the scraper to dump and pull back the other way. Like striping a lawn or drive in laps?

jenkinsph · May 12, 2019

That is a small area and pulling it back and forth is about all you can do.

That is why I still use a box blade for precise work. I also use rollers to pack the surface then shave off any excess material.

jenkinsph · May 12, 2019

I should add that my preference is for grader blades to be flush with the skids.

smackdab · May 13, 2019

Assuming you can adjust the depth of the scraper blades compared to the side skids? If so, and especially if its wet, the blades will need to be set shallow. That's the first thing to adjust. Next, level the scraper from side to side as well as front to back. After that, you can get pretty good results just by adjusting the top link.

To adjust the depth of the scraper blades, a cordless impact is definitely your friend. I had 3 different settings I used: I used a pair of 1" thick boards to get a 1" deep cut, a 1/2" thick pair of boards to get a (obviously) 1/2" deep cuts, and I also did the last cut on one driveway with it set flush to the side skids.

I did a bunch of driveways of various ages (one was brand new last fall) last week and the depth of the scrapers was what I adjusted most between driveways. It was probably too wet to do all of them, but I kind of scraped them lightly once, let them dry for a couple days, went back and did them again. Way better after they were drier.

Gordon Gould · May 13, 2019

The way I do mine is to start in the back, the low end for drainage, and pull towards the main drive. When I get there I feather out what is in the box by slowly lifting the LPGS box allowing the gravel to dribble out under the blades. Then when I have the main area done I go across the feathered area to neaten it up. My blades are straight across so it is easier to feather evenly but it shouldn't matter because going across the end will fix it up nicely. When I feather it out the last stuff to pass under the blades is any sod in the box so it is easy to separate that out at the end. That pile is mostly sod.

Don't expect to be an expert from the start. Give yourself a break. It takes time and practice and experimentation to figure out how to use any new implement.