"Bionic blade" - worth the extra cost?

[MtnViewRanch]

That's quite a statement...IMO it should be qualified with a size/weight (tractor/plane) disclaimer...as well as what you consider a "natural surface material"...
...in these parts many of the roads are based with indigenous crushed river rock/till...and trying to use a land plane fitted to a smaller tractor (less than 30 hp) would be fruitless and nothing but frustrating as it would mostly just bounce around and leave piles of loose gravel whenever it bounced...

Sorry, didn't realize that we were talking about size of anything, just type. I could say that a hand held hoe isn't all that effective either, not that it has anything to do with what would actually be used. :confused2:

So with that same less than 30hp tractor, is a box blade or a rear blade that would normally be used behind it going to work any better??? :confused3:

If there is a different implement that would work better with that less than 30hp tractor, please let us know what it would be. If you feel that a 4" rear blade or box blade works better, please let us know. Or just what is the BEST road maintenance implement in your area for that under 30hp tractor to use? Now that we are talking about smaller tractors

Inquiring minds want to know. :confused3:

 

[/pine]

Sorry, didn't realize that we were talking about size of anything, just type. I could say that a hand held hoe isn't all that effective either, not that it has anything to do with what would actually be used. :confused2:

So with that same less than 30hp tractor, is a box blade or a rear blade that would normally be used behind it going to work any better??? :confused3:

If there is a different implement that would work better with that less than 30hp tractor, please let us know what it would be. If you feel that a 4" rear blade or box blade works better, please let us know. Or just what is the BEST road maintenance implement in your area for that under 30hp tractor to use? Now that we are talking about smaller tractors

Inquiring minds want to know. :confused3:

I guess it boils down to what one considers the definition of the word (yours) "maintain"...

IMO...reworking the pitch, crown etc. is not general maintenance...that is a once every several years (or longer) operation depending on the weather and amount of traffic etc....for me, on many of the local roads I address/"maintain" (once or twice a year) a good rake recovers and re-distributes displaced gravel etc. works best...for pot holes scarifying, filling and smoothing with a box blade works best...

...And trying to rework the pitch/crown with a land plane on local roads here would not be near as productive as a good heavy scrape blade...perhaps a land plane that weighed half a ton (with a big enough tractor to pull it) might work to a degree...

I guess it's mostly a geographical location thing...of the several contractors I know and work with here...none of them own or would even consider using a land plane...in fact I don't think I have ever even seen one (new or used) in the local farmers market etc. classifieds...
I don't recall even seeing one in the yards of the local TSC stores...

 

[murphy1244]

Sorry, didn't realize that we were talking about size of anything, just type. I could say that a hand held hoe isn't all that effective either, not that it has anything to do with what would actually be used. :confused2:

So with that same less than 30hp tractor, is a box blade or a rear blade that would normally be used behind it going to work any better??? :confused3:

If there is a different implement that would work better with that less than 30hp tractor, please let us know what it would be. If you feel that a 4" rear blade or box blade works better, please let us know. Or just what is the BEST road maintenance implement in your area for that under 30hp tractor to use? Now that we are talking about smaller tractors

Inquiring minds want to know. :confused3:

Brian, I agree. I bought a Land Pride Land Plane and it does a greeeeeaaat Job. You know it works when the Neighbors want to "Borrow it". TSC is that Cloths and Hat store right?

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I guess it boils down to what one considers the definition of the word (yours) "maintain"...

IMO...reworking the pitch, crown etc. is not general maintenance...that is a once every several years (or longer) operation depending on the weather and amount of traffic etc....for me, on many of the local roads I address/"maintain" (once or twice a year) a good rake recovers and re-distributes displaced gravel etc. works best...for pot holes scarifying, filling and smoothing with a box blade works best...

...And trying to rework the pitch/crown with a land plane on local roads here would not be near as productive as a good heavy scrape blade...perhaps a land plane that weighed half a ton (with a big enough tractor to pull it) might work to a degree...

I guess it's mostly a geographical location thing...of the several contractors I know and work with here...none of them own or would even consider using a land plane...in fact I don't think I have ever even seen one (new or used) in the local farmers market etc. classifieds...
I don't recall even seeing one in the yards of the local TSC stores...

OK, now that we are no longer talking about 30HP and under tractors, I agree that pitch-crown is not what I consider normal maintenance either. In the 13 years at my place, that has been re-worked once on the 1/2 mile of shared road. You say that your other implements work best, and yet admit to never even seeing one let alone trying a LPGS. So you are guessing that your implements work better, you don't actually know from first hand experience. I've been using my 1400lb LPGS for over 12 years now. When I was using my (best maintenance grading implement) most people here on TBN didn't even know what they were. Look at the following for them now. Education and first hand knowledge is a wonderful thing. Just because you don't see-have them in your area, does not mean that they would not work, it means that no one has tried them. If they had tried them and they were not any good, would you not see it for sale somewhere?

You may very well be right that the implement would not work very well unless 1000+lbs. I have places on my property where you best have a D8 to get anything done. Does that mean that nothing else works, no, just not as effectively. I was only trying to make a point of if you take 4 different implements, LPGS, box blade, rear blade and even a landscape rake, all of equal quality, weight and proper size fitting any size tractor, that the LPGS is going to do the best job at general maintenance of a road. How good it actually ends up working is most likely going to depend on overall size and weight. You can't really expect a 400-500lb implement to do the same job as a 1000+lb implement, as good or in the same amount of time.

 

[/pine]

...OK, now that we are no longer talking about 30HP...

I didin't realize that we EVER were talking about 30HP...I just used the figure as an example and you misunderstood and carried it further as the crux of my point...which it was not.

So you are guessing that your implements work better, you don't actually know from first hand experience...Education and first hand knowledge is a wonderful thing. Just because you don't see-have them in your area, does not mean that they would not work, it means that no one has tried them. If they had tried them and they were not any good, would you not see it for sale somewhere?

Yes I'm guessing...the same as I would guess by looking at a square peg and round hole that the former would not fit into the latter...If I had a round hole it would be foolish for me to buy a square peg just to see if it would fit...some things are obvious and do not require an advanced degree in physics to figure out...!

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I didin't realize that we EVER were talking about 30HP...I just used the figure as an example and you misunderstood and carried it further as the crux of my point...which it was not.



Yes I'm guessing...the same as I would guess by looking at a square peg and round hole that the former would not fit into the latter...If I had a round hole it would be foolish for me to buy a square peg just to see if it would fit...some things are obvious and do not require an advanced degree in physics to figure out...!

If you would not mind, would you please post a few pictures of the different roads, drives that you take care of so that I-we may have a better understanding of your conditions and what you have to work with? If not, no big deal.

 

[oosik]

Wow!!! Now that the smoke/steam have blown away - - I have a mile long gravel/rock filled driveway. I've lived here 32 years. Twenty seven of those years I attempted to do summer maintenance on the drive with a 28hp Ford 4WD and back blade only. Because the surface turns to cement in the summer, my efforts with this tractor & implement were less than satisfactory. I purchased the Kubota M6040 and Land Pride GS2584 in 2009. With my abilities, tractor and various implements (Bush Hog RO720-roll over box blade, LPGS 2584-grading scraper & LP 3596-back blade) it is far easier, quicker and a better finished product when I use the Land Pride Grading Scraper for summer maintenance of the driveway. All three are used on the driveway at one time of the year or other but its the GS2584 that actually "maintains" the drive. The ROBB moves dirt/gravel from here to there and the back blade is my winter snow removal implement.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Wow!!! Now that the smoke/steam have blown away - - I have a mile long gravel/rock filled driveway. I've lived here 32 years. Twenty seven of those years I attempted to do summer maintenance on the drive with a 28hp Ford 4WD and back blade only. Because the surface turns to cement in the summer, my efforts with this tractor & implement were less than satisfactory. I purchased the Kubota M6040 and Land Pride GS2584 in 2009. With my abilities, tractor and various implements (Bush Hog RO720-roll over box blade, LPGS 2584-grading scraper & LP 3596-back blade) it is far easier, quicker and a better finished product when I use the Land Pride Grading Scraper for summer maintenance of the driveway. All three are used on the driveway at one time of the year or other but its the GS2584 that actually "maintains" the drive. The ROBB moves dirt/gravel from here to there and the back blade is my winter snow removal implement.

Any pictures? I am the same as you, + a landscape rake if I ever get it rebuilt. :ashamed: Each implement does a certain task better than the others, but the LPGS is the go to implement for general maintenance of the roads. :thumbsup:

 

[oosik]

Brian,
The only pics of the driveway are winter time from about 5-6 years ago. That winter it simply WOULD NOT quit snowing. I got enough cold, blowing snow, winter time, open station "seat time" to last me a lifetime. I had the little Ford then and it was a real job keeping the drive open with just the backblade. That's why I bought the Kubota. The pics I have of the drive only show me up to my "ankles" in snow. Not good pics either - I was steaming, the wife(taking the pics) was laughing, the camera was shaking and the pics didn't turn out well. At one point that winter we had 49 inches of standing snow, in the flat areas. The new Kubota has the weight to keep a straight line while plowing the driveway - the little Ford would keep getting shoved off line by the snow behind the back blade. The only saving grace - I had already retired by that time so no more midnight plowing.

 

[Alpha Dog]

You know, I think every question I've ever posted on this site has started at least a couple of those responding into what sounds like an argument. I apologize, I wasn't trying to start a fight of any kind.
I also did admit I'd found a number of different names for these things, (I had heard of "land plane," but the pictures I found for that were for a much larger drag-type implement that raised and lowered off a set of wheels). (Try searching for "land plane" in a Texas CL, you'll also get to look at pictures a lot of worn out Cessnas), so I searched for "bionic blade", (which is what my late friend from county road-and-bridge told me it was about 20 years ago when he was using one near my old place in another county) and the only "hit" I got led me to the "Dual Edge Grader" name on some Ag Extension website, but I'd never heard anyone talk about that, so that's why I posted the question here. Thanks for the input, (I had seen that video before, and without insulting "everything attachments" I am always leery of someone trying to sell something, and felt it's better to ask folks that use them, instead of make a living selling them.)
Anyway, beyond finding out apparently everything I ask is a "touchy subject" for someone, from the other posts, I'm guessing it'll do what I want it to, using a 30 HP or larger tractor.

Thanks, and everyone, please keep calm, and again I'm sorry my post stirred the pot.